A beta version of the new scenario pack will be going into testing over the next 24 hours.
Sunday, 31 March 2013
Calling All Beta Testers
Could anyone who was part of the recent beta testing team please get in touch with me either via email or via the "Contact Us" form on the website. I need to see who is still interested and recruit new members if needed.
A beta version of the new scenario pack will be going into testing over the next 24 hours.
A beta version of the new scenario pack will be going into testing over the next 24 hours.
Cresston V4 - Two New Scenarios
I have uploaded two new scenarios to the website for Cresston V4 courtesy of Phil (pjt1974). They are available in the "Third Party" section of the website and can be found by clicking here.
Saturday, 30 March 2013
DPS Scenario Pack 01 - Manual Preview
I have now completed the first draft of the manual for the upcoming scenario pack, it can be downloaded by clicking this link and is in .pdf format.
Feel free to let me know what you think.
Feel free to let me know what you think.
Friday, 29 March 2013
Screenshot Of The Day - 29th March
Brought in to cover for a Class 47, a Class 31 leads a Birmingham bound Cross Country service into Darlington.
Virtual Railroads - Eaos-x 075
It seems that another scrap carrying wagon has been released as well, this time from Virtual Railroads. The Eaos-x 075 pack includes wagons that contain three different loads as well as featuring something really interesting called "Random Skin" whereby the wagons will have different textures as they are placed in the scenario editor.
You can view the product page and buy the wagons by following this link.
You can view the product page and buy the wagons by following this link.
Armstrong Powerhouse - JXA/POA Wagons
Armstrong Powerhouse have just released an all new wagon pack for TS2013. Priced at £4.99, the JXA/POA pack includes three liveries plus weathered variants, authentic sounds, loaded/unload versions and a flashing rear tail lamp. Three authentic scenarios are also included for the London to Faversham route.
This all new pack can be viewed and purchased by following this link.
This all new pack can be viewed and purchased by following this link.
Train Simulator 2013 - Todays Deal 29th March
The deal for the next 24 hours (until midday tomorrow) is for the Donner Pass add-on with 50% off at only £12.49.
You can view and purchase this limited deal by clicking here.
You can view and purchase this limited deal by clicking here.
Thursday, 28 March 2013
Just Trains - Easter Sale
Just Trains have recently announced their Easter Sale, with up to 70% off many of their products. The sale will run until 4pm UK time on April 2nd. Highlights include:
Voyager Advanced - £11.99 (RRP £19.99)
Class 67 Advanced - £12.79 (RRP £15.99)
Bishop Auckland to Darlington - £13.99 (RRP £19.99)
Plus many more.
You can view the sale by following this link.
Voyager Advanced - £11.99 (RRP £19.99)
Class 67 Advanced - £12.79 (RRP £15.99)
Bishop Auckland to Darlington - £13.99 (RRP £19.99)
Plus many more.
You can view the sale by following this link.
Train Simulator 2013 - Todays Deal 28th March
Following a few days of US content being featured in the sale, today the offer is an excellent pack, the "London Brighton Loco Collection". Including the 4CIG add-on, 4CIG Southern add-on, BR 4BIG add-on & FCC Class 377 add-on, this pack would normally cost £41.36 when bought separately but is available until mid-day tomorrow for only £20.68, a 50% saving.
You can view and purchase this limited deal by clicking here.
You can view and purchase this limited deal by clicking here.
Wednesday, 27 March 2013
Screenshot Of The Day - 27th March
A Class 47 snakes it's way out of Darlington with a Cross Country service bound for Newcastle.
Train Simulator 2013 - Todays Deal 27th March
The deal for the next 24 hours (until midday tomorrow) is for the "Cajon Pass Loco Collection" and includes the Dash 9, SD70 V2, SD75 & SW1500 Switcher locomotives. Normally priced at £47.96 when bought seperate, this 50% off bundle means they are available today for only £26.38.
You can view and purchase this limited deal by clicking here.
You can view and purchase this limited deal by clicking here.
Tuesday, 26 March 2013
Train Simulator 2013 - Todays Deal 26th March
The deal for the next 24 hours (until midday tomorrow) is for the F40PH "California Zephyr" pack with 50% off at only £5.99.
You can view and purchase this limited deal by clicking here.
You can view and purchase this limited deal by clicking here.
Monday, 25 March 2013
Screenshot Of The Day - 25th March
A northbound HST powers towards Ferryhill on a service bound for Edinburgh.
Train Simulator 2013 - Todays Deal 25th March
The deal for the next 24 hours (until midday tomorrow) is a package deal which offers both the Norfolk Southern Heritage ES44ACs & SD70ACes at 33% off. Bought separately, these would normally cost a total of £23.98 but during the offer they are available for £11.26.
You can view and purchase this limited deal by clicking here.
You can view and purchase this limited deal by clicking here.
Sunday, 24 March 2013
Train Simulator 2013 - Todays Deal 24th March
The deal for the next 24 hours (until midday tomorrow) is a pretty good package deal with 60% off a bundle which includes the ICE-1, ICE-2, ICE-3 and Ruhr-Sieg addons. Bought separately, they would cost a total of £46.96 but they are available now for only £8.00.
You can view and purchase this limited deal by clicking here.
You can view and purchase this limited deal by clicking here.
Saturday, 23 March 2013
Train Simulator 2013 - 75% Off
Any new users out there that have been holding off joining the party? If so, now is an ideal time to get involved with Train Simulator 2013 available for only £8.75 for the next 24 hours.
Friday, 22 March 2013
Euro Truck Simulator 2 - Half Price
For anyone interested in Truck Simulation, ETS2 is now half price on Steam for only £12.49. You can view and purchase the game by clicking here.
Screenshot Of The Day - 22nd March
A London bound express rolls into Darlington. Screenshot taken as part of the upcoming BR Blue scenario pack on the ECML route.
IHH - WLOS/Port Road Packs
Following the release of the excellent "Western Lines Of Scotland", Iron Horse House have now released two excellent packs to accompany the route, entitled "Port Road Green - Chapter 1" & "Port Road Steam - Chapter 1".
Both packs seem to offer fantastic value for money and can be purchased by following this link.
Both packs seem to offer fantastic value for money and can be purchased by following this link.
Cresston V4 - 2D21 Crickfield Dock - Welham
Despite the route not being complete as yet and still in beta development, it is heartening to see that people are still willing to support the route by releasing scenarios for it, even at this stage.
One such scenario that has been released is from Phil Teare (pjt1974), forming a service from Crickfield Dock to Welham using the AP/Waggonz Class 142.
It can be downloaded by following this link. Thanks Phil!
One such scenario that has been released is from Phil Teare (pjt1974), forming a service from Crickfield Dock to Welham using the AP/Waggonz Class 142.
It can be downloaded by following this link. Thanks Phil!
Locomotive/Rolling Stock Database
Are you wondering just how many Class 67's there are available? Are you looking for the original Class 66 or Class 08 pack and didn't realise they were still available to buy? Did you know that you can download a free Class 25, Class 35 or Class 58?
In all fairness, unless you have been casting an eagle eye over all proceedings within Railworks/Train Simulator for the past few years, then you may well be none the wiser to any of the above, or you have given yourself a severe migraine trying to work out who created what and who sells it where.
To help ease the pain, I have started my own database at DPSimulation, with the goal of keeping it constantly updated with new arrivals and old removals, freeware and payware, special packs and hidden bonus stock. There are other databases out there which are perfectly adequate, some with pictures and much prettier than what I am creating, but they are not always up to date or sometimes don't have the correct information. All I wanted was a simple database that I can personally keep track of, with a simple explanation of what is included and where it can be obtained.
Starting initially with UK Diesel locomotives, the database will be expanded in due course, offering direct links to where the stock can be obtained, along with a short description of what is included.
The initial database can be located by following this link.
In all fairness, unless you have been casting an eagle eye over all proceedings within Railworks/Train Simulator for the past few years, then you may well be none the wiser to any of the above, or you have given yourself a severe migraine trying to work out who created what and who sells it where.
To help ease the pain, I have started my own database at DPSimulation, with the goal of keeping it constantly updated with new arrivals and old removals, freeware and payware, special packs and hidden bonus stock. There are other databases out there which are perfectly adequate, some with pictures and much prettier than what I am creating, but they are not always up to date or sometimes don't have the correct information. All I wanted was a simple database that I can personally keep track of, with a simple explanation of what is included and where it can be obtained.
Starting initially with UK Diesel locomotives, the database will be expanded in due course, offering direct links to where the stock can be obtained, along with a short description of what is included.
The initial database can be located by following this link.
Thursday, 21 March 2013
Train Simulator 2013 - Western Lines Of Scotland
Developed by Keith Ross, creator of "West Coast Main Line North", Western Lines of Scotland has now been released for Train Simulator 2013 priced at £24.99. The addon can be purchased via Steam by following this link.
Including the line from Carlisle to Stranraer via Dumfries and many other locations, the package includes a BR Black 5 in three weathered variants, a BR Type 6 snowplough for use on the Black 5 and a large selection of passenger and freight rolling stock along with fifteen scenarios to get you started on exploring this large layout.
The following is taken from the Steam description page for Western Lines of Scotland:
Including the line from Carlisle to Stranraer via Dumfries and many other locations, the package includes a BR Black 5 in three weathered variants, a BR Type 6 snowplough for use on the Black 5 and a large selection of passenger and freight rolling stock along with fifteen scenarios to get you started on exploring this large layout.
The following is taken from the Steam description page for Western Lines of Scotland:
The heyday of Scottish steam from the 1960s is recreated in the Western Lines of Scotland route, now available for Train Simulator.
The route features a collection of railway lines representing the journey from Carlisle to Stranraer, via Dumfries, just prior to the Beeching axe, which saw many of these lines disappear. From Carlisle to Gretna, travel the route of the old Caledonian Railway before joining the Glasgow, Dumfries and Carlisle Railway bound for Dumfries. At Dumfries, the line branches again and continues along the Castle Douglas and Dumfries Railway, and at Castle Douglas continues along the Portpatrick and Wigtownshire Railway to Stranraer. Numerous yards and sheds can also be seen along the route, including Kingmoor Yard, London Road Sidings, Longtown MoD, Gretna Junction, Dumfries Depot, and Stranraer Harbour.
Western Lines of Scotland, developed by Keith Ross, also includes a re-worked BR Black 5 4-6-0, which comes in light, intermediate and heavy weathered variants, and an option for a front buffer beam mounted BR Type 06 snow plough on the locomotive. There are also accurate headcode options to correctly represent the rolling stock being hauled, and realistic and HUD driving modes.
The route includes scenarios featuring the Black 5 and the branch line to Kirkcudbright, making the Western Lines of Scotland a must for steam fans and those looking to recreate the pre-Beeching days.
Monday, 18 March 2013
Friday, 15 March 2013
Monday, 11 March 2013
ZJV Mermaid 14t Ballast Tipper - Now Released!
Courtesy of Malcolm (malkymackay) comes another fantastic wagon for TS2013, this time a ZJV Mermaid 14t Ballast Tipper. It can be downloaded by following this link.
Here is some background information, as given by Malcolm in the documentation...
Here is some background information, as given by Malcolm in the documentation...
The Mermaid Ballast wagons were an unusual Side-tipping design built by Metropolitan-Cammell, with the Great Western Railway purchasing 60 examples in 1930. BR bought 89 identical unfitted wagons between 1954 & 1957, classified as Diag. 1/573. The design was updated with Vacuum brakes, to Diag. 1/575, and 550 were built between 1959 and 1961. It is these wagons that are modelled, though the Unfittted BR wagons were later fitted with Vacuum Brakes.
I have chosen to represent them with the TOPS code of ZJV and painted in Departmental Olive Green. There is a lightly weathered version in late 70's/early 80's condition. A well used, rusty version, suitable for late 80's/early 90's scenarios is also included.
There are seperate empty & loaded options, to take account of the different braking performance, plus versions with a tail lamp.
These wagons are not blessed with powerful brakes, so don't expect them to slow down very quickly, especially the loaded ones.
Thursday, 7 March 2013
Donations Now Working - My Apologies
I am posting this for everyone to see as I cannot possibly reply to each and every email I have received regarding donations.
Because I don't class donations as a priority, they are of course much appreciated when they happen, I had not noticed that ever since introducing the donate button on both this blog and my website that I had not taken the verification step and therefore donations were being returned.
On reviewing, there must have been over 100 donations that have been returned, from many kind and generous people in the community and I can only apologise to all of those concerned, you must have seen me as very ungrateful to have returned your kind pledges.
I have now fixed this issue, so any future donations will go through as normal and as stated previously, all are used to pay for website fees, server costs and research materials to enable me to provide further free content and keep downloads free and at a high speed.
Once again, apologies to all of those who kindly donated, I didn't purposely return them and am truly grateful for your support.
Because I don't class donations as a priority, they are of course much appreciated when they happen, I had not noticed that ever since introducing the donate button on both this blog and my website that I had not taken the verification step and therefore donations were being returned.
On reviewing, there must have been over 100 donations that have been returned, from many kind and generous people in the community and I can only apologise to all of those concerned, you must have seen me as very ungrateful to have returned your kind pledges.
I have now fixed this issue, so any future donations will go through as normal and as stated previously, all are used to pay for website fees, server costs and research materials to enable me to provide further free content and keep downloads free and at a high speed.
Once again, apologies to all of those who kindly donated, I didn't purposely return them and am truly grateful for your support.
Wednesday, 6 March 2013
Cresston V4OB v2 - Released
I am pleased to announce the release of the latest version of the Cresston V4 "Open Beta", version 2. The route can be downloaded by following this link. Please take the time to read the included documentation.
The route now has scenery added between Lidmonton and Crickfield as well as the addition of the Crickfield Dock branch of which nothing was included in previous versions. It's worth noting that much of the scenery has been placed with a "drivers eye view" in mind, especially around the more dense areas. As the route is now as big as it is, I am taking steps like this to ensure it will still run well on lower end systems. Unless you want to fly 250m in the air, this should have no effect on your enjoyment of the route from both the cab and immediate view from the train.
One solitary scenario has been included, as before with no AI interaction it is purely a vehicle for the user to explore the newly completed areas. This scenario uses the Class 156 DMU which is available from the Steam Store here. I can appreciate that users probably require and expect more scenarios with a release, but as these updates are in beta form, larger and more interactive scenarios are planned further down the line.
As of the release this evening, it will be available from the solitary link provided above. As Cresston has evolved, the route has become very popular and recent releases have seen the download become unavailable for short periods. If this occurs, please be patient, it will work at some point.
External Requirements:
WCML North (Steam Store) - Click Here
AP Station Pack - Click Here
Now the confusing bit. As the route was also conceived pre-TS2013, it requires both the EU and US legacy asset packs. If you purchased any previous incarnations of Train Simulator/Railworks before 21/09/2012, you will already own these. For purchases of TS2013 beyond then, these files are not included. However, they are also included as part of the WCML North package, which as a main requirement means that if you intend to use this route, you will have what you need anyway.
In addition to the agreed inclusion of third party objects (detailed in the readme) the pack also now includes my own RBP01 (Route Building Pack 01).
The route now has scenery added between Lidmonton and Crickfield as well as the addition of the Crickfield Dock branch of which nothing was included in previous versions. It's worth noting that much of the scenery has been placed with a "drivers eye view" in mind, especially around the more dense areas. As the route is now as big as it is, I am taking steps like this to ensure it will still run well on lower end systems. Unless you want to fly 250m in the air, this should have no effect on your enjoyment of the route from both the cab and immediate view from the train.
One solitary scenario has been included, as before with no AI interaction it is purely a vehicle for the user to explore the newly completed areas. This scenario uses the Class 156 DMU which is available from the Steam Store here. I can appreciate that users probably require and expect more scenarios with a release, but as these updates are in beta form, larger and more interactive scenarios are planned further down the line.
As of the release this evening, it will be available from the solitary link provided above. As Cresston has evolved, the route has become very popular and recent releases have seen the download become unavailable for short periods. If this occurs, please be patient, it will work at some point.
External Requirements:
WCML North (Steam Store) - Click Here
AP Station Pack - Click Here
Now the confusing bit. As the route was also conceived pre-TS2013, it requires both the EU and US legacy asset packs. If you purchased any previous incarnations of Train Simulator/Railworks before 21/09/2012, you will already own these. For purchases of TS2013 beyond then, these files are not included. However, they are also included as part of the WCML North package, which as a main requirement means that if you intend to use this route, you will have what you need anyway.
In addition to the agreed inclusion of third party objects (detailed in the readme) the pack also now includes my own RBP01 (Route Building Pack 01).
Sunday, 3 March 2013
Cresston V4 OB - Graythorp
Just a small number of shots in the next area that is in development, around Graythorp**.
** Posted via a mobile device, so hopefully they work.
** Posted via a mobile device, so hopefully they work.