Back on the rails.

I've been away from this for a while now. Just how life works for myself. With the madness of university work and i've just managed to nearly get my dream job (train driver!). So stuff is still quite busy but I had a craving to check out Dukey's Railway again.

Usually after such a time away I come back thinking ugh! But I actually opened it up to be quite happy with the work i'd achieved! So lets keep at it.

The route is pretty much finished in the first segment (Bowery - Hopkins End). So I was mainly working on schedules and paths before life took over. As i've been away from it I can look at it in a different eye and make some tweaks before continuing and making some activities :)

Here's some shots of me checking the railway out after a 2 month absence. Sometimes you just fancy a drive.
You may notice a new arrival!

Tornado choose Dukey's Railway as its location for trials.

End of the line! Part1

I've already mentioned that I reached the last station in the current phase of the railway, but now is the time to show it off properly as its in a 95% finished state!

From the Halt at the country park the line takes a steep gradient up before crossing a fine viaduct and going down again where it then enters Hopkins End.

Heres quite a few shots of the journey between Dallaston Halt and Hopkins End.

And this final shot, a new locomotive on the railway heads out from Hopkins End, heading up the grade towards the viaduct.

Fun but tedious.

Most of the hours spent on Trainz right now are testing schedules. I'm trying to write working timetables which give a good bass for activities to naturally exist. And of course its part of making it a believable realistic railway.

As well as watching two trains run over and over again, problem solving till it goes without a hitch, i've started doing a sortof quality control.

I ran a DMU from Brigden to the national park's halt and took note of any issues I could see. Taking note works much better than just looking for issues then forgetting to fix them..

In this run of only 3 or so minutes I noted at least 20 issues, which sounds a lot but most are fixable in a second or two.

Heres an example of the list written.

Brigden Station area

• Grass lacking at Brigden Station
• Floating benches
• Flickering posters
• Floating point rods
• Point wiring dodgy
• Dodgy garden hedges
• Sinking people on platform
• Wonky flatforms
• AOCL light flashing constantly
• Dukey on signal (he should be there but hes going to fall!)

Brigden - DH Halt

• Level Crossing broken
• Harsh embankments and hills
• Incorrect textures on harsh hills
• DH is generally a mess! 

I generally rushed Brigden to Dallaston park, so this is why I started here and not from Bowery.

Along with paths and schedules, next step is to touch up Bowery - Brigden in the same way as above.

One of the fixed things is the level crossing. I reskinned various assets  to make the wooden basis/boards . I think the effect works quite well. (Not that you can see them from this angle)

End of the line!

Horrah! I have laid all the track and junctions on this version of Dukey's Railway..  I reached Hopkins End!

All trackwork is done, well probably more like 98%, theres a few bits that need to be fixed up and some might be changed after testing how stuff runs.

To test the speed limits, junctions and just the routes length..  Oh and to bask in my glory so far.. I ran a DMU from the Hopkins End bay to Bowery..  The journey takes about 20-25 minutes and is somehow, exactly 10miles :\

I am currently working on paths and schedules as all the track work and (most) signalling is done. So I thought i'd have a break from scenery and try to see how things will run.

Its all very exciting!
I hope to get a cab view video from the Bowery Tunnel loop (where the last video ended) to Brigden. Then one from Brigden to Hopkins End.

To make this entry more interesting, a few shots from the testing so far.

Apologies for the darkness in most of them, my testing session uses whatever my system time is.. and I seem to mostly be working on it at night.

STOP!

Yeah! Did this reskin as it was something I needed to warn drivers who don't know where they are going... And to show the end of the preserved line, before reaching the national rail network..  Can't have steam locos and the like venturing onto the mainline eh?

On from Brigden!

Leaving Brigden, the line takes a relatively straight path through the former Brigden Woodland and heads toward the Dallaston National Park.

Heading out of Brigden

Brigden crossing, (Which needs a bit of fixing)

A short distance after crossing the main road to Brigden, the line passes through the Brigden County Golf Club before curving and descending into the National Park.

The main feature of passing through the national park is the beautiful Lake, which sits in an opening of the forest.