Hi to all,

I have taken some time to consider the possibility of testing new grounds in MSTS; UK routes. Knowing very little about freight operations in the UK, I have asked some insight as to the evolution of trains and freight once diesel replaced steam.

Here's one reply I have received: Most British freight
these days is complete trains from one main location to another, with
very little switching (or marshalling as we call it). Wagon load
freight pretty well died out here by the 1980's, and as dieselisation
only took off in the late 1950's with steam finally replaced in 1967
that only leaves a small period of time for what you are looking for.

So we can see that switching "american style" in the UK only lasted about 12 years. Therefore the period to focus on is in the seventies. The Thames-Mersey route was one of the routes suggested that could bring some switching possibilities and open doors for a template creation. However after downoading the route today, I am sad to report that the sidings are not marked for creating templates.

If some of our forum members have some knowledge about some UK routes, that you have downloaded or not, please let me know. I am new in this territory but am willing to consider creating a template one day if it can be done. Your ideas are welcome.

Denis

Denis,

What about the UKroutes by 3dTrainStuff?  I do not have any of them.  Perhaps one of our users might be able to advise whether the route would be appropriate and whether the tracks are marked properly.

Hi Norm,

Unfortunately, I forgot to mention that I am looking only among freeware routes. I have limited resources and cannot afford the routes at 3dtrainstuff; too expensive for my budget. However, I have just written to 3Dtrainstuff to inquire about the marked sidings for the Cambrian II route, which is around 200 miles long. Inquiries at TS and MLT suggested me this steam-era route which would be good for freight operations.

Also, in response to my inquiry earlier about the diesel era, Ottodad at TS also suggested me the West England route v2 from Terry Cuncliffe. It is a HUGE freeware route (close to a 1000 miles total(or KM?)), comes with lots of rolling stock and is suggested to buy on CD at uktrain-sim.com. i think it comes to under 10£. I have no idea about the labelling of tracks on this one. Maybe we'll get to find out with its maker at uktrainsim.com


dgionet2007-8-8 18:22:44

Denis;

If you are still interested in UK routes for a possible template, one stands out in my mind. Out of the 50 UK routes at my disposal, one that fits all criteria is the Burton Derby v2. It is a complex route ( I give it a 9 out of 10 for complexity), the sidings are all marked, there is a map available as well as rolling stock. It is available at the UK site and the price is right($0). I am not sure of what part of the UK it portrays, all I know it is a real Railway.

Moe Smith

Hi Moe,

Thanks for the info. It's well appreciated. It's not that easy at the beginning to get around the world of MSTS in UK when you don't know anything about the freight ops and the uktrainsim site. I will try to get it on CD. Hope to get it in the near future.

dgionet2007-8-10 8:51:3