Line news January, 2006

• <26-Jan-2006>: web•TrainSim has finished repeating to himself that When you click on New to start a new player service to check and/or create paths and the Activity Editor coughs and splutters with a Send/Don't Send that the reason 99.99% of the time will be due to a consist that the AE doesn't like (even if you can drive the particular train). Once web•TrainSim removed his consist for the ET423 with all four cars powered and returned to the "old" consist, all was well. In fact web•TrainSim has even done a test run of his S9 - Bottrop to Wuppertal activity but some timing adjustments are required. By the way for those who are creating activities for Wupper Express 10, you probably already know how long the Activity Editor takes to bring up the route. As you create more and more paths, you'll think that time is quick compared to the time AE takes to save the first path you create in a session (there's time to bake a cake for morning tea). It helps to only have the following turned on in View: Platforms, Signals, Traffic Paths, Selected Timetable Path and Service Information. Turn on Platform Names and Siding Names when you need them (use the VRR Line Plan (PDF document) to locate stops and routes). Route Riter has been updated to version 6.3.66, RRit6_3_66upd.zip (2.23Mb, 19-Jan-2006), to sort out some minor bugs and ConBuilder has been updated to version 2.3.42, cbfull2343.zip (8.33Mb, 25-Jan-06).

• <25-Jan-2006>: The update for Wupper Express 10 is available from Graphics15, TBXTools or The-Train.de. The file is we10up101.zip (5.3Mb, 24-Jan-06) and WE 10 will become known as version 10.1. Apart from updating the track, the download installer will load a new set of Graphics15 activities (as required by the changes to the track database). The readme suggests you delete all files from the Wupper Express 10 Activities, Paths, Services, and Traffic folders. When you run the installer, setup.exe, tell it that the target folder is <system drive>:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Train Simulator\, where <system drive> is usually C:. However, if you've been writing your own activities and won't have time to try the Graphics15 ones, you can follow web•TrainSim's install method and do things by hand:

• extract the Setup.exe program from the zip into a temp folder and run it, telling the installer to place all files under another temp folder
• you'll see you now have a Routes folder which contains a WupperExpress10 folder - copy all files (a new tsection.dat plus five other files) to your proper WupperExpress10 folder in <system drive>:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Train Simulator\Routes\
• copy the two files in the TD folder to their proper TD folder
• copy all the new files in the world folder to their proper world folder.
• before cranking up the Activity Editor, move all your services out of MSTS into your backup folder. All your services will have to be re-created and your old ones will be overwritten when you next backup your new ones. You may need to refer to these old services if you haven't written down their details.
• now crank up the Activity Editor, create a dummy activity (web•TrainSim traditionally names it as junk), create a dummy player service so you can review all your paths and check which paths are broken, and therefore, which ones you need to re-create (using your notes when you first created them)
• whilst you can create and save new paths in a junk activity without saving the activity, new services don't get saved. So web•TrainSim is going to try to re-create the services he needs for the activity he was working on by saving his junk activity and hope that the new services are saved too
• the last few steps above relating to services is an attempt to get around the problem of loading the Activity Editor and then having to put up with all the error messages generated when it gets upset about incorrect/can't find services.

• <20-Jan-2006>: With the track update not yet ready for Wupper Express 10, web•TrainSim turned up the air-conditioning (to cope with temps close to 40 deg C) and got to work on writing up a tune-up of David Herb's ET423. You'll see some obvious additions (e.g., the CabView and Sound lines), some obvious fixes, and the quick controls first used on the Graphics15 trams. For his own benefit, web•TrainSim has converted the other two WAGon carriages to ENGines so that all cars are powered (as per the real ET423) but this needs testing (it'll be done as soon as web•TrainSim can get to work on finishing his S9 activity).

• <16-Jan-2006>: web•TrainSim intended to tell you how he was going with his S9-Bottrop-Wuppertal activity and that he was about to start testing. He's re-created enough paths and services and has just about built the Traffic schedule. However Graphics15 have announced that there will be an update to Wupper Express 10's track database so activity-creation work will stop until the patch is available. However that's a blessing in disguise because web•TrainSim needs to write up the extensive tune-up required on David Herb's ET423 trainset (available from The-Train.de downloads section or Dollbrother's Train Simulator S-Bahn site). Apart from downloading the trainset, there's a patch for the lights and that archive has new ENGine files so download it, licht.zip (8kb, 12-Jan-06), from David's site. web•TrainSim is going to try Sound BR 423 Version 1.1 by DB2005, Sound_BR423_V11.zip (2.16Mb, 05-Jan-06), from The-Train.de download section - he already knows there are some sounds missing but a short run doesn't sound too bad. For a cab, web•TrainSim is using Blackman's BR481 cab, BR481Cab.zip (4.25Mb, 04-Oct-02), from BR481 cab download from Alpha-Manfred.de. News for Australian trainsimmers who love their ALCOs should have been announced here days ago - there's an extensive pack (forty-nine locos in fact) of 48 class Alco Diesel locos by Gary Ball and William Ivery, AU_nsw48_MSTS1_Setup.exe (32.7Mb, 09-Jan-06). Finally, the Train Simulator Fan Site has a list of 500 Freeware Routes Available.

• <13-Jan-2006>: web•TrainSim has been pathing (in the Activity Editor) - he hasn't scrolled himself off the screen that often. Starting with 218 paths from WE 8 and WE 9 there's a bit of work involved in fixing (i.e., re-making) some broken paths and creating new ones for the new track in WE10. Oberhausen, Dortmund, Essen, Koln and Neuss are stations where it's obvious new paths are required. As well, there's a track change near DU-Rheinhausen that requires any paths through there to be re-created. So it's paths, paths, paths... and once they are all organised, it's time to re-create the corresponding services and put together some activities (the easy part compared to work on the paths). A download that will fit in to Wupper Express 10 is Dollbrother's ET423 trainset, version 2.1, tss-et423.zip (2.92Mb, 11-Jan-06), which can be downloaded from The-Train.de downloads section. Have a look at Train-sim.com and UKTrainsim which both have some new models.

• <08-Jan-2006> Update 1910 AEST: web•TrainSim has WE10 installed and is ready to get to work on fixing/creating paths. If you need help with installing, see Getting ready for WE10 activities (the readme in the download from Kim-Trains is in German and Babelfish helped out with a rough translation).

• <08-Jan-2006>: web•TrainSim has started downloading Wupper Express 10 (1004 Australian Eastern Summer Time) from Kim-Trains. The-Train.de is too busy to see whether or not it's available from there as well (paying members can probably get in). The route download file is wuppex10.zip (65Mb, 08-Jan-06) and the rolling stock and activities file is we10act1.zip (15Mb, 08-Jan-06). Being on an ISDN line, it's time for morning tea (and probably a sandwich for lunch later).

• <07-Jan-2006>: One day to go (well, plus 10 hours to be exact when the international time zone is taken into account). The Train-sim.com library has Thomas Luetke's Swiss tourist route, the Einsiedeln, going from Rapperswil at 410 metres altitude to Einsiedeln at 882 metres; the two files to download are einsied1.rar (187Mb, 06-Jan-06) and einsied2.rar (227Mb, 06-Jan-06).

• <06-Jan-2006>: Two days to go. Route Riter has been updated to version 6.3.63, RRit6_3_63upd.zip (2.23Mb, 06-Jan-2006), because Mike Simpson wasn't happy with the way a couple of things weren't working as he'd like. For a good list of MSTS routes from around the world, see Who Says MSTS Is Dead??? MSTS has 400 plus routes avail..." on the Train-sim.com MSTS forum.

• <05-Jan-2006>: Three days to go. Looking good.

• <04-Jan-2006>: Four days to go. Version 1.3 of Ajouts à Train Simulator's Le Canari - Train Jaune de Cerdagne version 1.3 can now be downloaded, SNCF_CANARI.zip (4.7Mb, 25-Dec-05). For a route to run this historic train on, there's version 2.01 of the Ligne de Cerdagne route, Ligne de Cerdagne V2.01.exe (69Mb, 02-Jan-06), which can be downloaded from Simtrain-fr's routes page. Amicitreni has a new G2000 diesel loco in Del Fungo livery, DFG_G2000.rar (3.04Mb, 02-Jan-06), and a set of UIC-X 78-80 carriages, Uic-X_78-80.zip (6.41Mb, 02-Jan-06). There's a Virtual Railways forum on The Railway Forum and it might be worth keeping an eye on it.

• <01-Jan-06>: Happy new year and all the best for 2006. While things are quiet and nothing much can be done when it's 40 degrees C, web•TrainSim has been preparing some pages for activities for Wupper Express 10. It's quite amazing the scope for activities that WE10 offers so have a quick look at the pages that are ready by going to Getting ready for WE10 activities or look under Activities by web•TS on the right-hand menu.

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• Email me at info@webDotTrainsim.com if you have questions or comments. I'll try to answer as best I can. Certainly post me if any step-by-step instructions on various how-to pages need clarification.