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Development News 18/01/2021 at 12:06 #136552
y10g9
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pedroathome in post 136545 said:
flabberdacks in post 136544 said:
pedroathome in post 136527 said:
For reference, Puxton Gatebox

No auto raise, I note... ;)
When the driver of a car starts throwing stones at the window, that's the hint to raise the crossing
Puxton Crossing box next to Puxton Level Crossing. Even the google car gets stopped


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Development News 18/01/2021 at 17:09 #136569
DaveHarries
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bugsy in post 136481 said:
It'll be interesting to see what Dave Harries has to say about this. He's currently offline so doesn't know yet :D

Sorry to keep you waiting!

I am glad to see confirmation that my home sim (my local station is one of the ones on the Severn Beach route) is to make an appearance once again and with a slightly newer format. I look forward to its release and will, of course, be getting it. Good to see also that the Filton 4-track will make an appearence albeit on an older era and without the 4 platform layouts at Bristol Parkway and Filton Abbey Wood but I know that you can't have everything.

Dave

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Development News 18/01/2021 at 21:30 #136576
pedroathome
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A preview just to keep Dave excited


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Development News 18/01/2021 at 21:35 #136577
jc92
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Ah, Avonmouth BHT. possibly the longest standing bug in Simsig history? It'll be exciting to execute a stress free run round for the first time ever.
"We don't stop camborne wednesdays"
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Development News 18/01/2021 at 21:41 #136578
Steamer
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jc92 in post 136577 said:
Ah, Avonmouth BHT. possibly the longest standing bug in Simsig history? It'll be exciting to execute a stress free run round for the first time ever.
I don't know, the number of indications associated with it makes me think it'll be an entertaining first train through!

"Don't stress/ relax/ let life roll off your backs./ Except for death and paying taxes/ everything in life.../ is only for now." (Avenue Q)
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Development News 19/01/2021 at 07:12 #136582
pedroathome
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I think a little outline may go a long way here. This might sound vague, and that resembles my understanding of the workings from memory (Its written down somewhere in the Sectional Appendix I believe)

As people may (or may not) be aware, loading of coal trains at Avonmouth BHT is done at a speed not exceeding 1/2 Miles Per Hour. This means that a loading a train will take in the region of 35 mins, train length depending. An approximation that for each meter of train length, it takes around 5 seconds to pass (From memory this works out at something between 0.4 and 0.5 MPH.

In terms of actions as the signaller, I believe, you as the signaller contact the BHT to request to send in a train. I'm not sure if the specify exactly where the train is to go, i.e. which line at the far end, or you can choose. At this point the loco runs around the train.

When the train is ready to load, the signaller gets a call requesting that the train is routed through the specified hopper for loading, at which point you route the train though. The train proceeds through the hopper at a speed not exceeding 0.5MPH

To more answers Steamers point here, I believe that the five indications are a repeat of what the BHT control have set or got indicated to the driver, although Propel might be something slotted with the panel before allowing a train to reverse.

James

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Development News 19/01/2021 at 08:39 #136583
broodje
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Out of curiosity, now that I have looked at the pictures of the panel that I have, Wil the St. Philips March line be in the sim? As apparently it was not controlled from the main signalbox. A tile on the panel says 'st. Philips March west depot controlled'. I do have a signalling plan from the 80sh (no date) however that does show it signalled. And I have a WMF file of the yards when the HST sdgs were installed that also show signals. I have no idea how accurate the later file is though...
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Development News 19/01/2021 at 19:10 #136615
DaveHarries
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broodje in post 136583 said:
Out of curiosity, now that I have looked at the pictures of the panel that I have, Wil the St. Philips March line be in the sim? As apparently it was not controlled from the main signalbox. A tile on the panel says 'st. Philips March west depot controlled'. I do have a signalling plan from the 80sh (no date) however that does show it signalled. And I have a WMF file of the yards when the HST sdgs were installed that also show signals. I have no idea how accurate the later file is though...

IIRC the depot did feature in the previous (now withdrawn) version of this sim but I can't recall if that included the signals controlled from within the depot. However the through lines in the depot were certainly included so it could be that the SPM signals are included.

Dave

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Development News 19/01/2021 at 22:22 #136620
pedroathome
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DaveHarries in post 136615 said:
broodje in post 136583 said:
Out of curiosity, now that I have looked at the pictures of the panel that I have, Wil the St. Philips March line be in the sim? As apparently it was not controlled from the main signalbox. A tile on the panel says 'st. Philips March west depot controlled'. I do have a signalling plan from the 80sh (no date) however that does show it signalled. And I have a WMF file of the yards when the HST sdgs were installed that also show signals. I have no idea how accurate the later file is though...

IIRC the depot did feature in the previous (now withdrawn) version of this sim but I can't recall if that included the signals controlled from within the depot. However the through lines in the depot were certainly included so it could be that the SPM signals are included.

Dave
The depot has got 3 quite distinctive eras so to speak to it. Initially, when installed, it was a standard two track junction at North Somerset, with the Up and Down Avoiding merging onto the single line over the viaduct and out to Bristol West. There was a number of ground frames. One to access Marsh Pond, numerous to allow trains to access Marsh Junction Sidings (as they are today), and another to access the former up sidings, now part of the HST depot

In 1976, the former Up Avoiding Line was remodelled, and used a former ground frame connection to regain its former alignment. Other than this, it remained much the same

1991 however, things changed, with the ground frames going, and a switch panel opening. This is the layout largely represented in the EXE simulation.

What ends up happening to the St Philips area on Bristol is to be determined, and is going to take careful planning and implementation so it works correctly in all eras. The final method of operation here is yet to be determined.

James

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Development News 19/01/2021 at 23:12 #136622
bill_gensheet
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It may be of interest that there might be through trains via the depot that way over the summer during the blockages at Temple Meads. (AFAIK rumour only at present)

The 1985 GW150 trains from Portishead and Wapping Wharf also went that way, although as effectively railtours they may have used clipped points rather than there being fully passenger compliant signalling.

Bill

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Development News 19/01/2021 at 23:41 #136624
broodje
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bill_gensheet in post 136622 said:
It may be of interest that there might be through trains via the depot that way over the summer during the blockages at Temple Meads. (AFAIK rumour only at present)

The 1985 GW150 trains from Portishead and Wapping Wharf also went that way, although as effectively railtours they may have used clipped points rather than there being fully passenger compliant signalling.

Bill
As far as I can see in the 80sh the line was called the down/up goods and was fully signalled with 4 ground frames. (Marsh Pond, Depot GF, Marsh Down GF and Marsch Up GF).

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Development News 20/01/2021 at 01:27 #136627
pedroathome
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broodje in post 136624 said:
bill_gensheet in post 136622 said:
It may be of interest that there might be through trains via the depot that way over the summer during the blockages at Temple Meads. (AFAIK rumour only at present)

The 1985 GW150 trains from Portishead and Wapping Wharf also went that way, although as effectively railtours they may have used clipped points rather than there being fully passenger compliant signalling.

Bill
As far as I can see in the 80sh the line was called the down/up goods and was fully signalled with 4 ground frames. (Marsh Pond, Depot GF, Marsh Down GF and Marsch Up GF).
The ground frame diagrams that I have suggest identical operation as other ground frames with Facing Point Locks, so I can only assume that this would cover it for needing to be clipped. What I don't know about is overlaps. The earliest plan I have is dated sometime after the year 2000

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Development News 20/01/2021 at 20:04 #136641
gareth_l
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Firstly, I'm really pleased to see that a loader version of Bristol is on the way, so thanks to those of you who have already put in many hours. Being a Bristol boy this means a lot to me, as it's a really interesting and fascinating network - not just historically but even now with the recent changes.

It's a rather strange coincidence that the announcement was made just as I finished compiling a new, modern TT for the current Bristol sim (details coming soon for that - I'm just testing it).

Now then, I can't hide my disappointment that the new sim does not include the four-track section up the Filton banks or the additional platforms at Parkway and Filton AW. These are fundamental changes which I would have thought are the main reasons behind Bristol being re-released for 2021. Or have I misread or misunderstood earlier messages? And if the four-track section is being introduced for an earlier era, surely it can't be that hard to include it in the modern one, can it?!

And one other question (for now ... will it have the option for ARS?

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Development News 20/01/2021 at 20:38 #136642
Stephen Fulcher
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There are a lot of differences between the original 1970s four track layout and the present day one.

Bristol Panel does not have ARS, so I’d have thought it unlikely the sim will have.

Last edited: 20/01/2021 at 20:38 by Stephen Fulcher
Reason: None given

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Development News 20/01/2021 at 20:41 #136643
headshot119
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gareth_l in post 136641 said:
And if the four-track section is being introduced for an earlier era, surely it can't be that hard to include it in the modern one, can it?!

And one other question (for now ... will it have the option for ARS?
When the area controlled by Bristol PSB was moved to TVSC the E10K interlockings controlled from the PSB were decommissioned and replaced with new ones. While this sounds simple, it means that fundamental things like track circuits IDs, signal numbers, point numbers etc all change. The geographical coverage also changes somewhat notably around Patchway.

A TVSC era, with all the latest works would make sense as a separate simulation once Network Rail finished all the work.

"Passengers for New Lane, should be seated in the rear coach of the train " - Opinions are my own and not those of my employer
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Development News 20/01/2021 at 20:42 #136644
AlexRail575
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gareth_l in post 136641 said:
And one other question (for now ... will it have the option for ARS?
If it intends to be just a simulation of the PSB panel then probably no. Although, given the geographically large area covered, even with the relatively simpler layout than some other sims, there's precedent for adding ARS where it improves gameplay (though, given the afore mentioned simplicity [the only complex area being, IMHO, the area around Bristol Temple Meads itself...] the old Bristol sim was manageable by a single player if paying attention)

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Development News 23/01/2021 at 11:38 #136699
alan_s
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This is wonderful news. You will know I have been asking about this for years. It is my local too
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Development News 04/02/2021 at 16:35 #137033
Kris
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pedroathome in post 136545 said:
flabberdacks in post 136544 said:
pedroathome in post 136527 said:
For reference, Puxton Gatebox

No auto raise, I note... ;)
When the driver of a car starts throwing stones at the window, that's the hint to raise the crossing
Never had stones thrown at the box window when I was there, banana skin on the other hand.....

Looking forward to this one, should make for an interesting sim!

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Development News 12/05/2021 at 01:48 #139452
Ar88
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Looking forward to this sim going up on the loader. Been keen on this for years!

pedroathome in post 136483 said:
This is where we hide this post before he comes online. We should be good however until he has consumed his dinner.
Ahh, still waiting until after dinner! Good to see that some things don't change.

The Welsh contingent. Aron, or Ar to mates. Also known as 88E or ThatManCalledAr.
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Development News 23/11/2021 at 21:43 #142453
Banners88
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*Bump*

Would love an update on this so I can start to wave my money at SimSig...

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Development News 24/11/2021 at 16:27 #142460
headshot119
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Work on Bristol has been slowly progressing since the last update back in January, the bulk of the interlocking data is now complete, and our timetable team have been busy in between other projects getting everything tidied up and correctly allocated. While this sounds simple when I type it out, it’s far from it as all of the South Wales timetables will be repackaged into the newer format and all of this needs to mesh together, especially with decisions on freight services which originate at the various parts of Avonmouth.

There’s still a while yet before we move into the formal alpha testing phase, and from then there is still a long road ahead.

Bristol hasn’t been the main focus of the team over the last year, and you might wonder why that is?
First of all the much requested and anticipated Doncaster simulation has been in development and testing, the South section has already been released, the North section isn’t too far away from public release, the Station section is already undergoing testing.

Secondly, Crewe. We’ve subtly hinted elsewhere on the forum that Crewe is in development and is much further progressed than Bristol. In January we will be hosting a “megachain” centered on the Crewe simulation, while Crewe won’t be available to the public during the game, we’ll be live streaming on Twitch, and posting various screenshots of the simulation. More information on this can be found here.

Once these other projects are completed, I would anticipate that progress on Bristol will step up a notch or two. Watch this space.

"Passengers for New Lane, should be seated in the rear coach of the train " - Opinions are my own and not those of my employer
Last edited: 24/11/2021 at 16:28 by headshot119
Reason: formatting

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Development News 24/11/2021 at 19:10 #142466
DaveHarries
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headshot119 in post 142460 said:
Work on Bristol has been slowly progressing since the last update back in January, the bulk of the interlocking data is now complete, and our timetable team have been busy in between other projects getting everything tidied up and correctly allocated. While this sounds simple when I type it out, it’s far from it as all of the South Wales timetables will be repackaged into the newer format and all of this needs to mesh together, especially with decisions on freight services which originate at the various parts of Avonmouth.

There’s still a while yet before we move into the formal alpha testing phase, and from then there is still a long road ahead.

Bristol hasn’t been the main focus of the team over the last year, and you might wonder why that is?
First of all the much requested and anticipated Doncaster simulation has been in development and testing, the South section has already been released, the North section isn’t too far away from public release, the Station section is already undergoing testing.

Secondly, Crewe. We’ve subtly hinted elsewhere on the forum that Crewe is in development and is much further progressed than Bristol. In January we will be hosting a “megachain” centered on the Crewe simulation, while Crewe won’t be available to the public during the game, we’ll be live streaming on Twitch, and posting various screenshots of the simulation. More information on this can be found here.

Once these other projects are completed, I would anticipate that progress on Bristol will step up a notch or two. Watch this space.

Thanks for those updates Headshot. I am glad to hear that Doncaster North isn't too far from release and that the Station sim for DOncaster is in testing: I look forward to those two, as well as to the release of Crewe and, when it happens, Bristol (which is my home sim).

Dave

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Development News 24/11/2021 at 21:20 #142469
bugsy
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That's three sims that will make my piggy bank groan :)

Really looking forward to the other two Doncaster sims.

Everything that you make will be useful - providing it's made of chocolate.
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Development News 04/01/2022 at 20:12 #143346
lazzer
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I just had a thought. I assume the recent complete remodelling of Bristol East Junction will not be implemented in the new Bristol sim?

Or are you changing your plans, in order to include it?

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Development News 04/01/2022 at 21:16 #143348
pedroathome
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lazzer in post 143346 said:
I just had a thought. I assume the recent complete remodelling of Bristol East Junction will not be implemented in the new Bristol sim?

Or are you changing your plans, in order to include it?
There have been far too many changes made to include the changes to Bristol East. Changes including the four tracked Filton Bank, slight remodelling of Stoke Gifford Junction, and of course the changes to signalling at Temple Meads.

Now, if there was demand for a later Bristol era, I'm sure we could arrange for an entry point of Bristol Temple Meads for trains heading towards Taunton, and an entry point of Narroways Hill Junction for trains to Severn Beach

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