Upcoming Games

No games to display

Full list
Add a game

Upcoming Events

No events to display

Isle of Wight's Island Line

You are here: Home > Forum > Wishlist > Simulation wish list > Isle of Wight's Island Line

Page 1 of 1

Isle of Wight's Island Line 16/12/2021 at 21:09 #142951
Redingtolondonviawokingham
Avatar
2 posts
I think the simulator should be set with three different time periods of 1967 to 1989, 1989 to 2021 and 2021-.
Log in to reply
The following user said thank you: UKTrainMan
Isle of Wight's Island Line 17/12/2021 at 07:18 #142956
JWNoctis
Avatar
58 posts
elltrain3 made some really nice mock-up of the area a while back: https://www.SimSig.co.uk/Forum/PostView/142245 https://www.SimSig.co.uk/Forum/PostView/139185

I'd think the whole WWI-era network in its prime would have held much more operational interest than a up-to-3tph EMU service, though! Though it's pretty uncertain whether enough data could be found for such a hypothetical anymore.

Log in to reply
The following user said thank you: UKTrainMan
Isle of Wight's Island Line 17/12/2021 at 08:54 #142957
kbarber
Avatar
1708 posts
JWNoctis in post 142956 said:
elltrain3 made some really nice mock-up of the area a while back: https://www.SimSig.co.uk/Forum/PostView/142245 https://www.SimSig.co.uk/Forum/PostView/139185

I'd think the whole WWI-era network in its prime would have held much more operational interest than a up-to-3tph EMU service, though! Though it's pretty uncertain whether enough data could be found for such a hypothetical anymore.
There's a surprising amount of information out there, though not in the places you'd be used to finding modern signalling data. For instance, the Signalling Record Society publishes a book of IoW signalling diagrams that is very comprehensive, and 1:5000 OS maps show signal posts and track layouts to scale. But I fear Simsig would not really be an appropriate tool to create such a sim, particularly as I believe the Island was pretty idiosyncratic even in terms of old-style mechanical signalling.

Log in to reply
The following user said thank you: JWNoctis
Isle of Wight's Island Line 17/12/2021 at 15:22 #142963
Red For Danger
Avatar
169 posts
kbarber in post 142957 said:
JWNoctis in post 142956 said:
elltrain3 made some really nice mock-up of the area a while back: https://www.SimSig.co.uk/Forum/PostView/142245 https://www.SimSig.co.uk/Forum/PostView/139185

I'd think the whole WWI-era network in its prime would have held much more operational interest than a up-to-3tph EMU service, though! Though it's pretty uncertain whether enough data could be found for such a hypothetical anymore.
There's a surprising amount of information out there, though not in the places you'd be used to finding modern signalling data. For instance, the Signalling Record Society publishes a book of IoW signalling diagrams that is very comprehensive, and 1:5000 OS maps show signal posts and track layouts to scale. But I fear Simsig would not really be an appropriate tool to create such a sim, particularly as I believe the Island was pretty idiosyncratic even in terms of old-style mechanical signalling.
Does it need to be strictly accurate though......? Historical layouts / trackplans etc could easily be approximated from old Ordnance Survey maps, and assumptions could be made in regard to track circuits, interlocking and signal positions etc. It could even be transposed to modern day rolling stock and service patterns on the assumption that a forward thinking local government retained the system intact and developed it to modern standards to the present day.

The IoW system would certainly be interesting, albeit not to the accurate standards that we have all become used to from SimSig. But as a standaloone SIM, would this really matter.....?

Log in to reply
The following user said thank you: UKTrainMan
Isle of Wight's Island Line 18/12/2021 at 09:22 #142975
kbarber
Avatar
1708 posts
Red For Danger in post 142963 said:
kbarber in post 142957 said:
JWNoctis in post 142956 said:
elltrain3 made some really nice mock-up of the area a while back: https://www.SimSig.co.uk/Forum/PostView/142245 https://www.SimSig.co.uk/Forum/PostView/139185

I'd think the whole WWI-era network in its prime would have held much more operational interest than a up-to-3tph EMU service, though! Though it's pretty uncertain whether enough data could be found for such a hypothetical anymore.
There's a surprising amount of information out there, though not in the places you'd be used to finding modern signalling data. For instance, the Signalling Record Society publishes a book of IoW signalling diagrams that is very comprehensive, and 1:5000 OS maps show signal posts and track layouts to scale. But I fear Simsig would not really be an appropriate tool to create such a sim, particularly as I believe the Island was pretty idiosyncratic even in terms of old-style mechanical signalling.
Does it need to be strictly accurate though......? Historical layouts / trackplans etc could easily be approximated from old Ordnance Survey maps, and assumptions could be made in regard to track circuits, interlocking and signal positions etc. It could even be transposed to modern day rolling stock and service patterns on the assumption that a forward thinking local government retained the system intact and developed it to modern standards to the present day.

The IoW system would certainly be interesting, albeit not to the accurate standards that we have all become used to from SimSig. But as a standaloone SIM, would this really matter.....?
If you simply want NX box operation in accordance with modern principles, it might not. If you want to be able to replicate some of the more interesting things that went on (and remember the IoW, being mainly single line, was pretty much all electric tablet working, including the curious section from St Johns to Smallbrook that was double track in summer and two single lines in winter). I vaguely recall other curiosities as well - I'd have to read through the SRS book to find them, but I do remember thinking 'blimey' on occasion when I read how 'twas done. If you wanted that kind of replication, you'd need something more than Simsig offers, I fear.

Log in to reply
Isle of Wight's Island Line 18/12/2021 at 12:48 #142978
bill_gensheet
Avatar
1309 posts
IoW is probably one of the more 'popular' historical areas for which there is a lot of background information out there, both contemporary paper (eg SRS), images and writings on 'how it was done'.

As for the limits of SimSig, if it can cope with the likes of Stirling and North Wales ..... I suspect an author would be able to get quite close.

The Smallbrook example could simply be a startup era or a 'switch out' control with hidden / grey / unlit signals.

Log in to reply
The following user said thank you: UKTrainMan
Isle of Wight's Island Line 18/12/2021 at 13:24 #142981
jc92
Avatar
3626 posts
Whilst competitors are generally not mentioned, its worth noting that SIAM offer a full simulation of the IOW as at 1932. SIAM isn't a signalling simulator per se and is more of a traffic control simulation, giving trains the correct priority, ensuring the right locos and stock are in the right place and dealing with loco failures and servicing. Its probably a better offering than what SimSig would be, purely because it focuses less on the signalling, of which the information is incomplete, and more on the bigger picture, for which information is available.
"We don't stop camborne wednesdays"
Log in to reply