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"Simple" timetable included with each new sim?

You are here: Home > Forum > Wishlist > Features wish list > "Simple" timetable included with each new sim?

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"Simple" timetable included with each new sim? 02/08/2012 at 09:06 #34560
outofsection
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149 posts
Morning all! Just had one of those mad ideas that well, it's so off the wall it just may work!

When a new sim/panel is released, would it be possible to have included with it (or made available separately) a VERY SIMPLE fictional "training" timetable solely for the purpose of route learning, where say at the most only two trains are in the whole sim area at any one time and includes trains originating or terminating (e.g. depots) or going via every part of (or as much of) the sim track mileage as possible?

To me this would provide a controlled (relatively) stress-free environment for the likes of old fa..s like me to get my head round & familiarise myself with the various locations in each new sim before tackling a "real-world" timetable.

Now I KNOW there's the P button, but things can quickly get messy when one has to keep pausing the sim every few seconds to find out where say some train is waiting to enter the sim area and then un-pausing the sim in order to set any route.

Saltley is one that springs to mind (and it isn't the worst either) where even with the supplied timetable you get at least 4 phone calls from waiting trains/shunters etc. even as the sim starts! Not so much a case of being thrown in at the deep end, more of being submerged at the bottom of the Mariana Trench!

Workable/useful idea or not?

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"Simple" timetable included with each new sim? 02/08/2012 at 09:45 #34561
clive
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2789 posts
It's not an unreasonable idea, though by the time it's ready for release the sim author is probably fed up and doesn't want more work. I don't think we're going to mandate it.

Nothing stops someone else generating such a timetable and, if they did, the author might be willing to bundle it.

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"Simple" timetable included with each new sim? 02/08/2012 at 10:20 #34562
john havenhand
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58 posts
I had the Idea of using sunday sims as there is a lot less traffic on a sunday therefore easier for the bigger sims
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"Simple" timetable included with each new sim? 02/08/2012 at 12:00 #34567
outofsection
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149 posts
If (and that's a big IF) I get time, I may have a go at putting together a route learning timetable for the Saltley sim when I get my head round where all the various locations are. I'll start with that one as I used to live in the general area.

Don't expect anything for the next 3 months or so! It'll take me that long to get my head round the timetable creator part of Simsig - let alone anything else that's currently bubbling away on the proverbial stove as it were!

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"Simple" timetable included with each new sim? 02/08/2012 at 13:47 #34573
guidomcc
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246 posts
I might have a go for a few sims
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"Simple" timetable included with each new sim? 02/08/2012 at 13:53 #34574
jc92
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3690 posts
" said:
I had the Idea of using sunday sims as there is a lot less traffic on a sunday therefore easier for the bigger sims
I'm inclined to agree with this view, not only do they provide a relaxing timetable, but a large sim like Cscot is easily managable single handed at 1:1 speed.

p.s. - dont bother doing one for worksop

"We don't stop camborne wednesdays"
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"Simple" timetable included with each new sim? 02/08/2012 at 15:20 #34576
Sacro
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1171 posts
I'll release my 2009 Sunday Drain timetable later, it's thrilling.
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The following users said thank you: mfloyd, guidomcc, Josie
"Simple" timetable included with each new sim? 02/08/2012 at 15:28 #34578
Stephen Fulcher
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2084 posts
You would have to be careful with Sunday timetables as they are often no quieter these days in passenger terms, although services will start later and end earlier.

Banbury for instance has almost as many passenger trains on a Sunday as in the week, just far less freight. If you were going to try and use a quiet timetable to learn an area, you would need the freights in probably more than the passenger as passengers tend to go to and from the same places, but freight could end up anywhere in the sim - Saltley and South Humberside being prime examples of this.

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"Simple" timetable included with each new sim? 02/08/2012 at 15:34 #34584
Sam Tugwell
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494 posts
Ive done a Sunday TT for Exeter with the real life closure between Exeter and Honiton/Exmouth simulated. For those who don't remember, this was also the day when 66111 derailed on Exeter Bank.
"Signalman Exeter"
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"Simple" timetable included with each new sim? 02/08/2012 at 16:22 #34590
Splodge
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720 posts
Would it not be easier to simply create an addon for an available timetable which contains a few practice trains during the quieter areas - most sims are very quiet between midnight and 0430 so it would be fairly simple to put in some 'Z' trains criss-crossing the area and exploring some of the locations before the timetable starts ramping up.
There's the right way, the wrong way and the railway.
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"Simple" timetable included with each new sim? 02/08/2012 at 17:05 #34594
GeoffM
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6377 posts
" said:
I'll release my 2009 Sunday Drain timetable later, it's thrilling.
Please don't: the downloads will kill my bandwidth for the month... :woohoo: :dry:

SimSig Boss
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"Simple" timetable included with each new sim? 02/08/2012 at 19:29 #34599
peterb
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452 posts
" said:
" said:
I'll release my 2009 Sunday Drain timetable later, it's thrilling.
.

Please don't: the downloads will kill my bandwidth for the month... :woohoo: :dry:
They'll drain it!

Also, Splodge I wrote a Trent TT once which included a overnight railtour touring the whole area, from just after midnight for about four hours. It wasn't actually the only train at the time since I had other local/long distance/sleeper passenger trains running throughout in addition to a bit of freight.

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"Simple" timetable included with each new sim? 02/08/2012 at 19:55 #34600
y10g9
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895 posts
" said:
" said:
I'll release my 2009 Sunday Drain timetable later, it's thrilling.
Please don't: the downloads will kill my bandwidth for the month... :woohoo: :dry:
LOL. i'm sure there are some people out there who will love to spend 24 hours rushed off of their feet on drain

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"Simple" timetable included with each new sim? 03/08/2012 at 15:50 #34612
woodruff
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204 posts
I have learned my lesson and now always have a map of the sim and the manual , either on my pc or printed off. It makes it a lot easier. It would make Kings Cross an "easier" sim to learn if there was an "easy" timetable, aka like the Central Scotland sim, where you can have a practise with 7 trains before trying the main timetable.
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"Simple" timetable included with each new sim? 07/08/2012 at 00:15 #34722
bill_gensheet
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1416 posts
The main reason I did CSCOT trainer was due to the new AB / semaphore features that were in it, especially before the updated font with semaphores, although I can see it could be more generally useful. It is probably up to the testers / timetablers to do these, the main sim author has enough to do and they probably have lots of one or two train test timetables to use.

Sadly my other simpler timetable has been gathering dust for several years now, a single-player KX-lite for 1964. It is at least 3rd in the queue behind Edinburgh 1984 and Dundee 1984.

Bill

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