Steve's blog January - April 2012
Steve's Blog August -To date 2012
31st July 2012
I am now back on the 47's.
Or putting on the 47 bufferbeam details, all those jumpers and boxes.
I am currently still using 47851 in two tone green to configure them on.
I think I should point out all the 57's have been revised, not just the Advenza releases.
28th July 2012 (later)
Since putting up the Advenza Class 57's this morning I've noted a couple of errors.
So new versions are now uploaded.
They are in three versions.
57005 Scrap Steel Empty.
57006 Light Engine and Scrap Steel Loaded.
All have a slight detail added that I left off the external view and 57005 now has the correct cab!
All can be on the Class 57 download page.
All light engines now come with the Loco Brake working instead of the incorrect Train Brake.
Thanks to Martin Corbett of BVETMD I've used the Loco Brake in his Class 56 and the Train Brake animation in his Class 47 to make new animations for them.
The old ones are not up to the standard of the rest of the 57 cab and I hope to replace the Brake animations in the 'with train' versions soon.
Both of us are currently still working on the 47's we will both release shortly.
28th July 2012
Now released are revised versions of the released Class 57's and two new Advenza ones.
21st July 2012
It's been just over a week since I last posted something.
So what am I doing at the moment?
I am still working on the Class 57 Advenza Scrap Steel train, the Class 47 Light Engine with Martin Corbett of BVE TMD and the end and corner area's of a Mk2 coaches roof.
The Advenza, just needs the adding of some couplings, airpipes, a load for one version and a tail light.
The Class 47 light engine, well both me and Martin, want this one to be as correct as the pair of us can make it.
The Mk2 corner roof profile, well is coming on well.
I actually started these to see if I could make a tidy looking Mk2 body and configure the curves on the ends.
The bad news bit is I don't think I have the underframe shots for any of them.
13th July 2012
A bit more work on the Mk2A TSO, I've finished the gangway and started on the ends of the roof.
I've also altered the main roof textures to add some Mk2 features, all Mk2's have the same roof.
The A has no sign of a watertank showing in the roof, C and D have two tops of the tanks showing and the E has one at one end and that's basically the detail difference on the roofs bar where the roof ventilators are or not in the case of the air con Mk2D and E's.
I think I should point out the footboards under the doors are not correct yet, they are from a Mk1 TSO, it does show how the proportions of a Mk2 are basically the same as a Mk1.
12th July 2012
More work on Mk2's, I have now added the basic end textures and some of the gangway.
Here's a shot of the Mk2A TSO.
More versions below as well!
A Mk2B or C TSO.
And last but not least a Mk2D or E.
The bogies are wrong for this one, at the moment they need the hangers either the side of the springs replaced with shock obsorbers.
11th July 2012
This evening I've had a look at doing Mk2 coaches and here's a shot of what I come up with so far.
All based on the textures of the Mk1 coaches, I've altered the B4 bogies from one of the Mk1 FO's slightly to Mk2 a/b/c spec.
On the sides of the coach I've not got the tumblehome (profile) quite right yet.
But it's hard to tell if you have until I add the rounded ends to the bodyside and maybe the roof.
9th July 2012 (yet more!)
This evening a bit more work on the 47 bufferbeam, back to working on the ETS.
9th July 2012
The Class 150/1 First Great Western 2 car unit is now released and while I was at it a 4 car version.
8th July 2012
I decided to watch the Wimbledon Mens final today and do a 150/1 reskin in the time the final was played.
It's a First Great Western one this time and I failed!
Textures from photo's by Richard Boddy (main body side textures) and Martyn Read (bodyside stickers).
Why is not released?
Well for one thing the final did not go to 5 sets!
If it had I might have...
Whats wrong or missing from it at the end of the match?
The stickers above the door control buttons don't all line up, all the door windows don't yet have No smoking stickers and there's a total lack of seats.
It already has door interlock lights and door button lights.
It also has the Hi Res couplings on the outer ends.
3rd July 2012
I've started work on a different looking WCRC 47.
This screenshot shows it on a two coach longer Mk1 coach rake, with another 47 WCRC on the rear.
26th June 2012
Still with the KEA wagon.
I've now finished the bogies, now I need to make the buckeye couplings between the inner wagons.
I have a slight problem that I don't have any photo's to actually make them from, but what I do have is a set of photo's I can create them from.
I think...
I have also started on putting the bufferbeam details on the 47.
The parts I made from moving on to the 57's have also been added to the 47.
23rd June 2012
More work on the KEA.
These actually come in two forms, Outer and Inner wagon.
The Outer has couplings on one end to couple to the loco and a Buckeye type coupling on the other end.
The inner has buckeyes on both ends and also has a platform tacked on to the end with the ladder.
These were built (with recovered bogies), to work on engineering traffic for TML in relation to the High Speed Route to London St Pancras.
Then they were used by Mendip Rail on aggregate trains before Advenza used them (before they went bust) on steel scrap trains.
On what I've done so far to the model, you can see the body has full relief, I've also done a bit of work on the bogies and I am going to put round buffers on the Outer wagons.
I am also looking at if the rather different performance config in the Class 57's lately released means I may be able to reinstate the wheel slip sounds (a Bve4 feature) as they seem to slip when it rains!
Most of the 57's will be re released at some point anyway as I've noticed a few issues with them.
If you have noticed any issues in all the trains on here, why not tell me?
I do listen and if I can fix them I will.
21st June 2012
A bit more work on the KEA wagon for the Advenza 57 today.
I hope to start on finishing the Class 47 detailing in the next couple of days, these will all use the cabview/train by Martin Corbett and because of this they will be also available once released from here and BVETMD.
So will be another Bve4Trains and BVETMD join production.
17th June 2012
Now released 57001 in WCRC livery with eleven WCRC Mk1 coaches on a Railtour.
15th June 2012
Back to the Mk1 coaches and here's a shot of what needs doing on the BCK coach which will be on the rear of the train.
End pipe work, coupling hook and the Buckeye coupling in dropped postion.
Plus footboards and steps to the Guards van.
I've just added the extended buffers to the rear end.
I am also working on a wagon for the Advenza Class 57 to haul a prototypical KEA.
13th June 2012
A Light Engine version of 57006 in Advenza blue is now released.
10th June 2012
I've now added lit windows to the coaches of the WCRC Mk1 coach set.
So I took a pic of it in the latest development version of NWM, this version when released of NWM will surpass any other for animation and has many things corrected.
Animated random passing trains all over the place, random speed restrictions and a lot more different wagons on the passing trains and in the freight yards.
08th June 2012
After the release of all the Freightliner 57's, it's back to the WCRC.
I've now added all the more recent work to the WCRC 57 so the loco is finished.
So what's left so you have a 57 on 11 Mk1 coaches?
The end pipe work on the last coach, the pipe work between the loco and the first coach, adding lit windows (I would say interior but there is not one!) to the coaches and add steps to the Guards vans.
I am considering putting 57601 on the back mind!
After all that WCRC talk, I actually worked on this one today!
07th June 2012 (even later)
I've now added to the downloads, 57010 with 14 HHA coal wagons behind it.
The wagons were made as NWM route objects, that means it may work on lower powered computers.
07th June 2012 (later!)
Another version now added with 57007 as the loco and fully loaded (bar the odd gap) container flats.
The other two have also been reconfigured to work in NWM night routes.
The cabs have also been updated with a new position added to the Powerhandle as per prototype, bve4 limitations meant I had to leave one off when I first made the animations in 2009?
It was a while ago!
The proformance has also changed thanks to feedback from John Rogers and Tony Haylor.
07th June 2012
I've now released two versions of 57001, a Light Engine version and one with twelve container flats.
They are located here Class 57
05th June 2012
Here's a shot of 57001 in Freightliner livery as a Light engine.
There is a lot more added to it, I would say finished but that would be wrong.
31st May 2012
Work continues on the 57's.
I finally decided to put the correct basically as built underframe on 57001 rather than than the long range fuel tank version found under 57007 I am also making.
I've finished the container flats for the Freightliner versions, so what's left?
Some alterations to the as built underframe, the more 3D front bufferbeam and the rear one.
Currently I am configuring the coupling on the front end.
I also need to correct the sand box pipework, the pipe to the wheel flange does not angle to them, but is in three or so parts.
Note this version of 57001 now has the correct nameplate, did you notice?
I didn't!
21st May 2012
I've now finished both the bogies and the underframe area of the 57's.
So I have now moved to the bufferbeam area and started making it more 3D looking.
Here's a shot of 57001 in WCRC livery on Network West Midlands with the WCRC Mk1's.
Here's a shot, that shows a bit better where I am working at the moment.
The pipework on the front of the bufferbeam is actually missing, although quite a bit has been added.
I am going to have a go at making it it more 3D and the screw coupling also needs to be.
Dispite all the latest work being shown on the WCRC 57 with the Mk1's it's not the version that will be released first.
There's a few things with the Mk1's, that a year on since I made them I don't like and putting that right will take a while.
20th May 2012
Back to the 47/57's, I've now added the sandboxs to the bogies.
There's some more pipework to add to one side of the bogies, a bit more to the rest of the underframe and all those little stickers to the lower body sides.
Then it's move on to the bufferbeams and a bit more more 3D looking detail there.
I've nearly got to the end of available photo's for the many (20+) train objects I knocked up for TSC for inclusion in NWM.
So that means back to the new Class 168 external I started at the beginning of the year.
In light of the Open Bve forum and main site closing down, I should say that as you may have guessed that does not mean I have any plans to stop work on trains for Open Bve.
Also I am assured that's the case with Trainsimstuff/TSC and the Network West Midlands route and the development of new versions.
Only the development of Open Bve has stopped, as you may have noted on the home and links pages on this site the place it can be downloaded from is only what's changed.
14th May 2012
I have now released new versions of the Class 60's, these have the sound config found in the recent DBS version of them.
So rather better than the one they had!
12th May 2012
I have now added all the details I wanted to to the underframe area and have now started on the sandboxs on the bogies.
So far I've configured one of them, I need to add details to it and when it's finished put it in the other seven locations on the bogies.
A slightly different screenshot today, this is to show how each side of the underframe differs.
I've also made a version 2 of the Advenza body side I shown before and had a go at a DRS one.
Although the DRS one has a slight problem, I don't have anything I could make to put behind it!
Please note both are shown on older versions of the 57's.
10th May 2012
More work on the 47/57's, I've added more detail in the fuel tank/battery box area and started putting more between the bogies and the main body.
9th May 2012
I thought, I should give you a screenshot of one of the FSA container wagons that will be released with the Freightliner versions of the 57's.
As you can tell from the screenshot they are very high res, but I've also produced some route object versions for use in Network West Midlands by TSC.
So I will release versions with those as well for all of you who have real trouble running my more recent stuff.
The screenshot also shows I have not actually finished work on them!
8th May 2012
Still with the Class 47/57's I am putting the details in the underframe area.