Freeware Route Packs Lavender Line v1.0.2 - UKTrainSim

Lavender Line v1.0.2
Freeware Route Packs
Working together to make great community content
Lavender Line
V1.0.2 Created by Geoff Potter (AcornComputer)
The Lavender Line by Geoff Potter comprises about a mile of track running
from Isfield Station to the disused bridge over the River Ouse
Contents
Welcome! ................................................................................................................................................ 2
Requirements for the Lavender Line Route ............................................................................................ 2
Do I have the latest pack installed? ........................................................................................................ 2
How can I find out what is in this pack? ................................................................................................. 2
How Can I Get Involved? ......................................................................................................................... 3
Licensing Conditions for the Lavender Line Route Pack ......................................................................... 3
Route Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 4
Features & Compromises ........................................................................................................................ 4
Scenarios ................................................................................................................................................. 5
The Real Lavender Line ........................................................................................................................... 5
Credits ..................................................................................................................................................... 6
Version History ........................................................................................................................................ 7
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Lavender Line v1.0.2
Freeware Route Packs
Working together to make great community content
Welcome!
This pack is part of a project started by members of the UKTrainSim community. Our aims are
simple:
Build up a bank of resources for the community by combining skills and working together
Make the packs simple and straight forward to use
Requirements for the Lavender Line Route
To use this route you must have the Isle of Wight RailWorks Expansion Pack installed along with the
following UKTS Freeware Packs:
UK Carriages #1
UK Steam #1
UK Wagons #1
The installer will check that these items exist and if they don’t direct to where they can be
downloaded.
Do I have the latest pack installed?
Every time you install a UKTS Freeware Pack it will automatically check to see if a more up-to-date
version is available and warn you if you are trying to install an obsolete pack.
A small utility called “UKTrainSim Freeware Pack Updater” is also installed with every pack. This
utility will allow you to quickly and easily check if updates for any of your packs are available. It also
lists packs that you do not have with straight forward links to click and download them
How can I find out what is in this pack?
A gallery of images showing the items available in each pack can be accessed by visiting:
http://www.uktrainsim.com/FreewarePacks/galleries
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Lavender Line v1.0.2
Freeware Route Packs
Working together to make great community content
How Can I Get Involved?
There are many ways members can take part in the project:
Donate a new asset to the pack
Donate a re-skin to the pack
Research buildings, objects etc. to assist object creators
Take pictures that can be used as texture resources
Assist with the organisation of the packs
Create tutorials to assist other members
If you have questions or want more information please visit the Get Involved page on the
UKTrainSim Freeware Packs web site.
Licensing Conditions for the Lavender Line Route Pack
Freeware Route Packs may NOT be withdrawn from the UKTS Freeware Project after they
have been donated however assets which have been donated as part of the pack and where
the author retains permission to withdraw use of them may still be withdrawn. Asset
authors should be aware that doing so would jeopardise the existence of the route and pack
and therefore could force its withdrawal.
The contents of this pack (route, scenarios, asset's etc) are for your own personal use and
must not, under any circumstances, be sold or distributed in any way whatsoever without
the written permission of the route author (Geoff Potter) or the creator of the individual
assets concerned.
This pack or any part of this pack must not be uploaded onto any website nor distributed via
CD without the permission of the route author (Geoff Potter) or the creator of the individual
assets concerned.
This pack is only for distribution through uktrainsim.com
You may make your own alterations to the Route but you must not release these without
prior written permission from the route author (Geoff Potter)
These conditions will allow us to create a reliable, simple and completely free resource for the
community. For the latest conditions visit http://www.uktrainsim.com/FreewarePacks.
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Lavender Line v1.0.2
Freeware Route Packs
Working together to make great community content
Route Introduction
I had originally anticipated that this route would not take very long to build as with only about a mile
of track, there seemed nothing particularly difficult about it. In fact it has taken over two years to
complete mainly due to other projects distracting me and also my decision part way through the
project to use this as a opportunity to experiment and improve my modelling and route building
skills. Now that it is finished, there is still not very much track to play with, but the route is full of
models and features that each have their own story to tell.
You can follow the creation of this route as it progressed in my dedicated topic at UKTrainSim by
following this link -
http://forums.uktrainsim.com/viewtopic.php?f=302&t=98401
Where possible, I have created my own scenery models to limit the number of third party assets
required but I have not yet mastered the skill of creating cows and horses so the pack does include
some models by Paul Gausden (decapod) for which he has given general permission to distribute
with routes.
With the introduction of Train Simulator 2012, some of my modelling deficiencies showed up in Non-
TSX Mode with many models glowing in the dark. I have been through the route and corrected most
of these and some other problems that arose so although the route does run best in TSX Mode, it
should still run quite happily in Non-TSX Mode as well.
My experiments included the creation of complex models such as the signal box and 3D track which
do place a high demand on the graphics engine. As with a few other routes, some people may need
to adjust their TS2012 settings to obtain a smooth gameplay but hopefully this will not spoil your
enjoyment. Note that the procedural flora works particularly well in this route so if your computer
has enough power, then turn this on in the gameplay options.
Features & Compromises
The majority of scenery models specific to The Lavender Line have been created from scratch based
on many enjoyable photo shoot visits to the Line, research on the internet and help from the
members of The Lavender Line Preservation Society. The route also comes with my own terrain
texture set which includes a few new textures created especially for this project.
It is very difficult to fully recreate the feel and atmosphere of a preserved railway in a simulation like
this. On a visit to The Lavender Line, you would find bits of rolling stock lying around patiently
waiting to be restored and countless odds and ends that will one day be just the job for a project and
a general disorder of work in progress. I hope I have still captured at least a little of this atmosphere
though.
There have already been changes and planned changes which do not show up in my route such as
the miniature railway line running on the grass by Platform 2 and the conversion of a carriage in the
yard into a large and impressive Model Railway Layout. There is also the ambitious new project to
restore Hawthorne Leslie 0-6-0ST Loco 3837 so that it will one day be able to steam up under its own
power again. The route is located correctly in relation to GPS co-ordinates and the landscape has
been raised from NASA data so the hills and valleys are as they would look in real life.
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Lavender Line v1.0.2
Freeware Route Packs
Working together to make great community content
I have not been able to source completely authentic rolling stock so wagons, carriages and locos
included in the scenarios are the nearest I can find. The line does actually frequently change its
operational rolling stock so it is quite acceptable to imagine that almost any small loco could find
itself running out of Isfield Station.
There are some limitations with TS2012 that make it difficult to exactly match the trackwork with
that of real life with the result that a couple of points do not render correctly. It would have involved
a lot of extra work to correct this so it has stayed as it is in the final version. Sorry.
There are quite a lot small features in the route, such as the Signal Box and Station Building with
transparent windows so that you can go inside and look around and hay rolls in the fields that are
seen in different locations as the season’s progress. Look out for some impressive rocking of the
locos and rolling stock as they travel down the line and be impressed with the neatly finished cutting
heading out of Isfield Station that has been created from scenery items to cover up the jagged edges
of the normal terrain.
There are some special animations too –
a) The loco shed doors can be made to open and close at will. Just hold the cursor at the base
of a door and when the cursor changes to a points lever, click the mouse and the door
should open or close, depending on where it is in the first place.
b) The signal box door and the demonstration signal also have animations that can be activated
by holding the cursor at their respective bases and clicking when you see the points lever.
Scenarios
I have included a base free roam scenario with nothing in it except the route itself. You can use this
as a template to create your own scenarios or perhaps to access the route to make changes.
There are four included standard scenarios which are designed to demonstrate the way in which the
seasons can be used to good effect on a small route like this and also how scenario specific scenery
can add to the enjoyment of a scenario without altering the route itself.
I am not going to say much about the scenarios as this may spoil your enjoyment of them, but
generally you need to stick to 5 mph in the yard and no more than 10 mph on the open track
otherwise the scenarios will be over too soon. Read the on-screen instructions and ensure that you
go to, or pass over each location listed in the scenario brief.
Some operational aspects of the scenarios would probably not be accepted by the Health & Safety
Officer, but as this is just a simulation and no one will get hurt, I think we can overlook some of the
dodgy practices.
The Real Lavender Line
This is located at Isfield, near to Ukfield in East Sussex, and is run by The Lavender Line Preservation
Society. Public running days are normally restricted to Sundays with Saturdays often being used for
Footplate Experience courses. There are special events throughout the year with some weekday
running in school holidays and at Christmas. Steam Locos do not run all the time so you would need
to check the timetable details.
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Lavender Line v1.0.2
Freeware Route Packs
Working together to make great community content
The line comprises about a mile of track running from Isfield Station to the disused bridge over the
River Ouse at the end of the line near Little Horsted together with some yard track and a zig zag of
points. There are no operational signals so train control is very much a manual process.
There is a great deal of information at The Lavender Line website where you can find out about the
how the line got its name, locos in use and much more -
www.lavender-line.com
If you get the opportunity, then why not visit the line and meet the dedicated members of The
Lavender Line Preservation Society who are always pleased to show off their Railway. Stay a while
and enjoy a meal in Cinders Cafe surrounded by Railway Memorabilia and photos.
Credits
It goes without saying that the packs would not exist without the community coming together and
supporting it. Many members of the community have offered words of encouragement, support,
time, energy and much more. Throughout the development of the Freeware Pack Project I have
made every attempt to record the donations and support people have given. Please take a moment
to acknowledge all the people who have helped by visiting the Credits page.
Special thanks also goes to:
The Lavender Line Preservation Society.
All those UKTrainSim members who visited my Lavender Line topic during the creation of
this route and whose comments were of great use, and also those members who helped out
when I had problems with some of my models.
Matt Peddlesden and all of the UKTS Team for the facilities they provide and particularly the
Download Library which already contains an amazing collection of routes, rolling stock and
scenery for a wide range of simulations
Paul Gausden (decapod) for the animals.
Jim Nobbs (nobkins) who has tested the final route package and turned it into a UKTS
Freeware route.
Page 6 of 7

Lavender Line v1.0.2
Freeware Route Packs
Working together to make great community content
Version History
1.0.1 – 14 th December 2011
1 st public release
1.0.2 – 4 th March 2012
Install dialogues standardised
Option to download the RWRegFix utility on install folder selection dialogue
Batch file now runs on repair as well as install
Changed the dialogue order so missing pre-requisites is shown after the user gets the option
of changing there RailWorks Install folder
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