ISSUE 13 — OCTOBER 2012 - RailWorks Magazine

ISSUE 13 — OCTOBER 2012 

The RailWorks Magazine

A Northern Rail Class 142 ‘Pacer’ stands at Bishop Auckland with a local service. This long awaited 

addition to the RW fleet has been created by Waggonz, and published by Armstrong Powerhouse for a 

price of £11.99. 

Editor Adam Stratton 

info@railworksmagazine.co.uk 

Graphical Design Daniel Wigg 

Main Contributor Sean Harris 

Special thanks to Waggonz for 

giving up their time to allow 

us to interview them. 

All pictures from external sites credited 

where appropriate. 

First things first... 

So, we have received the latest 

instalment of Train Simulator, and 

yes, that is ‘Train Simulator’ and not 

‘RailWorks’ – sadly, this name, as 

RailSimulator.com have confirmed, 

has now become completely 

defunct in favour of the more 

somewhat generic and ambiguous 

name. Even so, there are no plans 

for a ‘Train Simulator Magazine’ 

name change or anything similar – 

the name ‘RailWorks’ will be here 

for life! 

Unfortunately though, there is a 

bombshell to drop. I must 

announce that after this issue, we 

have made the decision to release 

the magazine every other month, at 

least for the time being. The work 

required to produce an issue for a 

small group of people is becoming 

increasingly much, and other 

commitments have found their way 

in. As I say, we hope this will only 

be temporary, but the next issue, 

14, will be released in November, 

and every two months thereafter. 

Also, we hope your enjoy this new 

look to the Magazine. We’ve 

started from scratch; overhauled 

the design and turned things 

portrait for a more magazine-like 

feel. If you don’t enjoy it, we would 

like to hear your feedback. 

Adam 

Editor 

The RailWorks Magazine 2

CONTENTS 

Contents 

5 

9 

Page 4 

What’s new? 

Page 5 

TS2013: an in-depth look 

Page 9 

Interview with Waggonz’ Dave and 

Chris Dewhurst on the Class 142 

4 


NEWS 

Digital Traction goes electric 

And announces upgrade plans 

As well as preparing for the release of the Standard 

2MT for TS2013, Digital Traction has just shown ‘clay’ 

renders of their new Class 87. One of the most 

powerful locomotives in Britain, it is the first piece of 

electric traction we have seen from the developer, and 

will provide another means of traction to the West 

Coast Main Line. 

Additionally, DT have just added to the 

vintage coaches catalogue in releasing 

their LNER ‘Teak’ Coaches. The luxury 

wooden-bodied passenger stock is 

priced at £5.99. 

Just Trains’ new ‘City’ gains interest 

A new screenshot posted on Just 

Trains’ Facebook depicting a picture of 

the iconic and much-loved GWR ‘City’ 

Class. The class, best known for ‘City of 

Truro’ arguably believed to have been 

the first loco to reach 100mph, and a 

preserved ex-mainline stalwart, adds 

to the sudden rush of steam traction 

being prepared. Just Trains plan to 

model both the rebuilt and un-rebuilt 

versions depending on whether 

reference material is available for the 

latter. 

It is all systems go for some of the older products 

from DT, as updates for the 2P, Standard 4, and Unrebuilt 

Light Pacific are underway. Amongst the plans 

are new textures, new cab for the ‘2P’, and proper 

steam effects for the Light Pacific. 

Digital Traction Facebook 

Another Class 40? 

A new developer for TS2013 – 

under the name RailRight – is in 

the process of building a Class 

40 for the game, which, if 

released, will be the third ‘40’ for 

the sim; the others being from 

Digital Traction and Iron Horse 

House. 

RailRight say that they plan to 

model a vast number of variants, 

with weathered textures as well 

as clean, and progress has been 

made on the split headcode, 

centre headcode and headcode 

disc front ends. 

RailRight Facebook 


NEWS 

An in depth look: 

Train Simulator 2013 

September 20 th was the day 

things changed again. Out 

with the old (though, days 

shy of being a year old, not 

very!) and in with the new; 

Train Simulator 2013 has 

arrived. 

As we explained in the last 

issue, the overhaul of Train 

Simulator 2012 suggested a 

bias on the ‘game’ and ‘ease 

of use’ aspect; at least, that 

was what RailSimulator.com 

made it out to be when 

listing the new elements on 

their ‘Engine Driver’ blog. 

However, the truth is 

different – there are many 

more unsung enhancements 

that didn’t get a mention on 

‘Engine Driver’, and this 

article aims to give an insight 

One new feature is the ‘Collection Menu’ which gives a 

visual list of all the add-ons you have purchased 

through Steam. 

on the main 

ones, as well 

as detailing 

the principle 

features that 

have been 

glorified ever 

since 

announced. 

A good thing 

to start with 

is what you 

are greeted with as you start 

the new simulator (what 

doesn’t greet you is the 

launcher window; present 

since the original RailWorks, 

this has been removed and 

all settings are changeable in 

the game itself) – a freshly 

revamped front-end 

interface which, instead of 

listing toplevel 

options, 

shows you 

your 

catalogue of 

DLC you’ve 

bought with 

corresponding 

picture, and 

suggestions 

The new style main menu is a stark contrast to its predecessor. 

you ‘might like’ from the 

Steam Store. You can click on 

the thumbnail of one of your 

DLC and use it straight from 

there; it brings up a list of 

the scenarios that utilise it. 

Clicking the ‘Main Menu’ 

button there’s the more 

familiar view of options, 

though they are different, as 

shown above. 


NEWS 

Let’s take a brief look at 

the new Quick Drive 

function; as it says on 

the tin, this is a feature 

available currently for 

DLC routes only, but 

allows you to set up a 

free roam scenario with 

preferred weather, time 

of day, etc, quickly 

without the chore of 

loading the scenario 

editor. As a bonus, it 

adds AI trains along the 

route (although, it does 

depend on the route) 

that are triggered to 

start when you near 

them on your train. The 

AI is authentic to the 

route you have chosen, 

and additionally if you 

own DLC that might 

also be found on the 

route, you might see it; 

for example, I was 

surprised to see a 

Southern Class 171 

travelling down one of 

the suburban lines of 

South London from my 

‘377’. My only wish 

though would be to see 

a bit more AI on some 

routes when 

appropriate; it’s needed 

more for London- 

Brighton, as I 

mentioned, and the like. 

Relay Play is the next 

new feature to cover. 

This was never 

advertised as 

‘Multiplayer’ so the fact 

that a vast number of 

players (and us 

admittedly, having used 

the term “multiplayer” 

loosely in RWM12) have 

referred to it this way 

seems to be a 

misconception. Sure 

enough, it is not 

multiplayer, or at least, 

not in the sense that 

many would assume; as 

was explained in the last 

issue, you are able to 

complete scenarios in 

The interface shown after completing a session in Relay Play. 

stages with friends. But 

you cannot see your 

friend live, completing 

their stage of the 

scenario. You start the 

scenario on your own, 

and when finished, can 

‘send’ the second leg to 

one of the users on your 

Steam Friends list. They 

can then complete the 

second leg and view 

how well you did on 

yours, and on 

completion, their data is 

sent back for you to 

view. This is really the 

only means of 

communication in Relay 

Play. 


NEWS 

Steam Workshop was 

known about for a long 

time before the revelation 

of TS2013. Used for other 

games on Steam, this is 

where you can upload your 

scenarios (and only 

scenarios – hopefully only 

for the time being) to 

Steam, a community most 

likely bigger than any 

download site. Instead of a 

download button – rather 

confusingly – there is a 

‘Subscribe’ button, which 

downloads that scenario 

straight to your game, and 

re-downloads it when the 

creator releases an updated 

version. In a fashion 

becoming increasingly 

familiar to the internet, you 

are also able to rate, and 

comment on the content. 

So, what are the unsung 

features of the upgrade? 

Only mentioned in a James 

Woodcock Podcast was the 

sound improvement, the 

inclusion of EFX means that 

you will be able to hear 

reverb in tunnels, going 

under bridges, and in 

stations with overall roofs 

(the atmosphere at 

Paddington is brilliant!). 

While this enhancement 

was still present in earlier 

versions, it was only if you 

had a costly EAX sound 

card. 

While the likes of Quick 

Drive and Steam Workshop 

may not appeal to some 

users, definitely one that 

will please everyone is the 

huge improvement to 

performance. Many users 

will be able to enjoy 

smoother framerates on 

lower-end machines, 

something I am certainly 

very grateful for. On routes 

such as notoriously 

demanding London- 

Brighton, being blessed 

with 30-40fps on low TSX 

settings (which still looks 

good) is a godsend for me. 

Oh, and camera movements 

are a lot ‘smoother’ too; 

although subtle, it really 

makes the game look more 

modern. 

Route builders will also 

discover a few new things in 

the editor too. In the upper 

tab is a ‘torch’ button, which 

does as the real thing does 

– essentially allows you to 

see in the dark. It creates a 

light wherever you move 

the camera, and also turns 

on any light emitters you 

might have placed on the 

route, ensuring you obtain 

perfect results when 

aligning your emitters 

without having to exit the 

editor. 

Also, at last, TS2013 brings 

the gradient smoothing 

tool. Simply by using the 

select tool to highlight a 

portion of track that 

includes a gradient change, 

and clicking the button on 

the upper tab, you now 

have a realistically smooth 

gradient transition. Usage 

of the select tool means 

that in theory, you are able 

to adjust the curvature of 

the transition. 

A new asset is the “Tunnel 

Occlusion Volume”, which, 

when placed inside a tunnel, 

makes everything dark as it 

should be - and that 

includes the train! 


NEWS 

Sean Harris, who purchased an 

Xbox controller to trial the new 

compatibility, tells us what it’s all 

about: 

“The ability to use an Xbox 360 

controller for Train Simulator 

2013 is an unexpected 

phenomenon. Previously in Train 

Simulator 2012 there was no 

option in-game to use a 

controller internally however as 

soon as you plug your controller 

(providing the operating system 

recognises it) every option on 

the main menu has a coloured A, 

B, X or Y icon on for you to know 

what to press. 

“You can navigate all of the 

menus with ease; even with little 

or no experience of using Xbox 

360 controllers (like me). Ingame 

you can move and pan 

about smoothly; there aren’t only 

two speeds you can go any more 

with the controller! Inside the 

cab you can pan about the cab 

quite a lot with ease too. 

“This can also be beneficial in the 

long-term too. Sitting further 

away from the computer is now 

possible (as most Xbox 360 

controllers come with a 1.8m 

cable) and this can potentially 

prevent eye or back problems. 

“However the drawback with this 

is that you cannot zoom into 

things like the HUD’s so seeing 

(for example) your speed is tricky 

if you are 1.8m away. 

“Like with most other things it 

does need a bit 

of getting used 

to, to completely 

control the 

simulator 

however it is 

possible and 

beneficial with 

this experience. 

However I have 

found 

disadvantage too; 

for ‘advanced’ trains (such as the 

Waggonz 142, Just Trains 

Voyager/67/153 etc.) you need 

the mouse or keyboard to 

control things like the master 

switch, DSD etc. which means 

unless you have a wireless 

keyboard and/or mouse you still 

need to use these peripherals. 

“And here is probably the best 

bit. You don’t need to buy a 

brand new, official Xbox 360 

controller — most unofficial 

controllers will do the job just as 

well too! Even though I would 

recommend an Xbox-style 

controller because of their 

ergonomics, almost any USBwired 

PC compatible controller 

will work. I personally bought a 

Madcatz Xbox 360 controller 

from Play.com for £16!” 

So, there’s a rundown of some of 

the outstanding new elements of 

the game. The supplied versions 

of TS2013 have changed so there 

is now a somewhat confusing 

The new ‘torch’ function lights up everything within its radius. 

new structure to the sim. The 

default routes are now the Isle of 

Wight, Sherman Hill, London – 

Brighton and Northeast Corridor, 

with Munich-Augsberg to follow. 

The old predecessors are now 

available as separate DLC, along 

with the old ex-default assets, 

which are sorted into the 

“European” and “North 

American” asset packs. The 

downside to this is that if you 

were building a route that used 

the previously default assets, new 

users will have to pay £3.99 for 

the assets. 


FEATURE 

A look at the Class 142 by 

Waggonz 

Waggonz, a duo of TS2012 

developers fairly new on the 

scene, have just released 

their first item of driveable 

rolling stock for the 

simulator: the Class 142 

‘Pacer’. We interview Dave 

and Chris Dewhurst to see 

what the add-on 

incorporates. 

What is Waggonz and 

how did it start? 

We are two brothers, Chris 

and Dave, who have been 

playing Train simulators 

since the original release of 

Microsoft Train Simulator 

(unless you want to count 

Transport Tycoon). Our first 

model was going to be a 

Class 91 in 2007/8 and we 

were going to call 

ourselves “RailWorks” if you 

can believe it! The thread 

about the 91 still exists on 

UKTS but unfortunately the 

pictures, and more 

importantly the model, 

don’t. We spent the next 

few years working full time 

together in a DIY store but 

when in 2011 

we were both 

made 

redundant, we 

decided to 

give 

developing 

add-ons for 

TS2012 a 

serious go. 

We like doing 

things that 

Interviewed by Sean Harris 

haven’t been done 

before such as our 

first release, a 

European wagon 

called the SGGRSS, 

an articulated (the 

first articulated 

wagon in RailWorks 

we believe), 

intermodal carrier. 

After our second release; 

the HIA coal hopper, we 

played around with the idea 

of dynamic dirt and graffiti 

so rakes of wagons got 

progressively dirtier and 

randomly graffitied. After 

that we decided to do a 

drivable unit, and here we 

are now. 

Can you tell us a bit about 

the real-life Class 142? 

First built in 1985, the Class 

142 was a development of 

the preceding class 141, a 

cheap DMU for rural branch 

lines. The body is based on 

a Leyland National bus and 

earlier models retain many 

“bus like” features. Mounted 

on two axles per body, this 

caused problems navigating 


FEATURE 

tighter curves, producing a 

less than smooth ride, 

especially on jointed rails; 

this earned them the 

nickname “Nodding 

Donkeys”. 

They are now more usually 

seen on busy commuter 

routes, mainly in the north 

of the country and South 

Wales and until last year 

areas of Devon. Despite 

their faults there are groups 

dedicated to the 

preservation of Class 142 

when they are ultimately 

retired in 2019. 

What inspired you to 

create this virtual version 

of the unit for TS2012? 

We looked at the routes, 

both payware and freeware, 

that were available at the 

time and tried to 

find a unit that 

would work on most 

of them. The ‘Pacer’ 

had already been 

created by RailVision 

and was a popular 

download, but was 

looking slightly 

dated against the 

then current releases by 

Oovee and Just Trains so we 

decided it was a good unit 

to produce. 

How long did it take for 

the whole creation, from 

start to finish? 

We started in October 2011 

but took a couple of 

months out over Christmas 

and New Year as we didn’t 

seem to be making any 

progress and weren’t sure 

whether we would continue. 

When we came back to it, 

we took a fresh look at it, 

decided what parts of the 

model we should keep and 

which parts needed 

remaking. Since then, we’ve 

been at it solidly up to the 

release. 

Is there anything about 

the model that, in 

hindsight, you would 

change on the first 

finished model? 

Not change, no. But if we 

were going to do it again I 

would probably have 

approached the whole 

project from a more 

structured point of view. 

There were some days and 

even weeks when we 

wanted to get something 

done and halfway through 

got distracted and gone 

onto something else, which 

then hindered other things 

later on. 


FEATURE 

What was the toughest 

and easiest part of 

creating the model? 

Being a current DMU the 

easiest part was actually 

building the model as there 

is a plethora of reference 

material available. We had a 

basic shape within a day or 

two and just went from 

there. We were also highly 

fortunate to be approached 

by a 142 driver who helped 

us get the acceleration and 

braking right almost 

immediately. Also we were 

fortunate to have had a 

product published by 

Armstrong Powerhouse as 

when he heard we were 

making a ‘Pacer’ he offered 

to implement the sounds 

for us which took a lot of 

work of our shoulders. 

The hardest part was 

getting some of the new 

features working. With the 

introduction of Train 

Simulator 2012, a lot of new 

effects were available, such 

as lights and rain effects, 

but it was largely 

undocumented on how to 

recreate them. Getting the 

rain on the glass to work 

with the wipers in particular 

took us about a week of 

trawling the internet and 

dissecting other trains to 

figure it out. Another hurdle 

is the scripting which was 

necessary to have some of 

the features we wanted, 

Dave luckily has a bit of 

experience with 

programming in other 

languages but occasionally 

got stumped on nuances 

particular to the code that 

RailWorks uses that he’s 

never seen before, luckily 

there were usually people 

on UKTS available to help 

out and steer him in the 

right 

direction. 

What new 

features can 

be found 

with the 

Waggonz 

Class 142? 

With the 

release of 

models such 

as the ‘150’ and ‘156’ by 

Oovee and the “Advanced” 

range from Just Trains we 

realised that a basic model, 

although easier, would not 

be the most desired option. 

With this in mind we have 

had some interesting ideas 

on how to make the ‘142’ 

more immersive, such as 

being able to change the 

dot matrix destination 

display from a working 

keyboard in the cab, 

working saloon lights and 

passengers that instead of 

being a static group, 

change each, and every 

time you open the doors, as 

well as being able to 

simulate Empty Coaching 


FEATURE 

Stock scenarios. By changing 

the destination to “Not In 

Service” or “Depot” all the 

passengers get off and stay 

off. 

Could you tell us what is 

next in the pipeline for 

Waggonz? 

We have started on a Class 90 

but it is still very early in 

development. Keeping with 

our “first for RailWorks” 

theme we have some 

interesting ideas such as a 

dynamic engine model, so 

each unit behave slightly 

differently as it would in real 

life (engines overheat, brakes 

get worn etc). Once the Class 

142 is released we will put our 

full attention to that. 

Afterwards we are tossing 

around a few ideas, about 

either a Merseyrail Route, 

with included 507/8 (which 

could easily be converted into 

a Class 313 for other routes), 

or another Engine. Chris 

wants to do another multiple 

unit but we’ll see. 

The Class 142 ‘Pacer’ is now 

available at Armstrong Powerhouse 

at the price of £11.99.

ISSUE 13 — OCTOBER 2012 - RailWorks Magazine

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?