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West Somerset Railway: 2017

*Please read all of the description, it's paramount regarding your hopeful enjoyment of the route instead of very possible agitation and hatred for it. Thank you in advance!*


Hello everyone, this is my second major route upgrade, this time for DTG's West Somerset Railway route add-on. This isn't a complete route overhaul as I haven't got the skils to do so, but merely an up to date working route for 2017 in reagrds to track work, signals, AWS and much more. The reference material I have used for this are as follows, so everything I have included are directly sourced and not fictional, or 'out of place', or wrong so to speak:

(1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjMefzEQOXs&t=803s
(2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQrof-iEFdQ
(3) Various other yotube videos of 2017 steam and diesel galas on the route from various authors.

So as mentioned above, there are some crossings, cuttings, a bridge which weren't included in the route from the original DTG release that I haven't implemented here (due to my 'basic' skill set), but I have accurately enhanced the route for much more enjoyment of all types of diesel and steam traction between Bishops Lydeard and Minehead. Although, I am looking into working south from BL to Norton Fitzwaren too. The screenshots I have provided show case pretty much all of the significant aditions I have installed and the requirements for these are below (please read on further than the requirements as it explains some details regarding signage and speed restrictions on the route):

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---Essential---

(These are ESSENTIAL for the route to work as planned with fixed signals, speed signs, AWS magnets, new track work, bridges, etc)

*DTG West Somerset Railway*
- purely to make the route work (you're all ok basically!)

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---Optional---

(These are not required for the route to work, but they make the route as shown in the screenshots - by the following explanations -- WARNING there is a 'nasty one' which requires explaining and there's a 'known one')

'Known one':

*Thomson Interactive West Highland Line Extension*
- purely for the: Crossing George Cross boards, AWS cancellation signs, white 10mph crossing / black whistle boards and speed signs which read either 5mph or 25mph (based on the location as seen in the screenshots)

...now the 'horrible one' - bare with me please!!!

*I'm not sure* - In the editor I clicked the "Kuju/Railsimulator" filter as I've owned TS from when it was Railworks 2. What this means for all of you I don't know, but I'm probably guessing the

*European Loco & Asset Pack*
may be a requirement, although I used this filter for the following additions:

-The shed at Bishops Lydeard is named as "Tyne Shed" so This for you would probably be from the

*RSC East Coast Main Line* (York to Newcastle)
(which I had from standard at Railworks 2 just like the GWML Paddington to Oxford route)

-The 10mph and 5mph speed signs (above the separate whistle signs) at Duston which are named "UK Single" or something so this could just be a standard

*TS20xx*
requirement but I do not know... (I'm sorry!)

-The whistle signs separate to the 10mph and 5mph speeds signs at Duston which are named "Whistle Oxford" or something, suggesting

*RSC Great Western Main Line* (Paddington to Oxford)
as that requirement.
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I'm sorry that the /Optional assets/ section is a bit of a mess but I really hope you will enjoy the route.. on that note:

**Key information**

-Due to the original DTG release having atrocious line speeds throughout the route (hardly referenced!) I have to warn you all that you have to drive this route at the upmost alert as if you were a driver for the railway itself.
-It's heavily based on the real thing and will require time to get used to it and the memory capacity of the human brain is key to flawlessly executing services between stations and various locations -- that is unless you just want to mess around and have fun then be my guest :) It is designed to be enjoyable afterall.
-So, the highest speed of the route is of course 25mph and roughly 70% of the route is of such speed, however there are sections that are lower and require a competant driver to remember where they are!
-To keep this short, it's best to take a look at reference materials (1) and (2) which are a driver's eye view from BL to MH (in 2 parts).
-There are a number of whistle boards that have been removed from the route which DTG placed as they do not exist in 2017 and there are only a handful of crossings that do use whistle boards.
-I have implemented TSR's (Temporary Speed Restrictions) of 10mph as standard line speed requirements in the correct places (such as around Blue Anchor? over a bridge, north of Duster and in the Crowcombe Heathfield complex).
-There's too much to outline regarding speeds restrictions (so it's best to check the route out and view the reference material), however, there are locations like Watchet's, Duster's and Minehead's crossings that have a "maximum" mph speed restriction of 10mph or 5mph even though I have left the line speed as 25mph through these areas. I've done this due to many videos (including (1) and (2)) showing trains entering crossings at said speed, then they rev up as soon as they are in sight of cars and then smash upto 25mph whilst stil over the crossing (59003 was simply a beast).
-I just hate it when you have to get the whole train to pass the higher speed restiction sign in TS rather than in real life which clearly just isn't the case so have fun with this little addition -- **but it does make want to stress the importance of when you see a speed sign (which almost everywhere I have placed in the correct location but I have adjusted the line speed further up or down the line) to follow them from that point until the next speed sign regardless of what the maximum line speed is displayed on the HUD.**
(-Also, the reason for the offsetting of the line speed and sign placements is so that you can excecute acceleration like that of what I mentioned regarding the crossings, so then you can have a more relaistic experience rather than forced sadness by the TS game engine which transitioning between line speeds.)
-This is to then be a competant driver and to get the maximum enjoyment out of getting back up to speed which there are much more opportunities to thrash locos in comparison to the original release.
-Linking with the above, between Watchet and Washford is where attention is required the most as one direction has a 10mph speed approaching a crossing before a 25mph speed which follows through to the 20mph speed before Watchet.
-In the counterdirection to this, from the Watchet 20mph speed there is a change to a 25mph speed before then going down to a temporary 20mph speed (which doesn't apply to the other direction) before speeding up to 25mph again and passing through the 10mph section at line speed -- therefore this whole higgledy piggledy mess is a standard 25mph throughout (so you are not 'speeding' through any section, which I just hate).
-This is where you're most likely to get confused and frustrated due to the confusion and wierdness (belive me I was the same!), but this is why I mentioned above to follow all speed signs accordingly regardless of what the HUD displays as the 'correct' line speed for the more realistic expereince and thrash-tastic enjoyment being key!
-Oh and treat all signals like you would on the mainline, the signaller might not always be on the ball!

If there's any questions you would like to ask that I have not answered here, please don't hesitate to do so and you can vote/rate positively or negatively - I will not be offended :)

Thanks all

PoxyMoxon97