A Locomotive Catalogue!!

During my lunch break I took the opportunity to peruse OBO's Locomotive Catalogue as referenced in Mark's "Useful Links" thread. (This also has a link on the UKTS site.)

Like many MSTS sites it proves very informative, but I suspect that it is not as up to date as perhaps we would like! Mind you the idea of itemising everything that’s available for MSTS worldwide is to say the least daunting if not downright challenging! The very idea makes our Route Directory seem a veritable “doddle”.

I’d like to challenge someone to have a go at producing something specifically for UK locomotive stock, but I can’t imagine anyone wanting to pick up that particular “baton”. It would not of course list every single model, but could perhaps list specific classes.

An alternative could of course look at one class, or group of classes, at a time; e.g. I might put something together for First Generation DMUs!

However is such a task of value bearing in mind MSTS’s current status? Who knows?

The bottom line for any of these tasks is to ensure that there is a repository for all things MSTS, be it base programme, routes, stock, etc.

Alec

Hi Alec

That is a huge task, and quite possibly beyond the scope of this forum as it is now, the UKTS download library is probably the best database of UK locomotives and rolling stock we have, it is doubtful that we could improve on that, and don't forget the amount of cross referencing that would have to be done for cabviews, sounds, common crews etc.

There are some items of stock available from outside of UKTS, some from trainsim.com, and some from lesser known sources, maybe we could research those and list them, but I think we should complete our current projects before we think about that.

Mark
Essentially you are right, but I must confess to having these grandiose schemes every so often. I am pleasantly surprised with what we've achieved with the Routes Directory.
Alec

I'd like to throw in a curve ball here and suggest something along the same line but different.

From personal experience trying to find a particular engine within the various sites has often lead to frustration (if you don't have the file id or name and you have to search for it yourself) when you look in the location that you think it should be, and it isn't.

Perhaps instead of listing every single engine available, why not a search guide to where the engine/class is?
I know that some classes are spread out over 3 or more different listings, so a simple list would be really useful.

Obviously it would take a fair while to sort through and list all the links, but it could be done in stages rather than one go.

What do you think?

Justin

Justin
Thanks for that, and I will have a think about the overall idea during the next few weeks.
Alec

Despite my lack of progress on the RD and HFL series recently, I am still thinking about this - I'm rationalising some of my back-ups to make better use of my storage capacity and this gives me time to ponder. I think that Justin's idea has some merit - I intend to try something "simple" for FG DMUs.
I remember when I wanted to see whether I could download all of the BR TOPS locomotives in all of their liveries.
I soon realised that not everything was available direct from UKTS, and that it was necessary to look in the commercial area. In addition to which a few less "glamorous" models were not available. Wouldn’t it be “loverly” – as sung in My Fair Lady – if the whole range were available as free downloads?
At the time it became an obsession to have a personal trainset of all BR locomotive TOPS classes - even now there are several shunting classes missing – and it was pointed out to me that it would be impossible to drive them all in my lifetime!
I did try combining Routes, Stock, etc. in a Power Point presentation as a means of promoting MSTS at DIY UKTS Road Shows but a laptop is less than satisfactory for displaying this, and I couldn’t compete with the sight and sounds of the other sim. In and of itself that wasn’t a problem because promotion of Train Simulation and railways in general in whatever form is to be welcomed!
Now that I’m trying steam locomotive driving I am interested in seeing what’s missing from this area, and when I peruse my Longworth I can see that for those who can the classes still to be modelled are extensive.
I must be on a lunar cycle as I can feel my MSTS interest definitely waxing after a brief period of waning!

Alec