SouthEast - route in progress

Feeling quite at home in the Navvies section!



The pic shows WIP at Dover. Still lots to add in this area. The Object count is already around 1330 and as the tile includes Dover Priory too I'm getting a little apprehensive. Trying to economise and add as many buildings etc as I can to each new object.

Danny

AS far as I'm concerned you've navigated to the top of the class, that's looking superb.

Alec

And the Navvies are off
Great work Danny
Kind regards Stephen

Looking good Danny Keep up the good work!!
Dave:)

Since the last pic more buildings and footbridges have been added. There's at least another couple of weeks work in this area yet - more buildings and roads to go in, the quayside to be finished, plus dockside cranes etc. Out of sight there's also work needed on adjacent tiles.

It continues to impress.

Alec

A few latest shots of Dover Marine. The scenery is about 90% complete in this area now and also the Terrtex needs revisiting, but there's a bit more progress.

Danny
Those screen shots look really good,you are making one first class route

Mike

This is looking absolutely fabulous Danny! I so cannot wait for this route to be released and have a go! Now I have started on Activity Creation I'm going to have a go on it and I hope others do to..
Cheers
Andy

Hi Danny I remember way back whilst Don and I were building the SCP route, when you built a few items for it including the O class Submarines. It was around this time that you said that you may have a go at route building, but as you had never built a route before, you were not sure if you could get to grips with route building. Well here we are eighteen months later and since you started this route, you have put yourself in the top league of route builders. The work you have put into this route is brilliant and so very close to the real route, where parts of it are no longer in use. The amount of detail in these latest screen shots is truly amazing and this route is going to bring a lot of pleasure to a lot of MSTS users. Your route building skills are equal to your loco building skills, so give yourself a pat on the back for what you have added and are still adding to the train sim community. I think I can speak for everyone on this forum and UKTrainsim. Very well done Danny and thank you.

Hear! Hear!

Alec

Thanks everyone for your comments - Geoff you almost made me blush...but it's appreciated. With Dover almost finished, the next area to be tackled is Folkestone. A couple of shots to show the current position at the harbour, but work is still ongoing here and probably needs another couple of weeks at least. Still to be finished are the buildings and stations at Folkestone Central, Shornecliffe, Westenhanger and Ashford although some work has been completed in these areas.

Danny,
You're such a tease! I am loving this route and the work you are putting into it!! Absolutely fantastic! I can't wait till this is done.
Thanks for the updates, keep em' coming!!!
All the best
Andy

Danny you deserve the comments you are getting from all of us. This is going to be a great route for everyone, no matter what region takes your fancy. It has so much variety and two train ferry ports to add to the enjoyment. Just keep at it, you are almost there now.

This pic shows the pier at Folkestone. At the head of the pier are the station and main arrival and departure platforms, but there were two additional platforms on the pier to get passengers closer to the ferry for boarding. In the distance you might just make out Foord Viaduct which carries the main line. Hopefully another few days should see the harbour area scenery completed.

Hi Danny,
Any new scenery updates on the harbour?
Really progressing well!
Cheers
Andy

Thanks for the interest Andy. A couple of shots showing more of the harbour area. This area still needs 3 or 4 days to complete, but it's mainly detail and a lot depends on the stability of the tile. As there are still stations and other buildings to complete elsewhere I'll move on for now and then come back to the harbour later.

Danny
Excellent shots of DEAL on UKTS.
Alec

Thanks Alec. I've been neglecting the Route thread on UKTS since this site opened so thought I should redress the balance a little.

Danny
That's only right as we are not in competition, and I anticipate uploading some of my latest FG DMU repaints on UKTS in the next month or two.
Alec

Schools Class "Eastbourne" at Dover Priory.

Folkstone Harbour is looking great Danny! Your screenshots keep us all informed of your progress and are worth looking forward to.

Geoff

I'm really looking forward to the route Danny, It's all looking so good Have you thought about maybe going up to Maidstone West?

John.

I've made up an E1, E and a more accurate C from a new plan in an old Model Railway News that I found on e-bay. I'll send along the models for you to look at.

J.

Hi John, thanks for the comments. Maidstone West ? - Yes I certainly have thought about it. I lived in Maidstone for 10 years, but that aside, it would be a lovely route through the Medway Valley from PaddockWood - this line has been started but it only goes as far as Beltring. It's only around another 9 miles or so to Maidstone, but the problem is where do you stop?!!

Similarly, the Hastings line stops at Tunbridge Wells Yard....probably only a mile or so from Tunbridge Wells station and a further 2 to Tunbridge Wells West, but there would be a lot of additional work to include these built-up areas.

Other thoughts have been Sevenoaks ( 5 miles from current route end at Hildenborough)...and even Orpington ( a further 8 miles). Ideally I'd like to include all of these extensions, but you get to a stage when you just want to finish and release something. I do understand why Clive and Don have the incentive to extend their routes further though.

The E and E1 sound good, and the C sounds intriguing as I thought the model we've completed was quite representative. I'll be doing a D1 as soon as I get the chance.

I've sent an email through to you Danny, feel free to use the E1's body shape for your D1.

John.

Hi Danny,
I'll own up straight away that I have total ignorance (in RL) of your route, but from the grabs you've produced, the modelling alone will make it an excellent route.
On Thames Trent, it sort of developed into the monster its becoming because when I started to think about activities......they didn't make sense. Hard to believe that the original was planned as St P to Bedford, but then when I thought about activities,how can the majority end there? Pushed on to Leicester, but then why would a freight end there? . And on and on .
That is my sort of thinking......activities (for any route)..........can you make a sensible one with a plausible reason that it finishes at a certain point.
Where ever you decide to hang up the shovel, you're route is going to be near the top of the pile.
Cheers
Clive

Hi Clive, I agree with you about activities being an important "driver" in these decisions. This was the reasoning behind extending the route to Deal - even then really it should have gone onto Ramsgate, but apparently all trains to and from Ramsgate stopped at Deal so it made for an easier decision to save on route building time and effort by stopping 10 miles short.
I might yet include the short extensions to Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells, but I think I'll stick with Plan A for the time being - then I can maybe change my mind later....

Hi Danny,
What you could do is finish this part of the route,when your ready,then have a break,and re charge your batteries,then if you feel ready add the extensions at a later date,like Clive and Don have done with Thames-Trent and Stoke-Nottingham.
Mike

Yes, that would be an option Mike. I already have an idea of what I'd like to do after the route is released though, so really I'd like to finish the route in one go if I could.

Two shots of the Folkestone area. This dense stretch between Folkestone Junction and Shorncliffe is almost complete.

Hi Danny,
I like the East Kent bus in the 1st screen shot
Mike

The whole route is looking really impressive

Markh5682 wrote:The whole route is looking really impressive

Couldn't agree more! Well done Danny.

Alec

Really nice work Danny!! I am really impressed!!!
I so can't wait to see this in the download section!! I think the work you have put into this is on Par with routes such as LSC and LSE (If not better! But keep that between us!)
Cheers
Andy

I appreciate the supportive comments everyone - Thanks.

Glad you like the bus Mike - there are quite a few dotted around the route, plus a garage full at Deal. They're reskins of DocMartin's excellent models of course.
The route includes East Kent from Deal to Ashford, Maidstone and District from Ashford to Tonbridge, and then Green London Transport north of Tonbridge.

I don't really like the effect of car spawners, so at this stage I've gone for placing vehicles around the route - still time to change my mind though...

It's been decided to extend the route to Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells West. There were regular services between these stations via Tonbridge, so this will allow passenger activities along the Hastings line. Both stations had Goods Yards - TWW also had an Engine Shed - these should provide the potential for further activities.

Hi Danny,
I still reckon you will end up at either Victoria,Cannon St,or Charing X
Mike

dee4141 wrote:It's been decided to extend the route to Sevenoaks and Tunbridge Wells West.

There aint no stopping you now!

Alec

I still reckon you will end up at either Victoria,Cannon St,or Charing X

I would love to Mike, but it would just take too long. It's taken 3 years so far and I think that's long enough. This extension should only add a month or so to the completion time.

Southborough Viaduct on the Hastings Line....

Hi Danny

Another fine screen shot of your wonderful route

Mike

I agree with you Danny, you could go on and on. There is no real end to route building. Look what happened to the SCP. You have to set a limit somewhere and although you do get the urge to go that little bit further, you have to draw the line somewhere. Glad that you have decided to go that little bit further to include Tonbridge and this will add to the activity creation options. But like you say, you have been on this route for three years now and I know that you feel its time to get it finished. We are all looking forward to it and maybe in a few years time, you might decide to go that little bit further and finally include Victoria, Maidstone and who knows where, like Don is doing with Burton Derby to make it Stoke Nottingham. There is no real end to route building, it's the time involved that makes you want to set a limit to how far and how much time you can spend on building it. You have done us all proud with this route Danny and for a first time attempt a building a route you have excelled. You deserve a well earned rest now Danny, so take a break from route building and enjoy a bit of running for a while, it won't be too long before you get the urge to get the shovels out again and maybe extend this route still further.

I'm once again impressed with the civil engineering structures.

Alec

Thanks for the comments.

The map shows current progress of scenery and buildings. All track has been layed throughout, and Geoff Forrest has completed the signal installation apart from the new extensions.

GREEN shows areas virtually complete.
YELLOW shows areas partially complete.
RED shows areas yet to be started.

Approaching High Brooms on the Hastings Line..

Lovely....nice screenshot Danny.

John.

Thanks John. The route tries to convey the lush green countryside of Kent. Even today - looking at Google Earth - there is very little building between Tonbridge and High Brooms . This shot shows the train entering High Brooms with the open countryside behind. Back in the 40's and 50's High Brooms would have been a village or small town on the outskirts of Tunbridge Wells, today it's a suburb.

Two shots taken at Grove Junction. This Junction lies between Tunbridge Wells Central and West stations.

Hi Danny
Yet again some nice screen shot's portraying the Kent Countryside.

Mike