Network West Midlands
http://BVE4.net

A collection of routes by the NWM team:

Tony Haylor, Steve Green, Simon Gathercole, Don Hunt, Martin Corbett. 2009

Dedicated to the memory of Tony's young brother Brian, who like Tony,
was looking forward to driving a computer railway simulator.

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This is a collection of fictional BVE routes. The network, although fictional,
is heavily based on the routes around the West Midlands, WCML, and Snow Hill,
(ex GWR) lines.

v05.09

An update to v01.09 (features see below) which: 
Further diagrams.
OpenBVE specific objects and routes
flashing signals, some animations
Extra Hi-Resolution diagrams
Replacement objects and textures


v01.09 r2

Adds a number of new diagrams, some bug fixes and some new passing train models


v01.09 adds:

An update to v06.08 (features see below) which: 
Adds the extension of the diesel operated loop line between Salford Bridge and Frankley Junction. This means a host of new diagrams as mainline and freight trains are diverted to this route.
Updates various parts to scenery including passing train and stock models.
Added extra high detailed OHLE route file options. 
Diagrams now split into three era groups with passing train classes and liveries to suit. 
Error fixes to allow the routes to be enjoyed in OpenBVE.


The downloads are currently designed for BVE Trainsim 4 but should work in OpenBVE without errors. We do hope, however to have separate OpenBVE files available when OpenBVE is released as its final stable version with the extra features OpenBVE supports, such as animation, glowing lights, and flashing signal aspects. 


v06.08 adds:

Correct TPWS installation. TPWS is now only fitted to selected signals at junctions and with high SPAD risk as per real life. Overspeed TPWS sensors approaching reduced speed restrictions are now correctly positioned before the reduced speed restriction, set at a speed within a trains braking curve.
Updates various parts to scenery including passing train and stock models.
Splits diagrams into various eras.
Adds PA announcements to principal stations recorded exclusively for NWM by Mr. Phil Sayer.
Adds diagrams for the recently released class 150 Sprinter DMU at Coxster.co.uk.


v02.08 adds:

The loop line to Salford Bridge. There will almost certainly be further phases
which will deal with ideas that are presently being formulated. High detail overhead line equipment is top on our agenda. This can already be seen in this release at the Salford Bridge area.

Improved scenery and additional diagrams.

Quail type route diagrams. These can be found in the downloads section of http://bve4.net



Route Overview

The mainline route is fitted with 25kV OHLE, and runs from Maybank to Hobbs Cross or
Hammerwich. There is a single line branch from Blackbrook, the ex GW section from
Hobbs Cross to Wellingham, and the Salford Loop which runs as a diversion route between Whitminster and Frankley Junction.

When using a variety of new trains fitted with the technology, such as working AWS, TPWS, rain effects, and routes with high quality signalling objects including working route indicators and glow effects, the
effects are amazing and extremely authentic.


SOME INFO ON THE ROUTE....


The mainline is electrified throughout, and begins at Maybank which is a through station,
although it's modelled from the eastern end of its platforms for this driveable railway simulator.

There is a single track non-electrified branch between Whitminster and Blackbrook.

Just past Whitminster at Roundway junction the main line continues to Riverside whilst the branch to the right
goes to Salford Bridge. This part of the route is not electrified and is a loop line that eventually rejoins the main line at Frankley Junction. Salford Bridge a junction where this loop line and the West Coast Main Line briefly meet. The loop line is extensively used by local DMUs and freight, and very often by diversionary traffic.

The electrified main lines split at Norton. The fast Line continues to Hammerwich, while the 323
operated local service branches off to the left towards the electrified bay platform
numbers 3 & 4 at Hobbs Cross.

From Hobbs Cross, platforms 1 & 2 are non-electrified, and the route continues forward
to Wellingham Ludgate Hill, a futher 30 Km away. This is a slower, more meandering route
through the residential and industrial heartlands of the Wellingham/Hammerwich conurbation.
Operated by Sprinter trains, the odd freight, and Sunday Inter-City diversions, this route
is modelled on the Kidderminster - Birmingham Snow Hill route, and features some very
fierce gradients.




To run this route drivable traction must be be downloaded separately, please see http://bve4.net for a full list, and download locations.
 

This release of Network West Midlands is to the ATSStandard.
Unless the locomotive power is also ATSStandard compliant the train will still be 
driveable but the ATSStandard features will not work.


There are some known errors: 
You may see BVE display a red warning message 'Passed the station which should stop'
in the upper-left corner of the display. Because of the way BVE works if you have not
passed a station ignore the message. It is incorrectly displayed after passing a clear
approach signal. However, if you have overshot or passed a station then the message
is correctly shown!

You may also see a message 'Go back to correct position' when you are brought to a stand
at a red signal. This can be safely ignored as again this does not apply at signals.
Only if you have passed your stopping place on a station platform should you abide by the
message.


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YOU WILL REQUIRE AT LEAST BVE 4.2.1947.25355.
THERE MAY BE SOME STUTTERING WITH FRAMES BUT 
FOR BEST RESULTS A REASONABLE GRAPHICS
CARD WILL IMPROVE MATTERS.
GRAPHICS CARDS WITH LESS THAT 64Mb OF VRAM
WILL NOT SHOW BVE4 GRAPHICS CORRECTLY.
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The fictional side of NWM:


The routes are set in the 1995-2003 era. The electrification of the West Coast Main Line
that took place in the 1960s, was also extended to Maybank and the surrounding area.
Some of the lines were not electrified and came very close to closure. Today they have a
thriving service and some routes are used for divertions when maintenence of the main
lines occurs. The WCML electric locomotives are still the main locomotive hauled electric
train traction, but Pendolinos are just entering sqadron service.

Throughout you will see the last of the class 37 and 47 hauled passenger trains. The new
Virgin Voyagers are beginning to take over those services. On the freight side the new
class 66 is relacing the classes 37/47/56 on block oil and merrygoround coal services.

The ex Great Western Railway lines only just survived closure in the 1960s, and during
the 1970s a great deal of rationalisation took place. What is left today is slowly being
rejuvinated and old stations re-opened. Passenger numbers are increasing and frequent
services to all parts of the Midlands are running once again using modern DMUs.
  

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This BVE add-on contains both copyrighted and open source material. Permission
may be required before re-using or redistributing copyrighted material, and open
source material may be used without permission.
In no way is there any copyright claim of any objects or sounds used in this BVE add-on
unless otherwise stated. All object and sound files remain the property of the
developers who wrote them. Detail changes have been made to some objects and the object
files have headers stating the fact along with the details of the originating author.

 
CREDITS (in no particular order)

Phil Brooke

- Moorfield-Westport. A real inspiration to get something started. A lot of his objects
  and scenery settings have been used and modified with his permission.

Chris Rogers

- Inspiration and original idea of extending existing work by other builders.
- Permission to use any of his material.

Robert Glass (http://www.scotrailsim.co.uk)

- classes 37 & 47 objects
- Permission to use objects and images from his vast collection.

Anthony Bowden (http://www.railsimroutes.co.uk)

- Permission to use objects and images from the extensive collection belonging to his 
  excellent Watford Junction-Milton Keynes and Birmingham Cross-City South routes. 
- Permission to use his train objects as a basis for the ones seen on this route.
- Repeater signals.
- 25kV OLE objects.
- Permission to use many sounds again belonging to his Watford Junction-Milton Keynes
  and Birmingham Cross-City South routes.
- Permission to use photographs in some of the cab timetables.

Bryan Dudley (http://railtech.topcities.com)

- Rock bitmaps used in this route.

Oskari Saarekas

- Permission to use his people textures drawn by his Sister Vilma Ahtianen.
- BRR10 the route randomiser. It has made coding of alternative routes so much easier
  and has saved hours of work.

Joshim Nur [http://joshimsbveroutes.gamehorizons.net/]
- Mercedes car, bus, and dual carriageway objects from his freeware object collection.

Don Clarke

_ For the caravans.

Tom Beevers (http://brj.rr.nu)

- For the 1960s flats.
- For the metal containers.
- For the stack of tiles.

Eazypeazy (eezypeazy@eezypeazy.co.uk)

-for the HAA EWS coal wagon objects.


Martin Finken (http://BVE-Train.de)

- class 66 objects.

Zane Saxton (http://www.bverailnetwork.co.uk)

- For the class 156 cab timetable photograph

Simon Townsend

- Class 37 'Civil Engineering' and 'Railfreight' bodyside textures and other paint
  jobs.

Paul White

- Permission to use his rail engineering vehicles.

Shane Roberts (http://www.midland-bve.co.uk)

- Permission to use his class 170 passing train objects

Adam Priseman

- Class 150 Central Train livery textures
- Class 220 Objects (Virgin Trains and CrossCountry Trains)

Richard Helliwell (http://www.bveroutes-trains.co.uk)

- Retexturing of the class 323 passing train objects
- Pendolino objects
- Photo of class 57 for timetable

Horby

- Heavily modified passing train textures

Steve Thomas

London Midland class 323 - textures

Geoff Tibble

Class 31 in Yellow - textures

Phil Sayer & Jordan Allen

- Supply of custom announcements for NWM. Please see readme in PA sounds installer for details.



The curved track has been derived from the Curverail_Editor utility and I would like 
to thank the author for its use. (http://tokyo.cool.ne.jp/advanceboy/)


The photo-realistic people are friends or family and all have given their permission
for their images to be used.


We would like to thank all of them for the time that they spent and the advice that
they gave us, and most of all for their friendship.

Anyone else involved whom we haven't mentioned. If you have contributed to this add-on
in some way and have not been credited please Email us and we will update these credits
and we apologise now for any oversights that there may have been.

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Special thanks to Mr Mackoy who has given the world the ONLY FREE rail simulator.
Without doubt we owe him our deepest gratitude for all of his work in developing BVE
into the full screen mode that we can now all enjoy.

It's only fair to also give a huge amount of thanks to the train developers who have
produced the wonderful cabs that can now be driven just like the real thing. These cabs,
although not produced solely for use on NWM, some have nevertheless been tailored to
suit some of the workings on the line.

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Use this add on at your own risk! The authors are not responsible for any damage
or loss due to use (or misuse).

All contributors retain ownership and copyright of their own material.

No objects or textures may be re-used, or adapted for public release without
seeking permission via e-mail from the originators. 

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© The NWM team http://BVE4.net 2003-2009.
