Here is the first in a series of activities for the Northern main V2 Route.
This is packaged into an Installer and will install all the needed files.

Running Time about 1Hr 20 mins.

It requires that you have downloaded and Installed the Rolling stock Mega pack and the Northern Main V2 Route.

Here is the Activity Run down.
It’s Bendigo Cup Day.
You are in charge of New “A” No 416 and its your job to ensure the happy (Until they blow their Money) punters make it to the Epsom Racecourse on time.
You have behind you 2 BV,s 2 pioneer carriages, BL8 and 4 horse wagons carrying some famous hayburners namely Loaded Dog, Ninth Notch, Chrome Bullet, and Bigged who is tipped to win the cup.
At Bendigo station there is another locomotive to take the train to Epsom.
You have to uncouple at Bendigo and take the loco over the pit.

Found in the Activities stickie.

Just completed the activity and saved the punters some money by being 8 min late.
Tough route for a little loco.

Great route and activity - Thanks.

One point - There is an unused consist with the activity.
This will cause an error report but can be clicked thru.

It's AUS-NM-DDE704-MIXED-G-P-PC.con

Delete it.

Activity Updated with a new installer as per Ians Instructions.
Dont know how this one slipped through!.

Wouldn't put your shillings down at the Collingwood Tote on that second horse; useless nag's fit for dog food.

You never see a skinny stud horse Notchie!

I am thinking of writing some freight activities for the Northern Main, and to try and make them authentic, I would appreciate it if people could advise which industries, locos and freight wagons would be appropriate for various locations.

These would need to come from Russell's Mega Pack which contains:

Locomotives
13 New A classes in Candian Red Livery and Green livery, 8 Drivable 5 AI.
3 B class 2-4-0, 2 drivable 1 AI.
6 D class 4-4-0, 4 drivable 2 AI.
13 V class 2-8-0, 9 driveable 4 AI.
12 X class 0-6-0, 8 driveable 4 AI.
8 Y class 0-6-0, 5 driveable 3 AI.
1 Z class 0-6-0, 1 driveable.
-------------------------------------------------------
Passenger Rolling Stock
2 Pioneer carriages.
4 Av Carriages.
3 Bv carriages.
4 Vintage carriages AB, AC, BB, BL.
-------------------------------------------------------
Freight Rolling Stock
1 H open.
3 H vans.
3 I open wagons, 1 empty, 1 standard tarp load, 1 high tarp.
5 K flat wagons, 2 empty, 1 granite load, 1 high tarp, 1 Howitzer.
6 M Cattle wagons, 3 open top, 3 roofed.
18 Oo Bogie open wagons 6 each with coal loads, grain and empty.
12 OT Tank Wagons 6 loaded, 6 empty.
1 Powder wagon.
6 TT Bogie Vans, 3 loaded, 3 Empty, (NEW) No28 is suitable for passenger trains.
1 Short U van.
------------------------------------------------------------
Horse wagons
3 F, FF Horse wagons.
------------------------------------------------------------
Guards Vans
1 DF combined Horse van Guards Van.
1 original D van with verandah.
2 D vans.
2 DVt Parcels Guards Vans.
--------------------------------------

The main yards seem to be at:

Bendigo
Castlemaine
Elphenstone
Malmsbury
Kyneton
Woodend
Gsborne
Reesdale Branch
Daylesford Branch
------------------------------------

I presume all freight trains would have a guards van.

If Russell approves, I would like to make the activities available for download by members through this forum.

Maybe some people might be interested in beta testing them.

I'm sure you guys could save me a lot of time if I don't have to look up the history books!

Hi John I would love to see some more activities. Go ahead.

I am having a small break from Msts at the moment due to family cracking the sads as I spend too much time on Msts and will do some acts myself soon.

Some of our forum historians may be able to answer the commodities section better.
Cheers Russ

Yes, all trains would have had a guards van with the exception of passenger trains. An AC at one end would do well.

Redesdale had a granite quarry; Daylesford line would have had hunt trains and spa specials,most likely changing locos at Woodend, and a plain OT would serve hauling spa waters. Contemporary pictures of Daylesford show trains of 4-5 cars behind something like a Y or D class.

Mixed trains would have had a single BL just before the guards van, would have run to Redesdale.

X classes would have been used for the biggest goods trains and would not have ventured off the main line.

Passes would have mainly used New A's...


Chrome Bullet and I have tentatively planned a stag retreat at his joint; a purchase of the 1914 VR Diagram book will also be made along with several ancient WTT's from Northern & Midland and North-Eastern districts.
If we're sober enough, some activities and more may emerge.

Found what I was looking for when I posted the earlier item: a picture of a typical mixed train to Daylesford in 1914.

Consist is R347*-empty I wagon-U123 or H van-2 x I wagons with low tarp-BL8-ABE-D van.


You'll need an ABE from James Brook's freeware site.


*However a later V or Y could be easily substituted

Ninthnotch,
Many thanks for all that information.
I think I will start with activities on Redesdale and Daylesford Branches using the information you have supplied

This is my first post and I am not sure that I have got the subject, but here goes.
Regarding the NMaim Northern Route I have a 1927 copy of VR Gradient and Cuve book and would be happy to scan nomimated Rail Lines if that would help.

Regards Ian

A 1926 Loads of Goods Trains has been loaned out. Relevant sections will be published for the NE and NM routes.

Q1. just after macendon my computer goes straigt to desk top got no idea why?
Q2. where do i delete the Aus-nm-dde704-mixed-g-p-pc con from because i cant find it?
I have downloaded all the addons required including the uk stuff but i keep having problems with the activaty only.
however when i am just exploring the route i have no problems so there is my problem can you help?

Bullahill Look in C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Train Simulator\TRAINS\CONSISTS then search for the file.
This assumes you have installed trainsim to the Default Location.

Thanks but all fixed ran it thriugh route riter

Which locos from the Vintage Megapck would be used as shunters for yard work in Bendigo Yard, Castlemaine Yard etc?

The Y classes would be a good start.
ChromeBullet made a couple of Shunters but I cound not get them into the sim.
Dont know why but kept popping up with UID errors even though they were the same as the others exept had bigger boilers ect.

Sorry for the late reply.
Two very common freights between 1890's and 1960's would have been grain and stock (mainly sheep) this is because for every 100,000 of population requires aprox 300 tons of grain and 4 to 5000 sheep per week. Melbourne's population in 1891 was 490,000 so would have required 1500 tons of grain and 25,000 sheep per week. I am uncertain as to the capacity of the 4 wheel wagons for grain but assuming 8 to 10 tons means 150 to 180 wagons of grain, sheep was aprox 90 to 110 per 4 wheeler so comes to 220 to 250 per week. Note these figures are for 1891 and only for melbourne.
Population of Melb in 1976 was 2,750,000 expect traffic to be more.
Up to late 1950's early 60's EVERYTHING was obtained by rail. My local town had a population in the 20.s of aprox 200 and had a butcher,baker,generalstore and a soft drink maker and brewery. Some idea of the expected freight traffic can be judged by the size of the goods shed and platform. The Bendigo line would have contributed about 1/3 of the grain and stock. The population of all rural Vic including regional towns/cities for 1891 was about 900,000 this figure remained largerly unchanged to about the 1980's although the large regional towns grew larger at the expense of smaller centers many of which disappeared.
Ideas for activities might be stock trains from the branches if MSTS can handle a task as complex as that....... would be very interesting.
Bendigos' population in 1891 was aprox 35,000 in 1976 was around 50.000.

Hi Russ,
Would you like to send one to me to play with?
Cheers

Also a V could well have hung on.

Thanks for the info, woodward.
Russell has put a number of livestock loading yards in the route and I have been using them in my activities.

The megapack contains empty open topped and roofed cattle wagons. In other places I have seen loaded cattle and sheep wagons some of which make mooing and baa-ing sounds which are fun!

I will include grain movements in future activities.

If you have or download The Coal Road Route from Train-sim.com there are cattle ,pigs and sheep wagons in the rolling stock pack.It will install the cattle ect sounds in the MSTS sound folder.
One only has to change the sound in the VR waggons to these sounds or make up some extra wag files with these sounds.
Although I don't think you can see any critters in the VR wags.

Geoff.

Best to make a new .wag file with the livestock sounds and only include one or two in the consist.

A full train of mooing cows will drive you mad.

I have made a seperate wag file and put a scenery critter in the waggon.
Also Coals to Newcastle site has the same files as well for the animal noises.
BCW (NSCF - Bogie Cattle Wagon) and BSV (NSSF - Bogie Sheep Wagon) - by Gavin McLaughlan.

Geoff.

Maximum through tonnage on the Bendigo line between Gisborne and Bendigo was 554t for a C, 392t for an N and K, 341t for a V, 305t for a Y, 270t for a saturated DD and 261t for an AA. Have to work out what it would be for a D class. This is in both directions.

Redesdale was on the down
798t for a K, 704t for a V, 550t for a DD and 495t for an AA
On the up it was
377t for a K, 333t for the V, 260t for a DD and 234t for an AA

Daylesford was also on the down:
377t for a K, 333t for the V, 260t for a DD and 234t for an AA

On the up it was:
377t for a K, 333t for the V, 260t for a DD and 234t for an AA

The full tonnage list is being typed out. This will have momentum loadings and also where tonnage limits changed which might make an interesting activity if you have to split your train...