New Route - 'Northern Illawarra - Waterfall to Wollongong'

BrianB · Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 7:17 pm

Just an advance notice about a forthcoming new route for MSTS:

NSWGR - Northern Illawarra - Waterfall to Wollongong

The route is currently around 50% finished - I'm aiming for around the end of May - to mid-June for release.

The route is set in the 1950 to 1960 steam era period (with early diesels) - mainly because I lived near Corrimal station during this period and this was my local line!!! I've 'walked the four foot' nearly every inch of this line for around 4-5 miles either side of where I lived - (something you can't do in today's world!!!)

I'm including a number of the private colliery lines, particularly the whole of the Corrimal Colliery line (this was my local private railway and I used to spend all my school holidays 'cabbing' on this line) and also the South Bulli Colliery line through Bellambi to the old Bellambi Jetty - there are also other collieries and 'stub' lines for Mt. Kiera Colliery, Old Bulli Colliery, Excelsior Colliery at Thirroul, Coaldale Colliery, South Clifton Tunnel Colliery near Scarborough, the old Coal Cliff colliery, and of course Metropolitan Colliery near Helensburgh.

The line starts about one and a half miles north of Waterfall (just so I can work Garratts from 'Enfield to Waterfall yard and back on staging goods workings - the main 'Division Point' at Thirroul is important, as 38's and 36's (and if someone finishes up making a 57 heavy goods) only worked this far south with 32's and 50's taking over for the remainder of the journey south (however, from time to time, and I mean fairly rarely, a 38 or 36 occasionally worked right into Wollongong).

The line ends about a mile south of Coniston and has the 'start' of the Main Line south to Nowra, the 'start' of the Port Kembla branch line, and the 'start' of the line to the Port Kembla Inner Harbour Coal Loader.

I have a copy of the 1956 NSWGR Working Timetable, and so a number of supporting documents will be available to help get the best out of this new route. Also I intend to create some new custom rolling stock suitable for this area and period - but this will probably be after the release of the route.

Before anyone posts a request or sends me an email - this route WILL NOT be later upgraded or altered to the modern day condition, with the electrics running under the 'steel umbrella'. From a personal point of view I feel the modern day version of the line has 'lost its soul' - this is why there will not be a modern day version - this route will stay firmly in the 'Heyday of Steam' in the period 1950 to 1960 as I remember it - this route is being built to satisfy my own needs, first and foremost - however, I will be making it available as a freeware route so that others can enjoy it too!!!

Regards, Brian Bere-Streeter

Cs4 · Posted: Sun Feb 11, 2007 8:45 pm

Sounds good Brian. I can't wait to see the final product.

Cheers

William

taggy · Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2007 12:06 pm

Thank god for that! I fully support you route. I my self live about 5 mins from the line at Woonona.
CAn't wait, keep up the good work! Very Happy

Aaron

3801, pure beauty.
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Member of NSWRTM.
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paynos · Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2007 5:15 pm

it's one of my favourite areas to go by train!! i support ya mate. lookn forward to it.

you'll only get out, what you put in!

lelo4851 · Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2007 6:35 pm

hello BrianB
i was just wondering just out of curiosity where does this line go in terms of bounderies south etc aka what is the 'start' of the main south and port kembla branch line i will defiently be getting my hands on this route when its available

highest regards lee

Fred3801 · Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2007 7:59 pm

I don't mean to be rude or anything but this sounds like another type of "CTN" drama. So I hope the shape files will open on time to load in the game instead of crashing every bloodly time i just want to muck around on the computer go up to Newcastle!!(in this case, Wollongong). And O.K, fair enough you want to base the route on 50s-60s, i know what you mean with that whole retro feel of driving a 38/36 express or a Garratt at speed as to driving a 81/86 or a V set(Like me) for example, which will some of us "young" generation will do anyways.

But anyway, Good luck Mate, hope it goes good and please, learn from the mistake of the "Coals to Newcastle" project.

P.S-Not a "Give me-Give me" lazy a***. I am aware of the pressures of building a train route and sometimes giving up on it at times which I haved learned my self (thanks to TRS2006).

~ Fred3801 ~

My New Blog – The Young Buff

coolpop · Posted: Tue Feb 13, 2007 9:26 pm

Hello Brian,
Good luck with the Waterfall to Wollongong route and if your great rolling stock you produce is anything to go by then this will be a ripper.

It is so good to see people like yourself, Alanl, Peter, and so many more producing fantastic routes for everyone to enjoy. Well done.

One further, Please ignore remarks like the one of 4620 no wonder you route writers get pretty pi... browned off.

Denis

SMR30 · Posted: Wed Feb 14, 2007 10:28 am

Grantham · Posted: Fri Feb 16, 2007 8:01 pm

Sounds great! I like the South Coast line very much, and am looking foreward to the steam era feel.

M

Save oil, bring back steam. Vote #1 Bromage!

Lord High Minister to Lithgovia for Breweries and Bootlegging

BrianB · Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 7:26 am

Current progress reports and the first few preliminary screenshots are shown on the UKTrainSim site at:

http://forums.uktrainsim.com/viewtopic.php?t=65293

Regards, Brian

mcclelland190 · Posted: Mon Feb 19, 2007 4:10 pm

I Can't wait for this! I have been waiting soooooooooooo long for somebody to finally decide to make a nice long section of the South Coast/Illawarra Line. I love my local line and would love to drive it.

Can't wait mate! Very Happy

tubster · Beginner Joined: Aug 03, 2005 Last Visited: Jan 7, 2008

Sounds great BrianB.

I certainly will be looking forward to this route given I'm a 'Gong boy born and bred and spent 20 years as an Engineman, starting my career at Thirroul as a call boy before transferring to Port Kembla for a number of years and finally spending the bulk of my career at Wollongong before going onto the ETR at Central.
Finally left in '89 to persue other career interests.
Never been able to take the railway out of the boy so MSTS provides a great way for me to relive those times, especially all that the Steam4me site provides.

BrianB · Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 8:44 am

Latest progress report here:

http://forums.uktrainsim.com/viewtopic.php?t=65293

Regards, Brian

Scott_AUS · Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 8:53 am

mcclelland190 · Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2007 8:59 am

Looking Great!!! Is The Project Still On Schedule?

I'm back after a few months away!

Flight Simulator Nut!