Meat Market

The job today is to take a consist of livestock from Wincanton to Evercreech where I'll add an additional set of cars and then continue on to Shepton Mallet where the livestock will be sold at market.


The mission, should you choose to accept it

My engine starts off at the station with a fizzling firebox and a bubbling boiler, ready to chuff off at a moment's notice. I pull forward then reverse back down a siding into the Wincanton Goods Shed where the first set of livestock cars are waiting.


Aaaaaaaand ... they're off!


Backing into the goods shed.


Coupled up to the livestock cars. That last car is the brake van.


Signals are green, so I pull back onto the main line and puff off towards Evercreech.

One the aspects that attracts so many folks to trains (and train simulators) is the watching the scenery roll by.


A row of houses just outside Wincanton.


Picturesque countryside


Quaint bridges (no relation to Jeff Bridges)


Babbling brooks

The signals were all green for the trip, so I made good speed and before I knew it, Evercreech station was right ahead. I use reverse steam and a gentle application of brakes to slow to a more manageable speed as I enter the station.


Pulling into Evercreech just as another train is passing through.

Managing switches to connect multiple lines of track can be a fun puzzle in Train Simulator 2012. Here I have to drop off the cars I'm carrying now in Marshaling Yard 1, couple up to the cars in Marshaling Yard 2, then re-couple the cars I left in Yard 1 to the end of the consist so that the brake van remains as the last car in the train. Rolling over a switch in wrong position can either send me down the wrong track or derail me!


I got 99 problems, but a switch ain't one.


First cars dropped off in Marshaling Yard 1, I back down Marshaling Yard 2 to couple to the livestock cars waiting for me here.

I use the shadows of the cars in my train and of the cars to which I'm coupling to gauge distance and speed. If I hit the cars too fast I'll bump them them off the rails.


Backing up to couple to the last set of cars.


The consist completely constructed in the right order, I head out for Shepton Mallet.


Pyramid Head's cows creep me out so keep a watchful eye on them for the duration of the trip.

The scenery between Evercreech and Shepton Mallet is also eye catching.





Unfortunately, I got so distracted by the scenery I failed to keep my speed up and once the train hit what otherwise looked like a gentle up gradient, I found I needed full steam and full reverser just to maintain a measley 10 miles per hour. This didn't keep me from continuing to stare out the window, of course.






But I did have to keep an eye on boiler pressure, to make sure I didn't run out of steam while maintaining my 10 miles per hour cruise.




That gradient only appears shallow - to a heavy train with no momentum, it may as well be straight up.


Eventually, I crawl into Shepton Mallet where the triplets are waiting for me.


After stopping at the station (livestock inspection?) I back into a siding where I'll leave the cars for someone else to deal with.


Job well done, it's time to hoist a few brews at the local pub!

Now that is certainly something different!



Nice 'AAR', makes me want to try it out, even though I'm not really a RR fan.

...moooooo.

Very nice AAR!

I came close to spraying wine over my monitor when I read about the triplets.

Fun AAR!

Neat AAR.


Wheels

Very cool. Very much enjoyed that.

Nicely done, this is the first time I get a glimpse at what people do in a train sim...

I does make we want to try this sim....I always wanted a train set when I was younger....this makes it more so...

Hopw you post more adventures....with Pics of course