The silliness of Mallard, Flying Scotsman and Class 103

[Hjarg]

Flying Scotsman, arriving in 1925. Max speed 120km/h. At the time of arrival, max passenger wagon speed in 100km/h. Upgrade to 120km/h in 1935. Meaning, you have high-speed train you don't use for the next 10 years, cause the wagons aren't enough.

Class 103, arriving in 1970. Max speed 200km/h. At the time of arrival, max passenger wagon speed 140 km/h. Upgrade to 200km/h in... 1981. Incidentally, the same year you get TGV, capable of running 300 km/h. Making Class 103 something that you pass. There is just no point to it.

And finally, Mallard. The most beautiful steam train, capable of running a whopping 145 km/h in 1935. Truly a fast train, a technical marvel. That has wagons capable of running 120 km/h. From 1962!!! you have wagons capable of running 140 km/h, still not totally using the capabilities of the train! And well, next one unlocks in 1981. I actually can purchase Mallard in 1981, but it outdates in 3 years. So, basically, to unlock the full potential of a train first arriving in 1935, i have to wait for 46 years...

I'm just saying, give us an option to go bulk or speed. Slow-speed wagons that fit more people or high-speed wagons that fit less. Or something else. Something that fills the need for speed too! And doesn't leave you cursing that hey, why oh why?

PS! Open platform wagons capable of running 160km/h in 1980? Really?

[TwistedForHire]

Historical accuracy... weird right?

[neldot]

This was a problem also in Train Fever. But it was solved, and will be solved in TPF, by the modders, with wagons capable of the same speed of the locos.

[Aries]

name = _("Class A4"),
topSpeed = 145,
yearFrom = 1935,
yearTo = 1985

name = _("BC4"),
topSpeed = 120,
yearFrom = 1935,
yearTo = 1995

In the time it took you to write this, you could've changed 120 to 145 and make yourself a set that can run together, could've even removed end year line to make yourself an antique train you can buy forever.. Mallard really is a gem. Same for the other two examples you gave

[Dubsoldier]

It's not at all historically accurate. the speed limits on rolling sock are completely made up. In regular service, the Mallard, incluidng coaches BTW, did upwards of 160km/h, IN REGULAR SERVICE, and the coaches did fine when it did over 200 km/h. The coaches were 100% fine. The A1 did 160km/h, and about 140km/h in regular sevice.

In my opinion, the developers could care less abut accuracy, and maybe they also have a bias against the only 2 British, and also the 2 worst modelled and the 2 most underpowered compared to history locomotives in the game.

[JK]

The speeds of the two British engines in the vanilla game are dissapointing. I get why they're not at their record speeds and the considerations of gameplay balancing, but they seem too low. The bigger problem is the lack of LNER coaches to go with them (there's a TF mod, but it's a little crude for TpF). People do use my 80mph GWR coaches or from 1950 Killakanz Mk1s, but some dedicated LNER coaches are needed.

There are now quite a lot of modded steam engines that are significantly faster (see DannyBoy's race video), since they use more realistic top speeds. And I'll be bringing out faster GWRs in the future that will also surpass their speeds. So all these being much faster than the world's fastest steam engine is a bit silly.

For this reason I've been heavily intending to do a mod with variations of these 2 engines with more realistic top speeds. This does however rely on there being LNER coaches with matching top speed. If no one else is interested in doing some(?), then I'll see if my next GWR coach can be converted to LNERs without too much extra work. Which would hopefully solve the issue.

[A Guy Called Pi]

The European vehicle selection is quite lacking by default. They really ought to add a few more passenger coaches.

[kido]

The fact that the 2 vanilla British loco's don't even get to do full speed pisses me off. And that's when I modified the files so they can actually reach their true top speed. I mean, if they wanted us to use normal service speed, just call it A3 and A4, so that people know that it's normal servicelocomotives, not record holders.

[MarkyT]

Probablyy the two most famous steam locos ever, yet they're both poorly modelled and there are no suitabble matching UK coaches for them to haul. A set of the LNER's signature varnished teak would be ideal, as well as the special streamlined 'silver jubilee' and 'coronation' articulated vehicles including the 'beeaver tail' rear observation saloons for the latter train. The lined BR blue is a strange choice of default livery for the A4 as it was only carried for a very short time by a few locos, and Flying Scotsman is shown in a condition it never ran in. The German style smoke deflectors were only fitted to the entire class of A3 locos near the end of their lives under British Rail and were provided specifically to solve a problem arising from the advanced exhaust system that was added at the time to dramatically improve performance and fuel economy. The special exhaust was known as the Kylchap system and included a larger double chimney which is not modelled. Drivers immediately started complaining about the soft exhaust causing smoke to drift down into their forward vision at speed, so the deflectors were added to solve this, and were successful. The wedge front of the streamlined A4 class, represented by Mallard in the game, was a very sucessful smoke lifting mechanism in its own right so they didn't need any modification when the locos were also all fitted with the double Kychap in the post war period. Mallard was one of four A4s built with double Kylchaps from new before WW2, but the exhaust design was patented at the time and the railway company wouldn't pay the license fees for wider application. It was one of the Mallard's 'secret weapons' helping the loco to achieve the speed record in 1939. After the war the patent on the Kylchap exhaust had expired, so BR were able to equip the entire fleet of first A4s, then A3s more economically. The post war Peppercorn A1 design, an evolution of the Gresley A3 and A4 but without a streamlined casing, also had the double Kylchap exhaust from new, as does Tornado, the A1 replica built in 2009, which famously achieved 100mph under test last year. My father was shedmaster of London Kings Cross loco depot, known as 'Top Shed' from the mid 1950s through to the end of the depot and of steam traction on the line in 1963. The job was equivalent to a moderm depot/fleet manager. With his engineering backround from apprenticeship and working previously in the locomotive drawing office at Doncaster where the A3s and A4s were designed and built, he was instrumental in getting the performance modifacations carried out. Both Flying Scotsman and Mallard were under his control in London during this time.

[A Guy Called Pi]

Yeah, it's a major oversight on Urban Games' part. And you'd think a modder would've made these coaches already.

[BuffHamster]

Originally posted by GrijzePilion:

Yeah, it's a major oversight on Urban Games' part. And you'd think a modder would've made these coaches already.

Right? The mod authors should make something like these mods:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=801580823

http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=866135615

(I don't have to list all the passenger coach mods, do I?)

[A Guy Called Pi]

Personally, and I know it's unnecessary, I'd love to see more content from Urban Games themselves. I don't mind installing fan-made vehicles at all but I'd like it if the devs could offer a bigger selection of vehicles and other content themselves.

[A Guy Called Pi]

By the way @JK I'm looking forward to those LNER coaches if you plan on making them, but what's my best option for now should I want to have a 1930s or 1940s high speed UK steamer service? I'm just not a big fan of the MK1s and the era they come from.

[JK]

@GrijzePilion - My GWR Toplights go at 80mph, so suitable for the A3. If you change the train colour to a shade of green similar to the engine, it will look about the same, but the coaches will be green and vaguely resemble the LNER tourist stock coaches, e.g. :
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/61/f2/0d/61f20d4ab184f55be234f3aeee3a179c.jpg

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=971564183

[killakanz]

Originally posted by GrijzePilion:

I'm just not a big fan of the MK1s and the era they come from.

aww ... :(
Admittedly though, the Mk1s are a bit late for Steamers.

I'd like to see some LMS period 1 composite coaches or maybe some Southern Railway Maunsells... But it may be a little while before I make anymore coaches, I have some other things on my to-do list...

[A Guy Called Pi]

Well whatever you do, I'll want it in my game. I don't need to be British to know that having a bit of extra British rolling stock is always a good thing.