[OTTD] Two5Kid's Screenshots

[Two5Kid]

Happy 'belated' New Year to all of my fans, yes, the two of you sitting there staring at my thread. Haha!

DH Parker was recently been given the helm at Parker & Co., a company owned by his late father who was really interested in making sure Long Island was well connected. However, he was unable to fulfil his dream when he was involved in a freak air accident. So, now his dreams lie in the hands of his eldest son, DH Parker.

DH Parker decided to start his fortunes at the site of his late father's office in Bracknell. The largest town on Long Island. Long Island is a 512 x 128 sized land mass, horizontally located around the British Isles. There are a couple of natural resources and multiple towns located around this land mass but all poorly connected and under utilized. A vision was thus established on this fateful day of Jan 1st, 1930.

DH Parker was a fan of the tram service being used in the United States of America. And with the help of a friend, he managed to secure the contracts of tram supplies and construction from a US company. This was put to test with the purchase of 2 trams for Bracknell. The people liked it so much that the hourly service was upgraded to 15-minute intervals, running for 12 hours per day. The success of the Bracknell tram service, was given a further boost, when the Wigan town council requested a similar system be put into place at Wigan, a neighbouring town. Within a month, the profits went through the roof and by the end of April, Parker & Co. would embarked on their first major construction, the train service between Bracknell and Wigan.

Construction was swift and without any hassle. Within 6 months, both towns were connected by a trusty 4-4-0 'Omeprazole' which was loaned to by the British Government. 2 weeks later, DH Parker announced that he has bought 'Omeprazole' with the profits garnered from the train service.

However, Parker & Co. had a minor setback when they found out that the trams require plenty of electricity which was what the island was lacking in. A little meeting was called and Bracknell Coal Mine was founded with the aim of providing coal to the Keighley Power Station. With this little endeavour, the electricity generated could cover 30% of the island usage. A 2-6-4 freight engine was transported free of charge by the British government for the sole purpose of transporting coal. This was to be the start of many partnerships between the British government and Parker & Co.

[Ameecher]

All those people standing on the wrong platform at wigan are going to have a long wait!

[Two5Kid]

Once the coal service from Bracknell Coal Mine to Keighley was in full progress, the company covered most of their loses and was starting to post profits. And was thus available for more projects. This was put to use by Keighley, who were so impressed with Parker & Co., they granted a subsidy for transporting passengers from Keighley to Bracknell and they even opened up a new coal mine at the outskirts of the town.

These opportunities allowed Parker & Co. to establish a foothold on Long Island. British Rail decided to set up their first ever offshore locomotive factory in Bracknell, thus ending the need for Parker & Co. to lease locos or to transport them over from the mainland. However, there was one caveat, Parker & Co. would have to follow their plans of connection for the next decade. And their immediate request was for a clay and gravel service over at Hailsham.

Parker & Co. stuck to their word and with the help of British Rail, the first ever clay & gravel service was born at Hailsham with a pair of 0-6-0s. Courtesy of the British Rail Agreement (BRA, I just have to put it here). The passenger service between Keighley and Bracknell was serviced by the typical 4-4-0 'Ranitidine', quite a reliable engine for such a distance.

[Two5Kid]

@ Ameecher: Oops! Didn't see you there in between my posts. Haha! I guess I just need better signage at the platforms. To prevent any misunderstandings at Wigan Central.

[beeb375]

Still looking excellent, like the back story too! Thought I'd commented more recently than this but never mind, past few screens have all been top quality too.

[Pingaware]

Ooh, a new game! Looking as good as ever Two5Kid.

[Two5Kid]

@beeb375 & Pingaware: Thanks for the moral support and viewership!

The success of the first ever BRA rail project at Hailsham led to a shortage of workers at the Hailsham Brickworks Factory. And BRA promptly solved it by asking Parker & Co. to connect Hailsham towards Queenborough, a small town with only 400 inhabitants. The project was a disaster from the start as Parker & Co. were stretched to the limits due to the rate of expansion for the company's projects. Hailsham was intended to be a double-platform terminal but reduced funds led to only one platform being built and the double-tracks merged into one. Subsequently, the company requested for a twin-carriage 0-6-0 'Vancomycin' to do the daily business of shuttling workers from Queenborough towards Hailsham. The company was hoping to break even with this service.

In order to obtain more money, the line at Keighley was extended eastwards to Longford. Engineers at Parker & Co. had to make do with a steep incline and building next to the edge, as the town was located on top of a small hill. Further expansion of this station would have to include very careful and precise measurements due to the precarious nature of the current platform. Longford Central was in operation for only 2 months before overwhelming support from the local council led to the addition of the second platform which was donated by the people of Longford.

At this point in time, the company was just breaking even due to the BRA project, but with the passenger load at Longford Central increasing each day, DH Parker finally agreed to put his company for public listing. But the Parker family still held on to the control. Allowing only 30% of the company's shares to be up for sale. The move proved to be fruitful as shares were overapplied by almost 65%. This sudden revenue was put into good use by extending a branchline from Longford towards Wednesbury, with the hopes of connecting to Quedgeley in the future.

[beeb375]

I can see Halisham becoming pretty big in the future, I wonder how long the one platform will last?

One thing I don't like is the corner on the Wednesbury line, 'tis too tight I say! I would've done one of these two options which I humbly suggest

[Two5Kid]

@beeb375: That's a pretty good suggestion. Sorry, I still have the old me inside, playing the game with straight lines, and I amazed myself by not trying to landscape the area. Actually, this game is a test for me to break out of the box. But old habits die hard. Will update that section again. I was already thinking about the future (double-tracked) when I was laying down the lines.

[Two5Kid]

By declaring public issue on Parker 7 Co. shares, current shareholders now have some say in what goes on at the company and the recently concluded Annual Meeting saw another new project in the works. Major shareholder Warren Buffet (6%) requested for a passenger service between Epsom, on the eastern coast of Long Island, to be connected with Telford. That's because Buffet owns a nice little trendy restaurant at Epsom. Which, of course, serves buffet lunch/dinner.

The project was quite an eye-opener as Parker & Co. would have to transport the locomotives and manpower right across the whole island, but luckily enough, Bracknell and Epsom lay along the coastline, so a few barges were called in to help out. Surprisingly, surveyors at Parker & Co. managed to lay down a pretty straight track, thus cutting down on unnecessary costs for landscaping.

Another interesting piece of news during this particular project was that Buffet himself was already in talks with Carlton town council regarding a line expansion from Telford towards Carlton. Unbeknownst to DH Parker, the Carlton town council agreed to lay down the tracks in cooperation with Telford town council. So within 2 months of unveiling the new Epsom-Telford line, Buffet dropped by Parker & Co. HQ at Bracknell with the completed tracks for Telford-Carlton, awaiting for a local service. So, Buffet turned out to be quite a generous shareholder after all!

On another small note, local surveyor Robert Hardie of Longford came up with a minor reconstruction of the Wednesbury bend due to logistics issue regarding sharp corners undertaken by the local service to Wednesbury.

[beeb375]

On another small note, local surveyor Robert Hardie of Longford came up with a minor reconstruction of the Wednesbury bend due to logistics issue regarding sharp corners undertaken by the local service to Wednesbury.

Hahaha, much better

Looking good again, just need to see some trains at Telford now!

[Two5Kid]

The rate of expansion for Parker & Co. has reached its peak. Manpower was stretched and DH Parker decided to have a recruiting drive. Jobs were filled almost as fast as they were left opened. The increase in numbers allowed Parker & Co. to consolidate their current rail stock. This include the running of a daily service from Wigan Central towards Knapton, since passenger load at Wigan Central has reached high levels due to the efficient system currently available. But since Knapton is a fairly small town, only 2 carriages were used for the service.

The Longford-Wednesbury service was also extended all the way towards Quedgeley at the insistance of the local branch manager, Robert Hardie. The plan was actually for the future as Quedgeley just announced the opening of a new factory. The first modern factory on Long Island. With the passenger service, the company hoped to ensure that the factory stays open for products to be transported there in the future.

During the so-called 'consolidation' phase of the company, the town councils at Watford and Oxford came up with the brilliant idea of offering a subsidy for a passenger service in between both towns. The idea was feasible and it took a least a month of planning before the project took off. The main issue was over the future expansion of both the stations at Watford and Oxford, as they would serve a bigger purpose in the near future.

[Two5Kid]

The screenshot forum is getting livelier by the day now that Ameecher, Badger and ISA are beginning to post new stuffs on their thread each day. Wonderful!

The Wigan Expansion
Parker & Co. took a massive gamble when they decided to build another terminal station at Wigan. Thus relieving the load at Wigan Central. The spanking new 3-platform Wigan Station was completed in 6-months and began operating with routes towards Hailsham and Knapton.

The sudden surge of passenger traffic at the eastern corridor (Wigan, Queenborough, Knapton and Hailsham) resulted in the construction of double tracks around the area. Allowing uninterrupted flow for the services involved. Plans were supposed to be made on Wigan Central but by then the town council were a little appalled by the massive landscaping around their town. The project was shelved until further notice.

The Wigan expansion was actually for trains to terminate at Wigan, and to turn Wigan Central into a through station instead of being a terminal station since its conception. Future planning includes a lumber and the possibility of a farm produce service to pass through Wigan Central. But is currently held up by town planners due to the environment standards the company has yet to achieve.

[Two5Kid]

With the Wigan Expansion project being brought to a halt due to zoning restrictions at Wigan Central, work was already in progress at Keighley. Keighley Valley station was relocated 4km away from the present location so as to allow a bigger station and to allow trains to proceed towards the food factory nearby in the near future. Double tracks were laid from Keighley towards Longford Central. Longford also underwent major reconstruction, it is now a 5-platform station with plans to expand it, if it was required.

In summary, development on the eastern coast of Long Island was from the company's own initiative, whereas development of the western coast was under the influence of local/subsidy sponsored.

Edit: For anyone who's interested in a map, here's the Eastern Coast. For the moment, since it's the prettiest (sort of) map. The other parts are just single lines all connected haphazardly. The Eastern Coast looks organized due to the Wigan Expansion Project.

[beeb375]

Any chance of a map of some sort? I'm intrigued to see how this all fits together now...

[ (Very late) EDIT: I see you've adeed one now, good stuff]

[Two5Kid]

A major mistake I made, making my Geography teacher gouged his eyes out. The Eastern Corridor was suppose to meant WESTERN Corridor. Sorry for the miscommunication. Towns like Hailsham, Wigan and Bracknell lies on the WEST side of Long Island.

[Two5Kid]

With the success of the Wigan Expansion, bar the failed station expansion at Wigan Central, people on the EAST coast of Epsom and Telford are clamouring for an upgrade to their existing system. The previously private funded project was soon taken over by DH Parker and plans were afoot to expand the system for the east coast. First off, Telford finally generated enough passengers to warrant another track towards Cleckheaton up on higher ground, before they were able to reach Cleckheaton, the service would stop at Lancaster Station to pick up more passengers.

Within a few months, the regular service from Cleckheaton to Telford was increased to 2 engines, both running an hour apart from each other. Cleckheaton town council on the other hand, was more interested in the downhill service towards another smaller town, which wasn't economically feasible, the company would be running at a lost due to the lower capacity train but in the long run, the tracks could be used to connect several well-placed industries.

*By the way, to all Chinese forum-ers here, Happy Lunar New Year!* (I'm guessing there's just me here)

[beeb375]

I quite like the small glass roof on Epsom station, quite realistic in that stations would probably expand in small stages rather than covering the whole station at once, very good

[Nite Owl]

Wonderful designs of both tracks and stations. I may have missed it but what are the dimensions of the map?

[Two5Kid]

@beeb375: Step by step, it is more realistic financially. I tend not to use glass roofs unless for really big stations.

@Nite Owl: It's a 512 x 128 map, my friend. Haha! Horizontal island setting.