[32bpp] GETS - German Extrazoom Train Set (development)

[Argus]

Some of the locomotives run backwards in one direction

[Garlic_Bread42]

Super cool!! Great work.
Are you planning on making a rail set for these? Or am I being less than smart, and there already is?
If not, what rail set would you recommend for the best experience with these? I use CZTR and it's pretty good (although with some slow speeds until late game)
Well done once again, these are sick!

Many thanks for the kind words. No, neither do we plan a track set nor is there a trackset.

Some of the locomotives run backwards in one direction

This is intended - Tank engines reverse like they'd do in reality.

[ebla71]

Some of the locomotives run backwards in one direction

This is intended - Tank engines reverse like they'd do in reality.

Actually, the behaviour in the game is mimicking the real-world situation correctly but your explanation is wrong.

Since steam engines are - unlike modern diesel and electrical engines - non-symmetrical, they usually run faster with the smokebox and funnel first in the direction of travel and the cab in the rear, towards the attached railcars.

At a terminal station, they decouple and are turned around on, well, a turntable, to make sure on the return trip, they are smokebox/funnel first again. Often also the mail/baggage car, if there is any, is moved towards the other end of the "regular" railcars to ensure it is next to the engine (also since this will put passenger cars further away from the smoke )

GETS and many other rail NewGRFs show this behaviour to a reasonable degree, although usually the whole train is just turned around (which is not correct, since the passenger railcars usually do not switch order, as that would involve putting all of them from one side of the train to the other, lot of shunting, so instead for reversal, train will have for example 1st class front in one direction and 2nd class last, and 1st class last the other way, but this is minor).

Since such a procedure with the turntable is inconvenient and time-consuming, in particular with urban shortline services (or rural services where there is no space for a turntable or simply too expensive to have one), tank engines were developed which run equally fast in both directions.

These just decouple from their train at a terminal station, move on a passing track back to the other end and couple again, without turning. Might still move around the mailcar, though - or there wasn't even a mail car on services like the Berlin "Ringbahn".

But the key point is that tank engines do not reverse, unlike "normal" engines, they usually stay smokebox/funnel in one direction. The Prussian KPEV T18 of GETS is a classical example of that and shows the intended behaviour.

[Argus]

Thanks for the explanation

[belgi]

Some of the locomotives run backwards in one direction

This is intended - Tank engines reverse like they'd do in reality.

Actually, the behaviour in the game is mimicking the real-world situation correctly but your explanation is wrong.

Since steam engines are - unlike modern diesel and electrical engines - non-symmetrical, they usually run faster with the smokebox and funnel first in the direction of travel and the cab in the rear, towards the attached railcars.

At a terminal station, they decouple and are turned around on, well, a turntable, to make sure on the return trip, they are smokebox/funnel first again. Often also the mail/baggage car, if there is any, is moved towards the other end of the "regular" railcars to ensure it is next to the engine (also since this will put passenger cars further away from the smoke )

GETS and many other rail NewGRFs show this behaviour to a reasonable degree, although usually the whole train is just turned around (which is not correct, since the passenger railcars usually do not switch order, as that would involve putting all of them from one side of the train to the other, lot of shunting, so instead for reversal, train will have for example 1st class front in one direction and 2nd class last, and 1st class last the other way, but this is minor).

Since such a procedure with the turntable is inconvenient and time-consuming, in particular with urban shortline services (or rural services where there is no space for a turntable or simply too expensive to have one), tank engines were developed which run equally fast in both directions.

These just decouple from their train at a terminal station, move on a passing track back to the other end and couple again, without turning. Might still move around the mailcar, though - or there wasn't even a mail car on services like the Berlin "Ringbahn".

But the key point is that tank engines do not reverse, unlike "normal" engines, they usually stay smokebox/funnel in one direction. The Prussian KPEV T18 of GETS is a classical example of that and shows the intended behaviour.

Well, I don't want to take away your illusions. But I see no reason why steam locomotives could not run the tender forwards or backwards. I have also seen countless German steam locomotives running the tender in reverse.

Despite the fact that OTTD is a game. And even though we have real vehicles, it will never feel like the real thing. I think the vast majority of players take it that way - we just want to play and not work. And riding the tender forward is refreshing and interesting to me like few if any sets, and I thank the makers of GETS for that! It's a great graphics kit and if it wasn't stupid I'd say I love it! Of course, only after CZTR

I use CZTR rails, but there are certainly other similar ones.

Have a nice day!

[Argus]

CZTR rails look beautiful combined with Gets and what if Temporal's real stations are added. And the side by side trains look good too.

[ebla71]

Well, I don't want to take away your illusions. But I see no reason why steam locomotives could not run the tender forwards or backwards. I have also seen countless German steam locomotives running the tender in reverse.

Well, it depends - in particular the German "war time locomotives" ("Kriegslokomotiven") of BR 42, 50 and 52 were designed to run at 80 km/h in both directions, smokebox and tender forward. The later DB BR 23 had a "forward speed" of 110 km/h and "backwards" (tender first) of 85 km/h while the large mainline express locomotives like BR 01 are limited to 50 km/h when going "backwards". Since many steam locos these days only run on small branchlines or at least rarely to full speed on a mainline where this does not matter much, that might lead to the impression that they are regularly running "tender first". For example, BR 38 (Prussian P8) 100 km/h forward and 80 km/h backward, while BR 64 90 km/h both ways and BR 78 (KPEV T18) 100 km/h both ways.

In some places it is mentioned that the lower reverse speed is in particular connected to a "non-symmetrical" wheel configuration, like BR 01 as a Pacific of 2'C1' (4-6-2) not suitable for both ways same speed while the T18 for example has 2'C2' (4-6-4) and can run the same max. speed both ways.

Despite the fact that OTTD is a game. And even though we have real vehicles, it will never feel like the real thing. I think the vast majority of players take it that way - we just want to play and not work. And riding the tender forward is refreshing and interesting to me like few if any sets, and I thank the makers of GETS for that! It's a great graphics kit and if it wasn't stupid I'd say I love it! Of course, only after CZTR

Fully agree but find it still interesting to connect the game with "real-world" situation.

[belgi]

Well, I don't want to take away your illusions. But I see no reason why steam locomotives could not run the tender forwards or backwards. I have also seen countless German steam locomotives running the tender in reverse.

Well, it depends - in particular the German "war time locomotives" ("Kriegslokomotiven") of BR 42, 50 and 52 were designed to run at 80 km/h in both directions, smokebox and tender forward. The later DB BR 23 had a "forward speed" of 110 km/h and "backwards" (tender first) of 85 km/h while the large mainline express locomotives like BR 01 are limited to 50 km/h when going "backwards". Since many steam locos these days only run on small branchlines or at least rarely to full speed on a mainline where this does not matter much, that might lead to the impression that they are regularly running "tender first". For example, BR 38 (Prussian P8) 100 km/h forward and 80 km/h backward, while BR 64 90 km/h both ways and BR 78 (KPEV T18) 100 km/h both ways.

In some places it is mentioned that the lower reverse speed is in particular connected to a "non-symmetrical" wheel configuration, like BR 01 as a Pacific of 2'C1' (4-6-2) not suitable for both ways same speed while the T18 for example has 2'C2' (4-6-4) and can run the same max. speed both ways.

Yes, of course steam locomotives run slower when running tender forward. I'm not an expert, so I don't know exactly why this is, but I do. I'm not sure if it would be possible to set this in the game though.

But it's true that it also breaks my heart when I see how some players build stations that completely contradict reality I'm an expert in that again
However, I think it's up to everyone how they enjoy the game.
The main thing is to have fun and that's what makes this game amazing.

Despite the fact that OTTD is a game. And even though we have real vehicles, it will never feel like the real thing. I think the vast majority of players take it that way - we just want to play and not work. And riding the tender forward is refreshing and interesting to me like few if any sets, and I thank the makers of GETS for that! It's a great graphics kit and if it wasn't stupid I'd say I love it! Of course, only after CZTR

Fully agree but find it still interesting to connect the game with "real-world" situation.

Exactly! I'm glad we understand each other on this

Have a nice day

[ebla71]

But it's true that it also breaks my heart when I see how some players build stations that completely contradict reality I'm an expert in that again
However, I think it's up to everyone how they enjoy the game.
The main thing is to have fun and that's what makes this game amazing.

I'm a bit torn on this - on one hand, I find it interesting to see the different solutions people come up to design a network and stations, and also do "landscaping" around it (or not).

On the other hand, some "spaghetti tracks" and scores of 90° turns definitely hurt my eyes.

But I also understand that not everybody has a "design manual" like me when putting down a layout and also not everybody tried to reproduce "real world" as much as I enjoy

But as you said - that's the power of this game, that it allows many different styles of play and almost endless variations

[304 001]

It was not practical for every railway station and goods yard to have a turntable, and it often saved time and effort to couple the locomotive to the train backwards. Steam engines (especially freight locomotives) were never designed with aerodynamics in mind, and a lot of "streamlined" locomotives were more for decoration than any speed or performance reasons.

Trains are both large and long, and do not move in straight lines. Most wind comes from the side and not straight on and streamlining would have little or no effect. However, streamlining was the style in the steam age, and that is why railway companies streamlined their passenger locomotives. The bright colours and sleek lines were only to entice people onto their expensive passenger services, and it worked very well. The steam of the era was fast and powerful, but even pre-World War I locomotives were given sheet metal shrouds and bright paint to fit the new look.

Here is a DR Class 52 dragging a passenger train backwards:


deduplicate list online

[Argus]

On the other hand, some "spaghetti tracks" and scores of 90° turns definitely hurt my eyes.

But I also understand that not everybody has a "design manual" like me when putting down a layout and also not everybody tried to reproduce "real world" as much as I enjoy

But as you said - that's the power of this game, that it allows many different styles of play and almost endless variations

Ouch. Some AIs are also famous for their spaghetti tracks
It reminded me of my early days. Whenever I open a game from when I first started playing Tycoon, I'm horrified at how badly I built the tracks. I mostly tear them down and build them up again.

[Jatinbattan09]

Hey please you can add railways stasion realistic with railways stasion buildings single and Dubble track platform.

[ebla71]

Hey please you can add railways stasion realistic with railways stasion buildings single and Dubble track platform.

GETS is a "rail vehicle NewGRF" which means it only contains (and as far as I know can only contain nothing but) train engines and railcars.

For the stations, you need to load another additional NewGRF. There are multiple ones and you have to try them from the in-game content download to check which ones you like and fit your style of gameplay.

I prefer, for example, for a continental Europe-themed "realistic" scenario:

• Dutch stations and additions (multiple NewGRFs) for passenger stations

• Industrial Stations Renewal 1.0.2 for freight stations

• Ore Unloader Station 0.1 (should be self-explanatory

• Various AuzFreightStation and AuzStation NewGRFs

[Skarfester]

I finally got the chance to play a game with this set and I am absolutely delighted!
At first is a bit overwhelming but you get used to it. Autoreplace is specially tricky due to the different sizes of locos and wagons. In any case, the notes on each vehicle are really helpful to navigate this set.
I have a suggestion though: since 5 tile stations is OpenTTD's default lenght it would be nice to have ICE variants that fit that size. I couldn't use any of them in my game.

Anyway, this is going to be my base set. Good job!

[tgregson]

Great set really enjoying playing with it.

This might be a bug or might be intentional but when playing with FIRS steeltown economy you can't transport food or pig iron until the introduction of the first refrigerator vans and boxes vans which is a bit annoying.

[Garlic_Bread42]

I have a suggestion though: since 5 tile stations is OpenTTD's default lenght it would be nice to have ICE variants that fit that size. I couldn't use any of them in my game.

Thanks for your kind words at first.
For the ICE: We try to stick close to reality with conists and stuff. A 5-tile ICE wouldn't fit into that(it would have only 3 coaches), so that won't happen - Sorry for that.

Great set really enjoying playing with it.

This might be a bug or might be intentional but when playing with FIRS steeltown economy you can't transport food or pig iron until the introduction of the first refrigerator vans and boxes vans which is a bit annoying.

Depends a bit on when you're starting: both the first Boxcar and Refrigerator van come available 1892. I wouldn't suggest starting earlier, as the set was initially desigend to start around 1900.

[Argus]

Alternatively, if you like to start earlier, consider using a different set in the interim. Even though I experienced a minimum of problems during earlier starts - up to 1870.

[MrQuedi]

Great set, I do have a little problem tough, for some reason i cant pair two Br 420's.
Other than that I love theses set, really hoping for the next update

[Garlic_Bread42]

Great set, I do have a little problem tough, for some reason i cant pair two Br 420's.
Other than that I love theses set, really hoping for the next update

Sorry for the late reply and thanks for the bug report. this is fixed now and will be in the next release.

[bandit94]

Hi,

Haven't seen any updates in this topic lately...
How are you doing? Any chance this pack is getting an update anytime soon? Don't mean to rush you...

Greetings from Holland