The Cowbridge Railway for Train Simulator 2022

A little video showing some of the photos I used to help build my latest route. Although there are several pictures of Cowbridge Station itself to be found, other photos of this line are extremely hard to find. Anyway here some pics I used for reference during my build.
If you want to download the route for yourself the link is below.
www.mediafire....

[@rhobatbrynjones7374]

Apologies Ben. Aberthin Halt was to the south. The name of the station was Trerhyngyll & Maendy Halt, probably shortened to Maendy Halt for convenience.

[@richardstone3473]

I am from S Wales. I watch these and they enter my dreams.

[@davethomas1804]

Great !!! Many a boyhood hour was spent playing in and on the old Llanharry station and lime works. I remember vividly the iron ore trains toiling up and down from Pontyclun - up into the terminated line - then a head-shunt down towards Forest Wood quarry. The iron train ( 08 driven at that time ) would then shunt up under the screens at the iron ore mine - push in a rake of empties - then pick up the full train of laden huo/hop wagons and then reverse the head shunt process to go back down to the exchange sidings at Pontyclun. The ore was then onward 37 propelled on to Guest Keen & Nettlefolds in Cardiff. We even hitched illicit rides on the train to and from Pontyclun if going up Llantrisant swimming pool. I,m not going to mention the excursions over the fence of the Crown Buckley / United Clubs Brewery that backed onto the line in Brynsaddler - glug glug! Oh happy days !!

[@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL]

That's some great memories there Dave. I'm tempted to make a little video of that exact same trip with an 08 on my model now. Watch this space!

[@rhyswilliams7951]

Love the detail you have captured. My Father in Law will be fascinated by this. He has lived in the area all his life and loves his local history but is now suffering with dementia. This will bring back many memories. Thank you

[@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL]

My pleasure 😁

[@marcsmith1134]

Another superb film @Ben Salter. Thanks for sharing :)

[@robrix9330]

Thanks for this, its great to travel back in time and see these old railway lines running again.

[@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL]

My pleasure 😁

[@petersymonds4975]

Ben. Very well done. i sent a copy to my brother, here are his comments. Very interesting....some of the reconstructions of buildings in Llantrisant Station are a bit odd, especially at 5:25 and 6:25, but very interesting, none-the-less. It brought back memories of skiving off and walking home along the railway to time getting back with the arrival of the school bus.

[@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL]

Thanks, I'm very restricted on what I have to work with sadly, imagine it like a Lego set, you only have a certain amount of pieces you can use, so it's trying to get the best fit possible using the pieces you have. But then as with all my routes, there's a fair amount of artistic licence going on.

[@peterphillipsnz]

Kia Ora, Amazing work, beautifully presented

[@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL]

@@peterphillipsnz ta 😁

[@rhobatbrynjones7374]

Fascinating insight into your methods, Ben.

[@TheDmytro777]

It's an excellent route I must say! It was a real pleasure to do some Pannier's shunting along the route. Lovely detail and good performance at 4K resolution. The best branch route in Train Sim 2022 to date! Would love to see more scenarios for this route!

[@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL]

Thanks for that, so glad you enjoyed it. Check out other Train Sim videos on my channel for links to other routes. More scenarios may follow for this route once I've extended southward?

[@49537480]

Hi Ben thanks for the reply. I drove your Cowbridge route last night and really enjoyed it as I do with all your routes. I also noticed that the FPS was considerably improved whilst driving the Cowbridge route.

[@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL]

I suspect that as it's a shorter route, with less scenery to load in, that fact may have helped your frame rates? Glad you liked it 😁

[@49537480]

Ben congratulations on your latest project. The accuracy to the old photographs is amazing. Downloading now so that I can have this masterpiece within my routes.

[@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL]

Thanks, check out the other routes via my KZbin channel 😀

[@saltleywsc]

Another cracking video Ben !

[@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL]

Thanks

[@gingertrainspotter]

Excellent video of a lovely route. Well done Ben.

[@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL]

Thank you 😊

[@judidesign7834]

Ben, your videos are magic. When might you do Bridgend, with trains from the valleys and the Barry (Vale of Glamorgan) line, as well as the main line, in Western Region days ? Many thanks for hours of nostalgia. Regards: aloiciuscrud.

[@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL]

Thanks. Sounds like an interesting project 🤔, although I have so many requests and areas to consider! Next up will probably be Pontypool Rd to Neath? But that's a next Winter job. Part 2 of the Cowbridge Railway from Aberthaw is almost ready however 😁

[@judidesign7834]

@@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL Hi Ben.... Wow ! Looking forward to your extension to the Taff Vale to Aberthaw, where there were High Level and Low Leevel stations that linked the Vale of Glamorgan with the Taff Vale lines. The line still existed when I was a kid when there was a spur into the cement works !

[@kevlarblueeyes6931]

Fantastic work Ben.

[@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL]

Cheers 😁

[@43Isley]

Superb!

[@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL]

Thank you 😊

[@lewisclatworthy4695]

These are awesome! What’s happened with the others, “Pyle to Porthcawl” and “Cymmer to Blaenrhondda” was going to download them but the links are not available anymore :( Hopefully we can have them back soon 🤞

[@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL]

Pyle to Porthcawl here: www.mediafire.com/file/8qxxa6ro5hy317y/Tondu_to_Porthcawl.zip/file and Cymmer to Blaenrhondda here: www.mediafire.com/file/6jfusry20oj56a8/The_Rhondda_Tunnel.zip/file

[@barryroberts2196]

Nice one Ben,great job, thanks. For some reason Cowbridge ring a bell with me. I've probably got this all wrong but did Ford have an engine plant there ?👍

[@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL]

Thanks. The Ford engine plant was at Bridgend, a few miles west of Cowbridge.

[@barryroberts2196]

@@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL Thanks Ben, at least I was close but close enough !

[@tagsdm]

A very nice route, indeed, but I have many milk bottles, perhaps because I have the original Just Trains Malmsbury Branch and the route wants the DTG version, which may not work as the folder structure is different.

[@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL]

One or two others have had issues with missing assets (mostly lack of telegraph posts) it's a bit of a mystery?

[@tagsdm]

@@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL I too have missing telephone poles, but quite a bit of other assets as well. Mostly in the Llantrisant area. The roadways aren't there as well as may scenic assets. I'm sure it's the Malemsbury Branch not being the DTG version. RW_Tools points right to DTG and the original is in a JR folder. I have all the other requirements. Should be delightful once I get it squared away, though.

[@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL]

The missing roads and telegraph posts are definitely EK assets, so it's a real mystery? I've never had this happen on my other routes.

[@tagsdm]

@@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL Well, Mr Salter, I seem to have fixed it, in sort of an offhand manner. I simply made a "Malmesbury Assets" folder in DTG and unpacked the EK.ap file there. Not a milk bottle to be found now. Delightful route, as are your others. Many thanks.

[@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL]

@@tagsdm This is excellent news indeed!! I shall pass on your "cure" to others who are having difficulties. Excellent!

[@dazman8807]

Your routes are great, How many routes have you released so far and please could the pontypridd line be released even if it is short.

[@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL]

I think there are 5 routes released currently, with two more coming soon. I'm not sure if I'm able to release the Pontypridd Station route as it isn't a route, just a model of the station area. And I've had issues with the simulation here. Pontypridd Graig station features in my Barry Railway route however.

[@dazman8807]

@@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL I have 5 routes downloaded. I love and hate you because I have had to get so many DLCs but I love your routes so much. Can't wait for the Crumlin route. Keep going with local routes. Thanks

[@henrylawrencecurran3194]

i did find a trackbed by heol-Y-Cwe but i dunno if that was connected to cowbridge or not?

[@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL]

No, that is part of the Bryncethin branch (Tondu to Llantrisant)

[@henrylawrencecurran3194]

@@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL oh right, have to ask are you gonna do a video on it cause i love the history around the Tondu area cause i live near there and i've noticed it goes all the way via nantymoel

[@henrylawrencecurran3194]

@@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL bettws area i am

[@rhobatbrynjones7374]

You've named one of the stations 'Maendy Halt' but as far as I'm aware, there was no such station anywhere in the UK. Did you mean Aberthin Halt?

[@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL]

maps.nls.uk/geo/explore/#zoom=17&lat=51.47941&lon=-3.42823&layers=168&b=1

[@mikebernard4762]

How do I load this into Train simulator please?

[@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL]

This should help? You need to start by locating "Utilities" in your Railworks Folder kzbin.info/www/bejne/hmSofqmjpbhlbZI

[@49537480]

Hi Ben, I need some advice I would like to customise Train Simulator so that only Steam Locomotives and only the GWR routes are displayed. I have tried TS-Tools to remove Diesel and Electric Locomotives from the scenarios but are then faced with missing consists. Is there an easy way to achieve my goal or will it be a matter of rebuilding each scenario?

[@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL]

Hi Barrie, I'm afraid that is something that's WAY beyond my knowledge or skill set. Maybe try asking the question in one of the forums? I'm sorry I can't help.

[@49537480]

Hi Ben, Still playing and enjoying your routes on TS2021. However I have now installed TS2022 and copied over all assets, content from TS2021 but unfortunately your routes now have a lot of missing textures. Do you have any ideas why this may be the case?

[@TheOpenBoatDAFFODIL]

Hi Barrie, no I'm afraid I don't have answers to that. I'm surprised though that you had to copy anything across though, as I thought that Train Simulator updated itself? Maybe try deleting all my routes and reinstalling them from the file list here ( www.mediafire.com/folder/gp35w6xxif6l1/Train_Simulator )I'm sorry I can't be of more assistance. But there must be a solution on the web somewhere. Regards Ben