Sandymill "Electric"
Sandymill to Invermay v2.0

© Robert Glass & Anthony Bowden 2001-2003.

The railway lines from Sandymill to Balfearn and Ashfield were electrified in the 1960's. The line begins at Sandymill and carries on through rock cuttings and grass embankments to Ladykirk, a small two platform station with overbridge, situated near the start of a dense woodland area.

Approximately one and a half kilometres from Ladykirk, is Greenhills, where the line diverges West to Ashfield and North to Drumbracken and Balfearn. This station is served by local services between Sandymill, Balfearn and Ashfield, and continuing along the the track will take the train to Greenhills Upper Junction Station and on to Ashfield and Cardross. This branch serves as one part of a triangle where the other sections are the direct route from Ladykirk to Drumbracken and Ashfield to Drumbracken.

Drumbracken is the first of two Island platform stations and has a stabling point for multiple units which use the lower portion of Greenhills Junction. From Drumbracken the line continues towards Balfearn. The entrance to Balfearn Station is led into with a 1 in 45 descent. Balfearn Station is a four-track station with four bay platforms and two through lines. In a short number of years preceding 1986, the electrification was extended out to Pinwhirrie from here.

As the train leaves Balfearn, it crosses the Firth of Doon into farmland. The Line continues for some distance to join a once four-track section, where the outermost lines have been removed. Evidence of the four-track section still exists where two double-bridges are located along the length of this section. At these bridges, the mainline splits and rejoins either side.

Once clear of this section, the line starts to climb into the hills. Here the line is joined by the River Barratt on the left. River Barratt continues to follow the line and opens up a short distance from Loch Barratt station into Loch Barratt. Loch Barratt is a small rural town and contains the second island platform on this route. Access to the station is via an underpass. At Loch Barratt, company for the route changes from river to road as the A910 joins the line and follows it up a slow climb from the station. The line shortly passes through a tunnel, where the road crosses above and over to the right where the train emerges.

This section is joined by the Fenwick Colliery Branch Line. Still in operation, this line is served by coal trains assembled at Pinwhirrie Yard, a short distance from Pinwhirrie Station. Here the electrified section of railway line ends and it's trains are diesel powered on to Invermay...

Five minutes from Pinwhirrie, is the urban area surrounding Newton Allan. Passed the station, the line heads under a newly built shopping centre and emerges into more farming areas, until Markinch Station. At the end of the platforms is a tunnel. Upon emerging from this tunnel, the line is rejoined by the A910 all the way to the outskirts of Invermay.

Invermay is the largest town on this route and is served by a six track station of the same name. Entrance to the station is via the Princess Gardens at the base of Invermay Castle. The station signals the end of this line.

(Robert Glass 2001-2003.)

The route is set in the era: 1986-93 with electrification to Pinwhirrie from Balfearn just completed. The next era (date to be confirmed) will see the electrification work complete through to Invermay.

There are three diagrams, each using different traction:

• Sandymill to Pinwhirrie - Class 87 AC Electric
• Pinwhirrie to Invermay - Class 47 Diesel Electric
• Sandymill to Invermay - HST

In the first scenario, you drive an electric loco and train to Pinwhirrie, where the loco is detached and you need to take it forward to the stabling point in the yard.

The second scenario is a continuation of the first - a diesel loco has been attached to replace the electric loco you stabled - and you drive from Pinwhirrie to Invermay.

The third scenario is diesel throughout, from Sandymill to Invermay.

Anthony Bowden (http://www.railsimroutes.co.uk)
Conversion of the route from RW to CSV format. Implementation of the crossover at Pinwhirrie. The idea of electrifying the route and addition of the overhead line, signalling, smooth curves and detailed switch objects. Permission to use objects & images (including many of the trees that appear in these routes) from the extensive collection belonging to his excellent Watford Junction to Milton Keynes and Birmingham Cross-City South routes. Permission to use his train objects as a basis for the ones seen on this route.

Brendan Hart
For information pertaining to certain aspects of signalling, and details about correct operation.

Bryan Dudley (http://railtech.topcities.com)
Bitmaps used in this route, including rocks, stags, highland cattle and the Calmac ferry.

Craig Allan (http://www.northern-railways.co.uk)
Stonewall texture and improvements to various objects.

David White (http://homepage.ntlworld.com/zerosignal/bve/)
'VCB Thud' recording. Assistance building the CCTV monitors used in the routes.

John Owen (http://www.rwysnd.btinternet.co.uk)
Class 86 'passing train' horn sound.

Simon Townsend
Class 37 'Civil Engineering' and 'Railfreight' bodyside textures.

Stephen Cross (http://www.ozrail.cjb.net)
Conversion of the original Sandymill to Balfearn route from RW to CSV format. Building the 'four track section split' in the middle of these routes. Supplying the platform indicators. The changeover idea, which took the original route from the bays at Balfearn to the through road, enabling me to head on to Invermay!

Steve Green (http://www.trainsimcentral.co.uk)
Advanced Speed Restriction Warning boards and addition of objects to the routes. Permission to adapt some ideas and objects (buildings) from his excellent Southern route, for use in these routes. Original "BVE Object Masking AWS Ramp" objects.

Anthony Bowden http://www.railsimroutes.co.uk
Bryan Dudley http://railtech.topcities.com
Chris Cooper
Colin "Colster" Campbell
Craig Allan http://www.northern-railways.co.uk
David White http://homepage.ntlworld.com/zerosignal/bve/
John Owen http://www.rwysnd.btinternet.co.uk
Luigi Cartello http://web.tiscali.it/BVE_Italy1/
Mark Milmine http://homepage.ntlworld.com/m.milmine/Index.html
Sacha Dodd
Simon Townsend
Stephen Cross http://www.ozrail.cjb.net
Steve Green http://www.trainsimcentral.co.uk
Wulf http://www.zodiac-infosystems.co.uk/rail/bve

And anyone else involved ...

This BVE add-on contains both copyrighted and open source material. Permission may be required before re-using or redistributing copyrighted material, and open source material may be used without permission. See any additional documentation for details on which files fall under each category.

25th May 2003

NOTE Both files are required.

DAY OBJECTS & IMAGES PART ONE (1.9 MB - contains objects and images used in Sandymill Electric day-time routes)

DAY OBJECTS & IMAGES PART TWO (580 KB - contains objects and images used in Sandymill Electric day-time routes)

29th May 2003

NOTE Both files are required.

NIGHT OBJECTS & IMAGES PART ONE (1.8 MB - contains objects and images used in Sandymill Electric night-time routes)

NIGHT OBJECTS & IMAGES PART TWO (540 KB - contains objects and images used in Sandymill Electric night-time routes)

18th November 2003

NOTES

• The route files will install to the following subfolders of \BVE\Routes\

• \Sandymill_Electric\1986-93\Day\ & \Sandymill_Electric\1986-93\Night\

• The routes are equipped with semi-functional AWS - please ensure that the trains used are equipped with this.

DAY & NIGHT ROUTE FILES (88 KB - contains Sandymill Electric Day & Night Route Files)

*** Includes Class 311 driveable Sandymill to Balfearn calling at Greenhills, Day & Night, terminating in the bays at Balfearn! ***

25th May 2003

DAY & NIGHT ROUTE SOUNDS (230 KB - contains sounds heard in Sandymill Electric Day & Night routes)

29th May 2003

NOTE Voodoo catenary textures and objects and supplied as default with both the Day & Night routes. Some users, especially those with GeForce video cards, may experience missing catenary and other problems. Download and install this patch to rectify these problems.

REPLACEMENT CATENARY TEXTURES AND OBJECTS (130 KB)

Please extract the file to your BVE folder, e.g. C:\Program Files\BVE\ and overwrite when prompted

Requires Class 87, Class 47 and Class 43 (HST) all available from BVE Trains (www.bvetrains.co.uk)

All bitmaps 256*256 or less and 256 colours.

Due to the number of objects that this route uses, some users may experience pausing and reduced frame rates at certain locations along the route.

This add-on is compliant with the BVE Track Sound Standard [BVETSS], so whenever a train is used in combination with a BVETSS compliant route the correct track sounds are guaranteed to be heard.

To find out more, please visit the BVETSS site: www.railsimroutes.co.uk/bvetss

BVE and all it's add ons are freeware, but copyright © on all material belongs to the developers unless stated otherwise. So it is recommended that you seek permission before you consider releasing any work that contains, or is based upon, material created by someone else. For more information about this aspect of development, please read the following guidelines: BVE Developer Guidelines - A set of guidelines, to help new BVE developers avoid copyright pitfalls when releasing a new BVE add-on

These can be found at Anthony Bowden's website (Rail Sim Routes UK), and you can access the relevant section directly, by clicking on the banner below...

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information here is accurate and correct. Use the information you find here at your own risk! Scottish Rail Sim Files and its affiliates are not responsible for any damage or loss due to use (or misuse) of information found here. This site is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, Strathclyde Passenger Transport, First Scotrail, or any Train Operating Company.