Virtual Welsh Highland -
Downloads for Train Sims

Now you can drive a Welsh Highland train on your PC! Provided, that is, you have a copy of Microsoft Train Simulator (TM). If you haven't, none of what follows will work.

We present here for free download items of WHR rolling stock for Train Sim. Most have been created by Kevin Martin (Kngtrains@aol.com), with a number of contributions from others (locos by Tim Elsby and Chris Lindop, coaches by Bruce Brayne). More will follow as they come; anyone else creating quality WHR Train Sim material is also invited to get in touch  - details foot of WHR Project homepage - to have work considered.

The rolling stock comes in the form of compressed zip files - right click on the links below and save these to your computer. Windows Vista and XP users can extract the contents with the built-in compressed file utilities; others may need one of the widely available zip shareware programmes such as WinZip. Each zip file contains a readme.txt file which includes the instructions about where to extract the files to in order to be able to use them in Train Sim. Follow these instructions to the letter and you should be OK; many but not all come with straightforward self-installers which do all this for you, provided you have Train Sim installed in the default location. You will also need to create Train Sim consists to make the new stock available (though some locos come with light engine consists); this is the complicated bit if you haven't done it before. Launch the Activity Editor from the Train Simulator Editors & Tools menu item (requires at least 1024x768 screen resolution) and don't be afraid to use the Help features; editing existing activities and saving them under new filenames may be a good way to get going. Once a consist has been created for one route, you can use it on any of the others.

Legal bit: The zips have been checked with up-to-date anti-virus software, but no liability whatsoever is accepted or implied by or on behalf of the authors, webmaster, hosting site, or anyone else, for any ill effects suffered by your computer or its users as a result of using these files.

This narrow gauge stock is to a larger scale than that included in Train Sim, and will look a little odd against some scenery - a bit like running 009 stock on an N gauge layout - but out in the country this is much less noticeable. The only route where it's a problem more or less throughout is the Japanese suburban route (Tokyo-Hakone). You will probably find the closest atmosphere to the WHR route on the upper parts of the Austrian route (Innsbruck - St. Anton), the Marias Pass (NB locos may have trouble lifting more than one narrow gauge coach up the steepest exaggerated gradients of this route), both parts of the Japanese country/mountain route (Hisatsu Line - scaled for 3'6" gauge), or the Settle & Carlisle if you don't mind double track.

A Ffestiniog Railway route has been developed to a fairly advanced Alpha stage, but is not currently being developed any further, pending the arrival of newer simulators. Several of the screenshots below were taken on this route. The Alpha is available for download from UKTrainSim.

A WHR route was also under separate development, but is currently on hold; however the MSTS rolling stock developed for it may be released nonetheless. See SpoonersTS.co.uk.

Files for Download

Right-click on the links and select Save Target As to save the zip files locally; if you left-click and are given options as to what to do with the file, you may prefer to select Save rather then Open.

Locomotives

	Gowrie - Kng_Gowrie-b.zip, by Kevin Martin. The enigmatic 0-6-4T Single Fairlie built for the NWNGR by Hunslet in 1908, and sold into government service during World War 1 after reputedly indifferent performance on the NWNGR.
	Millennium/Mileniwm - whr138m.zip, by Kevin Martin. The ex-SAR NGG16 class no. 138 was the first steam loco in service on WHR (Caernarfon). It is presented here in the livery it received for its naming in 2002. Please pay close attention to the readme.txt in the zip file for how to use this loco in your own consists.
	NGG16 no. 143 - whr143.zip, by Kevin Martin. Built in Manchester in 1958, this was the last steam loco built by Beyer Peacock. No. 143 was the second of these Beyer Garratts to enter WHR(C) service, in September 1998, and retains its South African livery and numberplates. Please pay close attention to the readme.txt in the zip file for how to use 143 in your own consists.
	K1 - k1install.zip, by Chris Lindop. The world's first Garratt locomotive is the icon of WHR (Caernarfon). This download gives you the loco in the works grey livery it carried when on loan to the National Railway Museum, and also its planned WHR livery, but with the name Herbert William Garratt which it will not in fact carry. Please pay close attention to the readme.txt in the zip file for how to use K1 in your own consists.
	Lyd - msts_whr_lyd.zip, by Chris Lindop. Lyd is a close replica of the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway's Manning Wardle 2-6-2T Lew, sold to South America after the L&B closed in 1935. Currently under construction at Boston Lodge, the loco will be used on lighter Welsh Highland services.
	Russell - russell.zip, by Kevin Martin. The only surviving steam loco from the "old" WHR, and today the star of the WHR (Porthmadog) fleet, Hunslet 2-6-2T Russell also visited WHR (Caernarfon) for the 2000 Gala. The loco is represented here in its modern condition.
	Russell in NWNGR livery - russell_nwngr.zip; a reskin by John Savage of the above model.
	Baldwin 590 - bald590v1a.zip, by Kevin Martin. This is the "bargain" ex-War Department Baldwin 4-6-0T bought by Col. Stephens in 1923, used until the end of original WHR services in 1936, and scrapped at Dinas in 1942. But "590" will run again, as the Imperial War Museum's Baldwin is at WHR(P) and will appear as 590 once restoration is complete - details. This version "steams" better than the real thing, and certainly rides better! A Baldwin in original WW1 condition (no. 503) is available at www.uktrainsim.com.
	Blanche - blanche.zip, by Kevin Martin. The FR's Hunslet 2-4-0ST+T operated WHR (Caernarfon) services in 1999 - details and pictures. The wheels and axle of the pony truck (added since the loco was bought from the Penrhyn Quarry Railway) came from the scrapped NWNGR/WHR Single Fairlie Moel Tryfan.
	Mountaineer - mountaineer.zip, by Kevin Martin. The FR's ALCO 2-6-2T is presented here in the condition and livery in which it operated WHR (Caernarfon) services in 2000 and early 2001 - details and pictures. When used briefly in 1997 it was in "War Department" grey.
	The Simplex tractor - frsimplex.zip, by Kevin Martin. Purchased by Colonel Stephens for FR and WHR use, this venerable loco survives today on the FR. It is shown here in its 1920s condition, when its WHR duties would have included working freight between Portmadoc and Croesor Junction, and possibly the lighter Croesor Tramway track from there to the foot of Lower Parc Incline.
	Velinheli - Velin.zip, by Tim Elsby. This ex-Dinorwic Quarry Hunslet 0-4-0ST of 1886, usually based at Launceston in Cornwall, has made visits to WHR (Caernarfon).
	Chaloner - Chaloner.zip, by Tim Elsby. Built across the road from today's WHR Caernarfon Station, this vertical boilered de Winton 0-4-0T of 1877 worked in quarries in Dyffryn Nantlle, and is today based at Leighton Buzzard. Chaloner has visited WHR (Caernarfon) and WHR (Porthmadog).
	Alice - Alice.zip, by Tim Elsby. The first Quarry Hunslet to visit WHR (Caernarfon), for the 1998 Enthusiasts' Weekend. Alice was built for Dinorwic Quarries in 1902, and is now at the Bala Lake Railway.
	Monarch - Monarch.zip, by Tim Elsby. This 1953-built articulated Bagnall-Meyer was the last narrow gauge steam loco built for British industry, and following its 1992 purchase for the FR was considered as a possible WHR loco. In the event it was never regauged from 2'6" or overhauled, and was sold back to the Welshpool & Llanfair in 2002. More details.
	NGG16 no. 139 - whr139.zip, model and original textures by Kevin Martin, re-textured by Bruce Brayne. Together with no. 142, this loco was reserved for the WHR Project for a time, an arrangement which lapsed after the purchase of the two NG15s. The loco remains in store, unrestored, at the Alfred County Railway in South Africa. The blue livery is imaginary but attractive.

Coaches

	Carriages 2040, 2041 and 2042 - whrsaloons.zip, by Bruce Brayne. The three enclosed saloon coaches built by Winson Engineering to a Boston Lodge design in 1997 for the opening of WHR (Caernarfon). This download gives you all three coaches.
	Carriage 2020 - whropen2020.zip, by Bruce Brayne. The first of the new WHR (Caernarfon) coaches to be completed, seen here in 1997 condition before an additional horizontal bar was fitted across the window openings. This model includes passenger viewpoint (press 5 in Train Sim) - and a pint of beer for the passenger! This semi-open coach and the subsequent nos. 2021 and 2022 (completed 2002) have proved very popular.
	Carriage 23 - whr23.zip, by Kevin Martin (new version). Originally NWNGR "Summer Car" no. 11 of 1894, the NWNGR/WHR had four of these carriages. It was cut down to fit through FR tunnels in 1923, and passed into FR ownership after the WHR closed. In preservation it has been fitted with full-height glazed doors. Now in service at WHR (Caernarfon).
	Carriage 23 or 24 - whrch23&24.zip, by Kevin Martin. This depicts either of these two carriages in 1920s condition, i.e. with unglazed half-height doors, and cut down to run over the FR. The "Colonel Stephens" livery for WHR carriages gave way to "rainbow" colours in 1934-6. N.B. The carriage which first became 24 in the old WHR numbering series was subsequently renumbered 26.
	Carriage 27 or 28 - whrch27&28.zip, by Kevin Martin. Also shown in 1920s condition, these two Ashbury "Summer Cars" were unglazed, and fitted with bars in the window openings.
	Carriage 24 - whr24.zip, by Kevin Martin (new version). Boston Lodge built this replica Ashbury "Summer Car" (incorporating original 1894 axleboxes) for WHR (Caernarfon) in 2002. Apart from having glazed doors it represents the original NWNGR condition and livery.
	NWNGR carriage no. 9, by Kevin Martin - nwngr9.zip. Built by Ashbury in 1893 as one of the two so-called "corridor" carriages (they did not have corridor connections). Scrapped in the 1940s, but there are plans to recreate it - details here.
	WHR carriage no. 25, by Kevin Martin - whr25.zip. This was the former NWNGR no. 9, seen here in 1930s "rainbow" livery.
	WHR brake carriage no. 8, by Kevin Martin - pickering.zip. This was one of the ex-NWNGR brakes built by Pickering in 1907, plans exist to recreate it - details here.