Railsimroutes.net - [Birmingham Cross-City South (Release Notes)]

Birmingham Cross-City South
[Redditch to Birmingham New Street]
For openBVE [http://openbve.trainsimcentral.co.uk/] and BVE Trainsim [http://mackoy.cool.ne.jp]
Version 1.31.11 (December, 2010)
Compatible with openBVE v1.2, and BVE Trainsim v4.2 / v2.6
Not all features in the BVE 4 routes are available to BVE 2 users
Route, objects, textures and sounds created by Anthony Bowden, 2002-2010 unless otherwise stated (please see Credits below)
http://railsimroutes.net

BVE Track Sound Standard Compliant

This add-on is compliant with the BVE Track Sound Standard [BVETSS], so whenever this route is used in combination with a BVETSS compliant train, the correct track sounds are guaranteed to be heard. To find out more, please visit the BVETSS site: [http://railsimroutes.net/bvetss/]

This route package contains a mixture of public domain/unrestricted material, and copyright material.
The public domain/unrestricted files are free from conditions, requirements or restrictions. I would be grateful for acknowledgement if these files are redistributed, although this isn't required. :)
Copyright material cannot be re-released without my permission (or the permission of the copyright material's owner), usually because I required permission to use those files myself, or I had to obtain a licence to use them. For re-use of copyright material, you can contact me via the e-mail address on the Railsimroutes.net website: http://railsimroutes.net/contact.php
Copyright material can be found in the following, seperate folders:
"<Installation Path>\Railway\Object\Bham_X-City_South\CopyrightMaterial\"
"<Installation Path>\Railway\Sound\Bham_X-City_South\CopyrightMaterial\"
Any files within the Bham_X-City_South\ folders, but *not* within a "CopyrightMaterial\" folder, can be considered copyright-free/unrestricted.
** Important--Station Announcements and Copyright **
The Birmingham New Street station announcements in this route are used with the kind permission of the copyright owners, Ditra Systems Ltd, with special thanks also to Phil Sayer. These files must not be re-used without explicit permission from Ditra Systems Ltd.

| Release Notes and Documentation

Contents
Important Note
Introduction, plus where to find additional information and help
About the Cross-City South route for openBVE/BVE Trainsim
About the new Cross-City South v1.31 update
About the Cross-City South v1.3 update for BVE 4
About the previous Cross-City South v1.2 update
Getting Started
Motive Power (Class 323 EMU)
openBVE
BVE Trainsim ystem requirements, 'Detail Levels' and recommendations
Performance Tweaking
Known Issues
Birmingham Cross-City South--Feature List and Update History
Files by other Authors
Special thanks to...

| Important Note The official version of this route is available for download ONLY from the Railsimroutes.net website: http://railsimroutes.net If you need assistance and support, I'm happy to help; but firstly, please download the latest, official version of the route from http://railsimroutes.net and see if your issues are resolved. I only offer support for unmodified versions of the route, downloaded from my own site. If you need help, the first thing I'll ask you to do, is download the latest official version and try it. This way, I can be sure you're using the same version that I'm using. :)

Introduction, plus where to find additional information and help
Thank you for downloading the Birmingham Cross-City South route for BVE. For information or help with any aspect of the route, or the Class 323 EMU used by the Cross-City, please visit my website http://railsimroutes.net, and check out the Cross-City South section of the site, the updated openBVE Help Guide, the BVE 4 Help Guide, or the Driver's Guide for BVE. Alternatively, you can e-mail me using the address on the site.
openBVE can be downloaded from the official homepage: [http://openbve.trainsimcentral.co.uk]
BVE Trainsim can be downloaded from Mackoy's official site: [http://mackoy.cool.ne.jp]
The Cross-City South uses (and requires!) the BVE v4 compatible class 323 25kV AC EMU, a joint project between the Train Sim Central team, Simon Gathercole and myself. The class 323 for BVE v4 is available from www.trainsimcentral.co.uk
BVE v2 users will need the BVE 2 compatible class 323 EMU, also available from Trainsimcentral: www.trainsimcentral.co.uk

About the Cross-City South Route for openBVE/BVE Trainsim
The Birmingham Cross-City South route for BVE recreates the busy commuter line between Redditch and Birmingham New Street. The route was first released in May 2002 and was a hit with the BVE community due to it's realistic graphics, catenary, sound effects, variety of route variations, and the care with which the package was created. The route was significantly updated to v1.2 a year later in May 2003 to take advantage of the then new BVE v2.5's capabilities, and the update added a host of new features including fully authentic Cross-City and class 323 sounds, updated trackwork, a new and advanced catenary system and increased use of photo-based textures.
The route was updated again to v1.3 in May 2005 to take advantage of the new BVE 4.2's capabilities, and the route featured further enhancements to the already detailed catenary in the form of fully photo-realistic registration arms, cantilevers and insulators, and full 3D masts, headspans and gantries. More photo-based textures and lineside signs were modelled, DirectX format objects were used which allowed lamp posts, headlights and signals to be properly illuminated, and these updates, along with the new class 323 EMU developed by Steve Green, Simon Gathercole and myself, enabled fully working AWS and TPWS to be simulated.
As BVE v4 and the former BVE v2 are so different, the current Cross-City South release features two sets of routes to drive--the newer Cross-City South v1.31 routes featuring all the updates mentioned on this page for use with openBVE/BVE 4 where appropriate, and a seperate set of legacy BVE 2.6 compatible routes but with a couple of new activities. The Cross-City South routes for BVE v2.6 benefit from the new enhanced photo-realistic catenary, updated platforms, new track textures, renewed pointwork at Longbridge and Kings Norton in two new Spring 2005 activities, and updated lineside signs. Version 1.31 includes various updates and bug fixes to make the route ready for openBVE.

About the Cross-City South v1.31 update
Version 1.31 (released in July 2008, updated in November 2008, and repackaged in 7-Zip format in April 2009) is a bug fix release, which resolves various previously undetected errors in a number of object files, relating to texture transparency, along with coding errors in the route files. Users of BVE v2 and v4 will likely not have been affected by these errors, however the stricter error checking of the openBVE simulator revealed a number of problems. Version 1.31 resolves these issues, including visual problems relating to the catenary (particularly where the old, pre-Cross City South v1.3 catenary used by most of the BVE 2 routes is concerned), along with other minor issues. Currently, I recommend the BVE 4 routes be used with openBVE, and not the BVE 2 routes, which are based on older code.
With version 1.31, I've also taken the decision to release the majority of files included in the Cross-City download (i.e. those files created by myself) as copyright-free. Some files remain under copyright, such as the station announcement audio files I was granted permission to use, along with any other objects, textures or sounds made by other developers. These remaining copyrighted files are now stored in their own directories named "CopyrightMaterial", within the Cross-City's directory hierarchy, so there's no confusion about which files can be freely re-used and those which require permission before re-use.

About the previous Cross-City South v1.3 update for BVE 4
Version 1.3 was the last major update for the route (released in August 2005), making the Cross-City South fully BVE v4 compatible, and was upgraded with new features such as full support for working AWS and TPWS, improved signalling with randomisation, authentic track and updated flange sounds, new Autumn 2004 and Spring 2005 routes featuring Birmingham New Street's new bay platform, updated lineside signs, renewed pointwork at Longbridge and Kings Norton, and some updated scenery and station details. The update introduced a new photo-realistic catenary system including full 3D masts, headspans and gantries--with modelled features including switching overlaps, anchor spans, section insulators, return conductor system including booster transformers, and enhanced in-tunnel OHLE on the approach to New Street. The updated route made use of BVE v4's new directional lighting capabilities to recreate a more immersive dawn and dusk environment, and also saw the use the capabilities of the .X object format to create new illuminated objects such as lamp posts, station lights, headlights and signal aspects. Cross-City South version 1.3 also included all the realistic features which were introduced with the v1.2 update.
The new BVE v4 class 323 EMU developed by Steve Green, Simon Gathercole and myself brought a host of new features to the Cross-City--new fully authentic Cross-City flange sounds optimised for BVE v4, fully simulated AWS and TPWS, DRA, working windscreen wipers, pantograph up/down button, working guards buzzer and headlight selector switches.

About the previous Cross-City South v1.2 update
The version 1.2 update, released in May 2004 (which forms the basis for the majority of BVE v2.6 compatible routes) was a significant upgrade of the original Cross-City South route released in May 2002, and saw the introduction of new authentic track and flange sounds, and semi-functional AWS. New Autumn routes and updated Winter routes were inlcuded, with superb tree textures by Simon Gathercole, and the Autumn and Summer routes included a new rain option. Poor rail conditions caused by snow and rain were also far more realistic thanks to new realistic 323 wheel slip effects which frequent travellers of the real Cross-City will be familiar with! New photo-realistic skies including new Dawn/Sunset routes for use with the new 323 night-lit panel were also included. The anti-flange squeal sprinkler system at Barnt Green was modelled, along with varying degrees of flange squeal or curve rumbling depending on whether the system is activated, new track objects and textures were developed, and scenery textures were enhanced. Additional signs, foot crossings and updated buildings were also included, and my "alpha bridge shadow" technique was applied to overbridges along the route.
All the routes featured the enhancements mentioned above, and the new 323 cab view (and passenger view) package increased the realism factor considerably with it's new sounds and day/night time graphics. The biggest upgrade lay with the "High Detail XP" routes, which were designed to run in BVE under the Windows XP or 2000 operating systems only, due to limitations on BVE 2's performance under Windows 9x. The "High Detail XP" routes took advanatage of BVE 2.5's lifting of the limitations on object usage, and combined with BVE 2's superior performance under Windows XP/2000, allowed new features like additional buildings, extra scenery, custom built pointwork designed to fit the unique track geometry of the Cross-City South, and the most sophisticated catenary system in any UK BVE route at the time of release complete with return conductors which are held clear of obstructions, associated booster transformer cabling, textured masts, mast identification plates, concrete bases, and even anchor spans.

Getting Started
If you're not sure where to start, then pleased visit the following on-line resources:
For openBVE users: openBVE Help and Information
For BVE v4.2 users: BVE 4 Help and Information
For BVE v2.6 users: BVE 2 Help and Information
You may also wish to read the Railsimroutes.net Driver's Guide to find out more about signalling and the lineside signs you'll see. The Driver's Guide also includes driving tutorials for both openBVE and BVE Trainsim.
openBVE users should load routes located in the following folder:

"<Installation Path>\Railway\Route\Birmingham_Cross-City_South_openBVE\"

BVE v4.2 users should load routes located in the following folder:

"<System Drive>:\Program Files\mackoy\BVE4\Railway\Route\Birmingham_Cross-City_South_BVE4\"

BVE v2.6 users should load routes located in the following folder:

"<System Drive>:\Program Files\BVE\Railway\Route\Bham_XCitySouth_BVE2\"

Motive Power (Class 323 EMU)
The all new, enhanced and updated Class 323 25kV AC EMU included with the Cross-City South route is a joint effort between Steve Green [Train Sim Central], Simon Gathercole and myself. The 323 includes truly authentic Cross-City and class 323 track and auxilliary sounds, plus a host a fully functional prototypical in-cab systems such as AWS, TPWS, DRA, working windscreen wipers, and more. The 323 inlcudes highly realistic track, flange, door and certain motor sounds, however the unique 3 phase AC traction motor sounds are difficult to re-create, but a reasonable approximation can be made if the 323 is driven correctly. To allow the "phase change" sounds to play more realistically, it's recommended that while accelerating from a standing start, the "Z" key is held down continuously (or tapped continuously in openBVE) until power handle position P4 is reached, thereby speeding up the playback of the traction motor phase changes. For a list of keyboard commands to operate the train and for other functions, please see either the Railsimroutes.net openBVE Help and Information section, or the BVE 4 Help and Information guide.
The Class 323 is a 25kV AC electric multiple unit, built between 1992 and 1993 by Hunslet-Barclay in Leeds. These are 3 car units and are capable of reaching 90 mph. Equipped with 3 phase AC traction motors, these units exhibit distinctive motor sounds; and can accelerate and brake very rapidly. Services on the X-City are exclusively operated by the 323's, and they are also found operating throughout the electrified West Midlands rail network between Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton and Walsall. The units also serve Stafford, Crewe and Manchester.
To learn about the in-cab systems, signalling practice, driving procedures and lineside signs, please read the Driver's Guide for BVE.

openBVE
Cross-City South v1.31 includes some bug fixes to eliminate coding errors, and for openBVE users, it's a temporary release until Cross-City South v1.4 is released.
openBVE Official site: [http://openbve.trainsimcentral.co.uk/]
Any problems encountered while using the Cross-City South with openBVE will be resolved with the Cross-City South v1.4 release; please keep checking [http://railsimroutes.net] for Cross-City South fixes and updates.

BVE Trainsim System requirements, 'Detail Levels' and recommendations
The Birmingham Cross-City South is a detailed route supporting multiple versions of BVE and containing objects with differing levels of detail. You will need between 125 - 150MB of free disk space for a full Cross-City South installation including the class 323 EMU. An additional 50MB will also be required if you install the optional class 323 Passenger Views.
All the routes are available in separate "Detail Levels", tailored for different ranges of BVE version, hardware, and even operating system in the case of the BVE v2 compatible routes. It is recommended that different detail levels be tried until the best balance between detail and performance is found. There are no guarantees that these descriptions and recomendations will apply with your particular combination of hardware, but these are the result of extensive feedback from testers with a variety of hardware combinations.
It is recommended that you update your graphics card drivers from your card manufacturers website (in preference to any drivers offered/obtained via Windows Update), prior to using the Cross-City South--this will increase the likelyhood of you gaining optimal performance. You may also wish to update your sound card drivers. If you cannot get BVE to display correctly, try setting your Display Resolution to 16-bit colour; most users with more recent, mainstream 'gaming' graphics hardware shouldn't need to do this.

Generally BVE v4 is not as smooth or stutter free as BVE v2 was, particularly when a large amount of detail is visible, higher resolution textures are used, or lots of 3D objects are placed. Therefore you may notice some stuttering while using the high detail routes under BVE v4--as far as I'm aware there is little I can do about this. When using the High Detail routes, there is just a possibility that BVE will appear to freeze at some point along the route--just wait a few seconds and BVE will continue as before (often with smoother performance after such a freeze has occured!).
Important! For optimal performance, I recommend restarting Windows prior to loading the Cross-City South routes in BVE v4, particularly the High and Medium Detail routes. If you open a few seperate routes one after the other, or reload a route a few times with BVE 4's Developer Mode, BVE performance may well degrade each time you do this.

The details levels are:
For BVE v4.2 users ONLY:
BVE v4.2 users should load routes located in the following folders:

"<System Drive>:\Program Files\mackoy\BVE4\Railway\Route\Birmingham_Cross-City_South_BVE4\HighDetail\" "<System Drive>:\Program Files\mackoy\BVE4\Railway\Route\Birmingham_Cross-City_South_BVE4\MediumDetail\" "<System Drive>:\Program Files\mackoy\BVE4\Railway\Route\Birmingham_Cross-City_South_BVE4\LowDetail\"

The detail levels available for BVE v4.2 users are as follows:

- High Detail - For 2GHz machines and above running either Windows XP, 2000 or 98/Me, with 3D graphics cards designed for gaming, such as those in the nVIDIA GeForce or ATi Radeon ranges; the more recent the card the better. You should also install up-to-date drivers from your graphics card manufacturer's website. The High Detail routes use all the features mentioned below but require a fast, modern PC--framerates may not be high at all times, particularly during rainfall or in the New Street area.
- Medum Detail - For 1GHz machines and above running either Windows XP, 2000 or 98/Me, with 3D graphics cards designed for gaming, such as those in the nVIDIA GeForce or ATi Radeon ranges; older cards may well offer reasonable results too. You should also install up-to-date drivers from your graphics card manufacturer's website. The Medium Detail routes use all the features mentioned below, but don't feature falling rain 3D objects (relying on windscreen raindrop effects alone), and use highly detailed but non-photo realistic catenary. This detail level is roughly the equivalent of the old 'High Detail XP' variant from Cross-City South v1.2.
- Low Detail - For PII 400 machines and above. These routes are included in case the higher detailed routes just won't run well enough. If you have an older PC and just want to be able to use the Cross-City, try these Low Detail routes as a last resort. The Low Detail routes look rather more basic; they're essentially similar to the higher detail routes but with very simple scenery, and very few trees. The catenary is still quite detailed however.

For BVE v2.6 users ONLY:
BVE v2.6 users should load routes located in the following folders:

"<System Drive>:\Program Files\BVE\Railway\Route\Bham_XCitySouth_BVE2\HighDetail\"
"<System Drive>:\Program Files\BVE\Railway\Route\Bham_XCitySouth_BVE2\HighDetailXP\"
"<System Drive>:\Program Files\BVE\Railway\Route\Bham_XCitySouth_BVE2\StandardDetail\"

The detail levels available for BVE v2.6 users are as follows:

- High Detail XP - For 1GHz machines and above, with Windows XP or 2000 (not Windows 95/98/Me)with good 3D accelerators such as 32-64MB GeForce3, ATi Radeon, or Voodoo5 cards. This detail level includes every feature listed in the feature lists below, and is the most demanding detail level. These routes will pause and stutter if used with BVE under Windows 95/98 or Me.
- High Detail 9x - For 1GHz machines and above, with good 3D accelerators such as 32-64MB GeForce3, ATi Radeon, or Voodoo5 cards. Includes all features outlined earlier on this page, namely the new realistic catenary system, permanent way infrastructure detail, high tree density, high detail station structures, etc.
- Medium Detail - For 800MHz machines and above, with good 3D accelerators such as 32-64MB GeForce3, ATi Radeon, or Voodoo5. Retains all of the detail featured within the High Detail route, except for the new catenary details introduced with the Cross-City South High Detail route, namely the "point to point", "zig-zagging" and sagging overhead wires, and catenary overlaps.
- Standard Detail - For PII 500 machines and above. Simple catenary is used, and tree density is lower, however the scenery as a whole retains much of the detail of the High Detail route. Smooth curves and infrastructure detail remain.
- Low Detail - For PII 266 machines and above. Simple catenary is used, very few trees are featured in the terrain, and some objects such as station buildings are simplified to reduce pausing. Smooth curves and infrastructure detail remains however.

Performance Tweaking
Precipitation effects and framerates
BVE v4.2 users ONLY
Rainfall in the BVE v4 compatible Low and Medium Detail routes is recreated by raindrop effects on the windscreen, combined with reduced visibility. The raindrop effects may cause a framerate reduction--simply keep the windscreen wipers on and performance should remain acceptable; i.e. don't allow raindrops to accumulate on the windscreen!
The High Detail routes are slightly different, in that rainfall is composed of three parts--raindrop effects on the windscreen, reduced visiblity, and additional 'rain sheet' 3D objects in the 3D world representing falling rain (the technique used in Cross-City South v1.2). These 'rain sheet' 3D objects cause reduced framerates in BVE v4.2, so there is a choice of rainy route files in the High Detail folder with this feature either enabled or disabled (route files with this feature disabled include "_NO_3D_RAIN" in the filename). If you load the 'NO_3D_RAIN' route variations which disable this extra rainfall effect, you'll rely on the windscreen raindrop effects combined with reduced visiblity to recreate the effect of precipitation, but hopefully with better framerates, at the expense of some visual effect.
BVE v2.6 users ONLY
The Summer Rain, Autumn Rain and Winter routes feature falling precipitation effects, which work well with high end graphics cards such as the GeForce3. On some video cards however, in particular GeForceMX, older ATi cards, and on-board graphics controllers, may not handle these effects very well, causing a drastic reduction in framerates. If you find the framerate becomes unacceptably low during precipitation, then you can disable this effect by following these instructions.
Open Windows Explorer, and find your BVE program folder, usually "C:\Program Files\BVE\". Now go into the "Railway\Route\Bham_X-City_South\" folder, from here locate the specific route file you want to edit (it will be named "xxxxxDetail_323_[Winter | Aut_Rain | Sum_Rain].csv"). Right-click on the route file of your choosing, and open the file using Wordpad. Once the file is open, scroll down until you see the following line:

| High Detail 9x/XP routes only: .Rail(22) Bham_X-City_South\Day\ [Autumn | Summer]\Weather\Rain1.csv, or .Rail(22) Bham_X-City_South\Day\Winter\Weather\snow1.csv,

Replace the line with the following:

| .Rail(22) Bham_X-City_South\Day\Winter\null.csv,

| Low, Standard, Medium Detail routes only: .DikeR(7) Bham_X-City_South\Day\ [Autumn | Summer]\Weather\Rain1.csv, or .DikeR(7) Bham_X-City_South\Day\Winter\Weather\snow1.csv,

Replace the line with the following:

| .DikeR(7) Bham_X-City_South\Day\Winter\null.csv,

Now save the route file, and when it's loaded in BVE you should find the precipitation no longer appears, only the visibility will reduce.

Known Issues
For BVE v4.2 users:

1. Approach Controlled Signals: When passing an approach controlled signal (for further information on approach controlled signals, see the Signalling page of the Driver's Guide for BVE), you may see BVE display the warning 'Passed the station which should stop', in the upper-left 'BVE Instructor' text display.
   This warning occurs simply due to the way BVE works, and on the Cross-City South you can and should ignore this warning in relation to signals--the message only applies on the Cross-City South if you have overshot a station platform!
2. Unusually long station stops: Occasionally when stopped at a station, the guard won't close the doors for an unusually long period of time, maybe a minute or two longer than expected. This occurs when the signal following the station is held at red, even if the signal is out of sight and some distance away. This behaviour is not prototypically accurate for UK routes, but it's how BVE seems to work. You have two options; firstly you can imagine there's a delay on the platform such as a passenger having difficulty getting on or off the train; or secondly you can enable BVE 4's Developer Mode and close the doors yourself manually, using the [F6] key. See the Setting Options section of the BVE Help Guide for details on enabling 'Developer Mode'.
3. Falling rain effects and signalling stops: Some route files use 3D 'sheet' objects to represent falling rain, in addition to the windscreen raindrop effects. This does look quite realistic when the train is moving, but if you get stopped at a signal within a falling rain area, the effect no longer works. If you find this detracts from the realism, simply use the rainfall route files/activities with filenames ending in '_NO_3D_RAIN.csv'--these route files have the falling rain sheets disabled, relying solely on the windscreen raindrop effects to represent rainfall.
4. Sound effects at signal stops: The Cross-City South features many sound effects recorded on the real life Cross-City route, and these sounds are played back at specific locations to increase the atmosphere and authenticity of the Cross-City 'experience'. For example, when rounding certain curves, a rumbling sound is played, just as you would hear on the real line. This however doesn't always sound it's best if you are travelling slower than the expected line speed at that location, e.g. because of an adverse signal. As the signalling is randomised there is little I can do about this, but I felt removing the sounds would spoil the overall effect for the more frequent occasions where you are travelling at the expected line speed, so I've left the sounds in. You can always remove them if you'd prefer not to hear them!

For openBVE users:

1. Error message while driving backwards: If you drive backwards on routes including windscreen rainfall effects, openBVE may on occasion terminate with the following error: "The UKMUt.dll plugin raised the following exception: Attempted to divide by zero." The cause is not known by myself as I didn't develop the plugin used by the class 323 EMU; it does appear to occur only on route files which include beacon commands determining windscreen raindrop effects. Hopefully this issue will be resolved soon.

Birmingham Cross-City South--Feature List and Update History
Below is a list of new features introduced with the lastest v1.3 update for the Cross-City South. The features which were introduced with previous updates can also be found below, and all features from older releases have been carried forward into the most current release unless otherwise indicated.
Features introduced with Cross-City South v1.31--(July 2008-September 2009):
Cross-City South v1.31 is a bug fix release. Changes include:

- Bug fixes concerning coding errors, and incorrectly specified transparent colours in some objects
- Removal of most legacy "MultiObj" 3D objects in BVE 4 routes (fixes object alignment issues in openBVE)
- Removal of copyright restrictions on many files (excluding Ditra Systems Ltd's/Phil Sayer's station announcement audio files as well as objects/textures by other authors, all of which remain copyright material)

Features introduced with Cross-City South v1.3--(August 2005):
Cross-City South v1.3 is primarily a BVE v4 update, although two new 'High Detail' Spring 2005 routes are provided for BVE v2.x users. The BVE v4 updates make full use of the new BVE's features, and include new Autumn 2004 and Spring 2005 routes, along with several new enhancements and ideas. New features include:

- Full BVE v4.2 compatibility when used in conjunction with the updated BVE v4 class 323 EMU by Steve Green, Simon Gathercole and myself, or indeed the updated Class 323 Passenger Views for BVE 4.
- Route modifications to allow the use of the class 323's fully working Automatic Warning System (AWS) and Train Protection and Warning System (TPWS), plus new raindrop effects. The 323 also includes other features such as a fully functional Vigilance Device, Driver's Reminder Appliance (DRA), and Power, Brake and Door Interlocks. These features are possible thanks to BVE v4's new method of handling signalling and train safety systems, together with Simon Gathercole's superb plugin for UK multiple units, UKMUt.DLL.
- New Dawn, Sunset and Night* routes, using realistic time of day lighting effects thanks to BVE 4's new Directional and Ambient Lighting features. Many objects in these routes also use the emissive colour properties of DirectX objects, which allow faces to be illuminated independently of the ambient lighting conditions, which in turn allows glowing lamp posts, street lights and headlights. Many thanks once again to Simon Gathercole for his assistance with pointing out and explaning the emissive colour and specular properties of DirectX objects.
- New Autumn 2004 and Spring 2005 routes. The Autumn 2004 routes use a pair of class 323 units on a busy morning rush hour service from Redditch to Birmingham New Street, with the special Cross-City 'leaf fall' timetable. Visibility is reduced, and the 323's new raindrop effects and wipers can be seen. The Spring 2005 routes feature a late morning run into New Street. These routes offer a choice feature a late morning run into New Street, in either cloudy but dry conditions, or wet and thundery conditions. Birmingham New Street's new bay platform 4c is also modelled, along with small differences at the lineside, and the new pointwork installed at Longbridge and Kings Norton is represented.
- The MkI and MkIII catenary systems are now photo-realistic, with registration arms, support tubes and insulators all derived from photographs. Masts, headspans and portal structures are now modelled in true 3D, with additional details such as new mast ID plates, and other mast mounted signs and labels. New prototypical cantilevers are also installed in certain tunnels on the approach to New Street. The new enhanced catenary draws upon work done while developing the Watford Junction to Rugby project.
- Additional lineside signs have been added, such as Sandite markers, and other lineside details are more accurate.
- All platforms have been upgraded with new higher resolution and photo-realistic textures, along with additional refinements such as smoothly curved platforms at Barnt Green and University.
- New track textures have been added, improving the appearance of the route.
- All routes have randomised signalling.
- A new set of flange sounds is included in the updated BVE v4 class 323 (the new Cross-City compatible version), and the updated Class 323 Passenger Views for BVE 4, along with route file support for the new sounds **
- The BVE v4.2 compatible routes are available in either 'High Detail', 'Medium Detail' or 'Low Detail' varieties, and can be found in the following folders (assuming you installed the route in it's default location):

  "<System Drive>:\Program Files\mackoy\BVE4\Railway\Route\Birmingham_Cross-City_South_BVE4\HighDetail\"
  "<System Drive>:\Program Files\mackoy\BVE4\Railway\Route\Birmingham_Cross-City_South_BVE4\MediumDetail\"
  "<System Drive>:\Program Files\mackoy\BVE4\Railway\Route\Birmingham_Cross-City_South_BVE4\LowDetail\"

- The High Detail routes use all the features mentioned above but require a fast, modern PC--framerates may not be high at all times, particularly during rainfall or in the New Street area.
- The Medium Detail routes use all the features mentioned above, but don't feature falling rain 3D objects, and use detailed but non-photo realistic catenary (this detail level is roughly the equivalent of the old 'High Detail XP' variant from Cross-City South v1.2).
- The Low Detail routes look rather more basic; they're essentially similar to the higher detail routes but with very simple scenery. The catenary is still quite detailed however.
- For BVE v2.x users, two new Spring 2005 routes are provided, minus some of the BVE v4 specific features. These new route files benefit from the new photo-realistic platform textures, the new photo-realisitic 3D catenary system, and updated lineside signs, scenery and renewed trackwork at Longbridge and Kings Norton.
- The other original BVE v2.x compatible routes from Cross-City South v1.2 are left unotuched (see the Cross-City South v1.2 section below for more details about these BVE v2.x compatible routes). These can still be found in the following folders, assuming you installed the route in it's default location:

  "<System Drive>:\Program Files\BVE\Railway\Route\Bham_XCitySouth_BVE2\HighDetail\"
  "<System Drive>:\Program Files\BVE\Railway\Route\Bham_XCitySouth_BVE2\HighDetailXP\"
  "<System Drive>:\Program Files\BVE\Railway\Route\Bham_XCitySouth_BVE2\StandardDetail\"
  "<System Drive>:\Program Files\BVE\Railway\Route\Bham_XCitySouth_BVE2\LowDetail\"

* | One of the new night routes is experimental, and designed as a demonstration of BVE v4's ability to render true night time with proper illuminated objects, and without the need for special darkened scenery or the use of 'black fog'. Unfortunately BVE v4.2 doesn't illuminate the cab independently of the external lighting level, leading to a dark cab, and neither does BVE simulate a headlight. Only use this experimental route if you're interested in seeing a more realistic depiction of night within BVE, but less fussed about seeing the cab gauges!

Note:

BVE v4 no longer uses the information 'markers' which gave BVE 2.6 users of the Cross-City South such information as upcoming speed restrictions, landmarks and location names. BVE v4 provides no equivalent facility to display this information, therefore I've included some of it on BVE 4's pop-up timetables instead. The route information on the timetable display is automatically updated at each station stop, and you can manually display this information between stations if you like.

| Features introduced with Cross-City South v1.2 (May 2004--information still current for BVE v2.x users):

This upgraded version of the Cross-City South included the following new features listed below. New "High Detail XP" routes were introduced, and these new routes feature a level of detail that is greater than the older High Detail routes from Cross-City South v1.0, such as a fully realistic catenary system, extra buildings, fully detailed custom built pointwork, and also more than 255 Free Objects have been used, meaning they are only compatible with BVE v2.5 upward.
Why were these new routes dubbed "High Detail XP"? There are limitations to BVE v2.x's performance under the Windows 9x operating systems, and this means that these additional features just can't be handled by BVE without a serious degradation in performance. However under Windows XP or Windows 2000, BVE v2.x performs considerably better and far more can be achieved in terms of route detail without performance being adversely affected--hence the "High Detail XP" routes will only work properly if you are running Windows XP (or 2000). The High Detail XP routes will only perform well with BVE v2.x when running under Windows XP or 2000, on a PC with a ~1GHz processor or faster and a decent graphics card such as a GeForce3 or ATi Radeon (the Voodoo5 has been shown to work well with 3Dfx's own Windows 2000 drivers). Attempting to run "High Detail XP" routes in BVE v2.x under Windows 9x, even on a fast machine, may produce stuttering, pausing, and poor framerates--Windows 9x or ME users will probably have to stick with the traditional High Detail (9x) route files.
Features in all routes

- Semi-functional Automatic Warning System (AWS), custom built AWS mask objects.
- New fully authentic track, flange, "curve rumbling" and loose rail joint sounds, within the route itself and also as part of v2.0 of the class 323 EMU.
- New meteorological conditions and seasonal variations, including new Autumn and updated Winter routes (tree textures courtesy of Simon Gathercole), along with new photo-realistic sky textures, including overcast, sunset and sunrise backdrops. More precipitation effects are now inlcuded, with the introduction of rain. This is a development of the original falling rain technique developed by Paul Woozley [http://bve_fan.tripod.com/bvefan/index.html], and incorporates translucent raindrops. New thunder samples recorded by myself can also be heard during rain fall. Look for the new route files named as follows, where xxxxxxx represents the detail level:

  "xxxxxxx_323_[Sum/Aut]_Cloudy.csv" "xxxxxxx_323_[Sum/Aut]_Sunset.csv" "xxxxxxx_323_[Sum/Aut]_Rain.csv"

Note: Simon's textures are NOT free for re-use, permission *must* be sought before re-using them.

- New wheel slip sound effects and tweaked adhesion settings in areas of poor rail adhesion--frequent travellers of the real Cross-City will instantly recognise this!
- Some backdrops now include some buildings seen on the skyline as you approach Birmingham through the suburbs.
- Summer scenery textures have been adjusted to make the colours more realistic.
- Catenary masts updated with 3D effect textures, improving the visual appearance of the routes.
- The experimental Barnt Green anti-flange squeal sprinkler system is modelled, along with the very loud flange squeal and curve rumbling typical at this location in real life.
- New track objects, textures and hi-res ballast. Typical UK style concrete and wooden sleepers are represented (along with steel sleepered track in the High Detail routes), and railheads are fully textured.
- Additional signs, such as Whistle boards, Poor Adhesion signs, digital wheelslip indicators, and AWS signs are inlcuded.
- Foot crossings and associated signs have been added.
- Some buildings have been updated, such as the Cadburys buildings, Birmingham City Centre and Bull Ring Development buildings, and New Street signal box.
- More houses are now inlcuded, especially between Longbridge and Northfield. The housing development between these two stations is also modelled, along with previously missing allotments.
- Some bridges have been updated to use photo-realistic textures, such as at Redditch, Kings Norton and Birmingham New Street.
- Platforms are now more accurate and realistic, with adjusted heights and photo-based textures.
- Track spacing has been adjusted to the correct 6 feet.
- Ambient sounds have been added to quieter stations.
- Extra passing train sounds have been added for idle locos and multiple units, using Doppler effects. New class 323 and 170 "departing" sounds are also included.
- Some extra station details have been added, including Centro timetables, advertisments, and details such as trees and cars.
- Updated Barnt Green station and area now includes correct track and more realistic scenery, along with updated footbridge.
- Northfield station now has photo-based island platform textures.
- Bournville station has been updated to it's present day "Cadburys" design, with photo-realistic textures, and a photo-realistic Cadburys building.
- Updated Selly Oak station now includes the new car parking facilities, along with cars.
- New night-time ground coach lighting effects, based on Robert Glass' evolution of my own "train shadow" technique.
- My "alpha bridge shadow" technique has been applied to overbridges along the route.

Features for High Detail XP Routes only

- Designed for BVE v2.5.
- Updated and significantly more realistic Mk I and Mk III catenary systems introduced. New features include 3D effect textured masts, mast identification plates, concrete bases, a wider variety of cantilevers and OLE supports, a sophisticated and flexible return conductor system allowing return conductors to be held clear of obstacles, anchor spans, and cable interconnects between booster transformers, catenary wires and return conductors. All wires are now of a finer scale and look more realistic, with an additional sagging wire effect at the clamps where registration arms hold the contact wire in place. More section insulators are also included.
- Catenary outside Redditch is now more prototypically accurate.
- New custom built pointwork developed fully "in-house", designed to fit the unique track geometry of the Cross-City South--pointwork is adapted to the track layout, not the other way around. Detailed pointwork includes frogs, guard rails, correctly set point blades, electric and "clamp lock" point machines, plus the tie bars are represented. Proper catch points are also included. Birmingham New Street features amongst the most complex individual track objects in any BVE route that I'm aware of, and includes standard turnouts, single slips, two types of double slip, catch points and a three-way point, with rails all placed in accordance with the actual track layout at New Street station.
- More trees have been added at locations between Redditch and Barnt Green, and other parts of scenery have been enhanced.
- Power lines are now modelled, including pylons and transmission wires, as well as two styles of lower voltage power lines in the countryside.
- Barnt Green has fully prototypical placement of concrete sleepered track and experimental sprinkler pipes.
- Longbridge station includes more houses at the lineside.
- Northfield station is now far more realistic, and includes the wooden carvings present in real life, along with additonal lamposts and extra weeds! Photo-realistic tower blocks, houses and factory buildings have also been added in the vicinity.
- Kings Norton updated with more trees and bushes, additional catenary, extra houses and photo-realistic bridges.
- The Bournville area has more buildings and some extra station details.
- The Selly Oak car park is more detailed in the XP routes.
- The area around University has been updated, and includes the Queen Elizabeth hospital and factory chimney before the station, along with Medical Centre buildings, car park and retaining wall after the station.
- Birmingham New Street station includes additional signals on the platforms.
- 2000m radius curves added in places.
- High Detail XP routes can be found in the following folder:

  "BVE\Railway\Route\Bham_XCitySouth_BVE2\HighDetailXP\"

Features in the (then) new Class 323 EMU Package (v2.0)

- New night time cab added, complete with prototypical night-lit gauges highlighted in blue, using photos supplied by Steve Green. The appropriate day or night panel is called by the route files themselves at the expense of a slightly larger download, so no user intervention is required to switch between the cabs.
- Five new passenger views added-- daylight standing, seated (left) and seated (right), night-lit standing, and night-lit seated (right). All cab annunciataions and indicators are presented, along with a digital power controller setting indicator and Door Open/Close visual indicators.
- A revamped sound set, including fully authentic jointed rail and continuous welded rail sounds, with the rail joint sounds calibrated to occur every 60 feet within BVE. In the cab view, you only hear the leading bogie as it passes over rail joints as in real life, and in the passenger view you are located near the end of the first coach, so you can hear the familiar "clickety-clack" of the traiing bogie of the leading vehicle followed by the leading bogie of the second vehicle. Both cab view and passenger view feature two styles of flange sound, one for slower speeds, and one for higher speed curves. New door sounds and warning beeps are also included, and new horn samples appropriate for the cab and passenger view are added, along with appropriate point sounds. Motor sounds have also been updated, and the 3 phase motor sounds while accelerating more accurately reflect the pitch changes on the real units. The air hissing and AC hum are now realistic, and the initial motor sound merges with the the starting sounds better.
- Brake gauge operation has been enhanced and made very realistic, thanks to Steve Green's expertise.
- Users still using the older BVE 2.3.0011 can see working headlight indicator lights, and a functional battery charger indicator.

Files by Other Authors
Steve Green [www.trainsimcentral.co.uk]
Files: BrSigs\*.*, CE_150*.csv/.x, CT_170*.csv/.x, CE_323*.csv/.x, Mk1rs.csv/.x (excluding RES textures)
The files in the BrSigs folder are from Steve Green's BR Signals Pack for BVE v4. The train objects and associated textures (unless otherwise stated) were originally created by Steve Green, since modified by myself with night lighting features.
Robert Glass [http://scotrailsim.co.uk]
Files: 47_VT.csv/.x (excluding Virgin Trains textures), 47rs.csv/.x, 37_EWS.csv/.x, Passengers1.csv/.x, HST*.csv/.x (cab front texture modified by myself)
The above objects and associated textures (unless otherwise stated) were originally created by Robert Glass for the Sandymill-Invermay route, since modified by myself with night lighting features.
Simon Townsend
Files: Guvrs.bmp, Mk1rs.bmp, CL47_rs4.bmp
The above RES livery textures were created by Simon Townsend, and used with permission in the Cross-City South.
Robert Glass and Simon Townsend
Files: 37*.bmp
The above EWS class 37 textures were jointly created by Robert Glass and Simon Townsend, and used with permission.
Simon Gathercole
Files in the "BVE\Railway\Object\Bham_X-City_South\Day\Winter\Common_Textures\" and "BVE\Railway\Object\Bham_X-City_South\Day\Autumn\Common_Textures\" folders: b1.bmp, Hedgerow2.bmp, t1.bmp, Tree_Pair.bmp, TreeWall.bmp
Other files: Passengers1_xp.csv
The route includes new Autumn and Winter tree textures kindly made by Simon Gathercole, and used with his kind permission. The files listed above may not be used without permission from Simon Gathercole, and if necessary I can be contacted regarding re-use of these files. The "High Detail XP" passenger object (Passengers1_xp.csv) was also created by Simon Gathercole, adapted from the orignal Cross-City passenger object.
Phil Sayer, Ditra Systems Ltd
Files: BNS*.wav
The Birmingham New Street station announcements in this route are used with the kind permission of the copyright owners, Ditra Systems Ltd, with special thanks also to Phil Sayer. These files must not be re-used without the permission of Ditra Systems Ltd.
Evgeny Shatohin
File(s): People02.bmp
This texture was created by Evgeny Shatohin, and is included as part of his excellent 'Easy People' tool, available from [http://jvs.ru/easytool/] (site not available at the time of writing)
Andy Slater [www.brdw.co.uk]
Files: 20pass.wav
The Cross-City South contains a sound sample originally by Andy Slater, and used with his kind permission. The above file may not be used without permission from Andy Slater.
John Owen [http://www.rwysnd.btinternet.co.uk]
Files: 66horn.wav, 66pass.wav, 323_aws_bing.wav, 323_aws_horn.wav
The route also contains sound samples originally recorded by John Owen, used with permission. The two 66 sounds may not be used without permission from John Owen. The two AWS samples are freely available for route developers to use, so long as John Owen is credited for these sound samples.
Jason Morgan
Files: tamper_pass.wav
A track machine sound sample originally recorded by Jason Morgan has been used with permission. The above file may not be used without permission from Jason Morgan.

Special Thanks to...
Thanks in particular goes to the following people, without whom the Cross-City wouldn't have been nearly as detailed, accurate, complete or enjoyable to build:
Steve Green [www.trainsimcentral.co.uk]. For supplying invaluable route data, offering useful feedback on the accuracy of the route, for kindly offering to build the original class 150, 170 and 323 CSV objects and textures for the Cross-City South, for his work on the new Class 323 for BVE v4, and of course for extensive route testing and expertise.
Simon Gathercole. For drawing and supplying the wonderful new Autumn and Winter tree and hedgerow textures, as well as enhancing existing Summer and Dusk tree textures. For assisting with the development of the DirectX objects using emissive properties to create realistic night lighting. Also for his amazing work developing the UKMUt.dll plugin, giving a host of functions to the BVE 4 class 323 EMU. This was also one of the inspirations behind the new cross-platform UkTrainSys .NET plugin for openBVE.
Robert Glass [http://scotrailsim.co.uk]. For conducting extensive testing of the route on several occasions, providing extra inspiration and feedback where various aspects of the route are concerned; for giving me the idea for using CSV Cylinder commands to re-create more realistic headlight effects, for assisting with the maths involved in creating the "smooth curves", for allowing me to use and adapt his "Falling Snow" objects from his excellent Sandymill to Invermay Seasonal Special, and for allowing the use of his class 37, 47 and Merry-Go Round coal hopper wagons.
Simon Townsend. For helping with various textures used in the route, not least certain station sign bitmaps, the RES liveried textures for the Mk1 and GUV coaching stock, and for working with Robert Glass to create the EWS textures used with the Class 37 CSV object. Also for testing the route and providing feedback on more than one occasion.
Bryan Dudley. For supplying some superb images of hillsides and the Birmingham city centre skyline which have been combined with my own photo-realistic skies and Birmingham suburb image backdrops, and for testing the route on more than one occasion, and offering helpful feedback.
Dave Barton. For supplying some excellent photographs which have enabled a more photo-realistic cab interior to be created (BVE 2 class 323), and also for testing the route.
Matt Willson. For offering his expert feedback on the accuracy of the route, and for supplying a class 323 cab photo from which the current 323 passenger view gauges have been made.
Richard Cartmell. For his extremely helpful and constructive feedback and advice, and for thoroughly testing the route on more than one occasion.
Alan Lee. For being very kind and writing a superb review of the "Pre-Beta" preview of the Cross-City South, and for testing the route and offering helpful and encouraging feedback.
Alex Totney. For testing the route on numerous occasions, offering helpful feedback, suggestions and support for the Cross-City project.
John Owen. For recording the passing train sounds for the class 66, and allowing them to be used in the Cross-City South, and for supplying the digital AWS sounds used in the route.
Steven Cross [http://ozrail.cjb.net] . For originally suggesting I add shadows under the passing trains, which led me to develop my "Alpha Enabled" angled shadow effects.
Rich Haywood For being extremely helpful during the Beta testing, and for taking the time to send thorough feedback.
Jason Morgan. For supplying a superb sound sample for the tamper featured in the "Midnight ECS" run.
Andy Slater [www.brdw.co.uk]. For kindly allowing one of his sound samples to be used in the Cross-City South route.
Don Clarke [http://www.gotopcs.net]. For assisting with the route's signalling, and helping to remove signal warning messages from displaying within BVE.
Oskari Saarekas. For creating the wonderful BVE Route Randomiser utility, which was used to create the alternate paths taken in some of the Cross-City South route files.
Thanks also goes to my dedicated (and extensive!) team of Alpha and Beta testers, who have helped to make the end user experience as pleasant and trouble free as possible.
Anthony Bowden.
December, 2010