What's new – 17th April 2016

This week’s release has just gone live. Due in no small part to having far too much paid work, I haven’t been able to put as much of the new maps in as I’d liked to and I also have a massive pile of email waiting to be read. If you’re one of the many people who’s emailed over the last few weeks and you haven’t had a reply, I’m really sorry that I’m so far behind. I’ve replied to about a dozen emails this morning, and I’ll continue to reduce the backlog over the next week.

So, what’s changed this week? Lots of bug fixes!

  • On the London Victoria to East Croydon map, VC780 signal at Streatham Junction was missing. The map has been redrawn to include space for the signal, which is now showing correctly on the map
  • On the Cleethorpes map, the single track section between 979 and 982 signals was drawn incorrectly. This is now fixed
  • On the North Kent map, the flyover at Lewisham was mistakenly drawn as a diveunder, and has now been redrawn correctly
  • Line names on the Liverpool Street to Romford and Romford to Ingatestone and Billericay maps have been added to make it easier to determine which are the Electric and Main Lines, particularly difficult around the flyover at Ilford
  • The Stoke on Trent map had signals 273 and 457 both showing green for the route toward Stoke-on-Trent. This was due to incorrect reference data, and has now been fixed
  • Two signals were missing from the Guildford map, causing trains to disappear after signal 922 and reappear in signal 831. This has been fixed
  • The missing crossover at Crayford on the North Kent map has been put in, and the trackwork on the London side of Dartford tidied up to make it clearer
  • A variety of missing ground position light signals on the Merseyrail (Wirral) map have been added, as well as platform numbering, signal locations and sidings added. An updated Northern Line map will follow soon
  • Some trains disappeared on the Hildenborough to Ashford International map due to the configuration of dual berths and the way they were drawn on the map – these trains now appear correctly
  • Various maps on the routes in to Ashford now have inter-map links so you can jump between maps

Work continues on the Edinburgh map, and I’ve started a new map of Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick to Tyseley. Neither are quite ready for public consumption yet, but I’m hoping to get at least one of them finished in time for the next release in a fortnight.

Until next time, please keep sending in your feedback and suggestions!

// Peter

What's new – 3rd April 2016

Sunday rolls around again, far too quickly for my liking as two days of weekend doesn’t quite seem enough to keep up-to-date with all the changes Network Rail are making to the railway! Since there’s lots to do, here’s a very quick update on what’s changed on the site this week.

  • The previous release broke some maps on IE11, resulting in only the top part of maps showing. This is now fixed and has been tested on Chrome, Firefox and Internet Explorer – please get in touch if this is still affecting you
  • The Stafford area map has been updated to include the Norton Bridge flyover which was commissioned last weekend, as well as signal aspects for the re-controlled area between Norton Bridge and Basford Hall (near Crewe)
  • The Nottingham area map, covering the area from Beeston to Nottingham and past Netherfield Junction to Newark Castle, Grantham and Allington Junction, is now live. The route from Lowdham to Newark Castle is due for resignalling in the next few months, and when this happens, this map will be extended

Emails of support and thanks continue to come in at a steady rate – many of them asking for new maps. If I could crank them out any faster, I would! One of the most popular requests has been for Edinburgh, and I’m hard at work on drawing the route from Haymarket to Musselburgh and Newcraighall. Expect this map in a few weeks, perhaps with another simpler, quicker map in the meantime.