 | SIAM Limited | |
News from S I A M - Autumn 1992
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Railway-based Games for your Atari ST, or IBM PC or compatible
Experience the challenge of railway operation in the comfort of your own home. If you have an Atari ST capable of medium resolution display, or an IBM PC or compatible, you can enjoy these absorbing games (for PC best with colour monitor, but mono and portable modes are available).
Based on extensive research, these games give the genuine flavour of the problems and challenges of running a railway. Authentic track plans, motive power and schedules for the location and period are used, in some cases with additional workings to add interest. To avoid any possible disappointment, please note that these are not "arcade" games, but realistic simulations. Graphic screen modes are not used, and the emphasis is on providing you with sufficient information to make the right decisions.
Games are constantly being added to our range: watch our ads in "Rail", "PC Plus" and "ST Format" for details!
Some of our newest, most complex and most popular games are now to be found in our "Silver Series" at the end of this list.
Traffic Control (Price 
each)
The Traffic Control games come in a number of styles, each designed to give the maximum of interest while setting you a task which is achievable. In each case arriving trains may be late for a variety of reasons, and the motive power varies; no two games are alike. Take charge of a shift or two at one of the following stations:
Small terminus - Detailed control of a single terminal, including motive power depot and station management. Seperate screens show the station area and station approaches.
Penzance 1932 - more steam interest! Similar to Penzance 1955, but set in 1932 before the 1939 remodelling of Penzance station. Attempt to handle summer Saturday traffic in only two platforms, with locomotives of the period. (Difficulty ##) (E)
Penzance 1955 - experience again the fascination of steam. Includes managing the shed (83G) and preparing and selecting the right locomotive for each train, as well as planning the use of platforms. (Difficulty ##) (E)
Penzance 1984 - more steam interest! Similar to Penzance 1955, but set in 1932 before the 1939 remodelling of Penzance station. Attempt to handle summer Saturday traffic in only two platforms, with locomotives of the period. (Difficulty ##) (E)
Large terminus - Detailed control of a large and busy terminal, including the assignment of locomotives to loco-hauled trains, but without the associated motive power depot. In some cases there is a small refuelling point included in the simulated area. The main screen shows a schematic of the station approaches, with an indication of which routes are already set or in use, and a secondary screen shows the contents of each platform.
Euston 1987 - Probably the busiest terminus in the country for loco-hauled trains, set on a weekday to give a taste of rush-hour operations at the beginning and end of a 9-5 shift. Warning - this one is complex and difficult; please try one of our easier games first! Not recommended for beginners!! (Difficulty ####) (E)
Glasgow Queen Street 1987 - A busy morning in this Scottish terminus, with West Highland and Inverness services as well as Edinburgh and local traffic and holiday extras. Your task includes resolving problems caused by occasional non-availability of class 47/7 for push-pull services. (Difficulty #) (E)
Kings Cross 1954 - Back to steam days, with the old track layout, and through workings over the Metropolitan line. You choose motive power from that available at Top Shed: A4s, A3s, A2s, A1s, V2s, B1s, and plenty of N2s and L1s for suburban and empty stock workings. (Difficulty ##) (E)
Kings Cross 1978 - In the early days of the HST, when most services were still loco-hauled, often by Deltics. The challenge here is to keep enough platforms clear for incoming trains, while refuelling locos when necessary, all in a layout with very limited shunting space. (Difficulty ##) (E)
Kings Cross 1990 - quite a contrast with 1978: almost nothing loco-hauled remains, the electric suburban service is now much more frequent, and Class 91 "Electra" are appearing on Leeds services. Kings Cross is busier than ever - can you handle it? (Difficulty ###) (E)
Liverpool Lime Street 1972 - just as busy as in 1986, but with several differences in traffic patterns. Class 40s still power Newcastle trains, and Trans-Pennine diesels still run to Hull.; local services are plentiful, mostly first generation diesel multiple units. (Difficulty ###) (E)
Liverpool Lime Street 1986 - lots of action at this busy terminus on two main routes, with frequent local services and most main-line services loco-hauled. Make sure that each service gets the right engine - electric to Euston and the south, or the appropriate diesel for Trans-Pennine, North Wales or the north.(Difficulty ##) (E)
Paddington 1959 - back to steam days, before the 1967 remodelling. The arrival and departure sides still had separate signal boxes, and most services had balancing empty stock workings. Most express locos were serviced at Old Oak Common, but some were dealt with at Ranelagh Bridge yard, which is included in the area under your control. (Difficulty ###) (E)
Paddington 1972 - before the HST made life easy! In the days of classes 52 (Western) and 35 (Hymek), all trains are loco-hauled, and incoming locos must be refuelled when necessary.(Difficulty ###) (E)
Paddington 1986 - more recent operation, with Inter-City 125 and class 50, also the regular local service. Extra loco-hauled services have to be fitted in between groups of the High-Speed Trains.(Difficulty ##) (E)
Old-Style Through Station - Control of principal movements in a through station, without responsibility for motive power, though details are shown. In these locations there is plenty to do, and delays to one service can quickly spread. The single screen shows the platforms and a schematic of the station approaches, with an indication of routes set or occupied.
Birmingham 1984 - largest so far in this series, and a real challenge! Five routes to be handled in 12 platforms, some of which can hold two trains. Your task is to fit a 15-minute interval local Cross-City service, and other local services, in between main-line services on the former Midland and North-Western routes, with the added complication of loco-changing on the cross-country routes to the south and west. (Difficulty ###) (E)
Crewe 1986 - manage the traffic through the remodelled Crewe station layout on a busy day, interweaving local and through trains from six different routes. (Difficulty ##) (E)
Doncaster 1986 - plenty of traffic on a summer Saturday, including the many Inter-City 125 services on the East Coast main line as well as the North-East / South-West traffic, Humberside to Sheffield services and others. (Difficulty ##) (E)
Exeter 1987 - still a key point on a summer Saturday, with the busy Great Western main line, as well as local services to Exmouth and Barnstaple, semi-fast to Waterloo and a few extras. (Difficulty ##) (E)
Leeds 1989 - an intensive PTE-funded local services competes for line occupation with Inter-City workings to London and on the NE/SW route and frequent Provincial services. Dual use of platforms is a regular practice which further complicates your task. (Difficulty ##) (E)
Reading 1959 - a spotter's paradise on a busy Saturday in late Spring, with Devon and Cornwall services diverging from the Great Western main line, as well as local services on the Newbury and Basingstoke lines and some long-distance trains to and from the Southern. Most main line services are steam-hauled. (Difficulty s##) (E)
Reading 1987 - still busy on a summer Saturday, with Devon and Cornwall services diverging from the Great West main line, as well as the reversal of Bournemouth line services to and from the north. (Difficulty ##) (E)
New-Style Through Station - Detailed control of a large and busy through station, including the assignment of locomotives to loco-hauled trains, but without ht eassociated motive power depot. In some cases there are additional workings to and from a motive power depot adjancent to the simulated area. The main screen shows a schematic of the station approaches, with an indication of which routes are already set or in use, and secondary screens show the contents of each platform and forthcoming arrivals and departures.
Manchester Piccadilly 1990 - This is now one of the busiest stations in the country, with an intensive local service as well as through trains to most parts of the country. The through platforms 13 and 14 are particularly busy, with trains every few minutes including the Trans-Pennine services now diverted through Piccadilly. Most types of present-day passenger motive power appear, including units of classes 101, 108, 142, 150, 155, 156 and 304, as well as diesel and electric locomotives. Includes 1991 version, with class 158 on Trans-Pennine services! (Difficulty ###) (E)
Preston 1989 - Busier than you might expect, with frequent local services to Blackpool (North and South), Manchester, York and the Liverpool area, as well as through passenger and freight services on the West Coast main line. Your task includes engine changing on main line services from Blackpool North, and between Scotland and Manchester. Style is similar to Manchester Piccadilly 1990. (Difficulty ###) Now available! (E)
Peterborough 1988 - (Difficulty ###) (E)
Bristol 1990 - On the busy East Coast main line, on a weekday in late summer, with lots of HST traffic to Leeds, Newcastle and Scotland. With the wires energised to Leeds, class 91 Electras are on test, and the solitary class 89 is also to be seen. Substantial freight traffic and regular cross-country services, some using the main line to Grantham, complicate your task. (Difficulty ###) (E)
Line Control - Control of a lengthy stretch of main line, including planning the crossing of trains on single track routes. Easy enough when everything is running to time, but see the problems mount when delays occur! The screen (sometimes two screens) shows the entire route in outline, with the position of each train under your control.
Highland Line 1984 - Control the busy single line between Perth and Inverness, assigning priorities and planning crossings to minimise delays. (Difficulty #) (E)
West Highland Line 1984 - Control the single line from Glasgow to Fort William, including the branch to Oban. You have to plan crossings to minimise delays, deciding where to hold freights and how to handle conflicting movements at the junction at Crianlarich. (Difficulty #) (E)
Burlington Northern - For a change, a simulation based on North American practice! Manage the bottleneck line between Spokane (Washington) and Sandpoint (Idaho) in the American North-West, using your discretion to side-track manifests to let Amtrak and priority trains pass unhindered. Glossary of American terminology provided! Now revised with corrected track plans and revised grain workings, also occasional major disruption due to prototypical freight train derailments. (Difficulty ##) (E)
Missouri Pacific I - Another North American simulation, based on 150 miles of Union Pacific / Southern Pacific joint line south of St. Louis. Similar in style to Burlington Northern, but with much more complications - junctions, sidings, trains changing direction, track closed for maintenance and so on. No passenger trains on this route, but Southern Pacific's Sprint services take priority, and you can earn bonus points for expediting them. Glossary of American terminology provided! (Difficulty ###) (E)
Tehachapi 1991 - Based on the Southern Pacific / Santa Fe joint line over the mountains from Bakersfield to Mojave, including the celebrated Tehachapi Loop. This must be one of the most intensively worked stretches of single track anywhere, with helper operation on many trains, and requires a lot of concentration. Work trains and an inspection car add to the complications. Bonus points can be gained for time-keeping on both railroads' priority services. Glossary of American terminology provided! (Difficulty ###) (E)
Tehachapi 1927 - Steam operation on the Southern Pacific / Santa Fe joint line over the mountains from Bakersfield to Mojave, including the celebrated Tehachapi Loop. At this time there was even less double track, and almost all trains required helpers, often two and sometimes more. Passenger operations complicate your task, as their time-keeping is critical and they travel much faster than most of the freights. Bonus points can be gained for time-keeping on passenger services. Glossary of American terminology provided! (Difficulty ###) (E)
Australia (Melbourne - Albury - Similar to our North American simulations, but based on part of the standard gauge main line between Sydney and Melbourne. Passenger trains and super freight services take priority, and you can earn bonus points for expediting them. More interest is provided by the weekly excursion headed by "Flying Scotsman", which was then on a visit to Australia. (Difficulty ###) (E)
All Traffic Control except Silver Series price per game
Signal Box (Price each) - NEW SERIES!
Signal Box - Aller Junction 1955 - First in a new series. You are in charge of this busy signal box just west of Newton Abbot for a shift on a summer Saturday. Send and respond to authentic bell signals, pull the right levers in the right sequence and you can keep the traffic moving. Track diagram, block instruments and lever frame visible on screen. Definitely not easy! (Difficulty ###) Now available! (E)
Driver Simulation - NEW SERIES!
Graphics version each (PC only, requires at least EGA graphics)
Text version 
each (runs on any PC or Atari ST)
The top of your screen shows a plan view of a portion of the route, indicating the position of your train and showing stations and other significant landmarks; this is NOT a "driver's eye view". Below this are details of your position and other control information. In addition there is a graph of your speed against distance whenever you need to slow down for a signal, speed restriction or station stop, and a gradient profile at other times. As well as scheduled stops, you may be delayed by signals and temporary speed restrictions.
Driver : Kings Cross to Doncaster - First in a new series. You are in charge of your selected train on the East Coast Main Line, driving an HST or Class 47, 55 or 91 locomotive on an appropriate train and schedule. Accurate simulation of the performance of your chosen motive power. Schedules are taken from 1978, 1985 and 1990, with speed restrictions appropriate to each date. (Difficulty ##) Now available!
Shed Master (each)
Manage a maintenance depot, planning work through the depot so that all goes smoothly and motive power is available on schedule for booked workings. A new and different challenge for the Traffic Control experts.
Bounds Green - Purpose-built for HST maintenance, the depot has to handle overnight routine servicing and running repairs, and produce usable sets on time to take up their morning workings. Your tour of duty covers four weeknight shifts. (Difficulty ##)
Finsbury Park - Before the advent of the HST, and when loco-hauled local passenger and transfer freight workings were still common, the depot is responsible for refuelling, minor servicing and scheduled maintenance of an extensive diesel fleet. (Difficulty #)
Old Oak Common - Still busy even in HST times, with major and minor servicing of a large fleet of passenger and freight motive power, as well as refuelling its own and visiting locomotives. (Difficulty #)
Stratford - Once the largest steam shed in the country, and still busy in diesel times. Limited storage space complicates your task of servicing and refuelling a large fleet of passenger and freight locomotives. (Difficulty ##) (E)
Cardiff Canton - Canton is responsible for much of the South Wales Railfreight traffic, as well as InterCity, Provincial and Departmental duties. An even bigger challenge now sectors insist on the use of their own locos! (Difficulty ##) (E)
Rail Freight (each)
Manage freight workings in a major traffic centre, providing suitable motive power for scheduled and extra services and avoid pathing conflicts. Another variant on the Traffic Control theme, but with some different features.
Buxton Stone - Control the heavy traffic in this busy quarrying centre, during the transition period when class 25 and class 40 could be seen alongside their expected replacements. (Difficulty #) (E)
Cornish China Clay - Manage a fleet of four dedicated class 37s plus visiting Speedlink locos on a mixture of local clay hood workings and Speedlink feeder services. Not nearly as easy as it sounds! (Difficulty ##) (E)
Fleet Manager (each)
Manage a fleet of locomotives for a week, achieving the greatest possible mileage while ensuring that priority trains are covered and that scheduled maintenance is performed correctly. Quite different from Traffic Control, but equally challenging.
Class 50 - Based at Laira (Plymouth) and Old Oak Common (London) before the total takeover by Inter-City 125, your fifteen locomotives have to cover services between London, Birmingham, Plymouth, Penzance and Oxford. (Difficulty #)
Class 45 (Peak) - Your eighteen Peaks cover passenger services on the Midland main line between St Pancras, Derby, Nottingham and Sheffield. (Difficulty #)
ScotRail Class 47 - Your sixteen class 47/4 and 47/7 locomotives cover many of the principal ScotRail passenger services between Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness. (Difficulty ##)
Class 55 (Deltic) - Your eighteen Deltics cover principal services on the East Coast main line from King's Cross to Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh. (Difficulty ##) (E)
Network Solent/Sarum - Your sixteen class 33, 47/4 and 50 locomotives cover most of the loco-hauled passenger services between Waterloo, Salisbury and Exeter. (Difficulty ##) (E)
ScotRail 1984 - Your nine class 27 and nine class 47 locomotives cover most of the services between Edinburgh and Dundee, as well as many other ScotRail passenger services between Glasgow, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Inverness, and trips to Oban, Perth, Carstairs and Mossend. (Difficulty ##) (E)
Silver Series (
each)
These extended Traffic Control simulations all give you a choice of level of difficulty, but even the easiest level is quite a challenge. They involve control of all movements in a through or terminal station in steam days, including responsibility for motive power. Three or more screens show the platforms, a schematic of the station approaches, with an indication of routes set or occupied, details of forthcoming arrivals and option to produce a file containing a schedule of arrivals and departures for a particular run; relief trains and extras mean that the pattern of traffic changes each time.
Bath Green Park 1961 - Steam again, and how! Try to sort out the confusion as expresses between Bournemouth and the Midlands reverse and change engines in only two platforms. Many southbound workings need a pilot over the hills, and your job includes control of the five miles of single track south of Bath to Midford. Definitely not easy! (Difficulty ####) (E)
Shrewsbury 1962 - Back to steam again, in this busy crossroads on a summer Saturday. Handle through services on the Paddington to Birkenhead and Aberystwyth routes and the Crewe to Bristol and Cardiff route, as well as local services to Crewe, Stafford and Chester. There are also occasional trains on the Central Wales line to Swansea, the Severn Valley line and to Aberystwyth and Wolverhampton. Many services need their engines changing; you select appropriate motive power from that available in Shrewsbury depot (89A). (Difficulty ####) (E)
Plymouth North Road 1955 - First of a planned set featuring "Summer Saturdays in the West". Back to the glorious days of steam, on one of those notorious summer Saturdays. Handle through services on the Paddington to Penzance and Waterloo to Plymouth Friary routes, as well as local services to Saltash and Tavistock. Most services need their engines changing, and many need pilots adding or removing to provide assistance over the South Devon banks; you select appropriate motive power from that available in Laira depot (83D). (Difficulty ####) (E)
Salisbury 1950 - A different viewpoint on "Summer Saturdays in the West", at this busy junction of the South-Western main line and the busy cross-country route from Bristol and Cardiff to Portsmouth. Nothing but steam! Handle through services on the Waterloo to Exeter and Bristol to Portsmouth routes, as well as local services to Bournemouth and on the main lines. All services to or from the WR need their engines changing; you select appropriate motive power from that available in Salisbury depot (72B). (Difficulty ####) (E)
Newton Abbot 1955 - Another in our "Summer Saturdays in the West" series, at this busy junction of the Plymouth main line and the "main-line branch" to Torquay, Paignton and Kingswear. Most services on the Paddington - Plymouth main line need pilots adding or removing for the South Devon banks. Due to the lack of a turntable or refuelling facilities in the Paignton area, you also have to change engines on many Torbay services, and plan ahead to provide locos for up services from Paignton. You select appropriate motive power from that available in Newton Abbot depot (83A), which you manage in detail. (Difficulty ####) (E)
Scarborough 1960 - By popular request, something far removed from the Great Western! At this time much holiday travel was still by train, and in addition there were frequent day excursions to the seaside from many parts of Yorkshire and Lancashire, and sometimes further afield. Scarborough had an interesting station layout, with a separate excursion station as well as the main terminus, and carriage sidings "offstage" at Gallows Close. You have to manage the station and shed, striving to return visiting engines to their homes and to keep the holiday traffic moving. By 1960 most local services were dieselised, but all main line trains are still steam-powered. (Difficulty ####) (E)
Euston 1958 - Much requested, and one of the most difficult in this series. Apart from the Watford DC line and occasional appearances by the early main-line diesels, all services are steam-hauled, with locos provided on request by Camden shed or arriving with empty stock from Willesden. You have to manage the station and up and down carriage sheds, striving to return visiting engines to their homes and to keep the traffic moving. Your period of duty includes morning and evening peaks. (Difficulty ####) (E)
Silver Series price per game.
Simulations marked with the symbol (E) have mouse support (PC version only)
All prices are inclusive of VAT, postage and packing (UK or overseas). Please send payment with order, and state clearly your computer and the disk size required. When ordering a Driver simulation for the PC, please state clearly whether the Graphics () or Text () version is required.
Please note that for your convinience and ours, it is normal practice to fit all programs for one order on to as few disks as possible. If you want programs supplied on separate disks, for example to give as presents, please ask. If you are ordering several programs at once for an Atari ST, please tell us whether you can accept double-sided disks.
Please note that we can not supply these games for any computers other than those stated: specifically not for Amstrad PCW or CPC series, Commodore 64 or Amiga (yet!), Spectrum or BBC.
In the case of a significant error in any program, an upgrade to the latest version is available free of charge on request, provided that the error is described in sufficient detail for us to identify it, and the original disk is returned or the request accompanies a new order. To cover our costs, though, we regret that any request for an upgrade simply to obtain new features such as mouse support must be charged at 
per program.
Difficulty levels - In response to many requests, we have provided an indication of the difficulty of each game, as follows:
| # | Easiest |
| ## | Reasonably easy |
| ### | Fairly difficult |
| #### | Definitely difficult |
These ratings are of course subjective, but we hope they will be helpful. In general, we do not recommend games marked ### or #### until you have tried something simpler first, but of course the choice if yours.
Acknowledgement - Many of these games are based on ideas developed by R Pritchard and Dr D Stannard, to whom we are indebted for permission to publish PC and Atari ST versions
CREDIT CARDS: We can now accept VISA and MASTERCARD credit cards. If you wish to use this facility, please make sure that you supply ALL the necessary information: name, address, card number, card expiry date (and start date if printed on the card). All transactions will have to be authorised, and the cardholder's address must be the same as the delivery address.
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1 St. David's Close,
Leverstock Green,
Hemel Hempstead,
Herts. HP3 8LUAnswering machine/FAX : 0442-230404 |  |
