LTM Jubilee line simulator

The simulator is now been upgraded to openbve. Therefore the 1996 stock is now unable to function in openbve. If the 1996 stock was used then you would find that the train would quite litrally sound like a chipmunk!! The simulator is actully using a 1995 stock train to drive. Extremley stupid. If the simulator was not upgraded it would be far more Realistic. However this could have been to a upgrade of a computer to windows vista/ 7 then bve 4 (the old version) would not longer be able to run. I am using windows vista and managed to get bve 4 to work although it requires some major modification. The 1996 stock for openbve is being made. However I dont know when this will be released and it could be a long time yet. Until then, the simulator will continue to run the 1995 stock and sound quite unrealistic. Bve is a freeware, and to get a tod and spedo hooked up would cost a hell of a lot of money. The one at Neasdon is using a custom made program built for the 1996 stock and not bve. The one at Neadson also has the ability to replicate faughts with the train. Bve just is one block and the same thing will happen everytime you drive it. E.G The signals what are at danger in the tunnels will allways be in the same place.

I think really they should have brand new ones ( I personally would like a 2009 stock simulator!) There is some great simulators for the S stock/2009 stock and 1995/96 stocks but unfortantly the public cant use them
however I am sure the profit the LTM make they can afford the ones which LU use? or some sort of Modified cab? However It annoys me how many people misuse it by letting go of the handle for no reason or kids just pushing the handle back and forth. I wish neaden would let people learn to drive them even if it means a small fee.

vic09; jardine01:

Please in your youthful igonrance will you stop slagging off stuff you don't understand in detail.

Firstly, assuming the simulator (at great cost as mentioned above) was the same as deisgned for training drivers and you, the public ought to be grateful that such a thing was released for the LTM - I remember when the LTM 'simulator' was a black-and-white film behind a desk - no controls at all and just Kings Cross to Farringdon.

Secondly, the simulators are primarily designed for driver refreshers rather than initial training (to simulate impossible events like trees falling on front of trains......) so things like 'feel' and correct saound is irrelevant to those using it.

I know what I am talking about - I was privileged to spend a whole afternoon on the Northern sim at Edgware a couple of years ago, and even to me, an experienced diesel driver, the lack of 'feel' made it almost implssible to for me stop on the mark. But to those driving the 95s every day it didn't make a scrap of difference since they drove by 'look' and other things.

A lot of the older forum members are getting a bit fed up with some of our 'know-it-all' youngsters who criticise destructively anything they happen not to find totally acceptable: these youngsters should be grateful for what IS available to them.

And, by the way, how can a 14 or 16 year old know how "unrealistic to the real thing" the sim is? Unless of course they have had the privilege of official cab-rides AND taken the controls??

And if you want brand new ones all you have to do is find the (huge amount of) money then donate it to the LTM - I'm sure they'll be ever-so-grateful.

When I mean ' Unrealistic I mean not like the train like the real noises it makes I have not had the pleasure to be in a cab yet. I can't see how I am being ignorant? For my age I am pretty polite!

If I may, I'll add a few comments as one of the people who were involved in the development of the new software for the simulators, and in the development of the exhibit as a whole in the first few years.

The physical cab itself was used for an exhibition when the JLE was under construction, to play a video (which was either on a VHS or a Laserdisc - I can't remember) which toured around various parts of London. When the JLE was opened the cab was passed to the LTM and sat at Acton for a while before being installed as part of the CGP.

As regards realism, here you miss a vital point. A visitor who walks up to ANY sort of interactive display will never read the label and will never do anything too complicated. Therefore, the controls must be simplified to accomodate this. There's no point in everything being precisely correct if nobody can ever use it. The basic functions are covered - the deadman's handle, starting and stopping at stations, signals and tripcocks etc. There is a balance between realism and usability which must be struck. After having spent many hours tweaking settings and adjusting controls, eventually a balance was achieved. Replicating faults on the train, again, far too complicated. Furthermore it must work, reliably, for 8 hours, 362 days per year, without constant attention. Reliability was a problem in the first couple of years post-opening, but after some re-working settled down to be near-perfect.

Ultimately, an exhibit designed to show a casual visitor something about how a tube train is driven is always going to be different from something designed to teach drivers. And you cannot please everyone.

As for the stupendous amount of profit the LTM supposedly makes, don't make me laugh.

I haven't. I paid once to visit the museum but wasn't able to have a go on the simulator as it was occupied by a stream of people who were sufficiently young enough to gain free entry to the museum. Personally, I was glad that there was a simulator at all!

I'm with Londonstuff on this, he deals with children in real life, and he's miffed then that's saying a lot.

I think this sentence sums up the ignorance argument quite well.

Anyway, what I was saying was, that I visited the LTM with my son and fella, we had a lovely day, somewhat educational and very enjoyable. The simulator was a popular exhibit, with adults and children, none of whom I would ever want to drive my train in real life! In a busy city such as London, the museum has to compete for visitors with many other attractions, it needs to have exhibits which are reliable, simple and effective - all of which the simulator appeared to be. I can assure you, having visited many attractions with interactive exhibits, there is nothing worse than either exhibits which are broken or too complex. I think given the limitations, the LTM have done a good job.