[neil_s_wood]

Ok folks, I got a response from ESU in regard to UK outline loco symbols for ECoS. This is the response below;

Dear Neil,

if you can provide Windows BMP-Files with the engines you want to see, please let me know. We are glad to implement new icons in upcoming releases of the ECoS. This solution / offer may help until we implement the function to do a user upload on icons at a later time...

So if any of you can provide me with the above, I am happy to forward this to ESU so that we hopefully get them in a future update. I'm not quite sure what they mean by windows bmp files or where to get them.

So hopefully some of you are a bit better clued up than I am.

 

[neil_s_wood]

Thanks to Ian (Wiggy) I now know what to do to get these. I will do a few of these and email them off to ESU.

 

[Vulcanbomber]

Great News Neil
Well DONE!

 

[randolph]

Well done Neil, if you need any help let me know.

"a user upload on icons" sounds an interesting development. The more I get to know the ECoS the better it seems.

R

 

[SRman]

BMP files are simple bitmap graphics commonly used by Microsoft in Windows. Paint, a program which has been supplied with Windows since at least version 3.1, originally only saved pictures in BMP format but more recent versions (included with Windows XP and beyond) can also save in other formats such as JPG (commonly used for web-based pictures).

Doing bitmaps is the easy bit. What size do they have to be. If anyone has access to the existing bitmaps for locomotives in the ECoS system can they let us know and we may be able to come up with a template that everyone could use.

 

[dwb]

QUOTE Doing bitmaps is the easy bit. What size do they have to be. If anyone has access to the existing bitmaps for locomotives in the ECoS system can they let us know and we may be able to come up with a template that everyone could use.

Absolutely. What we need to know now are the dimensions of the bitmap and the type of bmp file. My guess is that they're 1 bit per pixel. Microsoft's Paint application can be set to this mode using the Menu option Image / Attributes and choosing Black & White. That's where you set can set the dimensions as well. I doubt the bitmaps are all that big, so I would suggest using View / Zoom / Custom / 800% and then switching on View / Zoom / Show Grid. Now you can colour each individual pixels one at a time. The final stage will be to "save as" / monochrome BMP.

This may seem a bit long winded but that's how I produced my diagrams for wiring up asymmetric Peco points. If you haven't seen them, they're here in the gallery.

I look forward to seeing some good representations of British locomotives, particularly 4-6-0s.

David

 

[neil_s_wood]

QUOTE (dwb @ 4 Sep 2008, 02:58) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Absolutely. What we need to know now are the dimensions of the bitmap and the type of bmp file. My guess is that they're 1 bit per pixel. Microsoft's Paint application can be set to this mode using the Menu option Image / Attributes and choosing Black & White. That's where you set can set the dimensions as well. I doubt the bitmaps are all that big, so I would suggest using View / Zoom / Custom / 800% and then switching on View / Zoom / Show Grid. Now you can colour each individual pixels one at a time. The final stage will be to "save as" / monochrome BMP.

This may seem a bit long winded but that's how I produced my diagrams for wiring up asymmetric Peco points. If you haven't seen them, they're here in the gallery.

I look forward to seeing some good representations of British locomotives, particularly 4-6-0s.

David
That's more or less what I did David. Ian (wiggy) gave me advice on what to do. I have sent off 15 images to ESU mainly pacifics although there was a Royal Scot and a Black 5 in there with a couple of token diesels, an HST and a DMU. So here's hoping they will be in the next update.

 

[SRman]

Wot? Only token diesels? Couldn't you do real ones?

 

[neil_s_wood]

QUOTE (SRman @ 4 Sep 2008, 17:56) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Wot? Only token diesels? Couldn't you do real ones?

Your lucky I put in any at all.

They were an after thought.

 

[SRman]

p.s. Any chance of a running session this weekend? I'm not as tied up as I thought I would be!

 

[neil_s_wood]

QUOTE (SRman @ 5 Sep 2008, 17:32) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

p.s. Any chance of a running session this weekend? I'm not as tied up as I thought I would be!

I'll give you a bell on Saturday afternoon, Sunday would be best for me.

I got a message back from ESU. They said they would see what they could do for inclusion in the next update, so here's hoping.

 

[Doug]

Please show us some of the files.

If you did a Garratt, I'll get an ECoS too

 

[john woodall]

Did the uk have a garratt?

Expensive bit of kit for just a wee small icon!

John

Marklins new icons are going to be in colour!

 

[dwb]

QUOTE Did the uk have a garratt?

The LMS had 33 - Wikipedia article
The LNER had 1 - LNER Encyclopedia

David

 

[GoingUnderground]

Neil,

Just seen your post, brilliant news, especially the bit about user definable icons.

Also seen the post about Marklin going to colour. With the price of colour LCD screens that'll be the way that ECoS goes eventually. If ESU does bring out an ECos with a colour screen I hope they will come up with a way for us existing users to upgrade our screens to colour without havign to buy a new ECoS.

keith.

 

[Richard Johnson]

QUOTE (neil_s_wood @ 4 Sep 2008, 06:15) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I have sent off 15 images to ESU mainly pacifics although there was a Royal Scot and a Black 5 in there with a couple of token diesels, an HST and a DMU. So here's hoping they will be in the next update.

***Curious choice though: Pacifics were very much in the minority on UK railways, so a whole host of 0-6-0T and o-6-0 tender loco's, a couple or three 4-4-0's, lots of 4-6-0's and a single pacific from each region that had them would have been a balanced set .

Hope U included a Jinty, and a 4F in there....

Richard

 

[Richard Johnson]

QUOTE (GoingUnderground @ 6 Sep 2008, 20:04) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>If ESU does bring out an ECos with a colour screen I hope they will come up with a way for us existing users to upgrade our screens to colour without havign to buy a new ECoS.

keith.

**Unfortunately unlikely: the colour screen and additional video requirements are a high proportion of the total system cost, and it would be more likely they will bring it to Ecos's successor, as a larger screen + colour is a more sensible step than a simple change to colour....

However the ability to use a separate large touch screen is a possibility, and sensible, now that companies like HP have brought touch scrren PC's to a consumer price thats sensible - a 20" colour touch screen extension for Ecos is a very appealing idea.

Richard

 

[neil_s_wood]

QUOTE (Doug @ 6 Sep 2008, 19:42) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Please show us some of the files.

If you did a Garratt, I'll get an ECoS too

I'm afraid I didn't Doug. I figured too few people would own this loco to make it worthwhile. I didn't want to send them a really extensive list as they may have selected a couple from the top so I just sent them some of the most popular UK outline locos that most people would like to see.

 

[dwb]

QUOTE Curious choice though: Pacifics were very much in the minority on UK railways

That is true, but I bet almost every UK model railway (GWR excepted) has at least one pacific and you need at least four outlines to cover most tastes - LMS, LNER, SR and BR standard. The UK's first and GWR's sole pacific 'The Great Bear' has too limited a lifetime and route availability to appear, so I suspect that GWR fans will be hoping for plenty of 4-6-0s or maybe 0-6-0 Panniers, 2-6-2 Prairies and Auto Coaches?

I think I'll start a poll for a bit of fun, just to see how many of us have fallen for the "big engine" thing.

David

 

[Richard Johnson]

QUOTE (dwb @ 7 Sep 2008, 17:58) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>That is true, but I bet almost every UK model railway (GWR excepted) has at least one pacific and you need at least four outlines to cover most tastes - LMS, LNER, SR and BR standard. The UK's first and GWR's sole pacific 'The Great Bear' has too limited a lifetime and route availability to appear, so I suspect that GWR fans will be hoping for plenty of 4-6-0s or maybe 0-6-0 Panniers, 2-6-2 Prairies and Auto Coaches?

I think I'll start a poll for a bit of fun, just to see how many of us have fallen for the "big engine" thing.

David

*** The answer will, I bet, be most.... we all love the larger loco's, but there's a lot to be said for balancing the roster properly, if for no other reason than to introduce a certain level of sanity into the budget and buying patterns .

Richard