January 2016 DTG Freebie

[ZekTheKid]

(Hi Buzz)
It's the last day of the month,and I still didn't get my freebie.Will it come out sometime today????

[buzz456]

You're going to have to ask the Poo-Baas at DTG that question Tony. They don't keep me informed about such stuff and I get the freebie.

[BNSFdude]

Well dern it I want my February Freebie already.

[Chacal]

What IS the January freebie?

[Derek]

The freebie was signed off but not sure when it was getting released, I had thought Friday but maybe there was confusion and delay as the fat controller would say.

Maybe it will get released tomorrow or on Taco Tuesday?

On another note Febs freebie is in the bag ;)

[ZekTheKid]

The freebie was signed off but not sure when it was getting released, I had thought Friday but maybe there was confusion and delay as the fat controller would say.

Maybe it will get released tomorrow or on Taco Tuesday?

On another note Febs freebie is in the bag ;)

Taco Tuesday? Maybe it's a big fat taco on a flatcar.

[gtrtroger]

And the winner is.......

Exclusively to owners of TS2016 this month as part of TS Rewards is this superb collection of new liveries for the GWR Castle Class!

Some of the earlier Castles built for the Great Western Railway were fitted with older 3500 Gallon tenders built by Churchward, these often featured much of the insignia from the early GWR days including the classic Coat of Arms and the Carter Crest which were proudly displayed until the GWR Roundel was seen in years to come.

The Second World War took its toll on Britain’s Railways, having to either aid in racing families out of London and into the countryside or work in the dead of night, hauling whatever was needed for the war effort. The Castle Classes saw their fair share, with heavily weathered and dull liveries alongside blacked out cabside windows to shroud not only the drivers, but to keep the glowing fire box being seen from the skies above.

Featuring both the early GWR Castle Class with two 3,500 Gallon tenders and the Wartime GWR Castle representing the hardship of war on classic steam, this TS Rewards pack gives you the most content yet!

[Griphos]

So, is this just liveries for the Castle class DLC, or does it include the actual locos as well? I can't tell from the description. Don't want to download if it's just liveries, as I don't have the Castle class DLC.

[buzz456]

So, is this just liveries for the Castle class DLC, or does it include the actual locos as well? I can't tell from the description. Don't want to download if it's just liveries, as I don't have the Castle class DLC.

I have the Castle Class in my inventory and I'm sure I never bought it so I suggest you go look in your DTG folder and see if it's there. I did buy the pay version of 2016 but I'm sure you did too or you wouldn't be getting the freebie so I'm not sure when or how I acquired it.

[Griphos]

Hmmmm...I think it must be the whole loco. I did have the CastlePack05 in the DTG folder already (don't know how, but perhaps with TS2016 as Buzz suggests), but when I redeemed the code, another 85mb of something downloaded, and that's too big to just be skins, I'm thinking, and I suspect it's a different Castle as well, although I'm not at all familiar with that class, and so don't really know. At any rate, I had a CastlePack02 in my folder afterward.

[buzz456]

That is different. The pack I had before was Pack05.

[CrimsonKing]

I have both the BR Castle Class Double Chimney freebie (CastlePack05, dated 11/05/2015) and the GWR Castle Class freebie (CastlePack02, dated 2/2/2016) in my Assets folder.

[trev123]

I have Castle packs 01, 02 and 05.

[nsl714]

Here's a little background info on the Castles. 171 were built by the Great Western Railway, and later the nationalized British Railways, between 1923 and 1950. They were the evolution of the 4 cylinder Star class of 1906, and for the 40 years they were in service, they were considered the racehorses of the GWR passenger fleet.

The Castles released by DTG sort of cover the evolution of the class. The initial release in 2014 was a "stock" version of the castles as designed by Collett and built by GWR, with BR details such as number boards on the smokebox. This is CastlePack01.

The next variant to come out was the Hawksworth Castle with the Riviera in the 50's. This version includes a Hawksworth tender, mechanical lubricator, and 3 row Superheater, as applied in the late 1940's. This falls under "Exeter-Kingswear".

The Castle that came as the November freebe is considered the ultimate development of the Castle, from 1956. This engine features 4 row Superheaters and double Chimney. This is CastlePack05.

Finally The January freebe features Great Western branded versions. The pack features the original 8 from 1923 in ex-works condition, with smaller 3500 gallon tenders lettered in the two variations the Great Western branding went through in the 1920's. The "Wartime" version is the stock Castle with a 4000 gallon tender, looking a bit run down as engines tended to be during the war, and featuring a few cab Windows played over to assist in "blackout" conditions. These are CastlePack02.

All these variants were posted about on Engine Driver in 2014 shortly after the initial release. They weren't spoke of after that, and now it's pretty obvious why. Regardless, the DTG Castle family is complete. (To much jubilation by many, including myself!)

I hope this sheds some light on what the engine is, and just what it is that many have found themselves owning in TS.

Zach

[Griphos]

Thanks for that formative post, Zach.