MSTS or Microsoft Train Simulator as it is know as. here is my latest work for it as I am doing a Photo reskin of a Union Pacific General Elcetric AC4400CW engine. Me being a rail fan I enjoy Trainsim as I dont have the room for a Model train setup.

Just thought I would share my second favorite Hobby with you all

That's great...I work at GE Transportation Systems...we build um...

Theres always room for a train layout. I had a cool one in an apartment once. Made a 2x2 frame, a 4x8 foot piece of plywood, and four pieces of small chain. hung it from the ceiling, I could just pull it up to the ceiling to get it out of the way.It had all the scenery like trees and buildings. Then I changed it to a slot car track...theres always a way. A friend of mine made a whole little layout inside a glass coffee table with this little (Z-gauge I think)that was really cool. Its amazing the detail when the engine is like only an inch long.I was in a restaurant where they had HO model trains running all around the rooms about 7 foot off the floor going thru 'tunnels' from room to room. they just put up like foot wide shelves.This guy in my vette club just moved to florida. He had HO trains in his basement with mountains, cities, coal mines and everything. He had one engine that had a video camera in it looking out the front window. You could watch a tv screen at the controls and it looked like you were in it. Messing around once, he put a little car on the track and we watched the screen as we crashed...lol.

[This message has been edited by rogergarrison (edited 12-31-2003).]

That is cool Dan. I like your guys engine, However I am not much of a Diesel man as I have done more repaints of Steam engines there then anything and Baldwin seems to be my largest Group. I was looking into painting some of your Compititions Engines when I recived a Picture of this engine this morning. I went to work on the Reskin and that is what I have done so far. The Engine I was going to do was a SD70MAC for BNSF so I goofed all around and made a Union Pacific AC4400CW instead lol. the AC4400CW and the SD70MAC's are both my favorite engines. However the AC6000CW is one of my next goals as there is a good model for Train sim and It is in bad need of a Photo Reskin.
For those who Dont know AC is Alternating Current and 4400 is the HP rating and I dont know what the CW stands for maby Dan can shed some light.
Hay Dan Since you build them if you can, would you email me some photos. I am in bad need of photos of these engines to do repaints for Train sim. The best are side shots as level as they can be as well as head on and rear shots. I can make top paints work by cut and paste so I can render that some what without pictures but if you have access to a top view it would be almost a first for Trainsim repaints.
Here is a Screenshot of a Baldwin Pacific locomotive I painted to AT&SF 1337 wich was scraped some 40 years ago. I based this paint on a single Picture I found of that engine.

Ogres Love Trains............

You need to see the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania in Strasburg, PA and the Strasburg RR live short line steam RR across the road.

The PA State museum has some major pieces and a turn table that most people never see close up. There is also "The National Toy Train Museum" down the road. I've seen all three. The Strasburg Steam RR has some nice pieces in it's own right both on and off the track.

The toy one is cute but the other two are far better. It can take about an hour at the toy place if you want to look at all the detail. Otherwise it's a 5 minute walk thru for many people. This is someone's idea of capitolizing on the other two places nearby. It is more amuzement than anything historically significant. (Don't buy into the hype you see in Lancaster area web sites....)

The Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania is best in warm weather. Much of it is outside and in cold weather the outside stuff is mostly closed. You could easily spend days to weeks, even years, working with them to collect enough images and data for a full simlulation of almost any engine type ever used in North America.

The Strasburg steam short line I believe runs most of the year. Very nice ride. They have a picnic park in the middle of the line that is open weather permitting.

While in the area... You'll want to see the Wilmington and Western RR here in Delaware. They are another short line steam that runs year round. I believe it is posible to arrange "back stage" access to their shop and track works as well as the engines.

You'll also want to look at Franklin Institute in Philly. They have the biggest or damn near it steam engine ever built. The Baldwin 60000 is 350 Tons. I've seen this thing. It's scary huge.

There is also a train in Allaire State Park/Village in NJ. I'm told it is now a steam train but I haven't seen it since the 60's.

I want to see a GG1 in a "game." Specifically in the paint for the last one... The last GG1 was retired off the line along the NJ shore. For it's time, the GG1 was among the best performing electric engines built. Even now few electric engines or cars perform better. (There is a GG1 in the PA museum above.)

BTW trivia... The train museum in Strasburg had an odd problem a few years ago. They were given a diesel electric engine by Conrail I think... The problem... The bloody thing was still filled with PCB laced transformer oil. Gave them a major headache trying to figure out how to clean up that mess.

I also want to see the old Red NYC subway cars. The Red Cars with their wierd gloss pastel green interiors are an American classic.

One they don't want... Acela. What a pile of crap. Amtrak has had allot more issues with them than the damper bracket problem that made the press. Nearly all of them are missing "trim" from the tops of the engines at both end of the trains. The trim was gone from them almost as soon as the trains started running. (I see these POS things every day at the Wilminton station. I work 2 blocks and several floors above the tracks.) I've talked to a fewe Amtrak people from the yards near here... They arn't very impressed either. Acela is some sort of political BS more than a real train.

Amtrak keeps loosing money... no wonder... I can drive to NYC from Wilmington on many days for less money and faster than Amtrak. Even on the Metroliner, which used to be the fastest train in North America at 80-90MPH. Amtrak is constantly delayed for one BS reason or another.

I hope you guys really like this post... It took me a couple hours to put together and find the links. I haven't been to some of these places for years.

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Be alert. The world needs more lerts...

The Ogre's Fiero Cave (It's also at the top of every forum page...)

The largest engines as far as steam are here in Colorado and Wyoming. The Largest is the Bigboy wich is a 4-8-8-4 and I got to see its little brother the Challenger run and got Photos of it, Its a 4-6-6-4.
Here is a Picture of the Challenger when it was running the Denver Post train durring the Cheyanne Frontier days

This engine was huge in its own right and the BigBoy is bigger.
One of the Big Boys ran a 750 Car train on Sherman hill and was the Largest train ever to be pulled by a single engine.
that is a 5 mile long train for those who are wondering.

Great work guys! They look real!

Every time I go to Henry Ford Museum I like to spend time milling around the Allegheny, one of the largest steam powered trains. Everything about it is huge and makes you think about how much went into designing, engineering it, and then the work making it, and then the people that worked on it everyday when it was in service.

I don't have MS train simulator, yet, I'm thinking about picking it up. Do they already have the Allegheny in the game? If not could it be made?

Here's some related links:
Allegheny Locomotive

The Allegheny Type Locomotive

Steam Locomotive Roster

quote Originally posted by 88Fiero2M4: Me being a rail fan I enjoy Trainsim as I dont have the room for a Model train setup.

I don't know if you have anything near you, but if you have the opportunity, join a model railroad club. I was going to rebuild a layout in my basement, but found a club that was 4 miles from me. What I found there was something that I could never have in my own basement because of the cost. We have the best of everything from the Digital Command Control to excellent scenery areas. We are a long way from being completed (no railroad is ever completed), but we have club members from many different backgrounds that are very willing to teach what they know about the hobby. It's really a neat setup.

http://www.napmltd.org/

We were featured on the cover of Model Railroader Magazine in March of 2003.

It is a fascinating hobby, and whether you join a club or have your own layout, it's a blast. A club isn't for everyone. Many people enjoy building the entire layout themselves, and I joined the club because my modeling skills are lacking in many areas. I am the Track Committee chairman and am responsible for track laying/changes and operation. When it comes to weathering structures and cars, I suck (but I'm trying to learn).

Mark

Don, I got to climb up in the cab of 3985 when it came through here several years ago for River City Roundup days in Omaha. Quite an experience! I've been fortunate in that I have actually run a steam locomotive, both as a fireman AND an engineer. I belonged to the local chapter of NHRS, and we aquired an ex-US Army Baldwin 2-8-0 locomotive, and about 20 miles of track. We started an excursion line, and over the years, I learned to first fire, then run, the steam locomotive. The chapter no longer has it...because of maintenance costs, and political infighting, it was sold to the Great Smoky Mountain Railway in North Carolina. But I can say I was lucky enough to learn to do what a lot of people only dream about. When I have some time, I'll find some pics and scan them in.

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Mike...86 GT 4 Speed
"Sucks to be me..."

quote Originally posted by Tigger: Great work guys! They look real! Every time I go to Henry Ford Museum I like to spend time milling around the Allegheny, one of the largest steam powered trains. Everything about it is huge and makes you think about how much went into designing, engineering it, and then the work making it, and then the people that worked on it everyday when it was in service. I don't have MS train simulator, yet, I'm thinking about picking it up. Do they already have the Allegheny in the game? If not could it be made? Here's some related links: Allegheny Locomotive The Allegheny Type Locomotive Steam Locomotive Roster

I think there is one part of Allegheny route but not sure about the locomotives.
if you want to see what they have www.train-sim.com, Dont ask at the forum cause there all grouches there. Join the File Liburary and look thru there. it dont cost anything unless you get a first class membership.

there are also alot of payware stuff wich you will find the links to those sites at Train sim.

I didnt kno there was some interest in this hobby here or I would habe posted it alot sooner.