Overmod For all the work that went into this, I wonder at the late-'40s automobiles, the 'sullen' disc drivers, and the 5:00pm indicated arrival in Chicago.
For all the work that went into this, I wonder at the late-'40s automobiles, the 'sullen' disc drivers, and the 5:00pm indicated arrival in Chicago.
My April 1957 timetable indicates the 20th Century Limited ran on a 14 hour, 45 minute schedule from New York to Chicago. It left Grand Central Terminal promptly at 6:00pm ET and was scheduled to arrive in Chicago the next morning at 7:45am CT. The train always had top priority and stops were limited to make sure it stayed on schedule. Going eastbound it left LaSalle Street Station at 3:45pm CT and arrived at GCT at 9:00am. This is for the dieselized 20th Century Limited which didn't need to stop for coal or slow down to scoop water from the track pans. The simulator shows the 1939 schedule for the steam powered 20th Century which I believe was on a 16 hour schedule. I'm not sure but I think that left GCT at 5:00pm.
The New York Central took great pride in ensuring its flagship train stayed on schedule and delays were not tolerated.
MSTS (and it's successor in OpenRails), along with the newer Train Simulator and Train Sim World(s), are enjoyable, and allow mile-for-mile virtual modelling of places like Horseshoe Curve, Tehachapi, Sand Patch, Cajon Pass, etc...
But real models beat it out every time for me. Sim's have a place, especially when I wish to do something I cant possibly model, but real models still are better.
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
The TrainZ Simulator is pretty good if you simply enjoy watching a train roll by, or being the engineer along the preplanned routes. It's known for its "eye candy". For "serious" train simulation Run 8 is a vastly superior simulator. It's a sandbox style world with regions for Southern California, Donner Pass, A-Line in Florida and Georgia, and Central New York around Selkirk. I own, and use the SoCal region. The SoCal BNSF routes extend from LA through Needles to Seligman, AZ to the east, and to Fresno to the north via Barstow, Mojave, Cajon Pass (UP trackage rights) to Bakersfield and back to BNSF to Fresno. The UP routes include the Alhambra Sub, the Palmdale cutoff to Mojave and on to Bakersfield over Tehachapi Pass. There's also the UP Lone Pine Branch and the Trona Railroad.
Run 8 concentrates on replicating the dynamic physics of train operation, and has relatively poor scenery graphics. The route is a mile for mile true representation of the route with no options to speed up time, so it takes hours to run a train from Seligman to LA. Fortunately, you can save and break the trip into reasonable operating sesisons.
One of the latest Run 8 releases added an AI Dispatcher, so you can have computer AI trains on the routes while you run your train, or local. The program can generate AI manifests with industy destinations. You can take those AI trains to the hump yards (Barstow and Colton) in SoCal and break them down into locals, and then run the local to switch the industries.
All that being said, it still doesn't compare to "real" model railroading. I have my container on order, so should be able to start my new layout in the not to distant future. Run 8 and TrainZ will have seen their last runs.
Ray
I was a big fan of the original MSTS (Microsoft Train Simulator) and had some fun with it. No substitute for REAL mosel railroading, of course. This was around 2001 or so.
Back then you could buy add-on routes (I have the B&O Sandpatch route) and you could design your own graphics and rolling stock but that wasn't something I was too keen on at the time.
You could also get a desktop throttle system (RailDriver) that replicated a modern locomotive control. Much of this was based on the technology that also brought us the popular Flight Simulator programs. You could get a yoke and pedals to replicate aircraft.
I toured a BNSF training facility in Overland Park, Kansas back then and they were using a pro-version of train simulator for training operating crews. It was pretty convincing and the "cab" was on a gimbal system that tilted on the curves and if you applied the brakes it tilted forward to give you the feel of "G force" as ther train slowed. Pretty sophisticated stuff. At that time I think they had about 85% of the BNSF system recorded and they could pull up any division and simulate all the grades, geography and signal systems.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Train_Simulator
I hadn't kept up with the "Sim World" stuff recently but now with AI and those fancy headsets I'm sure you could get a nearly real-world experience. You could use graphics programs to design your own geography and make new "skins" for cars and locomotives.
I recall some sessions of MSTS where you really had to be on the ball. If you forgot to open the sanders at a certain spot, before a grade for instance, you would soon hear the wheel slip alarm and your train speed would gradually decrease until you stalled. You had to watch your fuel, amperage (load) and brake pipe pressures and even the alerter would have to be acknowledged or you would get a penalty brake application.
Regards, Ed
I could tell it was a simulator right away, but, still it is very impressive!
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I was well aware of the daily eastbound drag races out of Englewood. If I remember right, both trains departed Chicago at 4:00 Central Time and would have arrived in Englewood on the southside about the same time. I think both trains were scheduled to depart Englewood at the same time so that made for the competitive races between the two rivals who would later merge in an effort to save both.
I wasn't aware that both westbounds were scheduled to arrive in Englewood at the same time but given how tightly both trains were kept on schedule, it would not surprise me to learn they raced at least part of that 6 mile stretch heading westbound into Englewood. Naturally both would have to slow down for their stop there so the race would end before they got there.
John-NYBW I was also aware of the very limited number of stops the 20th Century made in route and its daily "drag races" with the Pennsy's Broadway Limited in Englewood just south of Chicago.
I was also aware of the very limited number of stops the 20th Century made in route and its daily "drag races" with the Pennsy's Broadway Limited in Englewood just south of Chicago.
Rich
Alton Junction
Being fan of the NYC, I was already aware of the operations regarding the change of motive power at Harmon and also the configuration of Grand Central Terminal (not Station as it is often called). I was also aware of the very limited number of stops the 20th Century made in route and its daily "drag races" with the Pennsy's Broadway Limited in Englewood just south of Chicago.
This presentation has got me wondering if I should invest in the Trainz simulator.
The one clip that initially fooled me was the train pulling out of the Park Avenue Tunnel. I saw the Model As moving in the background and at first thought it was historical footage and wondered if it had been colorized. It was only after I saw the other scenes that I realized it had all been created with the simulator.
Hi John,
I cannot answer your questions (don't you just hate that, when the first reply is just someone gabbing but not providing a solution or answer?) but I watched this whole thing and was very edified by the narration. The visuals were fun, too, but I actually learned a lot from just listening to how the train was assembled, where the crews changed, et ceteras. I didn't see anything in the "in color" portion that I thought might be real footage.
Thanks for posting this. It was a fun ride.
-Matt
Returning to model railroading after 40 years and taking unconscionable liberties with the SP&S, Northern Pacific and Great Northern roads in the '40s and '50s.
I was going through some YouTube videos and came across this one which was described as being an official video for the 1938 20th Century Limited.
K&L Trainz NYC 20th Century Limited Promo (Official) - Bing video
It turns out the footage is not a real New York Central promotional video but one produced by the Trainz simulator. The closing credits indicate Kalmbach was involved in the production.
I had no idea train simulators had become this sophisticated. Some of the footage at first glance seemed to be real although I doubt a promotional video would have been shot in color back then.
It showed the 20th Century Limited at various locations along its route to Chicago. Are these scenes loaded into the software or does the user have to create these very real looking scenes?