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[Anonymous]

I know that Microsoft offers software for a Train Simulator program, however, the railways use an actual train simulator to train their Engineer's.

Does anyone know if any company or railway offers this service to non-railway employees and how could I contact them.

Thanks.

[shanson2]

Well, I don't know about offering it to individuals, but Norfolk Southern has a public relations car which they recently had for two weeks or so at Steamtown National Historic Site. On board was a simulator which the public was able to try. I have no idea if it is what trainees use, or is a dumbed-down version. I'm pretty certain this car travels around, so you might contact NS (or check their website) to see if it will be near you in the future.

Here's a link: http://www.nscorp.com/nscorp/application?pageid=About%20NS&category=About%20NS&contentId=english/nscorp/about_ns/exhibit_car.html

[shanson2]

If you don't need the latest simulator:

Locomotive simulator heads to KC Union Station

The two-story, 7,500-pound BNSF Railway Company locomotive simulator that trained more than 30,000 locomotive engineers during the 1980s and 1990s at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park, Kansas, was recently removed from the college.

The full-motion locomotive simulator, which was state-of-the-art for its time in November 1988, is now dated and the National Academy of Railroad Sciences (NARS) is donating it to Union Station (Kansas City, MO) as an interactive exhibit. It will receive a paint job with the new BNSF logo and a new title, "The KC Rail Experience."

"The locomotive simulator was a vital tool of the railroad industry," says Jeffrey Abbott, director, railroad training services, NARS. "We used it to train a lot of locomotive engineers over the years. It will be nice to see it in a place where people can experience the job of a locomotive engineer."

The simulator has been replaced by 36 mobile and more computer-sophisticated network simulators (NetSims) located at NARS and sites around the country.

JCCC is a neutral training entity for all railroads under NARS, which contracts all training with the BNSF. The company trains or retrains about 3,000 locomotive engineers a year. In addition, NARS is donating a half-cab simulator to Union Station, which also will be part of the display. - Elaine Bessier, The Johnson County Sun News, BNSF Today

[Anonymous]

There is a Company call Krauss-Maffei Wegman which builds simularors for the Rail Companies. Thay are the real deal, with sound and motion. Lots of fun and unforgiving. The simulator at Grand Central Station is very high tech. But not open to the public.

[Anonymous]

We are a community college located in Vancouver, BC that will start offering a locomotive engineer training course in late January. Our course is very similer to what NARS offers. We will be offering it to the industry and general public if anyone is interested. We do NOT guarantee employment and the cost of this course is very reasonable. We will have 2 new simulators on which one will be the North American Desk Top and the other will be the AAR-105 control stand.

If you have any interest, please email me at [e-mail]

[coborn35]

RIGHT HERE!!!!!!

I work at the North Shore Scenic Railroad and Lake Superior Railroad museum in Duluth,MN. 2 years ago, CN donated the former WC simulator. State of the art, just like operating a real locomotive, generator field, isolation swith,slack, etc

http://66.116.202.72/Education/trainsimulator.asp

as real as it gets!!!