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1 February

•  I'll be away  for the next 5-6 days, so there will be no updates until I get back. Until then, here are a few news items to read while you wait for the next issue. And there will be a new article from Claude next week - I've read it, and it's a beauty!

• Tired of using the keyboard and mouse to drive your trains? RailDriver no longer enough for you?  Read this thread  over at Train-Sim.com to see what one guy built himself.

• And  here is a thread  that contains a series of screenshots from the upcoming Trainmaster from PI Engineering. The shots show a first run at testing the terrain elevation and ground texturing.

•  Coal to Newcastle V5  - the upgraded Australian route north from Sydney, the capital of New South Wales, to Newcastle, a port on the mouth of the Hunter River, has just been released. The route is based on the 1950s coal branch lines located in Newcastle and the section of the main line to Sydney. It now also includes the section to Maitland, in the Hunter Valley, as well as Enfield Goods and Darling Harbour Goods Yards. And the route's developer says that he will add more line to the route in the future. Version 5 route statistics: route length = 122 miles (196 km); track pieces used = 15,818; track length laid = 550 miles (886 km); road pieces used = 10,888; road length laid = 776 miles (1248 km).

You can download the route from this website. It is a 98Mb single exe file download.

For operational information and documents, try this website.

A quick review from one user: "Track placement is much, much better. You still need a beast of a machine to run it. Even with my P4 2.6ghz, 1024Mb of DDR RAM and a GeForce 6600GT 256mb with DDR3 RAM, the game slowed right down at Wickham. Mind you, I have the graphics levels maxed out in both the card and the game.  There seem to be texture improvements through the Hawkesbury River area, and the lighting feature is sweet. I give it a 10/10. The size of this route means that there are many, many possibilities for activities. Not only does it have the Short North main line, but also Enfield Yards, Belmont Branch, Toronto Branch, and Wangi Branch, plus Maitland, Port Waratah, and a few other branches into the coalfields around Wallsend."

• A news item from the UK has some potentially very serious implications for the  future of railway lines  in that country:

30 January

• As well as the well-known ConBuilder utility program, Joe Smith has developed a  Fix Shape Files program , and now in version 2. You can download it here from Roster section of NERR's NETS, or you can go to the ConBuilder website. Joe writes: "What does it do?It takes those shapes that Shape Viewer has a problem with and converts them back from the apparent double compression, or whatever was used, and puts them back as normal compression. It also will compress those shapes that are not, after it asks you if you want to or not. It will tell you if a shape is already compressed. On the bad shapes - it will just fix them. No questions except, where is the bad shape? 

How do you use it? Where does it go - anywhere you like! Then it will write a file named fixshp.ini in the ConBuilder folder. It uses this file to retrieve the last folder you were working in. If you accidentally erase or delete this file, it will get created again on the next run. As far as functionality goes they work exactly alike, except that one uses the default folders only.

Where can these shapes be - again, anywhere you like. The program will copy the shape file, the one with the .s on the end, (e.g. eng1.s), to the utils\ffedit folder to work on it and copy it back when it is done. You then have the choice of removing the old file or keeping it.

How can you tell if you need to do this? The Shape Viewer will display nothing when you try to load the shape and do a screen shot, or if you happen to be using the set of utilities in the zip file called recmp119.zip from the Train-sim library, and it says the file is not compressed, but you look at the size and it looks to be compressed."

• Joe has also just released a new utility program, called  MSTS Path Changer . This utility will help you to have MSTS installed on a drive other than drive C.

"What does this little program do? It edits the paths in the registry for you, as you answer the questions asked. When it is done, the registry will now point to the new path instead of
C:\Program files\Microsoft Games\Train Simulator. It will now point to wherever you asked it to be changed to, for example G:\Trains.

When you start the program, the first screen asks you for a drive letter. Enter the drive letter as C or D or whatever. All drives the you have will be listed - except CD-Roms or DVD drives. The second screen shows how you changed it, and if you don't like it, you can cancel. It will then ask you for a manual change, which will take you to another screen asking if you want to manually change it or start over.

The third screen is for those brave enough to do manual editing of the path. For those that want to verify the operation of this utility, the editing takes place in the path hkey_local_machine\software\microsoft\microsoft games\train simulator\1.0 - please take great care when opening the Windows registry."

You can download a demonstration version of the program from the ConBuilder website - the file called mvmstsd.zip is near the bottom of the page on the website. It will show you what would have happened if you had actually made the changes using the full version of the program. "Where to put it on your hard drive is up to you. As with my other little utilities, it can be anywhere on your drive. To get the full version, click on the PayPal icon on the website, put mvmsts in the email subject and the notes sections. The program will be emailed to you. The cost is $6.00."

• We now have 3 work orders for which  100 or more time slips  have been submitted. They are:

  • NEFB-045-01 - Diesel - Freight - Mont Denver Gold - 100 time slips.

  • NECV-007-03a - Diesel - Freight - elementb - 103 time slips.

  • NEWC-1-Grainmove - Diesel - Freight - artimrj - 104.

  The next two work orders are:

  • NEFB-045-02 - Diesel - Freight - Mont Denver Gold - 83 time slips, and

  • NECV-007-03b - Diesel - Freight - elementb - 83 time slips.

  So who will be the first work order developer to have 2 work orders over the 100 mark - elementb or Mont Denver Gold?? And notice that both developers' work orders are part of a series.

• There is an interesting locomotive over at Train-Sim.com this week. It is a 132-tonner. We've had 25-tonners and 44-tonners, but this is the first 132-tonner that I have seen in MSTS. From the readme.txt file: "This is a Wellsville, Addison & Galeton  132-ton GE Center Cab  #1700. This General Electric 132-ton diesel-electric locomotive with two Cooper Bessemer 500 HP C-B GNL-6 diesel engines, was one of five originally built for the Ford Motor Company in March, 1940. They were sold, along with two 125-ton diesel-electrics to the Wellsville, Addison and Galeton RR (WAG) in Galeton, Pennsylvania. The WAG was originally part of the B&O RR, before being severed from their main system by a flood in 1942. The WAG serviced the local tanneries in Northern Pennsylvania and existed from 1954 to 1979."

26 January

• The latest version of  ConBuilder , version 2.3.43, is now available in the Roster section of NETS on the NERR website. You can download the latest help file (3.3Mb zip file) and either the full installation (8.3Mb zip file) or the update-only version (850Kb zip file). Joe Smith says that there was a small bug in the v2.3.42 released 2 days ago that has now been fixed.

•  Trainmaster , one of the companies developing a new-generation train simulator, has added two updates to their website:

  • One is an interview with Henk Plaggemars, an Australian, who has joined their publishing and marketing team after leaving Auran, the company that developed the Trainz train simulator.

  • The second is information about a 440 mile route for the package - the South London Commuter route.  Part of the information is "The routes for South London Commuter take a selection of both inner and outer suburban routes as well as going further afield to the areas serving longer distance commuters. Going into London, Charing Cross, Waterloo East, London Bridge, Blackfriars and Cannon Street are served, with services emanating from Tonbridge and Bromley North on the eastern side and from further afield, with services from Uckfield, East Grinstead, Redhill, Gatwick Airport and Brighton. Services from Brighton will use the original London Bridge terminus that was used when the line was first opened - a joining of two groups, London and Croydon Railway and London and Brighton Railway. The former ran from London Bridge to West Croydon and L&BR built from Norwood Junction towards Brighton - then they merged to provide a through route. Although Victoria now serves as the main railhead for Brighton services, there are many trains today still starting and terminating at London Bridge."

• If you have a few spare minutes and want to read some interesting and curious  things about railroads , take a look at this site. For example:

  • On 26 March 1884, on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, east of Denver, a wind ripped off the roundhouse roof at Akron and set 8 coal trucks on the move. They ran on the mainline, where the wind carried them along at speeds up to 40 m.p.h. At Benkelman, 95 miles from Akron, a freight locomotive gave chase and eventually brought the trucks under control. They had covered 100 miles in less than 3 hours.

  • On the Arica-La Paz Railway in Chile, llama dung and dried moss were burned on two 0-4-0 tank engines.

  • In South America, during a crop surplus, coffee beans were used as fuel.

  • During a coal shortage in 1919, the Russians used dried fish as fuel, and for this purpose 8,000 tons were requisitioned by the Soviet Government.

25 January

• A  new VR  has been launched:

• The  update for Wupper Express 10  is available from links on the developers' website at Graphics15. The file that you need to download is we10up101.zip (5.3Mb exe file). Wupper Express 10 will become known as version 10.1. Apart from updating the track, the download installer will load a new set of Graphics15 activities (as required by the changes to the track database). The readme file suggests you delete all files from the Wupper Express 10 Activities, Paths, Services, and Traffic folders. When you run the installer, setup.exe, tell it that the target folder is <system drive>:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Train Simulator\, where <system drive> is usually C:.

24 January

• The latest version of  ConBuilder , version 2.3.42, is now available in the Roster section of NETS on the NERR website. You can download the latest help file (3.3Mb zip file) and either the full installation (8.3Mb zip file) or the update-only version (850Kb zip file). Joe Smith says that the changes in the new version are: "Fixed the case check of eng and wag files, fixed a problem with the alias to folders. Updated the aliasing on the help pages too, so if you download the update, also download the help file. My utility to correct bad shapes found with Shape Viewer is now installed with the full install of Conbuilder - it will also compress and or un-compress shape files. It is basically a simple interface to the ffeditc_unicode.exe program in the utils\ffedit folder. Read the fixshape.txt file for instructions."

• And a further announcement from Joe: "I have a new utility that I have written to make changes to the registry for those who want to have MSTS on a different drive. The version in the mvmstsd.zip file that you can download from my website is a demo only. Nothing will be changed on your hard drive; it will just show you what changes would have been made if you were using the full version. The full version can be purchased from my website."

A review of the program will be here in a day or two.

22 January

• I found this  1888 railroad story  and thought that you might like to compare it with your 2006 experiences. There has always been a great interstate rivalry between New South Wales and Queensland:

Tuesday, February 21, 1888 A New South Wales Opinion of Queensland Railways  Captain Hunt, of Tamworth, has been writing to the Tamworth News an account of a visit to Brisbane, from which we extract the following passage referring to our railway service:- "Unfortunately the train from Sydney on the morning of my departure from Tamworth was three hours late, and before we reached the Queensland border was four hours behind its proper time. Reaching Armidale at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, there was a great scramble for refreshments by the passengers in the fifteen minutes allowed at this station. I was unable to secure anything other than a glass of whiskey and water and a biscuit. The next refreshment stop was Tenterfield, where the train did not arrive until after 9 o'clock at night, and where only an indifferent meal was procurable. On reaching Wallangarra, the changing station at the NSW/Qld border*, I was much struck with the comfort and cleanliness of the Queensland train in waiting. The engines on the Queensland line are compact and interesting little types of mechanism, built at the Baldwin Locomotive Works, Philadelphia, U.S.A. The sleeping car is replete with every comfort and convenience, superior to my mind in every respect to those of the New South Wales Railways; and the same could be said of the saloon. The smoking car is judiciously placed at the end, with the convenience of a railed-in platform. After passing Stanthorpe and Warwick (at the latter station an excellent meal is to be had), the train enters upon the Darling Downs, which seem interminable, so extensive are they. It is pleasing to note the civility and attention on the part of the Queensland Railway officials. The guard+ of the train, at the different places where refreshments were to be had, enquired if any lady wished for a cup of tea, and then procured what was needed. The uniform worn by the officials on the Queensland Railways is altogether different to that of New South Wales. I noticed that the guard's blue coat was trimmed with a silver lace, and red cloth facings to the collar and cuffs. It is impossible to enjoy the magnificent scenery of the Toowoomba ranges in the early morning because of the dense mist hiding greatly from view the deep gorges and abysses. Here and there you may get a peep where the mist has parted, showing great depths, similar to the grand scenery of the Blue Mountains@ of New South Wales. The different gradients along the line are marked on white printed posts, so that the observant traveller can easily ascertain upon what gradient the train is running." * - the railway gauge in NSW is 4ft 8.5inches and in Queensland is 3ft 6inches, so all passengers and freight had to be transhipped at the state border. Now, there is a standard gauge (4ft 8.5inches) line direct to Brisbane. + - the train Guard was in charge of the train. He travelled in the guard's van at the rear of the train. @ - the mountain range to the west of Sydney. It was called the Blue Mountains by the early explorers in about 1835 because of the blue colour of the mountains from a distance. This colour is attributed partly to the haze caused by the evaporation of the eucalyptus oil from the trees. These maps show the location of towns mentioned in the story. The New South Wales towns are on the map to the left, and the Queensland towns are on the map below.

• This posting, by Joe Smith (one of the developers of ConBuilder) in one of the forums, will help with a common problem in MSTS - having a limited number of  locos to alias from  in ConBuilder:

Have you been trying to figure out why your dash9 or gp38 is all of a sudden not showing in the 'Alias From' boxes in ConBuilder? Well, here is why it happens, and what can be done to fix it so they will show: In either the cabview or sound folders, if the cvf or sms file has any paths, they will not get listed in the boxes to alias from. For example:

sms files - an entry like ( "../../GP38/Sound/gp_power_cruise1.wav" -1 ) is pathed. It should not be this way inside a default engine, and the path reference will need to be removed so that the entry looks like this - ( "gp_power_cruise1.wav" -1 ). Now it will work.

cvf files - and entry like CabViewFile ( "..\\..\\GP38\\cabview\\GP38Frnt.ace" ) won't work either. It needs to be like this - CabViewFile ( "GP38Frnt.ace" ) or CabViewFile ( GP38Frnt.ace ) - now it will work.

Why is this? Because it is assumed that, if there is a path, then there must not be any wav files in the folder. So if you are trying to alias from some engine and you know that there are wav files or ace files in the folders, then look at the cvf and sms files to see if the lines have any paths. Now if there happens to be only 3 or 4 ace or wav files in the folders, then I would not change things, as this one is probably not a good locomotive to alias from.

21 January

• A series consisting of  8 new work orders for the Monon  route today.The details are:

  • NEMN-117-03-BR01 - Drive an EMD SD40T-2 (Bison Rail) today. Start at Layfette, proceed forward and reverse at the reverse point to pick up the consist of empties in the yard. Follow the passing train through Lafayette town - his engineer will make sure you do not exceed the speed limit! If your engine noise doesn't wake up the residents, then your full headlights will! At Romney, drop off your rear 5 grain cars at the silo (do not block the level crossing). At Linden, drop off the next 5 rear grain cars at silo. At Ames, you will be diverted to a bypass to await a passing train.

  • NEMN-117-03-BR02 - Continue from Ames after the passing train has appeared on main, so you can proceed forward to Whitesville, where you drop off your 5 rear grain cars at the
    silo. Then to Roachdale where you will need to reverse your train onto the crossing track and drop off the last 5 grain cars beside the grain facility. You should be at Roachdale before 9.21, but if not, a crossing coal train will wait for you to pass. Then onward to Greencastle, where you go to the sand quarry. Drop off your 10 empty grey sand hoppers opposite the full red ones, pick up the full red hoppers, and the go back onto the main. Proceed to Lone Star where you will reverse into the yard and go into the cement plant.

  • NEMN-117-03-BR03 - Continue from the cement plant at Lone Star. Proceed forward, pick up the 2 helpers at Coal Spot, then go forward & reverse to pick up the cement wagons, then go on your way out of Lone Star. Pass thru Cloverdale and stop with your wagons shortly after the second W sign (which is facing other way) and uncouple the engines from the train. Pick up the pipe wagons on the siding on your left and re-couple to the train. Proceed forward to McDoel Yard with your heavy load - it will be hard to speed up and hard to slow down! At McDoel, the train on your right is for you to drive in your next work order. This work order finishes on McDoel siding, where another crew is to take this train non-stop to Louisville, where you will connect with it later.

  • NEMN-117-03-BR04 - You are now driving an EMD GP9 (Bison Rail) with the train with boxcars of drilling equipment which is standing beside Bloomington Drilling Equipment warehouse on McDoel Yard. From McDoel go through Clear Creek and switch to reverse onto Skinner Mill siding where you drop off the rear 5 boxcars. Behind you, you will see your previous train passing by on the old main line – you will meet again at Louisville. You continue on the new main line (constructed in 1899 with easier grades) which rejoins the old main at Harrodsburg Junction. At Thornton watch out for low flying planes and a passing train! You will be diverted onto a siding just before Orleans where your work order completes.

  • NEMN-117-03-BR05 - From Orleans, proceed forward and uncouple from your consist when it is level with the far end of the dense row of trees on the right. Turn right into Orleans to pick up the log wagons from the Orleans Lumber siding and then those on the siding opposite the silo tanks and reverse to couple with your boxcar consist. Proceed forward to the end of Fogg bypass where you will need to wait for an oncoming train to pass.

  • NEMN-117-03-BR06 - Wait for the passing train and then proceed. Watch your speed on the undulating track. Are they having a Speedster convention somewhere? Stop before reaching the  switch after the Vernia location sign (before MM316). Uncouple from your consist and pick up the loaded pipe wagons on the other track. Then couple back to your consist and proceed forward. In the Youngtown Yard, on the track on your right, you will see the train you left at McDoel which has been brought to Youngtown non-stop by another crew. Stop your train when you are level with the nearest engine (#4534). Uncouple from train and move forward, where your work order will complete.

  • NEMN-090-07-BR07 - You will be using the GE 44 ton (Bison Rail) in this switching work order. It's now 1600 hours (4.00pm), and you reverse out of the engine fuel track and go to the opposite end of siding 2. Perform the switching tasks on your work order. The 44T switcher is underpowered for this task and will operate in the "RED" zone during portions of this work order. Limit your operation in the "red" zone (>1,000 amps) to less than 10 minutes at any one time.

  • NEMN-090-07-BR08 - You get to drive an EMD GP18 (Bison Rail) in this work order, the final one for today. Reverse out of the fuel track and carry out the tasks on your work order. Then go to the Phantom Route Transfer (PRT) node to transition from Monon to the Hoodoo Pass route.  And now you can go home!

• Kuju have released an update on the work on their  new-generation train simulator . You can visit their website here. Some interesting information about route development in Kuju's TS.

20 January

• The latest version of  Route-Riter  - version 6.3.66 - is now available in the Roster section of NETS. It is the update version only. You need v6.3.55 or higher to be able to use this 2.3Mb download.

•  EngMod  is now up to version 2.2. Its website is here. If you are brave enough to use beta versions of software, there is a beta version 2.5 "for those who wish to explore double coupler physics". I don't use EngMod, but it has been around for a long while, and equipment developers, plus those who like to change things in MSTS add-ons, have praised it very highly. According to the website: "EngMod provides a simple interface to change the parameters within ENG, WAG and other files."

• If you installed the latest  Microsoft patch for Windows , you might find the following useful. BUT, if you don't have the problem, don't use this fix! If it ain't broke, don't fix it!!

How to Re-register the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer: Some folks are unhappy to find that the patch released by Microsoft last week to address the WMF exploit results in the loss of functionality of the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer. If you want your Picture and Fax Viewer back, try this: Click Start | Run. Then, in the Run box, type: regsvr32 shimgvw.dll. If this doesn't work, try typing this in the Run box: regsvr32 /I shimgvw.dll. This should restore the Picture and Fax Viewer registration, and you'll be able to use the program again to look at your digital photos and/or faxes.

• Have you used the  Jet Train  to explore a new route very quickly? Tired of hearing the same old GP-38 sounds when you are travelling at hundreds of miles per hour? Well, there is a new file at Train-Sim.com that will improve your experience with this unusual, but very useful, vehicle. "Realistic Jet Sounds for the ChrisTrains Jet Train (CTJV1.ZIP). Replaced the compressor and airbrake noise with 707 startup shutdown sounds. Replaced the diesel engine noise with jet noise." I haven't installed the new sounds yet, but it will be interesting - should scare those pesky MSTS deer right over the nearest hill!

• Just a item of interest for our Australian members and all visitors:  26 January  is Australia Day, when we commemorate the establishment of the first permanent European settlement on the Australian continent in 1788. There will be lots of things to celebrate on that day!

• We have a number of  ALCo locomotive  fans among our members. If you are among them, you might be interested in the new releases from the Steam4Me website - the main site for Australian add-ons for MSTS. Two packs have been released:

  • Forty-nine (49) Class 48 locomotives (32.7Mb exe file download) - sample shown on the right.

  • Six (60) Class 35 locomotives (5.54Mb exe file download).

  • Cabview and sound files are downloaded separately from the same website.

• The team at Graphics15 are producing a track update for their  Wupper Express v10  route, so don't develop any new work orders for that route until you get the update. I'm not sure when it will be ready for release.

17 January

• News about  three new routes  released this week, the first two at Train-Sim.com and the third at UKTrainSim:

  • The Maryland & West Virginia route: This route is a fictional route that combines the two railroads that were real in the Maryland/Virginia area. It is mainly a switching route, and it is meant to be that way. It is very short, but it has one tunnel, 4-5 sidings, and two stations, as well as a roundhouse. The route does not work in winter. There is an introductory activity included in the installation, plus some repaints of a 2-8-0 steam locomotive.

  • The Boston & Maine Union Freight RR is a small switching route set in the 1940s-1950s. It was an actual railroad in Boston, Massachusetts, back then. It has a waterfront siding and 4 others, with 3 yard sidings. It runs mostly boxcars, but other classes of cars were used on the line as well too. It does not run in winter. It comes with an S2 loco.

  • The Steyning Line. "This route follows that part of the south coast main line between Brighton and Shoreham, then on to what was Shoreham Junction until the 1960s, where we branch off north, following the River Adur across the South Downs via the Adur Gap, then continuing north through Steyning to Itchingfield Junction, where we join the Mid-Sussex main line, and then on to Horsham, where this route terminates. Completed in 1861 by the LBSCR, the Steyning Line ( the section between Shoreham Junction and Itchingfield Junction) followed the route of the first proposed main line from Brighton to London and was considered a secondary main line - an alternative route to London, and besides local passenger and goods traffic it saw much diverted traffic and some excursion trains. In the early 1960s there was a daily train from London Bridge to Brighton over the Steyning Line, hauled by just about any tender engine , including Bulleid Pacific or BR Standard Class 5. In the 1950s local passenger services were usually push-pull, powered mostly by M7 0-4-4 tanks, but sometimes H class 0-4-4T or E class 0-6-2T. Later, the trains consisted of sets of coaches pulled by Ivatt 2-6-2 tanks. The line was also used by locos from Brighton Works for running-in purposes, so you might also see a brand new Standard 4 2-6-4T. Services between Brighton and Horsham were on an hourly basis and stopped at every station except Fishersgate Halt and Aldrington Halt. After the end of steam, they were taken over by DEMUs. Every station, except Bramber, had a small goods yard. Traffic included agricultural produce (feedstuffs, fertilizers, livestock, etc.), agricultural equipment, market garden produce, horses (the National Stud was at West Grinstead), and the usual coal and smalls. Also, there was a brickworks at Southwater and a large cement works at Beeding, which both had rail connections. The Steyning Line closed in 1966. We have tried to depict it as it was in the late 50s-early 60s.The route is highly detailed, so it is quite demanding on computer resources."

•  Handy Hint:  To move the HUD (Head-Up Display) and put it in a less-noticeable area of the screen, you have to edit the "TrGUI_Region_Area" lines in the HUD data files. These files are located in the DRIVERAIDS folder. There are three files that need to be edited: hud_dsl2.dat; hud_elec2.dat; hud_stm2.dat. Back them up BEFORE you start altering them in any way. If you use the RailDriver, you will probably not be able to do this, as the RailDriver might not be able to find where the HUD is on the screen.

Open each of those three files with a unicode editor (e.g. Wordpad) and locate the "TrGUI_Region_Area" line. There are 4 numbers in each line. The first number controls the lateral position of the line on the screen. In the original file, this number is a 5. If you changed the number to -725,  you will move the HUD to the other side of the screen. You need to change each "TrGUI_Region_Area" line in the file. If you want to change the vertical position of the HUD, you need to alter the second number by an appropriate amount. You will have to experiment to find the best location for your needs.

• A new version of  Irfanview , now up to v3.98, is now available on lots of websites, including the developer's own site. Irfanview is the excellent freeware graphics program that allows you to view graphics files like your NERR / MSTS screenshots, resize your photos and screenshots so that they fit into the NERR forums better, and more. It is less than 1Mb to download, but you should also download the plugins file, which is 2+Mb from the same place.

16 January

• News item sent in by Scott Hutchings, from the  Great Lakes & Allegheny VR :

13 January

• Sorry for the  long gap  between updates. This is the first day that I've been able to access the website using my broadband connection for a while, and doing the updates using dialup pushes me past the limit of my patience.

• More  new work orders  have been released today. These will keep you busy this weekend.

  • NEPO-299-02 for the  Pocahontas District route. You are heading in the Gangers Trolley (ROBEL, model 54.22)  out for the Midway siding. The 407T is waiting to get back on the main. The switch is frozen, and you'll have to thaw it out. If it's not winter freezing, it's summer breaks from the heat. It won't take you very long today, so you can do a few more work orders when you've done this one. Sorry about the freezing rain!

  • NEPO-299-03A  for the  Pocahontas District route. You're returning from a run to the east in the EMD GP9 (NERX), and the freezing rain makes the tracks very slippery. You need to head up to Litwar and pick up a coal train and take it to Weller Yard to end your day. It will be nice to get home.

  • NEPO-299-03B for the  Pocahontas District route. This is the 2nd part of the series of two work orders. You've returned from a run to the east, and the freezing rain is very bad. You need to take a coal train from Litwar down to Weller Yard yet before ending your day.

  • NECS-299-01 for the Clinton Sub  route. In the EMD F45 - 340, you're making your morning pick-ups that need to go to the Clinton Yard before the afternoon run of drop offs. Light traffic, so you should have no problems with the switching.

  • NECS-299-02 for the Clinton Sub route. Driving a train powered by the EMD F7A - 223A, you will be bringing business people into the county that are interested in possibly bringing various businesses to this community. You are running the length of the route to let them see the area. The Chairman of the Clinton County Area Development Corp. will have people on each car to assist with all questions. We are stopping at all stations to pick up Realtors to assist with maps of the specific area and have brochures available for interested parties. This is a big chance, so don't bang them around. Oh yeah, there are railroad exec's on board also. AND a special builder from the northeast. Yes it is who you think ... THE DONALD (Donald Trump).
    Do not worry about the arrival and departure time, since you are running at a reduced mainline speed so the customers can have a chance to look around. However remain at each stop until the loading time has completed.

  • NEMM-299-01 for the Montgomery To Mobile (CSX) route. Using the EMD SD70MAC, this is a short run to finish your shift. You came in at 12:00 today. You're taking your locomotives from the turntable siding to McDuffie and bringing 40 MTs back to the yard where they will be assembled with an additional 60 cars for the midnight shift. Once you drop off your train, take the locomotives to the siding where you will pull up to a CSX locomotive and end the activity.

• There have been some  major disturbances  over at UKTrainSim. It appears that there has been some major disagreements over the way that payware developers and vendors have been using the forums. These disagreements have been among website operators, payware people, other developers, and forum members over things such as the definition of freeware and payware. The result has been that some people have withdrawn their models from the website and have banned others from using them in routes, including routes developed in the past and made available to people for a very low cost (about $10.00, which includes a month's file library membership) - it's all very sad, really. So some routes have been withdrawn until new models can be developed and inserted. The forums are worth reading to watch what happens when conflict occurs in a virtual community. Some people have left the MSTS world completely, others have gone to payware forums, still others have banded together to fix the problems and move forward. We must be vigilant to ensure that relationships remain at a good level.

• A number of  British locomotives  have been uploaded to the Train-Sim.com file library today. They are from the UK payware company, Blue Arrow TS. These locos are mainly aliased to the Scotsman for their cabview. They do not appear to need any of the company's products installed to be used, e.g. the Severn Valley Railway route.

  There is also a neat little EM Baldwin 0-6-0 diesel locomotive. It is an unusual Baldwin loco used in the sugar cane industry. It was a narrow-gauged engine that was changed to standard gauge to be used in any industrial setting. I would like to have seen the developer release it as a narrow-gauge diesel - there are not many available for MSTS.

  There have been quite a number of new activities for various routes released in recent weeks. It is good to see that people are not sitting around waiting for the new train simulators to be released - and no one knows when that will happen yet.

• I hear a quiet rumour that a new VR might be about to hit the MSTS scene. The word is that it will operate where there have been a few attempts to launch a VR, none of which have been successful. Further news as it appears on the grapevine!

8 January

• The new version of the  Wupper Express route - version 10  - has been released today by the team at Graphics15 - on schedule as usual! It consists of one 65Mb zip file for the route and one 15Mb zip file for the 11 activities and most of the equipment to run them. Some of the required equipment was provided with the earlier versions of the route. The route can be downloaded from the sites listed below. No reports of how good it is yet - only released a few hours ago. As was reported in the October 2005 issue of this News page, this will probably be the final version of the route, as all the lines in the area have now been included included in this release.

• A follow-up to the item about the  world's most powerful steam locomotive . Jerry (aka HiLine, ID#90) sent in the following message: "The topic has been the subject of much debate. Within the American RR world it is claimed that the 2-6-6-6 Allegheny is larger than the 4-8-8-4 Big Boy. With regard to tractive effort, the 2-10-10-2 locos, built by the American Locomotive Company and operated by the Virginian RR from 1918 to the mid 1940s, provided 176,600lb (80,127kg) tractive effort. The 2-10-10-2s used 4 ft diameter low pressure cylinders, the largest ever used on a steam locomotive. They were likely the most successful locomotive with 20 driving wheels ever built." Thanks, Jerry, for the information. Good to hear about someone else who reads this page!

7 January

• There have a been a variety of new items over at T-S.com this week, but the largest by far is the new route there today - the  Swiss route - Einsiedeln  (Rappersil-Einsiedeln [Tosstalbahn update 1]). This route is part of the tourist train route from Lake Konstance to Lucerne. It starts at Rapperswil on the shores of Lake Zurich at 410 metre altitude and then goes up very steeply to Einsiedeln at 882 metres with its famous monastery. It consists of two rar files - 220Mb + 184Mb - you need Winrar (freeware) to unpack these files. Click on the picture to the right to view a larger version of the loading screen for the route. And there is also an activity for the route at T-S.com!

You can also download the route from Activity Simulator World. There it is broken down into 7 rar files for the route (6 x 33Mb + 1 x 17Mb) plus 6 rar files for the activities and equipment (5 x 33Mb + 1 x 11Mb). This might be an easier download option for many people. The screenshots look impressive.

• The latest  Route-Riter Help  file (for 6.3.55) is now available on the NERR website in the Roster section of NETS.

• And if you want to find some more routes, there is a thread at T-S.com that will help you. It lists  over 400 MSTS routes  currently available - and none of them are payware! You should never run out of routes to play with!!

•  Wupper Express v10  is due to be released on 8 January by the Graphics15 team.

• Some NERR engineers' statistics:

  • 48 engineers have submitted  NERR time slips  so far this month. Have you?!

  • 24 engineers have accumulated  over 500 hours  of time slips.

  • 25 engineers have submitted over  300 time slips .

6 January

• The latest version of  Route-Riter  - version 6.3.63 - is now available on the NERR website in the Roster section of NETS. The update file is a 2.3Mb download.

• I published  Claude's latest article  incorrectly on 4 January. I have corrected it, and the link above to the left will take you to the correct version. Apologies, Claude!

• A follow-up to the story on 4 January about the  4000 class locos : the photo to the right shows the first one in that class - #4001. Click on the thumbnail to view a much larger version.

• The world's most powerful steam locomotive was the American No.700, a tank engine built by the Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1916. It had a tractive force of 75,433 kg (166,300 lb) working compound and 90,519 kg (199,560 lb) working simple.

• Bill Prieger provided us with some information about various MOW items recently in the forums. It is repeated here, but with different illustrations. Click on the thumbnails to view larger versions.

Flanger: There are several types of these. Some look like a caboose. This unit doesn't, but the mechanism is the same - a blade the length of the gap between the two railheads, which can be lowered and raised. It is pulled behind a spreader consist or by a locomotive. It does exactly like the name implies: cleans out the flange-way and the area between the rails so the rolling stock doesn't climb up any ice or packed snow that has formed or been left behind by the spreader and rotary plow (neither of these units clean below the railhead) and so be derailed.

The Spreader (Jordan Spreader): This non-self-propelled unit is pushed by a locomotive. It has a pointed snout, much like a cowcatcher on older steam engines and a large set of 'wings' that can be spread out and lifted or lowered and retracted as well. It is used to clear the ROW of snow and can manicure the ballast profile as well as clear fairly large brush that has grown too close to the tracks.

The Russell Plow: This is a large wedge-type non-self-propelled unit that is pushed by locomotives. It resembles a caboose with one end shaped like a big snow shovel but angled to one side or the other. This unit can also have a set of small wings to clear and extra couple of feet off the side of the row.

The Brush Unit (actually called a Ballast Regulator): This self-propelled unit has a set of brushes or blades that sweep the ballast into the gaps between the ties of the ROW leaving the top of the ties exposed and gives the trackage a nice finished appearance.

4 January

• Have you noticed that  Claude  has sent us a new article for his column? The link to it is at the top left. There will be another installment in a few days.

• And Bill has written a New Year's encouraging article for us in his  Old Heading  column. The link to that one is also at the top left.

• I found this photo recently. It shows a  QRail 4000 Class locomotive  hauling a coal train somewhere in central Queensland. Click on the thumbnail to see a larger version. Queensland Rail's 4000 Class locomotives were designed by Clyde Engineering and assembled at Walkers Ltd in Maryborough, Queensland, and represented a major advancement in narrow gauge locomotive technology (Queensland railways are 3ft gauge). These 38 locomotives, with delivery starting in the third quarter of 1999, are rated at 2424 kW (3000 hp) gross power and were one of the most powerful narrow gauge diesel electric locomotives operating in the world at the time of their initial delivery. However, what made this locomotive stand out was the high adhesion AC traction system, which provided much higher tractive effort (pulling power) compared to previous DC traction locomotives, as well as significantly reduced maintenance costs. This increase in adhesion capability allowed for 2 for 4 replacement of existing diesel-electric locomotives. Locomotive #4002 in the photo was put into service in June 2000.

The 4000 Class locomotive is powered by the smooth running "new firing order" 12 cylinder 710G3B engine utilising EMDEC electronic fuel injection for optimum fuel efficiency and emission control. The electrical traction equipment includes a TA12-8 traction alternator and Siemens 1TB2622 traction motors. The EM2000 microprocessor control system and the Siemens AC traction systems ensure that continuous adhesion levels of up to 37% are achieved.

The 4000 Class locomotive has a single driver's cab fitted with dual operating consoles for maximum operating flexibility. The cabs are isolated from the locomotive under-frame to ensure minimum noise and vibration for driver comfort and feature Rockwell Integrated Cab Electronics (ICE) screen-based instrumentation for maximum operating efficiency. ICE is designed and built by Rockwell and is based on Rockwell's aerospace technology, ensuring extremely high levels of reliability are achieved. The ICE screens are linked with the EM2000, Siemens AC
Traction, EMDEC Electronic Fuel Injection and the combined electronic braking / distributed power systems to provide a comprehensive diagnostics and operating history capability for maintenance purposes.

A key optional feature of the 4000 Class locomotive is the Clyde-designed Radial Steering Bogie. Based on the highly successful EMD Radial Truck, these bogies allow the axles to steer through the curves to ensure minimal wheel flange and track wear - a must for modern narrow gauge locomotive applications. The Radial Steering Bogie also provides additional adhesion
capability in curves.

Other specifications: weight =120 tonnes; axle load =20 tonnes; wheel arrangement = Co-Co; maximum speed = 100 km/h; power per driving axle = 377 kW; gear ratio = 90:17; wheel diameter = 1041 mm; fuel capacity = 9000 litres; brakes - dynamic = 2600 kW.

If you want to drive one of these locomotives, you can download one from the Steam4me site.

2 January

•  Happy New Year  to all our readers! We hope that 2006 is a great year for you and those important to you.

• A reminder that you can read previous Roundhouse Ramblings by going to the  Archives Page  using the link to the left. We don't throw anything away!

• The latest versions of  ConBuilder - v2.3.40  - are now available in the Roster section of NETS. Both the full installation (8Mb zip file) and the update version (900Kb zip file) are there for you.

• The table below shows the  Top 25 Work Orders , according to the number of time slips submitted for them since NETS started: