Claude's Corner    
Taz's Tales
Old Heading    
Railroad Slang

    Index to past issues
   Links & Tutorials
    27 February   MSTS Utilities
   28 April   Fun Page

Send news, articles & other material to us. All contributions used with gratitude!!

26 April

• The new payware route from Streamlines, the  BNSF Scenic Subdivision (Stevens Pass) route , is now available. From their website: "The BNSF Scenic Subdivision is nestled deep in the Pacific Northwest and makes up the northern main line from Chicago to Seattle. This route, which is approximately 140 miles in length, covers modern-day operations on one of BNSF's busiest single track lines. Starting in the east at Wenatchee Washington, the line traverses the fruit orchards and unique beauty of the rain-shadowed eastern slopes of the Cascade Mountain range. Almost like day and night, you are propelled deep into the mountain forest, and must travel through the 6 mile long Cascade Tunnel before you can descend Stevens Pass en route to Seattle. The entire route is single track, save for a few miles of double-tracked territory at both ends. The majority of the train movements involved container and piggyback traffic, with general merchandise and lumber making up the difference. The average day on this line sees about 24-30 trains, which is quite a bit for a stretch of single track railway. This product features several locomotives, including GE C44-9Ws, EMD SD40-2s, GE B40-8s, GE ES44ACs, and EMD GP38-2s, 41 pieces of rolling stock, 140 miles of busy single-track railroading, CTC Signals, custom-built scenery and terrain objects, challenging activities, and custom sounds and cab views."

The package sells for $US37.99 for the CD version. If you want to download it, you get the download version, with lower-resolution graphics, plus the CD version mailed to you for $US39.99. There is no option to buy only the download version of the route, and you can not get the CD high-resolution version via download.

• Build 33 of the  tsection.dat  file is now available in the file library over at Train-Sim. Unless you have an inbuilt need to update from your current version, there is no need to rush over and try to download this one right now. It will be a while before the first route that needs this particular version hits the vworld. But you will probably need it sooner or later.

• A wide variety of new equipment continues to appear in the file library at Train-Sim. This week's collection includes stock from the USA, New Zealand, Australia, and South Africa, activities for several routes, (including the Pocahontas and New & New Jersey lines), and new photorealistic Spruce trees.

• More stock for the latest Australian route - the  Adelaide and Hills  - from the Steam4me website. These are the "Long Tom" passenger brake vans for the South Australian Railways. The models are presented in green and red versions, with and without tail-lights, and a Guard's View. Physics by team-ALCO.

23 April

• At the official  Rail Simulator site  - the one being developed by Kuju - there is an announcement: "Kuju are pleased to reveal the High Speed Train cab view; the first 3D cab from Rail Simulator!" There are several photos of the cab view, and it really looks great. Around the various forums, there is still some scepticism, because the views are all of a static locomotive, not in a game situation. So we'll have to wait longer until we see things in action. If they can deliver what these photos show, then we have something excellent to look forward to.

• Over at the Train-Sim forums, there is an interesting and useful  thread that contains a tutorial  on how to use static consists in your route. These allow you to fill the yards with rolling stock without your fps rates taking a big decrease. I guess that they serve the same purpose as the car strings that are available around the NERR and its associated VRs. They certainly improve the appearance of the route - empty yards look very artificial and game-like!

• Have you tried out the new Australian route - the Adelaide & Hills route set in South Australia? It is an excellent route. But we have been waiting for some appropriate equipment to run on it. There is some diesel-era stock, but the route is set in the 1950s - pre-diesel, and there have not been any steam locos - until now! At the Steam4me site - the source of almost all Australian MSTS stock and routes, "Matt Austin and team-ALCO are pleased to announce the immediate arrival of the  South Australian Rx 4-6-0 steam locomotive . In four models in both player and AI versions, this model is sure to be a hit with those of you looking for more steam power for the "Adelaide & Hills" route."

•  If you are the sort of person who likes to change things around in your MSTS files, and if you are not happy with the smoke that your steam locomotives produce, the following information is for you, from one of the other forums:

"Here is what I learned about this line of values from the engine file:

SteamSpecialEffects (
StackFX ( 0 2.5 1.335 0 0.8 0 .25)

• The first value for StackFX from this example is: 0 - this adjusts the smoke plume left or right of an locomotive's long axis. 0 puts it right over the locomotive's centerline in a front view.

• The second value for StackFX from this example is: 2.5 - this adjusts the start height of the plume over the smokestack.

• The third value for StackFX from this example is: 1.335 - this adjusts the smoke plume fore & aft along the locomotive's centerline. This centers the plume over the smokestack in a side view. I think that 0 would place the plume on the locomotive's leading edge.

• The fourth value for StackFX from this example is: 0 - this adjusts the angle of the plume from vertical, tilting left or right. There isn't much reason to change this from 0.

• The fifth value for StackFX from this sample is: 0.8 - this adjusts the overall length (height) of the smoke plume. 2 makes a huge plume; 0 makes none.

• The sixth value for StackFX from this sample is: 0 - this adjusts the angle of the plume from vertical, tilting fore or aft. There isn't much reason to change this from 0.

• The seventh value for StackFX from this sample is: .25 - this affects the smoke plume's density. The higher the value, the less dense the plume.

• The two critical values for changing the appearance of a locomotive's smoke plume are the fifth and seventh. The fifth controls how tall the plume rises. The seventh controls how dense the plume is. The values used in the above example create a fairly realistic plume for small locomotives, 0-4-0-t  and narrow gauge.  The darkness of the smoke plume was lessened changing value 6.3 to 4.3:
  
  SteamSmokeUnitsPerPoundOfFuel ( 4.3)
  SteamMaxSmokeUnitsReleaseRate ( 10)
  
  And using a value of 250 for the third to the last number in the line below also affects the smoke quantity. The lower the value, lower the quantity. Bare in mind that a "smoke plume" consists of both smoke and steam exhaust. Lowering this number without tinkering with the StackFX numbers will leave you with a long plume of mostly exhausted steam.
  
  EngineVariables ( 600 750 900 140 0.7 900 250 900 1 1)
  
  These are the values I decided upon for my 0-4-0-t narrow gauge loco - a small, less dense plume of greyish-white smoke."

21 April

•  Railroad trivia question : Which were the first 10 countries with railroads? Answer further down today's news items.

• ConBuilder: the latest and final version of  ConBuilder, v2.4.6 , is available from the Roster section of NETS. The developers have decided not to put further work into this excellent utility until the new train simulator programs are on the market. But they are producing a range of other, smaller utilities as low-cost payware for us to use.

• Route-Riter: the latest version of  Route-Riter, v6.3.86 , is available from the Roster section of NETS.

• Occasionally, you will come across a route which has the  wrong distance units , either miles or kilometers, for you to use comfortably. There are two ways that you can change the units:

  1. Open the route in the Route Editor. On the task bar, click on Route and then select Properties. Just over halfway down in the Properties window, tick Imperial (miles) or Metric (kilometers), depending on which units you prefer. As you do that, you will see the units next to your speed limits change from Kilometers per hour to Miles per hour or vice versa. Click on OK, Save and then Exit.

  2. Open the route's *.trk file in a unicode editor such as WordPad. Near the bottom of the file, you will find the following line:

  MilepostUnitsKilometers ( )

  Change it to:

  MilepostUnitsMiles ( )

  or vice versa, depending on which units you prefer.

• Let's take a brief look at the  Dash 9 locomotive , one of the default locos in MSTS. It was introduced in 1993, with the first ones being sold to the CSX line. It was a 6-axle diesel-electric locomotive, powered by a 16-cylinder diesel engine producing 4500hp. Electronic fuel injection and split-system cooling, which reduces engine air inlet temperatures, result in improved fuel economy, reduced emissions and lower maintenance costs. Over the years, it has been delivered in various forms, including the Dash 9-40C, the Dash 9-40CW, and the Dash 9-44CW. One of the major differences between the models is the horsepower rating of the diesel engine - between 4,000 and 4,500 horsepower.

At one time, BNSF had 1,400 of these locomotives operating across their routes.

One writer says: "In late 1993 General Electric introduced the Dash 9-44CW for the domestic and international locomotive market. The Dash 9-44CW was the right locomotive at the right time for GE. Tremendous growth and change within the railroad industry since the early 1990s created a need for new locomotives. The Dash 9 became the locomotive of choice for many major railroads. Chicago & North Western bought the first Dash 9s in 1993(different from other information sources). Other railroads like the Santa Fe and Southern Pacific soon followed the C&NW adding large fleets of Dash-9s to their rosters. By the late 90s Union Pacific, CSX, Norfolk Southern, and Union Pacific had bought Dash 9s. In Canada, Canadian National and British Columbia Railway bought the locomotives. The Dash 9 found international customers including railroads in Australia. With thousands of Dash 9s in service around the country and the world and many more on order, the Dash 9-44CW is sure to be a common sight on major railroads for the next decade."

•  Railroad trivia answer  for today: the first 10 countries with railroads were:

  1) United Kingdom
  2) France
  3) United States
  4) Irelands
  5) Belgium
  6) Germany
  7) Canada
  8) Russia
  9) Austria
  10) Netherlands

19 April

• Don't forget that you can read the  back issues  of this News page on the Archives page - use the link on the left. And if you are looking for a specific item, you can use the Index to the past issues - use the link at the top right of this page.

• Just one  new work order  recently:

  NECV-317-01 for the Chippewa Valley (NERR) route. You get to drive the Speeder in this one - great sound! In conjunction with the Beaver Valley School Board, the NERR has agreed to close part of the Chippewa Valley for an afternoon to take Mrs A. Wiggins 5th grade class for a ride in a speedster, and to let them take the controls for part of the trip. I know it sounds nerve racking, but you still get your regular pay, except for JohnH who is here on a work exchange program from Australia. He gets double, 'cuz he's got the little hair lip kid. The run will take you less than an hour - then you can head off for something strong to calm your frazzled nerves! (You will also notice that this work order developer has a rather warped sense of humour, so he fits right in around here!)

• A couple of years ago, Jeremy (taz) posted the following in the NERR forums in response to a question about definitions of locomotives . Like all of Jeremy's postings, this one makes very interesting reading.

"There isn't really a clear distinction between some of the model names.  A "Road Switcher" (of any description) could be used as a switcher or "transfer" locomotive, as these are more of a function than a "type". In general, you can apply the following rules to help classify locomotives:

Switchers - Usually (but not always) this is considered to be a locomotive with the cab located at, or near, the end of the locomotive frame. These are also referred to as "End Cab Switchers". There were also a few earlier "switcher" models with the cab located in the middle of the frame (like the ALCo C415s and the "Center Cab" Baldwins). As far as I know, all models of this type of switcher on Class 1 railroads are out of service. There are the exceptions of
some of the lighter weight GE and other manufacturers industrial locomotives (like the 44 tonner) that are in use as "plant switchers" at various industries
and/or special purposes (I believe that UP uses a 44 tonner in one of its tie plants). The last of the EMD "End Cab" switchers manufactured for Class 1
railroad service was the MP15 series. GE has never produced an "End Cab" switcher specifically for Class 1 service, although many Class 1 railroads had
GE's 70 ton switchers, and GE cataloged an "End Cab" switcher, called a U18BT, which it never produced.

Cow/Calf Units - This is more of a "railfan" term used to refer to a switcher-type locomotive that has a "Cabless" booster unit, usually of the same design
and horsepower, semi-permanently attached to it. In some cases, this "semi-permanently" attached booster was attached via a solid drawbar instead of
the standard knuckle couplers. EMD produced a series of locomotives called the "TR" series which featured a "calf" units as a part of the basic model. An
example of this is the TR6 model which was a pair of SW8 switchers, one with a cab and one without. It should also be noted that the "calf" units have a
"control station" where the cab would normally be placed. This "control station" contained the engine/locomotive startup and shutdown control in addition to various gages for monitoring the engine (i.e. oil pressure, coolant temperature, etc.).

Cab Units - This term is generally used locomotives that are built with a full-length car body that contains a place for the crew to operate the locomotive
from and a control stand for that operation. This term is usually used to refer to locomotive of a similar design to EMD's "F" and "E" unit series locomotives
(including the ALCo "FA"s, Baldwin "DL"s, Fairbanks-Morse "C-Liners", etc.). Note that in the construction of these locomotives, the construction of the "Car Body" was an integral part of the frame of the locomotive. This is in contrast to locomotives like the F40, F45s, and the Canadian "Draper Taper" units, where the "Car Body" is basically a non-structural cowl that is lowered onto the basic locomotive frame to cover the engine and other inner components.

Booster Units - Generally used to refer to the "Cabless" units associated with the "Cab Units" above. These locomotives are also referred to as "B" units. Like the "calf" units above, there is a "control station" for monitoring the engine/locomotive *AND* there is what is referred to as a "Hostler's Station". This "Hostler's Station" has both a throttle and an independent brake and is used to move the "Booster Unit" or "B" unit using its own power. This throttle is only capable of moving the engine/locomotive at slow speeds (generally only the equivalent of "Run 1") and has to be "Cut In" and "Cut Out" by the operator. This would also include the various "B" units manufactured by EMD, Baldwin, etc. such as the GP9B, GP30B, SD24B, etc.

Cabless Units - As the name implies, these units do not have a control cab. What is interesting is that the term came into "regular" (read: railfan) usage when the Santa Fe and Burlington Northern started rebuilding some of there SD40s (including SD45-2 in the case of the Santa Fe) and removed the cab. At about the same time, a couple of other railroads (notably the Southern Pacific) had either rebuild damaged locomotives without a cab or were running units that were awaiting new cabs from the builders. As far as I know, only GE actually produced brand new locomotives without cabs and all of these were for the Burlington Northern.

Before we go any further, let me say that the term "Cabless" and "Booster" have been used interchangeably throughout the years and have even been combined as in "Cabless Booster". Its one of those things that you'll get a different answer based on either who you talk to or whose book you're reading. The "definitions" that I listed above are what I've used over the years.

So why are there different terms for the same basic locomotive type (like "Cabless" verses "Booster"), and why there isn't a "standard terminology" across
the board? The only answer that I can provide you is that it is based when the locomotive first appeared (time line) and what it originally started out life
as. "Booster Units" were manufactured that way by the various builders. "Cabless Units" were generally rebuilt by the railroads (or a contractor). In the case of some of the very first "Booster Units" (such as EMCs "FT"s), there wasn't any method provided for starting the "Booster Units" engine unless it was coupled to a "Cab Unit". In fact, all of the "FT Booster Units" came from the factory semi-permanently coupled (using a drawbar) to a "Cab Unit", and only the "Cab Units" contained batteries (used for starting the engines in addition to other things).

Road Switcher - basically, this is any locomotive that isn't an "End Cab" switcher or a "Cab Unit". They are identified by having "running boards" along
the outside of the locomotive. It should be noted that encompasses everything from the GP7s and U25s to the SD90MACs and AC6000s (and everything in between).

Slugs or TEBUs - "TEBU" stands for "Tractive Effort Booster Unit". Slugs and TEBUs are un-powered units (i.e. they do not have an engine) that have traction motors and additional weight added to them, which when coupled to a properly-equipped locomotive (sometimes referred to as a "Mother Unit"), draw their "power" from the engine/main generator of the attached locomotive. Their purpose is to increase the tractive effort of the locomotive consists at slower speeds without adding another locomotive. It also, generally, lowers the "minimum Continuous Speed" rating of the "Mother" locomotive to a level expectable for the service, since the "Mother" unit is supplying power for both itself and the slug. In general, they are used in slow-speed service and/or yard assignments, generally not exceeding 20mph. It should also be noted that not all slugs are created equal. Some are meant for yard service only (referred to as "yard slugs"), while others are meant for slow speed "drag" service on the mainline or branchlines (referred to as "road slugs"). In addition to the slugs that have been built by the various railroads, both GE and Morrison-Knudsen built them. GE called them "Mates", while Morrison-Knudsen called them "TEBU"s. Some slugs can also act as fuel tenders for the controlling locomotive. Almost all slugs are equipped with a blower motor to provide a source of cooling for the traction motors. Slugs can be of either 6 or 4 axle design.

Transfer Units - This is really more a function of the "service" that the locomotive may be involved in rather than a specific locomotive type. In the
early days of dieselization, there were a few specific models that were "Transfer Units". At least, that is how they were marketed. The TR6 model mentioned above was one such unit, as was the ALCo T6 model. In general, these specialized transfer locomotives were basically switchers that featured items such as road switcher trucks (instead of switcher trucks), standardized locomotive control stands, MU capability, etc. Their primary use/service was to transfer cars from one rail yard to another.

Brake Sleds - These are locomotives that have been stripped of just about everything (cab, engine, traction motors, etc.) and weighted down, usually with concrete. Their braking capabilities (i.e. the brake shoes and associated brake rigging) have been left intact and are designed to work when the controlling locomotive's independent brakes are applied, thereby providing additional braking capability. The controlling locomotives are modified to provide a separate connection for this purpose.

Now, before you take this too far, just know that a lot of this is subject to change by the various railroads and/or manufactures. Union Pacific (and the Southern Pacific before them), for example, uses what would "normally" be classified as a "road switcher" as a "switcher". These are SD38-2s (2000
horsepower, 6 axle locomotives) which have been modified for hump yard service by changing both the traction motor gearing and eliminating the locomotive's ability to "transition" (i.e. change the electrical system for the traction motors from serial to parallel). Some of the earlier diesel production,
especially from Baldwin and Fairbanks-Morse, really confused things by offering the option of different trucks underneath the same basic machinery - The Baldwin AS615 (C-C, 6 powered axles), DRS-6-4-1500 (A-1-A/A-1-A, 4 powered axles with an un-powered axle in between and powered axles), and the DRS-4-4-1500 (B-B, 4 powered axles) are basically the same model but with different wheel/truck arrangements.

Now, if you like that, you'll love this. Kansas City Southern (KCS) used to operate a road slug that had been converted from an old F7 car body. This slug
retained its cab and operating controls for movements when the slug was the lead unit and appeared to be an F7 from every angle (except the front, which had a larger than normal "buffer zone" around the front door of the locomotive)! CSX has done similar things with a few older GP35s (if I remember correctly). They are identified by CSX as RDMTs."

In a later posting, he corrected something in the above article:

"Whoops...I neglected something in my original post. I stated the following, which was incorrect: "As far as I know, only GE actually produced brand new locomotives without cabs and all of these were for the Burlington Northern."

Turns out that both EMD and MLW (Montreal Locomotive Works) build "Cabless" locomotive fairly recently. In the case of EMD, this would be the GP60B (only the Santa Fe ordered these, as far as I know), and MLW built the M420B (BC Rail only?). GE's "Cabless" model was a version of the B30-7 and was referred to as a B30-7A. These were originally built for the Burlington Northern only, as far as I know (although I know of a few that are currently "running around" on other railroads and shortlines).

An interesting anomaly on the recent "Cabless/Booster" front ... All of the recently, "as built" units (i.e., those built by the manufacturer) are of a B-B (4 axle, all powered) design while the railroads, or their contractors, have favored rebuilding their own C-C (6 axle, all powered) units.

An "historical" note ... Both ALCo and EMD built a couple of "Double Diesel", "Booster Units". The EMD entry was the DD35B (also referred to as a DD35) which was basically a pair of GP35s on a common underframe that rode on a pair of 4 axle, D-D, trucks (8 axles, all powered). Only the Union Pacific and the Southern Pacific had these, and only the UP had the similar "A" unit (cab and controls) model the DD35A (also referred to as a DDA35). This truck design later showed up under Union Pacific's DD40AX (note: The DD40 model is referred to by several different names including "The Centennial", DD40A, DD40-X, DDA40, DDA40-X, and the DD40AX. A "B" unit was cataloged by EMD, the DD40B, but never built). The ALCo entry was one of their Century series, the C855. This locomotive appeared as both a "Booster" unit and a "Control Unit" and rode on 4 standard B trucks, two under each end in a B+B-B+B configuration (8 axles, 4 trucks, all powered). Only the UP bought this locomotive."

So now you know!!

17 April

• We are  back in action  after a month away - as you might have noticed! I covered quite a distance in that trip - Brisbane, Australia to Reykjavik, Iceland, via Birmingham, London, Canterbury, Bournemouth, Stonehenge, and Leicester, all in England, and Léran, near Toulouse in south-western France. I attended a conference in Birmingham, had a holiday in France, came back to England for a short break and then several days' preparation for the meeting and conference in Iceland. As a former physical geography student and teacher, Iceland was for me a marvellous place to visit - glaciers, geysers, hot pools, geothermal power stations, stunning coastlines and mountains - the list goes on and on. I'll put a few photos in the forums in the next few days, and you can see more in the photo gallery section of the ICP Online facility that I manage - go to page 2 and look in the Iceland Scenery 2006 gallery. My favourite place was the Blue Lagoon, a hot pool in which we swam at dusk. Take a look at one of the photos that I took there - to the right. I'm currently using that photo as my wallpaper - brings back great memories! But no trains in Iceland! Anyway, back to our world of vtrains.

• There have been some interesting new items over at the Train-Sim file library lately, including:

  • The latest version of the  Thames-Mersey route, v4.1 . This is a huge UK route, with a mainline that runs from London Euston station north to Liverpool and Manchester. I have run an earlier version of this route, and it is a beauty - lots of variety in scenery, plenty of industries and sidings and branches, the choice of either steam or diesel eras via a batch file, and great potential for work orders. There have been quite a number of work orders for the earlier versions, so I expect that  the developers over at UKTrainSim will get busy producing new ones for this version. The route is heavy on resources, but it is worth persisting with it - it's one of the best UK routes ever. The download is 4 files, each of about 55Mb.

  • Another version of the  Random Route program package - v3.0 . From the readme file: "RandomRoute allows the user to make a 20 by 10 tile route in Microsoft Train simulator using pre-constructed track modules or custom modules created by the user. The program generates a batch file that copies pre-designed tiles into Microsoft Train Simulator. The user is then required to perform a track database rebuild to make a custom route called RandomRoute in MSTS. The batch files can be renamed and re-used for future use. The program requires X-tracks and the Default versions of all the MSTS routes to be installed during installation." It is an interesting concept, and I would like to hear from anyone who has used this package - good and bad experiences.

  • Lots of  activities  for a variety of freeware and payware routes, and plenty of new equipment. I won't list them here, but I'll note that production does not seem to have dropped off very much, in spite of the doomsayers in some of the forums. It proves that MSTS still attracts people with a range of interests - running trains, building routes, developing activities, and modelling stock - not just people who want to drive trains.

• Let's look at the  Top 40 NERR work orders , as measured by the number of trip reports submitted for them since NETS started. These data are up to mid-April. The figure in brackets in the right-hand column is the number of time slips for the work order in the past 6 weeks since 1 March. The 11 for the top work order is very high - interesting.