Snow High Valley Distr Ctr (High Resolution 950x532) Approx
- Thread starter blueodessey
- Start date
blueodessey
Well-known member
Good Day,
A little discussion on where I have been, and where I want to be? about 2014, I found trainz almost by accident, had IPAD and was looking for Game Simulator, had tried a lot of different Games, IPAD had only 25 Gigs or so of play space, so space was an issue with other Apple Programs I used. I had just left from playing Modern War for some 5 yrs. I needed something fresh.
Played Railroad Tycoon and similar stuff, was OK, but not exactly what I needed.
Somehow, I saw something mentioned about Trainz Driver for Apple, checked it out. And that kept me going for year. But then, I ran out of space on IPAD, realized, I really need a Laptop to go regular Trainz, TS!2.
HP Laptop with Integrated GPU fit the bill. After a few years my Graphics struggled with newer versions of Trainz, TANE.
Time for another Laptop, ASUS ROG STRIX with NVIDIA 1080 GTX dedicated not integrated,,, 6 yr.'s passed, and again I was in a Rut with struggling GPU.
I looked around for good Laptop, about 1 yr old, I found an HP Victus with 1 Terabyte SSD, NVIDIA RTX 4060 8Gigs VRAM, my next step, swap out 1 Tera SSD,, Add two 4 Tera SSD's, yes it cost 3 bills and change, but at least now, Hard Drive space is not premium, I have what I need, hopefully it will last several years.
The Video Card made a huge difference, I hardly ever see Frame Jerkiness on my Routes, and Refresh is quite snappy.
SSD are Samsung 990 PRO PCI 4.0 MVMe M2 using Samsung Magician Software for Maintenance and Error Correcting.
I also need to add, I have Lenovo 12.5 Laptop, which I changed out the 1 Tera to 4 Tera SSD, that poor hard drive had about 50 Gigs left, which in the scheme of things, Windows environment playing with Fire. The reason for the other smaller Laptop, it is great travel companion when comes to flying.
Speaking of software, I was using One Drive to both mirror and backup my Files in General. The important about doing that on 2 different Laptops. What drove me bats wing, was how much drive space it would use for backups, dependent on File Deletions etc. There needed to be some ample padded space for it to work..
That was another reason for coming up short on Drive Space along with additional Graphics File Sizes. End result, decided Microsoft One Drive was not for me.
Something along the line,, Sync Toy or similar is better choice.
I do however use Carbonite for long term storage and backup operations with larger Laptop Work computer.
On another situation prior to upgrading all my SSD's from 1 Tera to 4 Tera, I had tried just adding a 4 Tera Drive as external, the problem came up, my USB was not the latest speed upgrade I needed to run Trainz on external drive. As I tried TRS 2019 Platinum, it ran very laggy, that was when I realized my USB sockets where not running the latest speed.
Point here, check your USB outlets to see if they have enough speed to run a Simulator. Versus the PCI Bridge internally that is more fluid.
===========================================================================================
I had used TRS2019 for quite some time, decided to upgrade to 2019 Platinum Version... And a few months later, decided to take the plunge and get Trainz 22 PE (Platinum).
I like Train 22, have a lot to learn about Surveyor 2.0 with all the extra flyout menus.... Seems to me the Game Engine runs much quicker, and my DBR operations are more fluid and take less time than in 2019 Game Versions...
On my HP Victus I run both 2019 and Trainz 22, with mostly 5.0 and higher Route Versions.
======================================================
Enough banter for tonight: Time for some YTube stuff.
When Natural Disaster strikes the Railroad
New gondolas and an old loco: Future projects heading for the shop
Firing up and Running Northern Live Steam Locomotive 402 | Marshall Steam Museum
The Tale of Conrail's Smallest Railroad
Train Too Long For EOT Device To Work! Rainbow Train, CSX & Norfolk Southern At Same RR Crossing
BURLINGTON NORTHERN RAILROAD MERGER
https://youtu.be/n-P3W0apMDM?si=lAnHxJUiRxJ_TPrP
WHEN FREIGHT CARS HAD NO GRAFFITI
https://youtu.be/KwJUZ8w5dQo?si=XFCNZr_N_6oLhBN2
The Strange Locomotives Loggers Loved - C.D.Scott "Climax" Locomotives
https://youtu.be/KEFIGYOuLWc?si=ZWRpxzOlYBvYr-OA
And this is a wrap, thanks for dropping in.
A little discussion on where I have been, and where I want to be? about 2014, I found trainz almost by accident, had IPAD and was looking for Game Simulator, had tried a lot of different Games, IPAD had only 25 Gigs or so of play space, so space was an issue with other Apple Programs I used. I had just left from playing Modern War for some 5 yrs. I needed something fresh.
Played Railroad Tycoon and similar stuff, was OK, but not exactly what I needed.
Somehow, I saw something mentioned about Trainz Driver for Apple, checked it out. And that kept me going for year. But then, I ran out of space on IPAD, realized, I really need a Laptop to go regular Trainz, TS!2.
HP Laptop with Integrated GPU fit the bill. After a few years my Graphics struggled with newer versions of Trainz, TANE.
Time for another Laptop, ASUS ROG STRIX with NVIDIA 1080 GTX dedicated not integrated,,, 6 yr.'s passed, and again I was in a Rut with struggling GPU.
I looked around for good Laptop, about 1 yr old, I found an HP Victus with 1 Terabyte SSD, NVIDIA RTX 4060 8Gigs VRAM, my next step, swap out 1 Tera SSD,, Add two 4 Tera SSD's, yes it cost 3 bills and change, but at least now, Hard Drive space is not premium, I have what I need, hopefully it will last several years.
The Video Card made a huge difference, I hardly ever see Frame Jerkiness on my Routes, and Refresh is quite snappy.
SSD are Samsung 990 PRO PCI 4.0 MVMe M2 using Samsung Magician Software for Maintenance and Error Correcting.
I also need to add, I have Lenovo 12.5 Laptop, which I changed out the 1 Tera to 4 Tera SSD, that poor hard drive had about 50 Gigs left, which in the scheme of things, Windows environment playing with Fire. The reason for the other smaller Laptop, it is great travel companion when comes to flying.
Speaking of software, I was using One Drive to both mirror and backup my Files in General. The important about doing that on 2 different Laptops. What drove me bats wing, was how much drive space it would use for backups, dependent on File Deletions etc. There needed to be some ample padded space for it to work..
That was another reason for coming up short on Drive Space along with additional Graphics File Sizes. End result, decided Microsoft One Drive was not for me.
Something along the line,, Sync Toy or similar is better choice.
I do however use Carbonite for long term storage and backup operations with larger Laptop Work computer.
On another situation prior to upgrading all my SSD's from 1 Tera to 4 Tera, I had tried just adding a 4 Tera Drive as external, the problem came up, my USB was not the latest speed upgrade I needed to run Trainz on external drive. As I tried TRS 2019 Platinum, it ran very laggy, that was when I realized my USB sockets where not running the latest speed.
Point here, check your USB outlets to see if they have enough speed to run a Simulator. Versus the PCI Bridge internally that is more fluid.
===========================================================================================
I had used TRS2019 for quite some time, decided to upgrade to 2019 Platinum Version... And a few months later, decided to take the plunge and get Trainz 22 PE (Platinum).
I like Train 22, have a lot to learn about Surveyor 2.0 with all the extra flyout menus.... Seems to me the Game Engine runs much quicker, and my DBR operations are more fluid and take less time than in 2019 Game Versions...
On my HP Victus I run both 2019 and Trainz 22, with mostly 5.0 and higher Route Versions.
======================================================
Enough banter for tonight: Time for some YTube stuff.
When Natural Disaster strikes the Railroad
New gondolas and an old loco: Future projects heading for the shop
Firing up and Running Northern Live Steam Locomotive 402 | Marshall Steam Museum
The Tale of Conrail's Smallest Railroad
Train Too Long For EOT Device To Work! Rainbow Train, CSX & Norfolk Southern At Same RR Crossing
BURLINGTON NORTHERN RAILROAD MERGER
https://youtu.be/n-P3W0apMDM?si=lAnHxJUiRxJ_TPrP
WHEN FREIGHT CARS HAD NO GRAFFITI
https://youtu.be/KwJUZ8w5dQo?si=XFCNZr_N_6oLhBN2
The Strange Locomotives Loggers Loved - C.D.Scott "Climax" Locomotives
https://youtu.be/KEFIGYOuLWc?si=ZWRpxzOlYBvYr-OA
And this is a wrap, thanks for dropping in.
blueodessey
Well-known member
Good Morning again,
Was thinking over what I posted on USB situation and added this to the mix.
This link below, is similar to the HP Victus I bought, but it has 512 SSD
duckduckgo.com
When I purchased my HP Victus, I thought, assumed, I didn't check it thoroughly, that I had a fairly good speed out of my USB-C Sockets on side of Laptop. Which my assumption was 3.2, mine was 3.0, I was using a USB C Cable which is fairly quick, I belief Thunder Bolt is faster?
Even the Tech person who checked my specs to see if could run the External Drive for Simulator missed the point of my USB Speed on computer. But I need to bear the brunt of this Error and own it. Should have done a more thorough examination of my USB-C Port USB GEN Version.
So when if, you look to buy your next Laptop, and will be using USB for External Work,,Backup, or maybe running Trainz on External for portability, due yourself a favor and really check your PCI and USB port assignment type, it does make a difference in Transfer Speeds. relative to File Backup, versus running Trainz on External, or, even Running Linux OS, which quite possible on almost any Drive out of USB, Even small USB sticks can have Linux running, amazing when you think about it. (Disclaimer, I am not a Linux Pro, do your own due diligence}
Take a read on this Technical section to understand between Apple and Window Appliances.
"One unanswered question is whether these cables will support the Thunderbolt, or Display Port, or USB4 protocols.
www.techadvisor.com
Especially read their salient comments with respect to MAC users and different Thunderbolt variations.
Mr's Blue loves her MAC, which is fine with me, I am not MAC bread, I grew up in Linux, DOS 3.1. Win environments, and never cared for MAC, it just wasn't my cup of Tea.
I do respect MAC, it is an amazing Computer and best for Graphics over DOS Environments. I should also add, my first computer was Radio Shack Tandy 1000, with Basic as operating system, speed was 6 hertz or something, this was 1970's.. I had fun doing a little Basic Programming. That was 54 yrs, omg, I'm dating myself, I better keep quite before get the title, dinosaur, or Ancient.....LOL
Was thinking over what I posted on USB situation and added this to the mix.
This link below, is similar to the HP Victus I bought, but it has 512 SSD
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4050 6GB
My RTX GPU is a 4060 & SSD is was 1 Tera not 1/2 Tera 512 Drive which is a joke for space (my opinion only), nice for folks who use Cloud Storage or some other means to hold their other files.HP-Victus-i5-13420H-GeForce-Backlit/dp/B0DMVCSKWN at DuckDuckGo
DuckDuckGo. Privacy, Simplified.
When I purchased my HP Victus, I thought, assumed, I didn't check it thoroughly, that I had a fairly good speed out of my USB-C Sockets on side of Laptop. Which my assumption was 3.2, mine was 3.0, I was using a USB C Cable which is fairly quick, I belief Thunder Bolt is faster?
Even the Tech person who checked my specs to see if could run the External Drive for Simulator missed the point of my USB Speed on computer. But I need to bear the brunt of this Error and own it. Should have done a more thorough examination of my USB-C Port USB GEN Version.
So when if, you look to buy your next Laptop, and will be using USB for External Work,,Backup, or maybe running Trainz on External for portability, due yourself a favor and really check your PCI and USB port assignment type, it does make a difference in Transfer Speeds. relative to File Backup, versus running Trainz on External, or, even Running Linux OS, which quite possible on almost any Drive out of USB, Even small USB sticks can have Linux running, amazing when you think about it. (Disclaimer, I am not a Linux Pro, do your own due diligence}
Take a read on this Technical section to understand between Apple and Window Appliances.
"One unanswered question is whether these cables will support the Thunderbolt, or Display Port, or USB4 protocols.
Thunderbolt 3 vs Thunderbolt 4 vs USB4
USB speeds, types and features explained
USB 3.2 sorts out the confusing speed names, but then there's USB4 and Thunderbolt to think about
www.techadvisor.com
Especially read their salient comments with respect to MAC users and different Thunderbolt variations.
Mr's Blue loves her MAC, which is fine with me, I am not MAC bread, I grew up in Linux, DOS 3.1. Win environments, and never cared for MAC, it just wasn't my cup of Tea.
I do respect MAC, it is an amazing Computer and best for Graphics over DOS Environments. I should also add, my first computer was Radio Shack Tandy 1000, with Basic as operating system, speed was 6 hertz or something, this was 1970's.. I had fun doing a little Basic Programming. That was 54 yrs, omg, I'm dating myself, I better keep quite before get the title, dinosaur, or Ancient.....LOL
Last edited:
blueodessey
Well-known member
Good Day,
Weather here in So California, lots of Fires, and crazy wind storms, called the Santa Ana Winds. Our fire, the Franklin Fire has eaten up about 49000 Acres. Some homes have been lost. Hard to believe this started 3 weeks ago, in the middle of Fall.
Our biggest issue, we have not had any measurable Rain, on the other hand, from San Francisco all the way to Canada, has had huge amounts of Rain. Which they needed for Snow.
So will see how it goes, hopefully by January will scare up some rain, I forgot to mention, during the Firestorm, our humidity got down to 7% anything below 20% encourages Fires to sprout.. Especially with 80 Degree days, way to warm for Fall, abet, we are going into Winter in few more days, could have fooled me!
I made a slight mistake, when I replaced my old Laptop I needed to replace the poor old 7 yr mouse, I kept thinking my Mouse settings were wrong, but then I had epiphany, I remember once 20 years ago, I had a similar issue found out it was the Optical Laser going bad.
Essentially the Laser is worn out. Fortunately I had a spare, new one ordered might be here be here before Xmas.
Now back to trainz, been busy in TRS 22 PE, I went thru and merged or deleted any routes not appealing to me.
After all was said and done, ended up with 365 Routes, out of those 75 are Payware, hard to believe in 0ver 10 years of Trainz, that accumulated this much. EEK! Part of the issue, I had a slew of small tile Routes that interested me.
Looks like I better try and reduce my inventory...
Pictures for tonight:
Picture Station stop in the Country.
Just exemplar of what I do with my Routes to categorize and have quick info when I am in the Merging mood.
One of many Mountain Pictures I use as reference when I try to create my own.
This picture gives me the name of the Route and details, I've tried to make the habit of taking a couple of different Route Pic, with associated I need to visually see what each route looks like to develop the best possible merge for them.
Whatever I do to a Route, I always take the time notating what changes and/or problems occurred with each route.
Several of these type Routes are either Canadian or European many are DEM constructed, more often than not, WIP etc., Since I don't run desktop Computer, I have to cut back these Extra large routes, in some cases by 50% in order not to over work, or over heat. If I like the Route, then it is worth my time. Occasionally, I will take a large Route, and cut it in half, but that is triple the work, in the way you have to delete tiles..
Finally making headway with TRS22 and learned how to cut 100's of tiles in one swath.
One of the tricks, make sure you mark your cut points, using Red HOG color spot.. And zoom out like shown in this picture. Once cut, it takes about 20-30 sections for the command to execute, you have to be patient. IT does work, and works well.
If you are trimming tiles of a large DEM route that aren't really being used, then make sure you do multiple saves, if trainz crashes, and it can when RAM runs out with these operations, you wont lose all your hard work and time.
Another thing when merge routes, I make sure I change the Regions to Grid Style not Textured with color, I need the grid lines to make my track connections on a merge line up.
Adding color Texture, Mountains, Water later, no big deal....
Just another piece of huge merging operation to combine a bunch of my small routes together.
And a few YTube oics for you:
I needed a small route with not too much rail lines for my Grand Merge project. This one fit the bill, it has a nice Farming and Grain operation lots of open country.
Abandoned New Haven Railroad Boxcars in Boston, MA
WILD! Train Derails on Camera
Claremont-Concord Railroad General Electric 44-Tonner Struggles To Run Around Due To Ice 3/5/92
Claremont-Concord Railroad General Electric 44-Tonner Derailment Due To Ice On Tracks 2/17/92
California’s Abandoned Chicago Metra Train
Southeastern Railway Museum 8954 Part 5, Dealing with the Stuck Injectors
Did you know that it was the only yellow one? I'll tell you the story of this locomotive!
https://youtu.be/y32H7uphrRE?si=eFZQNApTyCORa7-u
KANCHAN KANYA + PRATAP + DURGIANA + POORVA Mega High Speed Compilation of 130 KMPH Trains at HBC
https://youtu.be/CfVYF-JPq18?si=AqJ1sVd0gvd2m0pi
Train Plowing railroad tracks after winter storm - December 2022 - Donner Pass
https://youtu.be/pcmD_hCnwHQ?si=hYsx1fYRhxjGV79U
Crazy trains that have unhooked railway cars! Emergency!! Breaks Knuckle
https://youtu.be/gkkSgPt2YtI?si=WpEvUHqbNYv87LCl
Total IDIOTS TRUCKS, CARS VS TRAINS - Scary Train FAILS - Train hit Snow
https://youtu.be/sTdMoYLkVGU?si=_-k3Ttg42OnA4ZEB
OK folks that's it for tonight, I have a Ant invasion to deal with, going to have a word with the Queen Ant, and it ain't going to be purdy.
Take care all, thanks for dropping in.
Weather here in So California, lots of Fires, and crazy wind storms, called the Santa Ana Winds. Our fire, the Franklin Fire has eaten up about 49000 Acres. Some homes have been lost. Hard to believe this started 3 weeks ago, in the middle of Fall.
Our biggest issue, we have not had any measurable Rain, on the other hand, from San Francisco all the way to Canada, has had huge amounts of Rain. Which they needed for Snow.
So will see how it goes, hopefully by January will scare up some rain, I forgot to mention, during the Firestorm, our humidity got down to 7% anything below 20% encourages Fires to sprout.. Especially with 80 Degree days, way to warm for Fall, abet, we are going into Winter in few more days, could have fooled me!
I made a slight mistake, when I replaced my old Laptop I needed to replace the poor old 7 yr mouse, I kept thinking my Mouse settings were wrong, but then I had epiphany, I remember once 20 years ago, I had a similar issue found out it was the Optical Laser going bad.
Essentially the Laser is worn out. Fortunately I had a spare, new one ordered might be here be here before Xmas.
Now back to trainz, been busy in TRS 22 PE, I went thru and merged or deleted any routes not appealing to me.
After all was said and done, ended up with 365 Routes, out of those 75 are Payware, hard to believe in 0ver 10 years of Trainz, that accumulated this much. EEK! Part of the issue, I had a slew of small tile Routes that interested me.
Looks like I better try and reduce my inventory...
Pictures for tonight:
Picture Station stop in the Country.
Just exemplar of what I do with my Routes to categorize and have quick info when I am in the Merging mood.
One of many Mountain Pictures I use as reference when I try to create my own.
This picture gives me the name of the Route and details, I've tried to make the habit of taking a couple of different Route Pic, with associated I need to visually see what each route looks like to develop the best possible merge for them.
Whatever I do to a Route, I always take the time notating what changes and/or problems occurred with each route.
Several of these type Routes are either Canadian or European many are DEM constructed, more often than not, WIP etc., Since I don't run desktop Computer, I have to cut back these Extra large routes, in some cases by 50% in order not to over work, or over heat. If I like the Route, then it is worth my time. Occasionally, I will take a large Route, and cut it in half, but that is triple the work, in the way you have to delete tiles..
Finally making headway with TRS22 and learned how to cut 100's of tiles in one swath.
One of the tricks, make sure you mark your cut points, using Red HOG color spot.. And zoom out like shown in this picture. Once cut, it takes about 20-30 sections for the command to execute, you have to be patient. IT does work, and works well.
If you are trimming tiles of a large DEM route that aren't really being used, then make sure you do multiple saves, if trainz crashes, and it can when RAM runs out with these operations, you wont lose all your hard work and time.
Another thing when merge routes, I make sure I change the Regions to Grid Style not Textured with color, I need the grid lines to make my track connections on a merge line up.
Adding color Texture, Mountains, Water later, no big deal....
Just another piece of huge merging operation to combine a bunch of my small routes together.
And a few YTube oics for you:
I needed a small route with not too much rail lines for my Grand Merge project. This one fit the bill, it has a nice Farming and Grain operation lots of open country.
Abandoned New Haven Railroad Boxcars in Boston, MA
WILD! Train Derails on Camera
Claremont-Concord Railroad General Electric 44-Tonner Struggles To Run Around Due To Ice 3/5/92
Claremont-Concord Railroad General Electric 44-Tonner Derailment Due To Ice On Tracks 2/17/92
California’s Abandoned Chicago Metra Train
Southeastern Railway Museum 8954 Part 5, Dealing with the Stuck Injectors
Did you know that it was the only yellow one? I'll tell you the story of this locomotive!
https://youtu.be/y32H7uphrRE?si=eFZQNApTyCORa7-u
KANCHAN KANYA + PRATAP + DURGIANA + POORVA Mega High Speed Compilation of 130 KMPH Trains at HBC
https://youtu.be/CfVYF-JPq18?si=AqJ1sVd0gvd2m0pi
Train Plowing railroad tracks after winter storm - December 2022 - Donner Pass
https://youtu.be/pcmD_hCnwHQ?si=hYsx1fYRhxjGV79U
Crazy trains that have unhooked railway cars! Emergency!! Breaks Knuckle
https://youtu.be/gkkSgPt2YtI?si=WpEvUHqbNYv87LCl
Total IDIOTS TRUCKS, CARS VS TRAINS - Scary Train FAILS - Train hit Snow
https://youtu.be/sTdMoYLkVGU?si=_-k3Ttg42OnA4ZEB
OK folks that's it for tonight, I have a Ant invasion to deal with, going to have a word with the Queen Ant, and it ain't going to be purdy.
Take care all, thanks for dropping in.
blueodessey
Well-known member
Good Sat morning all,
Trainz is having their famed end of the year Sale, up to 90% off, Dec 20, 2024 thru Jan 6th, 2025, if you don't purchase anything much thru the year, this is one Sale, that really helps catch up things you might like.
I save my money all year long for this Sale, and I think it is quite worth it when you look at the prices below, for items I purchased, wanted, watching thru the year.
I had to spend some money repairing, replacing our old worn out Water heater of 22 years, started leaking couple weeks ago, actually I knew it was going bad in Oct this year, tried to delay it till January. It had to large rusted out holes, and was leaking slowly, but come December, it really started leaking. Expensive to have Plumber come out, and then find out, my copper re pipe 15 years ago forgot to put shut off valves on both sides of heater. So that had to be put in.
Anyway, I went frugal for Xmas Gifts, but saved my pennies for these items below..
I was very light on my Aussie Rolling Stocks so I added to them too!
Got some really cool Routes, and saved a ton of Monies..Enjoyed the free items Trainz gave away, all you had to do was to download them.
The Flying Scotsman 1920s is compatible with the following versions of Trainz:
- TANE build 74710 (or higher)
- TANE SP1 build 80341 (or higher) Free
Pro Train Badgers Pass Free
Victorian Railways V499 - Baldwin Built × 1 Free
Euro Bundle (5 Pack) $19.99
CONTZ Pack - Standard Edition $2.60
Quinnimont Coal Drag $4.00
Orient Express Train set $4.00
C44aci Locomotive - QUBE Logistics Pack $3.00
Coalmint Mountains Railroad $5.00
Indiana Railroad - EMD SD9043MAC $1.00
BNSF Railway - GE ES44DC $1.20
Canadian Rocky Mountains Viktor Lake to Ross Peak and Glacier $8.00
Trainz Route: Franklin Avenue Industrial $4.00
Avmz Intercity 71 $1.60
BNSF Railway - EMD SD70MAC - Heritage $1.20
CSX Transportation - GE C40-8 $1.20
Burlington Northern Railroad - EMD SD70MAC $1.20
Trainz Route: Balezino Mosti $5.00
C44aci Locomotive - QUBE Logistics Pack $3.00
Coalmint Mountains Railroad $5.00
Indiana Railroad - EMD SD9043MAC $1.00
BNSF Railway - GE ES44DC $1.20
Canadian Rocky Mountains Viktor Lake to Ross Peak and Glacier $8.00
Trainz Route: Franklin Avenue Industrial $4.00
Avmz Intercity 71 $1.60
BNSF Railway - EMD SD70MAC - Heritage 3 $1.20
CSX Transportation - GE C40-8 $1.20
Burlington Northern Railroad - EMD SD70MAC $1.20
Southern Pacific - GE CW44-9 $2.60
USA Route - Far Northern Mountains $4.00
Yellowstone Mountain & Central Railroad $7.00
SSR Fletchers Crawfords GE C44aci Pack $3.00
CSX Transportation - EMD SD60M YN3 $1.20
Pacific National C44aci 92 and 93 Class Locomotives $3.00
CSX Transportation - EMD SD80MAC YN3 $1.20
CSX Transportation - EMD SD60 $2.00
BNSF Railway - GE C44-9W Heritage $2.00
BNSF Railway - GE Dash 9 44CW War Bonnet $2.40
You still have time, till Jan 6th 2025, check it out to see if there is something there for you?
Buy the way , I just noticed my I my FCT had expired, no wonder my downloads were taking so much time....EEK!
Have a wonderful time and Happy New Year to all...
Thank you to all the Asset Creators for making my Year and Xmas time great, we are truly blessed in many ways..
ONE MORE THING
Make sure you goto to DLC, then look at Categories and checkoff "Discounted-Items"
easy to go and see what is on sale there,,, several pages of items..
Have fun.
Trainz is having their famed end of the year Sale, up to 90% off, Dec 20, 2024 thru Jan 6th, 2025, if you don't purchase anything much thru the year, this is one Sale, that really helps catch up things you might like.
I save my money all year long for this Sale, and I think it is quite worth it when you look at the prices below, for items I purchased, wanted, watching thru the year.
I had to spend some money repairing, replacing our old worn out Water heater of 22 years, started leaking couple weeks ago, actually I knew it was going bad in Oct this year, tried to delay it till January. It had to large rusted out holes, and was leaking slowly, but come December, it really started leaking. Expensive to have Plumber come out, and then find out, my copper re pipe 15 years ago forgot to put shut off valves on both sides of heater. So that had to be put in.
Anyway, I went frugal for Xmas Gifts, but saved my pennies for these items below..
I was very light on my Aussie Rolling Stocks so I added to them too!
Got some really cool Routes, and saved a ton of Monies..Enjoyed the free items Trainz gave away, all you had to do was to download them.
The Flying Scotsman 1920s is compatible with the following versions of Trainz:
- TANE build 74710 (or higher)
- TANE SP1 build 80341 (or higher) Free
Pro Train Badgers Pass Free
Victorian Railways V499 - Baldwin Built × 1 Free
Euro Bundle (5 Pack) $19.99
CONTZ Pack - Standard Edition $2.60
Quinnimont Coal Drag $4.00
Orient Express Train set $4.00
C44aci Locomotive - QUBE Logistics Pack $3.00
Coalmint Mountains Railroad $5.00
Indiana Railroad - EMD SD9043MAC $1.00
BNSF Railway - GE ES44DC $1.20
Canadian Rocky Mountains Viktor Lake to Ross Peak and Glacier $8.00
Trainz Route: Franklin Avenue Industrial $4.00
Avmz Intercity 71 $1.60
BNSF Railway - EMD SD70MAC - Heritage $1.20
CSX Transportation - GE C40-8 $1.20
Burlington Northern Railroad - EMD SD70MAC $1.20
Trainz Route: Balezino Mosti $5.00
C44aci Locomotive - QUBE Logistics Pack $3.00
Coalmint Mountains Railroad $5.00
Indiana Railroad - EMD SD9043MAC $1.00
BNSF Railway - GE ES44DC $1.20
Canadian Rocky Mountains Viktor Lake to Ross Peak and Glacier $8.00
Trainz Route: Franklin Avenue Industrial $4.00
Avmz Intercity 71 $1.60
BNSF Railway - EMD SD70MAC - Heritage 3 $1.20
CSX Transportation - GE C40-8 $1.20
Burlington Northern Railroad - EMD SD70MAC $1.20
Southern Pacific - GE CW44-9 $2.60
USA Route - Far Northern Mountains $4.00
Yellowstone Mountain & Central Railroad $7.00
SSR Fletchers Crawfords GE C44aci Pack $3.00
CSX Transportation - EMD SD60M YN3 $1.20
Pacific National C44aci 92 and 93 Class Locomotives $3.00
CSX Transportation - EMD SD80MAC YN3 $1.20
CSX Transportation - EMD SD60 $2.00
BNSF Railway - GE C44-9W Heritage $2.00
BNSF Railway - GE Dash 9 44CW War Bonnet $2.40
You still have time, till Jan 6th 2025, check it out to see if there is something there for you?
Buy the way , I just noticed my I my FCT had expired, no wonder my downloads were taking so much time....EEK!
Have a wonderful time and Happy New Year to all...
Thank you to all the Asset Creators for making my Year and Xmas time great, we are truly blessed in many ways..
ONE MORE THING
Make sure you goto to DLC, then look at Categories and checkoff "Discounted-Items"
easy to go and see what is on sale there,,, several pages of items..
Have fun.
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blueodessey
Well-known member
Thank you my friend, I would like to add, that is one amazing Time Line. Awesome!
blueodessey
Well-known member
CPKC (Canadian Pacific Kansas City) is currently conducting extensive testing on hydrogen-powered locomotives, essentially "putting hydrogen to the test" by evaluating its viability as a fuel source for freight rail operations, particularly in the form of a high-horsepower hydrogen locomotive, as part of their commitment to sustainability and reducing emissions; recent trials have seen successful runs hauling coal trains in British Columbia, marking a significant step in their hydrogen locomotive program.
Key points about CPKC's hydrogen testing:
Key points about CPKC's hydrogen testing:
- Focus on high-horsepower locomotives:
CPKC is primarily testing a powerful hydrogen locomotive, designated as CP 1200, designed to handle heavy freight loads.
- Coal hauling trials:
Recent testing phases have involved pulling loaded coal trains in British Columbia, collaborating with a customer in the steelmaking coal supply chain.
- Multi-phase testing:
CPKC is conducting a series of test phases to thoroughly evaluate the performance and reliability of the hydrogen locomotive under various conditions.
- Potential for large-scale adoption:
If successful, CPKC plans to expand its hydrogen locomotive fleet, potentially adding more units in the near future.
blueodessey
Well-known member
Good Evening all,
Been a while since posted on my thread, last year and half been a little tough, lost some family members and good friends. And a bunch of problems with an old house.
And I had some health issues, that I had to make some changes and take some medication, which has made a huge improvement, seeing how my Aging Body is letting me know, I not 40ish anymore..
On the brighter side of things, my youngest grandchild is on their way to College, we are so excited.
Over to Trainz, there are some many types of Locomotives in the world, whenever I find a article that that gives some clarity of thought, it might be nice to share with those of you that build our Assets.
I grew up around the Southern Pacific and Union Pacific, Amtrak etc in the 50's, thru the decades I have watched the subtle not so subtle changes, with cut backs, progress, and where we are now with 3 mile long trains that don't fit in passing sidings!
There is lots of good changes with fuel management, track geometry and material innovations. Where it all ends up, who knows at this particular crossroad. Will have to watch and pray.
Hope you enjoy this article.
Lastly, Thank you to all the Asset Creators who make some amazing Assets for Trainz, I applaud and respect the long hours and time and thought you do.
AC/DC Dynamics
Written by David Humphrey, Ph.D, Senior Data Scientist, Railinc Corp.
Bruce Kelly
RAILWAY AGE MAY 2025 ISSUE: Railinc’s analysis of the North American locomotive fleet reveals that the size of the total fleet increased slightly in 2024. Detailed analysis reveals the following trends:
- Rebuilding programs continue but new locomotives are still rare. At the end of 2024, the locomotive fleet totaled 37,678, up 119 units from 2023. That is up from 2023’s –0.4% year-over-year decline.
- Statistics and data in the 2024 report reflect the relevance of rebuilt locomotives. The age of locomotives is based on the rebuilt year in Umler® if the data is present; otherwise, it is based on the original build year.
- High-horsepower locomotives with alternating current (AC) traction motors and six axles continue to drive changes in fleet demographics. Most new additions to the fleet since the mid-1990s have been six-axle locomotives with a horsepower rating of 4,000 or higher. AC traction locomotives—which perform well at hauling heavy loads—account for the majority of new additions to the fleet in the past decade. And locomotives with the highest fuel capacity—more than 4,500 gallons—make up the largest percentage of the fleet.
The long-term trend of new locomotives being added to the North American fleet paused in 2018 when the locomotive fleet decreased by three units, and that decline ended in 2024. Last year, the locomotive fleet increased by 119 units to 37,678 units, for a growth rate of 0.3%, up from the previous year’s growth rate of –0.4% (see Figure 1). Most new locomotives in the report are recently rebuilt units rather than brand-new locomotives).
FIGURE 1: NORTH AMERICAN LOCOMOTIVE FLEET, COUNT AT THE END OF YEAR (ACTIVE LOCOMOTIVES IN UMLER®)
Historically, the average age of the fleet and the number of locomotives added to the fleet mirror the economic environment (see Figure 2). When the economy is strong, as in the mid-1990s and mid-2000s—and there are more railcars in service—the average age is lower and the fleet tends to grow. During periods of recession, fewer new locomotives join the fleet. The small increase in 2024 indicates a slight recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, while still reflecting excess supply of locomotives due to industry utilization improvements surrounding PSR (Precision Scheduled Railroading).
FIGURE 2: NORTH AMERICAN LOCOMOTIVE FLEET, NUMBER OF LOCOMOTIVES BY AGE (ACTIVE LOCOMOTIVES IN UMLER®)
The average and median ages of locomotives in the North American fleet continue to increase. The average age increased 0.8 years in 2024, and the median age was also up by 0.7 years.
As new locomotives join the fleet each year, larger railroads move older units to less-demanding roles, sell them to regional and short line railroads, or make them available to be rebuilt or refurbished.
A locomotive has a long service life and can be used in a variety of ways over that time. It can make long hauls during its first decades of service. Then, it can work on regional and short line railroads in middle age. Finally, it can perform lighter-duty service—such as moving railcars in a yard—at 60 or 70 years old.
DC Holds Largest Share as AC Growth Continues
DC locomotives make up 60% of the North American fleet. The share of AC locomotives has increased 10% since 2014 as more AC units join the fleet (see Figure 3). Although DC locomotives continue to make up nearly two-thirds of the North American fleet, AC locomotives have dominated among additions in the past 10 years. Only 31 DC units were added in the past two years. And, in the past eight years, most new locomotives were AC units.
FIGURE 3: NORTH AMERICAN LOCOMOTIVE FLEET, AC VS. DC POWER BY YEAR (ACTIVE LOCOMOTIVES IN UMLER®)
Locomotives with a horsepower rating of 4,000 or higher continue to make up most of the North American locomotive fleet. These locomotives comprised 56% of the fleet in 2024 (see Figure 4). Locomotives between 2,000 and 3,999 horsepower comprised 32% in 2024, down from 37% in 2014.
FIGURE 4: NORTH AMERICAN LOCOMOTIVE FLEET, HORSEPOWER BY YEAR (ACTIVE LOCOMOTIVES IN UMLER®)
Of the locomotives built or rebuilt in the past five years, virtually all have a horsepower rating of 4,000 or higher. The fleet does continue to add lower-horsepower locomotives, though at generally decreasing rates. These lower-horsepower additions to the fleet are made up of rebuilt locomotives and new units used as switcher locomotives.
Locomotives with a horsepower rating of 4,000 or higher dominate among AC locomotives, which tend to be newer. There are close to two-thirds more DC locomotives in the North American fleet than AC units. However, DC units are more evenly distributed by horsepower rating, as locomotives with horsepower ratings of less than 4,000 making up the largest share.
Six-axle locomotives make up 68% of the North American locomotive fleet. Six-axle locomotives distribute the weight of a locomotive to the rails across more wheels and deliver tractive effort through more wheels and traction motors than four-axle locomotives. Most six-axle locomotives were built in the past 30 years.
Locomotives with fuel capacity of more than 4,500 gallons make up 57% of the North American fleet. This share has grown in recent years, while the share of locomotives with fuel capacity between 3,500 and 4,500 gallons continues to decrease (down 2% since 2013). This is consistent with the recent trend of the fleet adding new high-horsepower, six-axle locomotives—which have larger fuel tanks.
Road Units and Switchers
To distinguish locomotives used in road service from those used in switching service, Railinc has applied the following definitions:
- A road unit is a locomotive with six axles and a horsepower rating of 2,500 or higher.
- A switcher is a locomotive with four axles and up to 2,500 horsepower.
Road units make up 66% of the North American locomotive fleet, while switchers account for about 23% of the population. Locomotives with four axles and a horsepower rating higher than 2,500 make up 9% of the fleet. However, the industry shifted away from making this locomotive type in the mid-1990s. Most additions of this type are refurbished units. Among these are locomotives with evolving technologies like battery-electric and hydrogen fuel cell.
Railinc is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Association of American Railroads. Visit www.railinc.com for more information and to download this report.
Tags: Breaking News, Railinc
Wonderful to see you posting again Blue! Glad to hear things are improving for you. Our first grandchild is here with our daughter while her husband transfers from Arizona to Alaska with the Air Force. Next week I will be escorting them up to Fairbanks and will stay with them on Eielson Air Base for a week. Scary to think this little 4 1/2-month-old grand daughter will graduate high school when I am 88! I am going to have to live a long time to see any future grandkids graduate, and I would like to see them graduate college! Thank you for all the information on our railroad system, it is very interesting.
blueodessey
Well-known member
Than you Sir,
And congrats on the new Grandchild, should be a real interesting trip to Air Force Base, take a warm jacket for those Snowy Days. Wow you are 88, that's amazing Sir.
Safe travels, and watch out for MR BEAR.
No, I am 70, so I will be 88 when she graduates High school, if I am blessed to live that long. Her father (my daughter's husband) just reached the base by car today with their two golden retrievers and got into their base housing. Interesting you should mention bears as he sent us video showing him talking to the neighbors in the street and down on the corner in the street was a black bear. I hear there are moose as well, which should make walking the dogs interesting. Don't want to run into mamas with cubs or calves!