Topic: Welcome!
Railroad Simulation Journal
by Brian Eckard
Welcome to the first volume of our brand new Rail Simulation Journal! This blog replaces the Train Simulation Craftsman magazine blog. At the end of 2007 I made a decision that as I move forward with my new life, it was time to put some things from my past behind me. And, I decided that my magazine should be one of those things (from my past) that needs to be retired.
I have also decided to put on hold offering for sale e books containing reprints of the TSC volumes that have appeared in recent years on this blog site. I do intend on making these e books available in the future, but not the foreseeable future. At this point in my life, I don't want to get tied down with running my own business. So, I have decided to put those things on hold until a more opportune time presents itself.
With that said, what is this blog site going to become? And, what does this new name mean? Let's start with the name. During the last quarter of 2007 I started playing around with the idea of changing the name of TSC to something that better reflects what this publication is turning into. I am moving it away from the idea of craftsman projects, and more in the direction of a journal of simulating railroads. This journal will contain my observations, reviews of train sim routes that I have explored, entries on train operations in the real world, articles about my current layout projects, and any article written by you that deals with any aspect of virtual railroading. The reason it will contain observations about real railroading, is because that is what we are trying to simulate. So it is appropriate that we include articles on how the prototype railroads run their operations. Can there be any articles on model railroading? Yes! After all, if you think about it, model railroading is also simulating a real railroad. One medium is using scale models, and the other is using virtual scale models on a PC. It is my opinion that there is no difference in modeling in either environment.
I started to think about what kind of name I should use for my new direction. There are obvious ones like Virtual Railroad xxx. I decided against using the term virtual railroad or virtual railroading in the title because I felt it would make my publication title too close to my good friend's name of his web site and e-publication, Virtual Railroader. I then started to play around with Train Simulation. I concluded that using those terms in my new title would be too close to Train Simulation Craftsman. This is a new direction and I wanted to get away from names that sounded similar to the previous publication.
So, I started to play around with the idea of Railroad Journal, or Rail Simulation. The problem with Rail Simulation is that there is a new train simulator on the market called Rail Simulator. Again, too close for comfort in my book. I liked the word journal being in the title, and we are simulating railroads. So after some reflection on using these words together in a title I have decided that the new name should be Railroad Simulation Journal. I think this title expresses well the intent of this blog—that is, to journal our experiences in the fascinating world of virtual railroading.
There will be no more magazine issues in our publishing model. Each year we will add another volume to our collection. These volumes will be archived into e books that will be made available on the Stuck Junction web site at no charge-- giving me a reason to keep the business site open even though it will technically not be operating. Remember, I want to keep the business in view for possible start up at some point in the future.
Since there are no magazine issues, the articles and journal entries will appear as they are written by me, or received from you. So, I would suggest (if you haven't done so already) using the RSS feed to notify you whenever a new posting is made on this site.
Join me in saying good bye to a trusted friend, Train Simulation Craftsman. It had a good run from its promising beginning back in 2002 to its rebirth in 2004 to its retirement at the end of 2007. It's time to change trains and begin a new journey. I hope you will come along for the ride, and visit here often! --Brian
This chapter begins with an imaginary ski trip on the Boston and Maine Railroad. Our trip begins in Boston and heads up into the snowy mountains of New Hamphire. We're headed to Sugarloaf, NH home of the Sugarloaf Inn. This route is actually John D'Angelo's Boston to Portland Trainz route that is available for free download from Auran's Trainz Download Station to registered Trainz users.
Easy Projects is the subject of part four. Here you will find articles that tell you how to build a switch list generator using Excel. How to paint and create scenery in Trainz, and it even shares how to make a movie once you've created your dream layout in your favorite train simulator.
I have spent a substantial amount of time reading this book and exploring the freebies that come with it. In my opinion, it is a well written book that will help any newcomer to this fascinating hobby to get started. It also will help the experienced and time seasoned virtual railroader to get more out of V-Scale, and it may even lead them to explore other avenues like strategy and empire building. For the model railroader, it might just open their eyes to the similarities our respective hobbies share and lead them to find a way to combine model railroading and virtual railroading together. In the future I can see a time where these two hobbies do combine and layouts will be designed that will use the simulator to handle the "time in between" the stations or selected scenes on the layout.
Virtual railroading comes in many forms and types of simulations. They range from driving simulations to full-blown 3-dimensional worlds that you can create and explore by rail. There are strategy games, and empire building games that are based on a railroading theme. And, there are also adventure games that entail a story that takes place on a train. I would like to explore this last new genre in the virtual railroading arena.
What is virtual railroading? Is it a game? Or, is it a hobby? Is it simply another avenue to model railroads with? Why are people either firmly for it? Or, vehemently opposed to it? Our title for this article is actually a qoute from a father to his son at a train show. It accurately reflects the attitude of the old school of model railroading, and the conflict with the younger generation who has been raised with a gaming attitude. How does virtual railroading get past this apparent mountain that blocks its acceptance into the mainstream of the model railroading hobby?
Before the age of computers railroads were simulated by rail fans on tables using models powered by small electric motors. Since these simulated representations of railroads used wooden and later plastic models of railroad equipment it was conveniently referred to as model railroading. Model railroading has been around ever since there were railroads, so this is a very old hobby going back at least 100 years. The first model trains were push toys that eventually were put on tracks. When small electric motors became available these early models were powered.
When the first home computers hit the market place in the early 1980s few model railroaders would have ever dreamed that virtual railroading would be possible. As advances in computer technology continued to push the processing speed faster and faster, graphic intensive programs became possible on home machines. From the very beginning flight simulators became available for the home PCs and started a brand new hobby of virtual flying. Flight simulators laid the foundation for virtual railroaders and train simulators. 
The virtual railroad modeler can easily import many of his modeling skills that are used when building a model railroad layout. Since virtual railroading is so new many scenery objects and train models have to be created from scratch. This is a very similar history that virtual railroading shares with modeling railroading. In its early years model railroaders had to create from scratch most of their models and scenery objects. Model kits and ready made models were simply not available. The hobby was based on the craftsman skills of the modeler.
The layout design that I have chosen is a simple loop that also provides passing sidings. The original layout was actually my first real model railroad that I built with my dad when I was a kid. I called my HO scale model railroad the Utah and Rocky Mountain. We built this layout and placed scenery on it for Christmas one year. The five foot by nine foot table was cut in half and carried upstairs to our living room where it was set up under our Christmas tree. The original era modeled was in the late 1800s and the layout featured western looking towns, locomotives and rolling stock form the old west.