Could this concept be a real crowd-pleaser ??

See the following example:

http://www.dnh757.com/index.html


DPK

RR Museum of PA has something similar - using a NS GP38 (I think) cab in fresh black horsehead paint. Takes you from Lancaster - Harrisburg on the Amtrak Main. Now it takes about 4 minutes, which is a lot quicker than it is in real life... but you can't have it all.

http://www.rrmuseumpa.org/about/roster/ ... ndex.shtml

Looks like a really great project. Would go great with the cross-sectioned steam locomotive from other post <g>. Seriously, the Transport Museum in Lucerne, Switzerland has a simulator for an electric that you can try. I found it to be a challenge. You really don't begin to understand the size of a diesel locomotive until you see part of it inside. I remember that the B&O Museum used to have the cab of a Geep near the beginning of the tour. Too bad they still don't, along with the scale explanation of CPL signal systems.

The National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium in Dubuque, IA has something similar, using the wheelhouse from a Mississippi River towboat (which actually pushes the barges.) It runs about five minutes of simulation where the "helmsman" has to try to keep his push aligned with the channel between bridge piers, if I recall correctly. It was extremely popular, with both boys and adult men, and was always crowded as long as my wife and I were within earshot. I don't know just how much simulation the simulator actually provided, since barge pushes are extremely unresponsive and take a long time to give feedback to course corrections, but sometimes it would announce success (usually with an adult at the helm) but most times it would announce a collision. Either way, everyone seemed to be enjoying it.

The Richard I. Bong WWII Heritage Center in Superior WI has a flight simulator which I think was supposed to simulate a P-38 (the whole museum kind of revolves around a replica of Major Bong's P-38) but this was a $15 extra charge option, and I don't recall it being in use when I was there. What came to my mind at the time was that I don't know how to fly ANYTHING, so why should I pay fifteen bucks to embarrass myself by crashing a high performance aircraft?

It points out that things meant for the general public only need to be geared to that level. With so much available for the Microsoft Train Simulator, one would think that an actual control stand and brake valve could be rigged with enough micro switches to drive the display. It might not satisfy the FRA as an actual training device, but it would certainly impress the kids.

When they scrapped the group of BC Rail Electrics in Tacoma, I tried to buy one of the cabs from Ceeco. Me and a couple of the other volunteers at the MRSR were at least exploring the possibility of making a simulator out of it.

The fellow at Ceeco told me the cabs had already been spoken for, since they were going to salvage the components for use in another locomotive (can't recall what type, but it was a pretty standard diesel.)

The costs would probably have been prohibitive, but we were fairly serious about trying the idea.

The Museum of Flight in Seattle has a full motion simulator. My son and I went on it one day when the museum was pretty slow. We paid our $10 or whatever it was, and got on the ride. As we got in, the guy says "empty your pockets" and I'm thinking "what did I get myself into?" then he pulls down the roller coaster style harness and I'm sitting there thinking "uh, you don't mean to tell me this thing can go upside down do you?" Well, you guessed it, it can, and did, much to my son's delight. :) It had a flight simulation in it, and he had great fun dogfighting enemy planes.



Operation Lifesaver here in Washington state created a simple but effective display. They made a mockup that looks (very roughly) like a small version of a locomotive cab. The "window" is a flat panel display. The control stand is simply one of the off the shelf train driver controllers. It runs a stock version of MS train simulator. They've got a good sound sytem in it, with lots of bass for the rumble. The reaction? The line is usally about 10 kids (of all ages) long.

I also recall seeing a display at the NMRA convention that did have actual control stands, I think they were cast resin replicas if I recall correctly. It also had front and side window views. Very impressive. (This is the company I was going to contact had I been able to secure the BCR cab) I can't recall the name, but I'm sure somebody else knows who they are since they attended quite a few big train shows. I thought they were considering producing replica control stands, but I've not heard or seen any more about it.

Here in Kansas I built a similar "simple" display, a wooden cab mock-up running a stock version of MS train simulator with a commercial control console. The whole thing is designed to fold up into a closed box about 5 ft high by 3 ft wide by 2 ft deep, mounted on casters so it can be moved. My intent was to take it around to museum Open Houses, local train shows, Operation Lifesaver events and the like. Most recently it was at the Train Show in Oklahoma City the weekend of December 6. As one responder noted above, this kind of thing is a popular exhibit and a line of kids and spectators forms immediately. Operation on routes which simulates familiar local terrain was especially popular, as was operation of familiar local locomotives. At Oklahoma City, part of the day was spent simulating the operation of ATSF FP45 #90, which is displayed at the nearby Oklahoma Railway Museum. Amtrak Genesis locomotives, which power the locally seen "Heartland Flyer" train, were also popular.

This type of "Diesel Simulator" works well at train shows, assuming that a trained operator is available to oversee the users. I's perhaps less suited as a daily full-time display at a museum, due to the need for a knowledgable docent.

The available commercial control console most closely resembles a modern GE "desk top" control stand. I have obtained an actual control stand from a GP9, but haven't yet figured out how to interface it with the software. The software is capable of simulating Steam operation as well, but there are not any commercially available Steam control consoles. Steam can be operated from the computer keyboard, but some users find this to be much less attractive.

Dan Rohrback

I suggest using an MU car control cab with television screen mounted in the engineer's window. It might be more manageable and affordable. Just a suggestion.