Train Spotting

[Charl]

You may recall this screenshot

It was the start of the film shoot (in Scotland) of another whimsical bit of flightsimmery.
Those familiar with model trains and such, will be familiar with the construction of a diorama.
Well, here’s a train diorama in MSFS.
It has a helipad, a monument, a bridge, and a station.
And a steam train.



There’s a bit of explanation at the end of the clip below.
Apologies for the Muzak, I took so many shots and cut and pasted (and lost) so many bits, that I lost the original recorded sounds!

Watch on youtube.com

Having chased the train up and down many times, I went down the steam train rabbit hole.
No wonder there are people who Spot Trains, they are complicated and mighty beasts.
Here’s the biggest one, explained

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hszu80NJ438

[deeknow]

Too good!!! Nice handling BTW

[toprob]

....mustn't.... look.....!!!...

Ok, MS have said that they don't feel that they have the skills to put working trains into MSFS, but it could happen one day. I'm happy to wait. Smoke and steam effects have certainly come a long way!

[cowpatz]

What….no slalom between the bridge supports Charl?
I understand that the train has been suspended since March due to it not being economically viable to install automatic door locks. A high court challenge failed.
Hopefully the change of carriages helps but they won’t be the lovely original ones. Stupid bureaucracy and inflexible rules at work. Yet you can still drive a classic car with a lap belt.

Harry Potter train

I’m surprised that MS say that they don’t have the skills to do trains. Don’t they do train simulation?

[toprob]

... I’m surprised that MS say that they don’t have the skills to do trains. Don’t they do train simulation?

MS used to have Train Simulator, and the external developers were working on version 2 back in 2003. This never eventuated, and in 2007 the Aces studio were working on the sequel to FSX, and decided to resurrect Train Simulator based on the ESP game engine, which was the new basis for FSXI. I can remember the screenshots and videos of early development, mainly showing people in both FS and TS -- I can't find any of that content now, unfortunately.

Aces was closed soon after, so we never saw FSXI or TS2. This would have been Aces first attempt at a train simulator.

In the end ESP was sold to Lockheed Martin, and became Prepar3d, so we never saw the 'twin earth' concept which MS were working on. In my head, this is because MS saw the possibilities of a twin earth at the time, but knew that a lot of things would need to happen first, so they worked on Bing, Azure etc, and now we have MSFS with its AI and streaming content.

So I always expected them to reintegrate the trains, but it never happened.

[Charl]

My understanding is that, in this offering, the whole thing is an Effect rather than an Object.
Engine, carriages, smoke and steam.
I guess it's not viable as a worldwide thing.

What….no slalom between the bridge supports Charl?

Yes of course but the aim was to thread every one, and well...

Nice handling BTW

Now here's the thing: if you forget about flying the helicopter, and focus on following the train, you find yourself EASILY flying backwards, sideways, every which way, to keep the thing centered, without really trying!

[hasegawa]

"Just a quiet word of appreciation for Carl—for capturing this moment so beautifully with the MD 530 in slow flight. While the scenery comes from Microsoft’s latest UK update, your way of showcasing it really brings it to life. It’s moments like these that make the simulation feel so immersive. Thank you for sharing it with us."

[Charl]

You are very welcome, and thank you for the kind words.
I must say, this little excursion kept me happily occupied for some hours.

[JMBIII]

Charl,

I'm sitting here sipping the second G+T (w/cucumber) seriously thinking about why I am following the train.
I have spent the entire afternoon attempting to repair a kitchen sink drain when I could have been
frittering away my precious time flying. I did find the train.

[Charl]

Joe:
These are serious thoughts.
Goodonya mate.