General North American 3rd Party News (non Dramatic Version)

Depending on when in the 90s: Dash 2s, GE Dash 7s, Dash 8s, possibly SD60s (I don't think UP bought SD70Ms until very late in the 90s)

 

I think we know. Too easy of a guess, recycled rolling stock with reskins.

 

If the route followed the Overland route more direct, I would of loved to seen the Farmer John HOGX Cars come, probably the last livestock cars used in US railroading....

 

Well, looks like the TBT store be open for a few more weeks, while upgrading on their SD70ACu it seems

 

https://www.trains.com/ctr/photos-videos/photo-of-the-day/palatial-stock-car/

Pigs/hogs were still transported by rail, while cows/steer/cattle weren't anymore?

 

Somewhat, but even that traffic died off eventually

 

Yeah, they weren't hauled frequently, and only twice a week with only 5-10 cars each time. Stopped when Farmer John switched to locally grown California hogs.

 

Welcome back BTW.

 

Released today are the fully freeware SD70ACe by Switchpoint Simulations. This locomotive is easily Searchlight quality, with top notch textures, sounds, and functionality, and, as said previously, it is 100% standalone and free. Roadnames for now are BNSF, MRL, KCS, CSX, and PRLX, with several other roads in the works.
https://danaguitar2013.wixsite.com/switchpointsims/product-page/bnsf-sd70ace-pack

 

Nice

 

Schnauz gives his approval:

 

Brilliant.

 

Milepost drops another teaser, which now confirms standard cab UP Dash 8.

 

SPS continues with more ACe releases, with a massive UP SD70ACe Pack

This covers UP's 1st orders with Red Sills, to the latest corporate scheme, the Heritage and Special Units, ACe and AH models along other things.


https://www.switchpointsimulations.com/

Schnauzahpowahz review of it.


Amazing to see some 3rd party devs can deliver both quality and quanity in the same pack (And for free too!)

 

i wondering if they going to make cn sd70m-2 locomotvies

 

who needs TWS anyway?

Note that all SPS SD70ACe packs have been updated, there is a small problem with the Google hosting KCS

 

I saw this mentioned earlier on Discord. Makes me wonder if the pack itself has any requirement or if this is a full pack all on its own. For instance, is Sherman needed for the base model? (And then it will replace everything in Sherman and elsewhere. LOL)

ERROR: TWS is invalid.

 

The SPS packs are stand alone. I think their cab interior and scripting required a whole new 3D model.

KCS is now available from the provided Google drive.

 

The link to download the KCS SD70ACes doesn't work.

 

Just go to the SPS site you can download it there. I did so on Tuesday.

 

Another Milepost teaser, this one has the addition of the SD9043MAC's.

 

Prepare for the worst (or best, who knows), TBT's SD70ACU in CP is coming to steam soon.

 

It is out. SD70ACU Canadian Pacific / Norfolk Southern Add-On

 

That's not on steam, that's his own website.

Only the NS SD70ACU is on steam, his CP is still only available on his site atm.

 

Switchpoint Simulations adds a new GP30 pack to their site, BNSF related ones, which include regular GP30's and GP30u's. Schemes go from Patched Santa Fe to Pre BN schemes. Also seems like a nice array of horn types and bells. All for free!

https://www.switchpointsimulations.com/

 

SPS are really knocking it out of the park, and putting certain other devs to shame while they're at it.

 

Yeah, watching Schnauzahpowahz's video of the pack, and he put the HIS Bozeman BN GP30 with the SPS one, and....

I just don't see how you can defend the work of the Payware model with the Freeware one......


The review.

 

And now SPS released a SD70M-2 pack for Canadian National

 

CN? You have my attention.

 

Very nice, downloading now!

 

well i try the cn sd70m-2 and there awesome locomotives. very nice and detailed. i wondering if switch point simulation would be allowed to do emdx sd70ace 1201 to 1212

 

I actually asked someone there once what kinds of other things interest them for projects, and it was confirmed they have their own NDA so no one is allowed to talk about anything (yes, even though it's all free, they still keep mum about things). I did point out the CSX SD45-2 and noted that the project was actually my idea (I won't go into detail, but this is provable); unfortunately, it has become the worst-reviewed product I've seen in the collection to date, and I suggested that maybe if Switchpoint does their own pack it would allow us to forget the one that everyone hates. (Personally, I'd be happy to see a new one in Train Sim Community scenarios someday.)

 

SPS with more SD70 goodness. Norfolk Southern this time.

SD70ACe's SD70M-2's SD70IAC's and SD70ICC's included. Also includes the Heritage Fleet and the Barcode unit 1111.






Schnauzahpowahz's review

 

New Milepost teaser, now shows the GP38-2 and possibly new Well Cars.

 

I am still praying they save us from the SD45-2 pack on Steam. I still feel shame because it was my idea and it is the most negatively reviewed DLC on Steam. I finally bought it just to see how bad it is when it was 75% off (I bought others with positive or neutral reviews to make up for the potential pain). Have yet to look at it, and am kinda scared to. LOL

But yes, I want to see a good SD45-2 to use in scenarios instead.

 

Cyclone. Just curious, do you ever have anything positive to say?

 

At least there are better well cars at ABS and Searchlight Simulations with logos on the containers to substitute. These are just recycled.

 

Not entirely, at least from what was discussed on the TSC discord, they are most likely 40ft 5 unit well cars, which we don't really have for the era (Aside from some from Rick Grout, and DTM's horrendous Twin Stacks), ABS and Searchlight Simulations are 48ft and 53ft well cars, and their containers are branded too new for a mid 90's route.

As long as they are decently moddable and skinnable, they "should" be ok.

 

The wellcars certainly have potential, they look to me like Maxi-IIIs, which are 48ft wells (also the correct wells for a route set in the 90s, so hopefully its these). The Gtrax wells are 40ft, Searchlights are non-articulated 48fts, ABS are 53ft, so if they are the Maxi-IIIs they actually will fill a sizeable gap in our container fleet. There's a 99% chance the containers themselves are child objects, which can easily be swapped to the better 40ft models we have. On the downside, Milepost's rollingstock modeling hasn't been super great recently, but hopefully the model here will be good enough that a better skin will make it look great.

 

Yes. There are a lot of great DLC out there.

I was being serious about the SD45-2 being badly reviewed. 11 negative reviews. 0 positive.

 

Official Milepost route map, from Green River to Kemmerer, Wyoming, and he plans to submit the route to DTG by the end of July.

 

Looking forward to this offering.

 

More Milepost photos.

 

Sadly it looks like so many others.

 

That's what a large part of the Country looks like. You want it to look like Mars?

 

Yes, just like a lot of your routes that use the same old assets. TSC really needs a new North American asset pack with higher detailed assets such as grain elevators, etc....

 

As the route in the pictures is not made by DTG maybe Milepost should make new North American Assets?

 

To be fair a lot of routes may feel identical if you have seen enough.
This one has definite Sherman-Soldier vibes but it boils down to activities and rolling stock.
The old loco (BNSF) packs were well covered around 2012 but lie dormant since, and the reality of US railroading is that you see everything everywhere, so the odd ad-like DLC aside (like how the UP 3300 DLC was limited to EMD trains) it can be mixed.

Also, old routes were coveted not only because they were (at the time) awesome but the abundance of DLC. My list of DLC is silly long some: Cajon has 7 DLC (40ish liveries), Horseshoe 12, Sherman 18 and Donner 11 - plus the ones I didn't buy.

 

I seem to have heard/seen something about this being Milepost's TSC swansong and future work to be for TSW, hope not.

 

HIS already recruited JL for help on their TSW content (Along with Reppo)

Wheather or not they still do more TSC content after this has yet to be seen....