New diesels

[nedfumpkin]

I'm trying to decide on adding a couple of diesel locomotives to go with the Canadian passenger carriages. For the CP Rail Budd carriages, I am thinking of making an EMD FP7, which will mostly be the F3 with a new skin and a bit better all around. Next I am debating on making the FP9 to go with the CN carriages, or I'm thinking of going with an ALCO FP-4. Not sure if I would include the B unit on this one.

I'm open to suggestions.

[WPandP]

Are you contemplating hex editing the 3DP files to lengthen the F-unit body by about 4 feet, to create a true FP? It wouldn't be a difficult project; just add about +5.0 to all the Y-values of the points that form the rear end. The slightly harder part would be doing the same thing to the rear truck and all of its bogies.

It isn't on my radar screen right now, but I've long ago thought about creating E-units via this method (they'd require three axle trucks, so it would be a little more involved).

Of course, you can do the skin without doing the body, and make the body edits later (or bribe someone else to make them for you).

Did any of the Cannuck railways run with A-A sets rather than A-B? I can tell you how to create a backwards-facing engine, too; it's pretty easy, actually. A back-to-back AA set would be rather unique.

[nedfumpkin]

For the most part the Canuck RRs used the same stuff as the Yanks, but some things were more popular and stuck around for a longer time. The FP9s are an example of sticking around since I will occasionally still see one.

I would like to extend to the body on the F3, but it's not that big of a deal since I am thinking of replacing the F3 with the FP7 since the F3 wasn't very good for passenger service. I'll still keep the B unit. That way I could just reskin the FP9 from the same stuff, but drop the B unit.

I have seen A-A units, in tandem and back to back, I've also seen mixed FPs and GPs, it would seem that they like to use whatever is available.

My goal is to include skins for main locomotives in each of the express car modules so that the cars get matching engines on what would be the most likely selection.

[nedfumpkin]

Here's the CNR FP9. It has a top speed of 102 mph.

I'm having trouble with the beauty shot. For some reason it won't show in the game. I'm wondering if there is something I am missing, but I also notice that a lot of other locomotives have the default beauty shots. Any ideas?

[WPandP]

I think what you are seeing is the weirdness of the filename. Rather than loading a file named "_BeautyShot.dds", it actually wants to load something called "_NE_A.dds". If you examine the contents of rt3_2DDS.pk4, you'll see what I mean. Took me a LONG time to figure that one out! Also, I do believe that this file must be DDS; TGA or JPEG won't work.

And BTW, that train set is looking awesome!

[nedfumpkin]

Thanks, I will look through the files and see if I can't find out where I am going wrong.

I should mention that the tender ( B unit) on the FP9 should have four stripes, but the way the skin lays out it can't be done. The front part of the side is flipped and repeated at the back end, so I had to go with just three stripes centred between the ends. The FP7 (CNR green) paint scheme is easier on the sides, but the nose has stripes coming to a point above the logo, so it's go its own challenges.

[Itsa Timmy]

Very nice set, Ned! I'll have to hurry up and get my fp45's done so you can re skin those as well.

[nedfumpkin]

I just finished the F3L in early CN green paint with a yellow stripe, and also the FP7 in green black and yellow. Next I am doing the GP7 in green, and then the GP 35, 45, etc, in black and red. By the time I am done, I'll have a complete set of CN diesels in prototypical paint schemes. These will match with the express cars, and eventually freight cars. Later on I'll do the steam engines, and I'm also going to do some electrics. Then I am going to do it all over again for CP. At the end, all the rolling stock will have a complete set for CN and CP based on the stuff they would have used.

[nedfumpkin]

Here are the General Motors EMD F series locomotives. If you install all three engines, then it will effectively replace the F3 in the game with the F3, FP7, and FP9 over the same period in time, and accurately represent the progress that was accomplished with this model of diesel electric. If you don't replace the F3 engine type files, then you just add two locomotives.

[Hawk]

It's now available on the Extras New Engines Page.