Northern Pacific Z-6 Challenger; 01 FEB 2018
Repaints by Rudi Jaeger, exclusively for the RSC Challenger Pack available at the Steam Store. This repaint is intended only as a "look-alike", rather than a historically accurate model, since it still uses the Union Pacific design as the foundation. Although every effort was made to portray the visual appearance of a Northern Pacific locomotive.
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Contents:
A Northern Pacific Z-6 Challenger with matching tender, featuring dynamic historical numbers and markings. Credits and thanks to the respective developer (RailSimulator.com) for providing the original textures which served as the foundation for this repaint. Also to Bob Artim, RailWorks America, for providing the audio files for the steam whistle.
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History:
The 4-6-6-4 Challenger was first conceived by the Union Pacific Railroad and the American Locomotive Works in the mid-1930s to serve as a fast freight locomotive. The Northern Pacific liked the design and ordered its own Challengers, which were equipped with larger fireboxes to burn the low-quality Rosebud coal mined in Montana.
The first dozen Z-6 Challengers arrived in 1936, just months after the UP received its first Challengers. The Northern Pacific was so pleased with its new locomotives that it ordered nine more Z-6's in 1937. That same year, an additional six engines were ordered for the Spokane Portland & Seattle Railway, a jointly-owned subsidiary of the NP and the Great Northern. The SP&S engines were oil burners, but otherwise virtually identical to the NP Z-6's. Two of the SP&S engines were later sold to the Great Northern for use in Washington and Oregon. Subsequent versions included the Z-7 and Z-8 classes, resulting in a total of 47 Challengers produced for the Northern Pacific.
The Z-6 Challengers were assigned road numbers 5100 through 5120. The Challengers were nearly 122 feet long and weighed more than one million pounds (with tender). The Z-6's spent most of their careers hauling reefer trains and fast freights in Eastern Washington and Montana, with occasional passenger assignments heading the premier North Coast Limited. Sixty-nine inch drivers allowed a Z-6 to maintain a steady 60 mph on level grades. Challengers were so large that in many places in Montana, the Northern Pacific had to widen the centers of its double track mainlines. As a rule they did not operate west of Easton, Washington, due to the confines of Stampede Tunnel.
The Z-8 class Challengers, built 1943-1944, would be the last steam locomotives purchased by the Northern Pacific. The NP's Challenger fleet remained in service well into the 1950's; although scrapping began in 1954, resulting in no surviving examples upon completion in 1958. Thankfully, the Union Pacific Railroad still maintains and operates one of their original Challengers (3985) with the Union Pacific Heritage Fleet in Cheyenne Wyoming; with one additional Challenger (3977) on static display at the Cody Park Railroad Display in North Platte, Nebraska.
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Installation:
1. Transfer the Assets folder (from this zip file) into your main Railworks folder. Note: If you have previously installed the repaint for the "NERW Challenger" hosted at Railworks America, you will be asked to overwrite it's "Audio" folder with the "Audio" folder contained in this download; the files are the same, so which-ever you choose, it will not change anything.
2. Find the RSC Challenger Pack file, "UPChallengerAssets.ap", located here: Railworks/Assets/RSC/ChallengerPack01/
3. Open "UPChallengerAssets.ap" using the same program used to open this zip file. Now go to "RailVehicles/Steam/Challenger/Default/Engine" and copy the following "Geo" files:
3985 Superstucture.GeoPcDx
3985_FrontFrames.GeoPcDx
3985_RearFrames.GeoPcDx
Note: Holding the "Ctrl" key, you can left-click on each of the listed geo-files and simultaneously select them for copying.
Now paste the Geo files into the "Engine" folder of your Freshly installed NP Challenger located here:
Railworks/Assets/RSC/ChallengerPack01/RailVehicles/Steam/Challenger/NP/Engine
4. Go back to the opened "UPChallengerAssets.ap" to "RailVehicles/Steam/Challenger/Default/Tender" and copy-paste "Challenger_Tender_Coal.GeoPcDx" into the NP Tender folder:
Railworks/Assets/RSC/ChallengerPack01/RailVehicles/Steam/Challenger/NP/Tender
5. In the TS 2018 scenario builder/editor, select "RSC/ChallengerPack01" in the assets flyout panel (right-side of screen). Then look for the "NP Z6" entries in the left-side assets-list to select the locomotive and tender repaints.
~ Mission complete.
Note: If you need an accompanying caboose for your fast-freights, look for "NP_X200_Caboose" in the RWA library.
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Disclaimer: These files are for your personal enjoyment and are not to be redistributed. This product shall remain freeware and is to be hosted exclusively by Railworks America. I am not responsible for any issues you may encounter after downloading the file; it is your responsibilty to follow the installation instructions to achieve a correct setup. I have tested/painted these files in free-roam scenario creation using the Montana Rail Link Route (by Zawal) and they work just fine. If for any reason you are having difficulties with the installation, please contact me at Railworks America, or seek guidance in the forum; there is also plenty of useful information available from the search function - please try that method first. Thanks!
I hope you will enjoy your new Z-6 Challengers!
~ Rudi
