Railworks America

Hi Guys!

This Chessie System Big Boy is back online! and available to download on railworksamerica and my website.

I'd make some more parts of it yellow.

wish I can do more but this is how far I can go.

Ok, this is giving me the willies so I just gotta say something, lol.....

(Note: the tone of this post is with some jest; please don't try to take anything too serious from it; it's certainly not an unbiased opinion, lol)

This gives me mixed feelings. First let me say I am happy to see ANY steam engine for RW with a C&O family name on it. Thank you for your work, CSX!

There is a long-standing rivalry about who had the biggest, most-powerful steam loco. The Big-Boy is one contender but so is the C&O H-8 Allegheny. Therefore, the Big-Boy has always been a bit of a rival in my heart. Despite that, I bought it when it was released because I was desperate to try driving some BIG steam power. I even wrote a story and posted pictures of it on the Alleghany route. But still, driving it "confuses" me.

Now, this repaint REALLY confuses me. Since the C&O never had anything with this wheel arrangement, it cannot in any way be prototypical. However, RW doesn't have an H-8 Alleghany and might never, so I am "stuck" driving a UP locomotive. But this attempt at a fictional proto-fictional compromise is just boggling my mind. While I "want" it, I don't "like" it, but it's far better than driving something with "Union Pacific" blazened on the side. (??!?!?!?!???!?!?!???)

CSX, don't take any of this personally... this is all in my own head and I'm hoping some of you get a laugh at my expense, lol. To be honest, the only legitimate criticism I have is that I think the wheel yellow is too bright. I've never seen that color in the CSX family. I don't "like" the Chessie decal but in actuality, I've seen that very decal on the Reading 2102 at one point when it was running as The Chessie excursion train. It didn't look good on there either. Obviously that is no reflection on your repaint... it just looks weird to me no matter what anyone does with it, lol.

What to do, what to do????.......... Well, I won't be able to resist adding this to my stable of steamers... and so I will probably find myself driving it privately (secretly, lol) and never tell anyone. Ok, I guess now for the first time I am FINALLY starting to feel what some of you dedicated railfans/simmers feel about the accuracy of your favorite engines, cars, and railroads. I wonder what [Arizona]Chris thinks about me now, lol ? (I am NOT a traitor, I swear! lol)

Would you consider doing this project for the Challenger: http://steamlocomotive.com/challenger/?page=wm ? I think it would be more technically accurate and I suspect would generate an enthusiastic round of applause from those fans of the nostalgic and very respectable Western Maryland railroad.

A Clinchfield version of the Challenger would be nice.

OK, you. Tory. Just had to drag me into it. No tea and scones for you today.

Personally, I don't like it and don't want it. It's a nice effort but it just doesn't look right. No insult to you, CSX. None at all. Guys with your talent that can do a repaint, we all love you here, and welcome your work. Please, don't be insulted. It's just, not right. I know UP doesn't look right on the C&O but this doesn't either.

Half if not most of the routes in this game are proto-fictional, and that seems to be OK, but with locomotives, Jeebus. The rivet counters come out of the wood works. I usually don't care but this just doesn't look right. Just MHO.

I really like the Clinchfield 4-6-6-4 idea! Just a suggestion but since the WM and Clinchfield had 12 of these units each, you could set them up with their real number sets and we would have 24 [slightly] unique units to play with. I could easily see a mix of a dozen or more running in a single scenario on the COA! Two to a drag going eastbound (or 3 w/200 hoppers). I wonder if they ran better on a slight grade than they did on the steeper grades? I've seen photos of Clinchfields sitting in the Clifton Forge or Hinton yards, but that's all I know. The WM would have never been seen on the C&O, but possibly on the B&O??

Tori
(thought... I wonder what those BB wheels would look like in a deep dark dirty blue?)

arizonachris wrote:........No insult to you, CSX. None at all. Guys with your talent that can do a repaint, we all love you here, and welcome your work. Please, don't be insulted.

Well put, Chris. This topic of criticism was mentioned elsewhere, so I just wanted to add here that we all must be accepting of good constructive criticism if we're going to put our creations out here for the public to partake of and judge. Don't you think, as a woman, I had an especially hard time showing my fledgling skills to this community? Yes, but it has been worth it. I've learned a whole lot by listening to these guys and that feels good. And, it has improved my own enjoyment of my route. I think everyone here wants to help everyone get better and better at our hobby; it's for everyone's benefit.

arizonachris wrote:Half if not most of the routes in this game are proto-fictional, and that seems to be OK, but with locomotives, Jeebus.

The H-8 hands down. The Big Boy just got all the fame because of the name, the railroad, and the fact they were much more reliable then the H-8.
Tori, your route is what the H-8 was designed to tackle. The grade between White Sulphur Springs, WV, and Alleghany, VA.

I agree with arizonachris anf Toripony. We all have to start somewhere, you'll only get better as time goes on.

Take it in as good constructive criticism CSX on your repaint and the reasons, I failed miserably on my first several attempts and never released anything. Listen and you will learn...

Cheers.


Here you go Derek...hint, hint!!

Quote:

" Standard operating procedure for the coal run was to use two Allegheny class locomotives, one pulling and one pushing, to haul a 140-car train. Starting at Hinton, the train would climb the steep grade up the mountain to the summit when the pushing locomotive would be uncoupled and turned for its descent back to Hinton. The lead locomotive would then proceed down grade with the train into Clifton Forge. There it was turned and sent back to Hinton hauling a string of empties.

The first ten locomotives were delivered in December 1941 and were immediately pressed into service to meet the demands of World War II. The performance of the Allegheny was so impressive that the C&O ordered an additional ten locomotives, Numbers 1610 through 1619, which were delivered in 1943 and another 25, Numbers 1620 through 1644, which were delivered in 1944.

Their more normal assignment was to haul a 10,000-ton freight train at 15 miles per hour. This is in stark contrast to their design goal of hauling a 5000-ton train at 45 miles per hour. Thus the Allegheny locomotives were never given the opportunity to demonstrate their full potential.

Fortunately for railroad enthusiasts, two Allegheny locomotives have survived and are currently on public display in the United States. Number 1601 is at the Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn, Michigan. Number 1604 is at the B&O Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. "

I appreciate your reply guys

Umm this is my first start of the Chessie System Big Boy. Yea I dont like the color wheels and lately I'm been busy and its coming out in 2 days....I dont take things personal so you tell how you feel about this locomotive.

There was a reason why I painted the wheels...... I use gimp and only can see the image from the wheels, so I said to myself let me try again and I picked out the tender and figured out where the invisible body is and I found it and painted it. The colors were too bright so later on I will make the update to change the color of the entire or parts of the locomotive and tender body. Its my first time repainting and you're gonna have to

NOT!!!! . So I appreciate how you feel and I will work on the details a little more to make it better.

Great attitude, CSX! I will certainly download this release and check it out "in person". And I'm sure the repainters around here will be glad to help you find the things you want to access/change. None us would know much about developing in this game if it weren't for all the knowledge sharing in these forums (sure can't find even half the stuff we need in the Wiki {hint, hint, RSC}). Thanks for contributing!

,
Tori

Yeah, glad to see you back, CSX. Was hoping we didn't scare you off. We can always use, and I always appreciate, repainters. I sure can't do it.

Man, that H8 is a BEAST! Wonder what it would take to model that? Tori's right we may never see it in RW but it's nice to dream.

arizonachris wrote:Yeah, glad to see you back, CSX. Was hoping we didn't scare you off. We can always use, and I always appreciate, repainters. I sure can't do it.

Man, that H8 is a BEAST! Wonder what it would take to model that? Tori's right we may never see it in RW but it's nice to dream.

HAHA! Thanks!! I was hoping to repaint the locomotive and was only one I got. Now that I wanted to buy the challenger and what Hack said I have one now! So challenger can be repainted as well.

In case some of you guys are wondering "Why the heck he painted that locomotive?" Ill give you 1 reason

#1 Union Pacific Big Boy doesn't run on the east side of the US. I live in Ga and CSX runs thru my town. This is the reason why I painted

I love this locomotive. Maybe you could find an older C&O scheme? I know Tori would love that for her C&O Allegheny route. I think it's the default UP right now, which like you say, didn't really run that route.

Then again, we have UP on the Portland route. Don't think that's really right either. Looks like you got a few repaints ahead, bro!