Freeware NYC J3a Hudsons

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Freeware NYC J3a Hudsons

Unread postby SooLine2714 » Tue Oct 08, 2019 5:41 pm

I know this is for reviewing items that we have purchased, but I believe that these locos deserve a review and a shoutout if they haven't already gotten one here.
There are two variants included: Unstreamlined
Image
and the infamous 20th Century Limited Dreyfus Hudson
Image

First the good
1. The detail is amazing. When you open the windows, it is reflected outside the loco. You can swing out the wind breaks on the outside of the cab, and that is reflected in the heads out view. The three roof vents open on the top of the cab, as well.
2. The water "dances" in the sight glasses so you have to watch for a couple seconds to get an accurate sight reading.
3. As far as I can tell every valve in the cab works, including the sight glass shutoff and drain valves. The firebox door is able to be anchored open in the F4 HUD, where the only locos I have encountered that in before are the PRR K4 and the Smokebox FEF-3. This is the first loco that I have encountered where the firebox door pedal opens the firebox doors when clicked on. When you release, the doors close.
4. The valve gear reflects on what setting the Johnson bar is in. This is becoming more and more common in TS, but it isn't common enough.
5. There are plenty of steam and particle effects, and the cylinder cocks alternate with the stroke of the piston. Again, becoming more common in TS.
6. The sounds are well done. They aren't too quiet or too loud. The whistle doesn't sound like it's in a loop, a problem with some steamers. Each chuff is very defined when starting a train, and there is a definite "bark" to the exhaust.

Now for the bad, and there isn't much.
1. The boilers are too happy. It is darn near impossible to kill your boiler pressure. The safety valves pop off every 4-5 seconds or so, which leads into
2. The locos use water extremely fast. On a run between Waterton and Riverside on the RW&A donationware route, I used nearly 3000 gallons of water, starting off with a full tender. I kept to the speed limit the entire time, but still found myself adding water every few miles. I don't know if this is a consequence of the extremely happy boiler or not.
3. A minor visual issue is the lack of air hoses on the couplers. Again, a minor issue.

All in all, these are fantastic locomotives that I would happily pay $20-$30 for, and they are freeware. Add in some pre-made consists with rolling stock and these would be top-shelf payware DLC.
Last edited by SooLine2714 on Tue Oct 08, 2019 5:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Freeware NYC J3a Hudsons

Unread postby wacampbell » Tue Oct 08, 2019 5:49 pm

Nice review. Where can we download them?
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Re: Freeware NYC J3a Hudsons

Unread postby SooLine2714 » Tue Oct 08, 2019 6:10 pm

I'm so sorry! I completely forgot the link! http://digitalrailroading.net/assets.html The same page has a set of reskins for the Gtrax streamlined passenger cars, as well as some NYC rolling stock, like a Pacemaker boxcar and a TOFC flatcar, as well as a set of SP auxiliary water cars
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Re: Freeware NYC J3a Hudsons

Unread postby EngineerJohn » Wed Oct 09, 2019 5:19 am

Considering that not a single Hudson survives today and with what little info is available online, the model is a lot more accurate than one may think. It's definitely become a favorite of mine to run cruising 60+ with the throttle wide open like back in the day.
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Re: Freeware NYC J3a Hudsons

Unread postby RailWanderer » Wed Oct 09, 2019 2:46 pm

Darlan,Jon and I are quite pleased with the fact that many are happy with the Hudsons as they are, and that you are all enjoying them. Thank you for the great feedback.
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Re: Freeware NYC J3a Hudsons

Unread postby sirrliv » Wed Oct 09, 2019 8:35 pm

These are truly gorgeous machines. Even the earlier version I had the pleasure of trying out back in August was absolutely stunning; SooLine2714 didn't even get to mention the animated brake gear on both loco and tender. Honestly, I'm not sure if you're generous, a marketing genius, or just plain insane for offering such a high quality model, easily better than any payware American steam loco bar Smokebox products, for free!

The only issue I concur with is the boiler management; it does seem to generate steam much too fast to the point where the real challenge is not keeping pressure up but rather keeping it down, and how it guzzles both water and coal; on my last test run I essentially opened the injectors and just forgot about them, and in trying to bring the pressure down I let the fire burn low and then could not build it up again no matter what I did. I'm also a bit dubious about the acceleration abilities of these engines, able to take off like a shot with even a dab of regulator, though I'll admit I was testing it with only a 3-coach train. Even so, I feel like I shouldn't be able to gain 10 mph in 15 seconds on just 30% reg. Hopefully, these concerns have been tweaked in the latest update or will continue to be worked on. Even as it is now, it is still an incredible loco pack that I too cannot recommend highly enough. Bravo, sirs, bravo.
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Re: Freeware NYC J3a Hudsons

Unread postby SooLine2714 » Thu Oct 10, 2019 7:42 am

RailWanderer wrote:Darlan,Jon and I are quite pleased with the fact that many are happy with the Hudsons as they are, and that you are all enjoying them. Thank you for the great feedback.

You are most welcome! These have quickly become some of my favorite locos to run, and my most recent screenshots bear that out. They pull well, sound good, look great, and are an absolute joy to drive, aside from the water issue. Often I'll find myself cruising along at track speed in the trackside camera just watching the train come steaming by.

I think it is high time we got a good US streamliner in TS, and your Hudsons fit the bill. I have been making due with the old MSTS conversions, but those have their own issues, plus the haven't aged very well. I am very excited to see what you folks come out with in the future.
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Re: Freeware NYC J3a Hudsons

Unread postby wacampbell » Thu Oct 10, 2019 11:39 am

SooLine2714 wrote:I'm so sorry! I completely forgot the link! http://digitalrailroading.net/assets.html The same page has a set of reskins for the Gtrax streamlined passenger cars, as well as some NYC rolling stock, like a Pacemaker boxcar and a TOFC flatcar, as well as a set of SP auxiliary water cars


I am keen to check it out but haven't been able to access it. Is the address right, or is the site down? All I get is this after trying for 2 days:

Image1.jpg



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Re: Freeware NYC J3a Hudsons

Unread postby JohnS » Thu Oct 10, 2019 12:45 pm

That's weird the link worked for me yesterday and now it doesn't.
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Re: Freeware NYC J3a Hudsons

Unread postby SooLine2714 » Fri Oct 11, 2019 10:22 am

I'd check with Railwanderer, he seems to be part of the team behind them.
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Re: Freeware NYC J3a Hudsons

Unread postby wacampbell » Fri Oct 11, 2019 10:30 am

Railwanderer confirms we have the right address. They are just down. We'll have to be patient.
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Re: Freeware NYC J3a Hudsons

Unread postby SooLine2714 » Fri Oct 11, 2019 1:28 pm

Trust me, the patience is well worth it. These are near Smokebox quality locos in terms of looks and functionality
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Re: Freeware NYC J3a Hudsons

Unread postby RailWanderer » Sun Oct 13, 2019 7:37 pm

The website is down because of quite a few complaints about how the boiler works on the J3a, we also found several cars that were uploaded improperly and these files had the wrong reference files within the downloads. Thanks for your patience. And why do my posts keep getting removed as I have not been uncooperative, used any insulting language, or offended anyone? That's totally wrong.
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Re: Freeware NYC J3a Hudsons

Unread postby SooLine2714 » Mon Oct 14, 2019 6:40 am

When the website comes back out, am I going to have to delete the current version of the Hudsons I have and redownload the new version with the different boiler physics?
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Re: Freeware NYC J3a Hudsons

Unread postby GenesisFan99 » Wed Oct 30, 2019 1:50 pm

SooLine2714 wrote:When the website comes back out, am I going to have to delete the current version of the Hudsons I have and redownload the new version with the different boiler physics?

My guess is yes, but if you have 7zip like you should, then deleting is not really necessary. What I would do is download the new version, then open the .rwp file with 7zip (don't unzip, just open with 7zip). Then navigate to the Assets folder in your Railworks directory and the DSGDDR folder in 7zip. Copy the DSGDDR folder from 7zip into your Assets folder and overwrite when asked. Should work fine.
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