Rather than “what models would you like to see,” which people rarely agree on, let me propose changes in the way we interface with the models. Most people still use plain old DC, the cutting edge technology of 1922. Why not think about what it’s possible to do?
It seems to me it’d be fairly easy to merge the technology of the digital railsim with the hardware of an actual train.
Imagine that each loco–let’s take a climax for example–came with a chip that included its performance parameters. You would run it via either a wired throttle or a wirelss system, but the throttle would give you a read out of steam pressure, water and coal consumption. It would give you a readout of time and speed too. You could adjust the “cutoff” as you would in a real steam engine to conserve fuel and water. You could give yourself and assignment and then in real time, on the layout, with real grades, attempt to meet the assignment. The train could have a small, cell phone size camera mounted front and back, and you’d have visual of freight ooerations, if you wanted it.
Imagine you are running a passenger train. You would have a schedule to meet, and a goal for coal and steam consumption. You could operate realistically within those constraints.
Imagine the whistle was fully “playable,” like a real steam whistle.
This isn’t especially advanced stuff: any cell phone does more than that today. Of course it would be optional: you could still run on plain old DC.
It seems to me it’s worth imagining what might be possible
Not to be negative, but if there is something you really want, you might as well build your own. Product development takes a long time and I’m not sure that the companies pay any real attention to what any of us want. With this economy right now and the looming Value Added Tax that Obama is looking at you better buy what you can now and hunker down with it.
I know that the type of locomotives that I want are not in any way commercial… Thus I have to build them. On the other hand I do know that 2 other people liked my choice of one NZ locomotive to build their own -so I am not alone in this!!! The latest loco that I am researching prior to building uses a gas turbine. Fortunately I live in a city where I have access to lots of gas turbines to examine before I build my own… regards ralph
The 2nd one is a Bell locomotive product. I’ve been considering bashing one of their standard locos for a long time.
Jerry is correct, given the economy, China labor woes and an ever splintering LS market into smaller factions. Manufactures are going to be ever more stingy about new products as fewer are going to stick their financial necks out on a new locomotive that might end up sitting on a shelf like some have. AC has already cancelled some announced products, Bachmann is following the money and going to Thomasville, USA hasnt issued anything new in years, LGB is just trying to keep its small lineup above water.
Given all that if you want something unique build it, I have Jerry has, so have others and I can tell you nothing gives you a better feeling than running some super cool looking model that you built.
I would like to see small twentieth century versions of such steam locomotives as moguls, ten wheelers and Americans with modern cylindrical valves in 1:29 scale. Such engines would cover short haul freight and passenger service in pre- 1950 settings and I believe would fit well on small to medium sized standard gauge layouts.
