I know that Microsoft offers software for a Train Simulator program, however, the railways use an actual train simulator to train their Engineer’s.
Does anyone know if any company or railway offers this service to non-railway employees and how could I contact them.
Thanks.
Yes, there is one at the Railroad muesum in Strasburg, Pa. (Photo included on bottum). But I know a railroad would not let you use one that they are still using. Luckly this one is at a muesum and your allowed to run it.
Photo taken by John Rehus.
Thank you. For some reason I can’t open up the photo so I’ll check and see if they have a website.
the simulator mentioned above is not a real engin simulator… you cant '“run” a train on it in the sence of doing something with the controlls and haveing the simulator respond… that simulator is nothing more then a TV screen with some track footage shot and played back to you…and the controlls dont realy respond…you can move them… but it dont affect the playback of the TV at all… meaning…you can go from notch 8 and slam on full service and nothing happens… now a true simulator that railroads do train thier employees on( conrail had one at conway yard in PA) but its not for public access… will respond in differnt ways to what the engineer dose with the controlls…
as far as non railroad employees being alowed to “run” railroad training equipment… nope…not going to happen…unless you know someone on the inside that can “sneek” you in for a bit… have to keep in mind…that a true locomotive simulator is a multi-million dollor hunk of equimpment…not unlike any of the flight simulators that the airlines use to train thier pilots… and the airlines dont let just anyone come and play with thier toys…the railroads arent much differnt… now…i sorta remember reading in some rail fan publications some where that thier is a privet owend simulator that offers training classes for anyone that wants to pay for it… but i dont knwo any details other then that i saw its add in a mag…
csx engineer
Hey NJMIKE where can I find a Pic of this Simulator that would be awsome too see.
http://www.freewebs.com/pennsypicsdiesel/, its under Strasburg.
According to some people “In the Know” that I have spoken to, most of the railroads in North America no longer use their locomotive simulators for training but utilize them for testing only, on their engineer’s.
Has anyone else heard anything similar.
They have a WC train simulator up in Duluth i think.You guys know Max right? Coborn33, its in his Museum.
Alec
a simulator can only go so far in the realizum department…the only way to truely learn how to run a train is to do it…in the seat for real… with an engineer showing what to and not to do… simulators arent utilized as much as they could be for student engineers befor they start the OJT part of the engineer training program… some time on a simulator in an engineer training location to let the students get the feel for running befor they are turned loss on the real thing would be a great help… but like i said…nothing can replace the real world training that we get… as far as testing…i have never been tested on a simulator… all my “testing” as taken place on a real train with a RFE riding with me… in fact…i dont know if csx even has a simulator anymore…but i have heard talk of them putting in a state of the art one in the new engineers training location in atlanta Ga but that is just hear say for now…
csx engineer