Northern Pacific A3 Northern Pack; 26 JAN 2018
Repaints by Rudi Jaeger, exclusively for the G-TraX "SP&S 700" 4-8-4 E1 Northern and G-TraX "Berkshire" (required for coal tender). Both requiements are available at the Steam Store.
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Contents:
Features a clean (NP 2666) and worn (NP 2662) version with matching tenders, all using static historical locomotive numbers and markings, individually weathered, with individual Baldwin build plates. Due to file dependancies, tenders include a matching "generic/blank" Berkshire locomotive which may be used independantly as the user sees fit (although there are no "blank" tenders). Credits and thanks to the respective developer (Rick Gout) for providing the original textures which served as the foundation for these repaints.
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Questions and Answers:
Q: "But Rudi, why didn't you use the tender that came with the SP&S E1 locomotive?"
A: Because it's a oil tender and the NP only used coal tenders, even though the SP&S E1 and the NP A3 locomotives/tenders were nearly identical in structural design. Furthermore, even if used as a "what-if", the E1's oil tender does not allow for the full "Northern Pacific" script to be placed centered along the length of it's side walls; the script gets chopped-off in the middle and duplicated on the adjacent double-mapped texture panel. The original SP&S logo works because it is only featured on the cab-end of the tender and does not span any double-mapped texture panels.
Q: "Why not use the UP Challenger or Big Boy coal tenders; they look a lot more like the original NP tenders?"
A: True, but when testing this option I discovered that due to the tenders' model files, they will "smash" into the locomotive's cab when coupled. Since I do not have the capability of adjusting the spacing, it was impractical to use this option. So I settled on the Berkshire's coal tender, since it is similar in size and works with no texture mapping issues.
Q: "There's no "Tender" folder in your NP A3 Locomotive folders, did you forget to include them?"
A: The NP A3's will work just fine without the E1's original tender folders, so there was no need to include them. Just select the NP Berkshire tenders in your assets menu and you're good to go.
Q: "But the cab-view is still set up for oil fuel, what gives?"
A: Sorry, I can't help with that one. The intent of this offering is to provide a more realistic visual representation (externally) for our Northern Pacific fans. With a wealth of coal at the NP's disposal, any NP tender would simply not appear correct without a load of coal in the bin. So this offering is basically for those who enjoy watching their trains through external view, and for screenshots of course. Hence the locomotive model retains it's oil-burning peculiarities and should be driven as such.
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History:
Northern Pacific A-Series Northerns
The 4-8-4 "Northern" type locomotive bears the name of the railway for which it was originally developed. The first examples, twelve model A's featuring 73" drivers, were built in 1926 by the American Locomotive Company. In 1930, Alco built a model A-1 for the Timken roller bearing company (No. 1111 or "Four Aces"), which eventually became NP 2626. In 1934, the Baldwin Locomotive Works became the sole provider for NP Northerns, supplying ten A-2 series locomotives. The A-2 series would introduce the 77" drivers which would be featured on subsequent models. In 1938 The Northern Pacific Railway took delivery of eight A-3 Northerns, numbered 2660-2667. 1941 saw the addition of eight A-4 locomotives featuring vestibule cabs. Production continued until 1943 with delivery of ten A-5's. The Northerns were primarily used for passenger service and express freight, serving well into the mid 1950s. The A3's were eventually retired and scrapped from 1954 through 1958; and of the forty-nine A-series built for the NP, there are no surviving NP Northerns in existance. The closest example is the Spokane Portland & Seattle Railway's oil-burning E-1 class (No. 700), which is now owned by the City of Portland, Oregon, while being maintained and operated by the Pacific Railroad Preservation Association.
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Installation:
1. Transfer the Assets folder (from this zip file) into your main Railworks folder. Note: There are no requirements to overwrite anything, EXCEPT for the "gx_diamond_tread02" file which is located in "Assets/G-TraX/Trains/RailVehicles/Global/Textures". This file will replace the original's "pinkish" cat-walks with a darker version which will affect ALL the G-TraX SP&S Northern schemes; so please ensure you make a back-up in case you prefer the lighter version.
2. Copy the SPS_701.GeoPcDx and ThrottleLinkage.GeoPcDx files from the 'SPS 701' folder located here:
Railworks/Assets/G-TraX/Trains/RailVehicles/Steam/SPS_700/SPS 701/Locomotive
Then paste the GeoPcDx files into the "Locomotive" folder of the freshly installed "NP A3 2662" and "NP A3 2662" folders.
3. Copy the Berkshire.GeoPcDx file from the 'Default' Berkshire Locomotive folder located here:
Railworks/Assets/G-TraX/Trains/RailVehicles/Steam/Berkshire/Default/Locomotive
Then paste the GeoPcDx file into the "Locomotive" folder of the freshly installed "NP Clean" and "NP Worn" folders.
4. Copy the BerkshireT.GeoPcDx file from the 'Default' Berkshire Tender folder located here:
Railworks/Assets/G-TraX/Trains/RailVehicles/Steam/Berkshire/Default/Tender
Then paste the GeoPcDx file into the "Tender" folder of the freshly installed "NP Clean" and "NP Worn" folders.
5. In the scenario builder/editor, select "G-Trax/Trains" in the assets flyout panel (right-side of screen). Then look for the "NP" entries in the left-side assets-list to select each repaint.
~ Mission complete.
Note: The "NP Berkshire" asset entries are available solely in support of the tenders; but you can still use them as un-marked generics. Also, 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 A3 Northerns!
~ Rudi
