SD75 Released

[PapaXpress]

Its worse than that. There are thousands of sources on the web they can pull on to get there information. Simply put, they do not do their homework.

[g_nash]

But still when they do a US Loco they should do ask us for help

No need at all to ask anything from any forum . Spend a few dollars a some hard cover books ( 3 or 4 should be enough ), they've already got the most important book (imho) ,this I know because Derek Siddle posted that info on this forum . Not getting the correct cab and trucks for this particular locomotive ( ATSF/BNSF )is inexcusable when considering that it takes one google search to find the links required ., they're on the very first page .

EDIT .. for correction .. Derek posted the info on the book in question on the RS.com blog , this was linked from a post in the WIP section on this forum ..

[_o_OOOO_oo-Kanawha]

Is it really necessary for RSC to do everything themselves? Perhaps for their own short term financial gain it is.
Could they hire some of US' better developers, already active in TS2012? For instance 3DTrains has a complete line of MSTS stuff many of us would gladly pay for. No doubt others from MSTS are ready to start converting given the right incentives. RSC has recently hired this liason officer, so why not put him to work and secure some contracts?

Or just ask for hired out contract work on a turn key basis, like GTrax and Lord Mannu did with their combined P42DC/Superliner set, one of the best assets released so far?
Speaking of this, is Amtrak or any of the other license holder (UP, BNSF? NS? CSX?) capable of contracting out an order for some of their prototype trains for our sim?

I gather commercial UK developers IHH and Oovee left the US scene, so that really leaves the market open for US developers to fill the void.
Being US based really helps if they listen to the market and poll their prospective customers to avoid mistakes. I'd rather have an P40, U-Boat or SD45 than this SD75.
Why not build upon routes well received like the Horseshoe Curve or even Barstow-San Bernardino, Donner Pass or North East Corridor? We seriously could do with more PRR steamers, some Santa Fe/Southern Pacific big steam, a UP FEF or Turbine, some NJT commuter trains, a Broadway Limited, an E44 electric, classic first generation diesels, GP50 and other distictive "different looking" units.

Any of those is better and more wanted than this superfluous SD75, all the more because the most interesting CN SD75 model was not chosen.

[MikeK]

I am glad that they did the SD-75, particularly in santa fe colours. After the abortion that was Donner Pass I swore they wouldn't get any more of my money but I forked out when I saw this loco. There are a lot of good things about the product too, it isn't all bad. Step lights, working instruments that you can actually read. In fact, this is one of the first locos where I can drive entirely without driver aids. If the existing problems with the simulation don't bother you then you will like this loco.

It's those existing problems are what I have an issue with. I also understand why it is important that they keep churning out content so that they can keep the lights on and stay in business, rather than just focussing all their effort on the core simulation. But it isn't as though spending time fixing bugs would put them out of business. The hack to get around this coupler bug by upping the spring coefficient and damping values takes literally 30 seconds for someone with RWTools. Fixing it properly in the physics engine by adding bounds to the coupler springs surely wouldn't take much more than that. So we put our hacks in to work around their issues, then everytime there is an update Steam wipes the fixes out and you have to start again! So dern frustrating.

I think that the real issue is that they are just not aware of the way trains are really operated in North America. Just look at the absurd scenarios that come with their products:

- Drive a train along a short stretch of mainline for 20 minutes. Um no, crew change districts take hours to cross. The entire barstow to san bernardino route is only half way in reality.
- Trains with mixes of freight cars that make no sense. Stack cars in the middle of a manifest train? You would never see that.
- The first switching activity that came with the SD-75: grab these stack cars that were spotted at a warehouse, and piggyback flats that were spotted at a refuelling track. Why would a real railroad ever put those cars there? That would never happen.
- Take this long heavy train (just 3 locos and 50 cars) up cajon pass! Be careful, it's really heavy! You might break (I mean stretch) a coupler! Don't worry about the downhill sections. The brakes recharge in 3 seconds, you'll be fine.

I agree completely that what they need is a branch in the US and decent programmers and content developers who know US operations to focus on the issues that matter here. If everyone who uses MSTS switches over, there will definitely be a large enough player base to justify it, but that won't happen as long as MSTS is a better simulation for US operations.

[BNSF650]

Yea i thinkk that they do need to hire some US people to make the US Products. This would really help them out alot. I also wish that diesel west or streamlines would step up to the plate and do some stuff for this game.

[AdmiralLeviathan]

Personally, I rather like the SD75 release. It's a bit of a disappointment that the CN version wasn't included, but surely it's not too hard of a repaint?
I mainly like this release for Nostalgia's sake, because when I was much younger I was glued to the MSTS version of Cajon Pass. Anyone remember it?
http://www.3dtrainstuff.com/products/usa-branch/cajon_pass.html

The biggest problem I have with this release, even though it seems petty and insignificant, is that it reuses the SD70ACe horn. I hate it so much, I have no idea what loco they recorded it from, but I can't stand the fact that it sounds like it has an air leak all the time. If it wasn't for b737's horns I would have been driven crazy by now.

[BNSF650]

Yea i hate how they re ruse the old sounds.

[bnsf4723]

Not worth the money without custom sounds and a CN version. If you're going to make payware products, put some decent effort into it. I don't want to hear the same sounds I've been hearing since the RW2 SD70 packs.

[johnmckenzie]

Sit in the driver's seat and look up above the windscreen.... Notice a different coloured patch where something looks to be missing? Now go into the cab of the SD70MAC and look up. The radio is in this spot. Not only is the cab wrong, the area above the windscreen has been re-used from the earlier model and has't been painted over to cover the patch hidden previously by the radio. Hmm.

[di353l]

Not getting the correct trucks for this particular locomotive ( ATSF/BNSF )is inexcusable when considering that it takes one google search to find the links required ., they're on the very first page ...

huh?

Correct me if I am wrong, but What do you mean wrong trucks?

Have a look at these BNSF/ATSF 75M's with HTCR Ia trucks here:
http://www.trainpix.com/ATSF/EMDORIG/SD75M/206.HTM
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=397544&nseq=0
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=353291&nseq=62
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=292813&nseq=146
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=396348&nseq=1
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=341379&nseq=84
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=378340&nseq=24
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=368641&nseq=43
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=363009&nseq=56


I think HTCR Ib trucks came with some of the 75i's, not all.

[g_nash]

Not getting the correct trucks for this particular locomotive ( ATSF/BNSF )is inexcusable when considering that it takes one google search to find the links required ., they're on the very first page ...

huh?

Correct me if I am wrong, but What do you mean wrong trucks?

Have a look at these BNSF/ATSF 75M's with HTCR Ia trucks here:
http://www.trainpix.com/ATSF/EMDORIG/SD75M/206.HTM
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=397544&nseq=0
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=353291&nseq=62
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=292813&nseq=146
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=396348&nseq=1
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=341379&nseq=84
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=378340&nseq=24
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=368641&nseq=43
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=363009&nseq=56


I think HTCR Ib trucks came with some of the 75i's, not all.

Nice pics , I already have better though , thanks anyway .

BNSF never ordered any SD75Ms , ATSF were the only road to order and receive them and were transfered and renumbered in the BNSF takeover , hence the H1/H2 paint used in some of the pics . The number ranges shown in these viewtopic.php?p=52629#p52629 are wrong , they did not come equipped with 1a trucks ,,, and while we're at it , the ATSF/BNSF units only used desktop control stands. Again , RS.com failed to adequately research the model ,,, one size does fit all .

:)

[di353l]

Yea, would've been nice to have SD75i with HTCR-Ib trucks + desktop cab.
Btw, aren't some of CN's SD75i came equipped with HTCR-Ia trucks? Seems like it will be convenient to just paint the unit in CN, and it's got the control stand already anyway.

[g_nash]

Btw, aren't some of CN's SD75i came equipped with HTCR-Ia trucks? Seems like it will be convenient to just paint the unit in CN, and it's got the control stand already anyway.

Yeah , a percentage of the first batch were 1a trucks , not been able to find out the actual numbers though . A sensible idea would have been to release the SD75m in both ATSF/BNSF paint with appropriate numbers and the SD75i in CN paint , basically every body that needed/wanted one would be happy . BTW , I don't have a problem with the CN cab RS modeled , it looks good.

cia

[up_8677]

I really like the SD75, so I'm willing to overlook the overlooked details. But I wouldn't be without b737lvr's K3LA.

[RailroadWeasel]

The model itself was good but it bothers me that they just threw the SD70ACE sounds on it. As we all know, the 70MAC's and the 75's have unique sounds. The whistle is also wrong. Overall not bad.

Does anyone know if there's a Union Pacific Re-skin for the SD75 anywhere?