Railworks America

I have always had the dream of building a cab simulator to "enhance" the feel of operating a train in any Train Simulator. I have the Raildriver, but in my opinion, it's just not the same. I am interested in building a 1/2 scale replica cab including both the engineer and conductor sides of a modern diesel engine, similar to what this gentleman did except with TS2016 rather than a model railroad, and model both sides of the cab. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51V1FEoJhTA (skip to 5:18 in the video) I have narrowed down my top two choices: a Nippon Sharyo Metra Cab Car, my first choice, or an Amtrak P42DC, I would be just fine with both, but I would prefer the cab car since I really enjoy commuter railroading, Metra is my favorite commuter railroad, and the Racetrack is the most accurate route that I could find. Could this be done with a few people? What do you think would be the easiest modern diesel to model? Anybody have pictures of the cab car cab or P42DC cab they could post?

You'll need people familiar in woodworking, metal work, fiberglass, and electronics. The basic cab structure and desktop frame could be built from plywood, with aluminum control covers and fiberglass details. You'll also need control knobs, buttons, gauges and levers, but most of these can be made through rapid prototyping using Shapeways (gauges can probably be faked using shaped plastic with glass covers - digital types can probably be found somewhere online). You might be able do do without the fiberglass, but an all wood and metal simulator is going to be heavy, and even more so without it.

Do you think I could build the frame and control table myself with some help with my dad? And what do you mean about "faking" the brake gauges? Could the gauge animations be implemented in to the cab as small screens representing the gauges? Maybe this is where the P42DC would be easier, with control screens...

Shoot, you might as well try to find an old control stand.

Yes, but I want a full cab and a control stand would cost just as much if not a little more.

Faked either by printed gauges on cardstock, or figuring out how to accuate them via DLLs linked to TS2016.