Would Love to See Alco C420 Model

[buzz456]

Back to the subject of sound I would think there are enough recordings out there to make a pretty credible sound pack for one of these. At this point I don't have the knowledge to do this but there have been some great creations by some of the folks on here. Can someone step up to the plate?

[wlenz781]

I would love to see Dogmouse do another locomotive for our sim.

While Dogmouse's Alco S2 is a decent locomotive, it like the RS3 has a cabview that leaves much to be desired. I realize that all that 3D modelling is not easy, and I certainly don't have the skills for it. But with these new high-end systems and especially 64-bit graphics all the flaws begin to show. So far the RS11 from virtualRailroads has been the only realistic Alco switcher that we have seen created. Unfortunately, they appear to have focused on German rolling stock.

Back to the subject of sound I would think there are enough recordings out there to make a pretty credible sound pack for one of these. At this point I don't have the knowledge to do this but there have been some great creations by some of the folks on here. Can someone step up to the plate?

There are not a lot of decent Alco sounds available in Train Sim. While there are some decent sounds that you can get for model trains, they are copyrighted and not accessible for our purposes. Since DTM wants original sounds from the locomotives and not YouTube videos, I will have to see if I can get access to them when I can get a chance. I will also need to know what kind of equipment it requires to record it and hope that I can either borrow or rent it somewhere.

[buzz456]

Sorry I disagree. I think the S2 was a superb piece of original work for the community and you really shouldn't criticize unless you are prepared to put your skills up for critique.

[wlenz781]

You are right, if we had to use models based on my skills then we wouldn't have an engines in game at all.

The S2 and RS3 that the community have created are excellent models from an exterior point of view. The engines look a lot like they do in photographs of these engines. My only critique was the view from the driver's seat. All in all, the Alco engines have been seriously missing from the game. We have all kinds of variants of the SDXXs, GPXXs, and ES44s. Just wishing for some of the older models to be represented. I am certain that there are plenty of repainters, myself included, that would love to have a crack at repainting these iconic engines in different railroads.

[cnwfan]

While there are some decent sounds that you can get for model trains, they are copyrighted and not accessible for our purposes.

True, but it won't hurt to inquire about licensing sounds. A C420 for a train simulator is definitely a non-compete product to ESU Loksound or Soundtraxx DCC sound decoders for HO/N scale model locomotives. Maybe it would be enough to license the raw sounds, and let our community / DTM handle the formatting. It doesn't hurt to try.

[wlenz781]

I will have to contact their support department and see if they would be willing to grant access.

[cnwfan]

I will have to contact their support department and see if they would be willing to grant access.

You can try, but it actually might be better if DTM or DTG contact them directly. I can see requests from individuals being "dismissed" immediately as they have no idea who the individual is and what the ultimate intended purpose is for. However, a representative from DTM or DTG would carry more weight, and could get past the initial "no". An established company with products already in the train simulator market shows SoundTraxx or ESU that they would be working with a legit company with market presence. It also would setup discussion points for DTM / DTG to show what development is either in the pipeline or on the horizon, and how SoundTraxx / ESU sounds can help bring those products to market.

[wlenz781]

I will suggest that to DTM. They might even be able to negotiate for sound recordings for other models that they are making. It is hard to believe that physical little model trains can have better sounds than some of the engines in this game.

[buzz456]

I will suggest that to DTM. They might even be able to negotiate for sound recordings for other models that they are making. It is hard to believe that physical little model trains can have better sounds than some of the engines in this game.

This conversation should probably take place in another thread but what ones are you referring to that have such bad sounds? Anything that I use that has bad sound I go find another sound to substitute it out.

[wlenz781]

As we have seen with the mods from Searchlight Simulations, some times the community made sounds are massively better than what we get from DTG. For example right now I am testing with replacing the proxyxml files from the GP40-2 with ones from Searchlight. So far, I have the horns working and they sound so much more realistic. I too am learning to replace sounds that I don't like with other community made sounds that sound better.

[TheTeenageFoamer]

Here is the reason I want the C420s:

70C4C178-36EE-401C-AE5C-C0A4A9EAC921.jpeg

The Monon had mostly Alco engines, and I would die for more monon equipment.

[OpenRailer90]

Back to the subject of sound I would think there are enough recordings out there to make a pretty credible sound pack for one of these. At this point I don't have the knowledge to do this but there have been some great creations by some of the folks on here. Can someone step up to the plate?

I'm very sure ESU Loksound has high-quality 12-251C recordings from a C420 used in the model railroad industry. I'm down to do some sound editing for TS

[EngineerJohn]

Back to the subject of sound I would think there are enough recordings out there to make a pretty credible sound pack for one of these. At this point I don't have the knowledge to do this but there have been some great creations by some of the folks on here. Can someone step up to the plate?

I'm very sure ESU Loksound has high-quality 12-251C recordings from a C420 used in the model railroad industry. I'm down to do some sound editing for TS

If they'll allow it... and for what price...

[mindenjohn]

Soundtraxx (Tsunami decoders) in Colorado also have Alco sounds.