Railworks America

Hi Everyone,

With all the euphoria surrounding TS2012, one thing I haven't seen discussed in much length is what people think to our spot and point lights used for the train head/tail/marker lights.

For US stock, so far the AEM-7, GP7, F7A, Genesis, and Acela Express have projected lighting applied to them. What do people think?

Here in the UK, lights on locomotives are more for safety purposes that anything beneficial to the driver/engineer. We have however, worked hard to research US locomotive night lighting, and looked closely at Pikes little headlight patch for RW2.

With the Donner Pass providing a full line up of locomotives, from switchers to road and Class 1 types, its a good time to roll any feedback into these and then look to retro grade any of the existing locomotives.

Cheers
Adam

I don't think the projecting headlights would be terribly realistic for much of the UK rolling stock. Nothing,say, pre-class 87 or pre-class 313 should have projecting headlights at all. Certainly no UK steam locos! I'm not too sure German headlights would have been all that powerful either.

I remember my first experience with headlight-fitted class 47s - it was 1980 and the E-G line had just gone over to class 47/7 haulage. They were the first sub-class of 47 to be fitted with headlights - almost like rally car foglights on brackets rather than the square box type fitted later on - and stood watching one approaching at speed and in the dark it struck me just how little of the ground in front of the loco it illuminated, contrasted with how much more silvery and visible the track looked snaking out in front.

Hope this helps!
John

IMHO, US Locos should have projecting headlights. I'm no expert but I believe most US locos use the headlights for more than just marker lights like the UK.

My .

I'll defer to the US loco experts.

Hi Guys,

Not sure if my OP was confusing or not, but Im asking what you think about the lights we have implemented on US stock in TS2012. The list of stock they have been applied to being noted as well.

Regards

Ah, sorry Adam!

Adam,

I like the lighting and it is pretty much accurate to North American railroading. In the current era, dating back to third generation diesels I'd say, all locomotives have directional lighting with dim and high beams, and most have ditch lights. Lighting is for safety in all regards, but mainly for the crew to see what's ahead of them, and I'd say that this was well represented in the new lighting. No complaints here, just some hopes for the future. Would be nice to be able to dim the lights, as in my experience when a train holds on a siding for a meet they usually dim their lights, and if meeting at night, both crews will dim their lights so as not to blind eachother. With the (new? updated? Southern Pacificized?) loco's for Donner Pass, keep in mind SP's lighting habits in mind. Overall, great job on the lighting!

I would like to know what all the parameters are in the lighting section of the BIN file. The lights on every loco do not shine out far enough. Like you need to tilt the light up a bit or a lot. Other than that it was a nice upgrade.

I like the lights, I would just enjoy seeing a more realistic method of making beacons on the roof of locomotives, as SP had beacons on the roofs of some of their locomotives.

One thing I would like to note that I don't think the headlights on the US locomotives are bright enough and don't project far enough. US locomotives have very bright headlights and even in sunlight, you can see them coming several miles away.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPYVGRL-X1M&feature=related

Yeah that video is at night, but I think it illustrates my point very well.

Also the Norfolk Southern locomotives should have their ditchlights flash anytime the horn is blown.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVv8E8SmlcA

And on Southern Pacific locomotives, I've noticed many of them have their upper headlights flashing as shown in these videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PMVxVye7KI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvT-QGVgTok

I don't know if this was a standard feature on SP locomotives though. Perhaps someone can clarify?

ATSF3814 wrote:I don't know if this was a standard feature on SP locomotives though. Perhaps someone can clarify?

The oscillating light is used on the Daylight so it goes back aways

Also for note the Pyle Gyralight is standard on SP locomotives up until the locomotives went through GRIP (General Repair and Improvement Program), when they were removed. Leaving a noticeable notch in the nose of many units. SP was grabbing at strings to stay alive in the late 70's to UP merger. And anything that they didn't need was removed.


EDIT:

I agree the light should be brighter and project further. Now-a-days railroads use Halogen bulbs (and LED's), which if you ever seen them on a construction site are as bright as the sun (not exactly apples and oranges but close enough), but for now they are ok. Get the bigger issues fixed first then worry about something like lights.

http://youtu.be/7FZhVV1rpE0?hd=1

I love the fact that the lights now illuminate- thank you RSC! As others have posted the North American lights could be brighter (nice to have an option to dim/highbeam them) and illuminate further along the track.

IMHO, I think that the lights should, like others have pointed out, be brightened and further projected. However, during the daytime, you shouldn't be able to see the headlight projection like you do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ot6AqE02OtM

I second all who said they should be brighter and cast farther.

RSAdam wrote:Hi Everyone,

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and looked closely at Pikes little headlight patch for RW2.

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Cheers
Adam

Hope you are not looking at this too closely then . Any geometery based solution for better lighting is not much of a solution at all IMO , particularly the use of any ground plane .No real reason you can't attach a small piece of geo at the headlight itself to add some "depth" (for want of a better word) to the scene , as long as it's not seen when when the headlight is not on , but those ground planes look , and are , just terrible .

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