I'm new here, considering purchase of the A&O (once I get my refund from FPM, or maybe not ), but with all that nice A&M equipment, why didn't Andre do the A&M route? Pardon, if this has been answered before. And is the cabview as fuzzy as at appears in the enlarged thumbnail picture? If not, is there a better cab view posted somewhere?

fwbryan

Check the V-Scale Creations website for the St. Louis & North Arkansas, the turn-of-the-century predecessor route for the A&O Sub, available separately, for which this new equipment is designed.

See http://www.vscalecreations.com/NAtext.htm

The fuzzy cabview is a screenshot from the "virtual cab" included in all the locomotives for this route...it allows you to pan your view around inside the cab, like you can in the "head out" view, except it's through 360 degrees. The "1 view" inside the cabs are photo-real, and not as good as the cab views you'll find in MLT or 3Dtrains, but that's more than made up for by the sounds inside and out.

More than any route I've yet seen (with two exceptions...Cascade Crossing and Canton-Suddenly...and this is on a par with those two excellent routes), the A&O Sub offers an IMMERSIVE experience.

Buy it. Buy it now. You'll be stunned.

Kurt

Actually, I don't see where this is such a bad cab view. After all, it is from a real cab instead of a sanitized version from MLT or others.

Paul

Impressive, but where is the brass polish?

But I am a bit disoriented. Am I looking back from the fireman's seat along the long hood (assuming this is a C-420) or is it a dual control unit, or...?

I also assume that the virtual cab is the 5 view. But my original question was why didn't Andre build the contemporary A&M is it exists today?

fwbryan

The cabview shown is from the T-6 and it is on the engineers side looking towards the long nose.

Paul

PS: As to why Andre chose the date he did, that he will have to answer. 1988 was near the time the railroad came into existence and therefore gave a nice variety between repainted engines and those that still wore the paint scheme from their former owner, giving a variety to a typical lash-up on the fictitious A&O Sub..

This is the C420 Cab

Gaetan

The T6 Fireman seat

Gaetan

I have never, up till recently, been that keen on photoreal cabs, but there are some great ones being produced over this side of the pond, particularly in Germany. They have now gone way beyond the old fuzzy ones with poor alpha channel work around windows etc. A bit like some MSTS trees which have a black line around them.

No these cabviews are good, especially when you listen to the sounds (growls, whines and noises like a bag of spanners in a washing machine - hang on a minute, that is my washing machine, oh heck!)

The only cavil I have is that you look outside and it isn't (yet) photoreal - although some of us are trying to present it that way!

No - you forget Surfliner (and Cascades, even though I have it myself - the engines are superb, but the route is just another long distance grind with none of the local interest Andre and Rich put in). Go for A&O, Canton and StL&NA (with the upcoming equipment pack), oh, and Colorado Midland, and the L&NE and the new route Rich has in mind......

Trust me, you won't need anything else.

On your last post, have a look here for Andre's rationale.

http://www.vscalecreations.com/AOtext.htm

Go spend your money - you'll enjoy what you get in return.

Rod

I've only run the first four activities, but I was hooked after I first explored the line. There is such a sense of "being there" for lack of a better term. The line twists and turns around hills, and it really feels like you are going somewhere. This is a great line, and I'd definitely get the StL&NA if I had any interest in steam locos.

Kerry

OK, OK already, I'm buying it, even without the brass polish.

Nice sales team you've got there, Andre.

fwbryan

Yeah, and we pay him to do it!

Having run the first (4) Activities, I'm torn between the "1" and the "5" Cab View.
The "1" view gives you a very realistic cab, and I enjoy watching the brake gages and the ammeter as I'm sloggin' up Seligman Hill.
Yet, the "5" view is what you'd actually see in the cab. If you eyes are focusing on the route ahead,
everything in the cab is actually blurred, so the "5" View is what you're view would actually be.
Add to that the fact that I enjoy sticking my head out the cab window in the "1" View (a vestige of my STEAM preference)
and I've actually got three different cab views to choose from.
And depending on my mood at the time, I may pick any one of the the three (an frequently switch between the three)
The bottom-line here is, Andre has given us the choice of any cab view we prefer, so 'go pick whatcha like!'
They're ALL SUPER!!!!

Hey Guys ! have you try the Virtual Cab from the RS1 ?

Gaetan

Haven't got that far yet, but am looking forward to it!

Gaetan, you have done a very superb job on all of the cabviews as far as I am concerned, blurred or not and the options of having three views is excellent and makes the running of the route that much more enjoyable and different every time. And yes, I have seen the view from the RS1. I like it a lot, mon ami! Simply stated an excellent job on the engines all the way around as well as the route. To not get the route because of not having brass polish is, well, kind of silly. You won't be disappointed, believe me. Worth every penny and then some my friend.
And yep, when there is something this good to promote, we will all pitch in to sell it. But, if it hasn't been sold by the pics that Rod and Tim have posted and the above shots as well, then there isn't much more that we can do. Those in themselves should be enough to sell the route. Plus, if you know Andre, then you know he has put his heart, soul and experience into this route. And that is enough for me and just about everyone else here.
Get it and enjoy it! I know you will!

Don't people read a thread, before replying to it?

I said I bought it. And the brass polish reference isn't silliness, it is an inside joke, to those who read the conclusion of my article on the A&M in Nov. 1987 issue of Trains magazine.

fwbryan

Frank W. Bryan

OK Frank, sorry we missed the reference to the November 1987 issue of Trains magazine - pleased to have you on board with the A&O.

You'll find us V Scalers a nice friendly community - and yes we do read the threads, but sometimes we miss things - guess we've been burning the midnight oil with too much running the A&O (and the StL&NA, and Canton....)!

Looking forward to some posts.

Rod

While I am not sure what Frank does in real life, he has written for Trains (I have the article in question at home.) and he has created territories for Train Dispatcher. While he and I do not see eye to eye on some things, his knowledge of railroading is nothing to sneeze at.

Shoot, a lot of the lil nippers on the board weren't even hatched in '87, Frank. 'Course, none of the ones talkin here, I'm afraid.

A good point. Many of you wippersnappers weren't even born in 1987. For the benefit of the 1987-illiterate, I'll quote the last paragraph of my aricle "Alcos in Arkansas":

"Alco, red paint, and restored business cars are touches that can be added only by those whose appreciation of railroading and pride of accomplishment run deep, but they are not the only hints of the love of railroading to be found on the A&M. Consider the brass bells, mounted high on the cabs of the repainted locomotives. Then step inside and notice the bottle of brass polish resident in every cab. These and the other touches of class distinguish the true afficionado from the summertime railroader. On the A&M, this love for railroading coexists with a proper concern for the profit-and-loss statement, and Alco diesel fans, visiting trainwatchers, and area rail customers all mutually benefit."

fwbryan

fwbryan:

Hi, and welcome to the VSC forum. I've been quite busy the past couple days and haven't been able to address all questions being asked here. Let me see if I can answer a couple of yours:

"why didn't Andre do the A&M route?"

That's an easy one. Two reasons:

1. 132 miles in length. Development time by a single person (i.e. me) is almost prohibitive for even a 40 mile route, much less a 132 mile route. Even the A&O Sub, which is a modernization of the StLNA route thus some of the basic work was in place, took quite a bit longer than expected.

2. Once out of the 2 main traffic generating areas (Ft Smith and the NW Arkansas Tri-City area), there's precious little to do on line. Take for example heading south: Once you leave Fayette Jct, it's about 40 or so miles of nothing but rails n' mountains. This translates to a boring MSTS experience. However, had I taken the actual A&M north/south mainline and "embellished" upon it for operational interest (and it would have to have been HEAVILY embellished), then the critics would have a platform to find fault with the effort. No thanks. I prefer to choose routes that have great "play value" once purchased. In the case of the A&O Sub, being it is proto-lanced, I was free to incorporate realistic and plausible elements that are required in order to insure "play value." Take the activities for example, 24 of them, and almost all of them different. Even the ones that repeat a "job", will be different than the previous job assigment at that location.

"And is the cabview as fuzzy as at appears in the enlarged thumbnail picture?"

I see the others have explained the V cab to you possible with the 5 key.

In closing, welcome aboard the VSC forum!

Andre

Well, my humblest of apologies Frank. I did read the thread and did know you purchased it but what I posted was more for those that haven't as yet as a reply to you personally. Sorry about using you as the guinea pig. And finally, no, I wasn't even into trains back then so I wouldn't have even read the magazine article in question. Nor, at my age, would I have remembered it anyway. Not that it probably wasn't good, but I can't even remember what I had for dinner last night let alone remember something that far back. These damn pills I take.

But hey, welcome aboard and I hope you are not upset with me for the post. Wasn't meant to upset anyone at all. I am sure everyone here will tell you that I am a positive person here on this forum, not a basher or negative person. So again, I apologize if you took the post wrong. And my congrats to you for your article and probably a lot more. If Kevin says you know a lot about trains then I believe him.

PS.....this is not T-S over here so we don't like negative posts as a general rule. Again, nice to see you here!

Tim,

Stop talking about at your age. I can remember and I am older then you are.

Paul

Yeah Paul, but you have always been into trains and probably read the article in question, and you don't take these stupid pills I take that give you short term memory loss as a rule, either. I used to have an excellent memory.....I think!

> Nor, at my age, would I have remembered it anyway. Not that it probably wasn't good, but I can't even remember what I had for dinner last night let alone remember something that far back. These damn pills I take.

You too. I thought I was the only one. And now I wait for the A&O CD in the mail...... (I did order it, I think )?

fwbryan

fwb,

Your sense of humor will be welcome here, along with your railroad knowledge. Welcome!!

fwb, you won't be disappointed when it comes - got to be one of the best yet (altho' I would also recommend... Naw, I've already done that - but you don't need to go outside these forums to see the best MSTS addons there are on offer).

When you get the CD loaded, just make yourself a pot of coffee, turn the sound up loud(ish), switch the lights off and go!

Rod