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• Msts West Coast Express Phone Number
• West Coast Express Trucking
• West Coast Express Train
• Msts West Coast Expressions

Microsoft Train Simulator (MSTS) Retail Add-ons There are dozens of retail (commercial) Microsoft Train Simulator add-ons available on CD / DVD. This page provides a catalog of 130+ retail add-ons, including both routes and trainsets, and contains links to their respective developers, publishers, and online retailers. Dorset Coast v5 Mine happens to be West Coast Express, London South Coast, East I should really purchase some more msts routes. Anandshikshakendra.com West Coast Express Part 1 (London to Birmingham) addon for MSTS Including midline mainline and london south anandshikshakendra.com west coast express.

ROUTES

• North East Corridor –Bill McQueen

Msts West Coast Express Phone Number

This high-speed line which in MSTS runs between Philadelphia & Washington (in real life it runs between Boston & Washington), is 133 Miles in length, has 11 stations in between the 2 major ones and is a 25Kv AC overhead electrified. The trains which would usually be found here are The Amtrak Acela express train set, Acela HHP8 loco whilst the computer controlled trains you should expect to see is the Genesis AMD103 and the GE E-60-CP.

The activities for the NE Corridor are very exciting, ranging from Train Rescue where you have to take an HHP8 from Washington, collect a dead train further up the track and deliver it to BWI Station to the Summer Express where you drive the Acela train set from Washington to Philadelphia with limited stops on the way.

I know that some people would find this route to be boring but I can't think of nothing better than thundering along at 125mph and feeling that sensation of speed and the world just pass by you (or why don't you go into options, uncheck 'Derailments' and ride the Acela up to 170mph!!!). Apart from the odd deer and some train spotters trespassing on the side of the track there are no other obstacles to get in the way of your journey nor are there level crossings so look out for plenty of bridges and underpasses!!

The only flaw I found on this route is that there are no posts to hold up the Catenaries (Electric lines) between mile posts 72 and 77.5 but with that as an exception this route is truly fantastic in its own right whether it be a non-stop express, limited local or a mixed car freight run.

• Maria's Pass –Craig Wyzik

Maria's Pass is significant because it is the lowest pass through the Rocky Mountains north of New Mexico. It serves as a main freight link between the Midwest and the West Coast. Trains carrying coal and freight share this route with Amtrak passenger trains. For purposes of Train Simulator, you drive two different Burlington Northern Santa Fe diesel-electric locomotives to deliver boxcars, haul freight, and complete other runs through the mountains of Montana.

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/biing-2-handbuch-pdf.html. The route stretches for 152 miles from Whitefish to Shelby, passing through Kalispell, Glacier National Park, and various other towns along the way. There are numerous steep grades on this route, so you really need to familiarize yourselves with the elevations along the way before you start out driving. My first time out from Whitefish, I wasn't aware of what long steep grades lay ahead of me, and I inevitably found myself rolling backwards down the track, frantically trying to figure out what key were the brakes. You really have to plan ahead in terms of acceleration and braking, and there are many places on this route that will present a challenge.

Once you do set out to explore this route, you find that the scenery is spectacular. There are mountains, valleys, broad plains, smaller hills and ravines-in short, everything you'd see if you traveled to Montana. There are lots of trees too, and they look very good. Forests actually appear as large groups of individual trees. Other items of note are houses, vehicles, wildlife (watch out for deer on the tracks!), and various buildings alongside the tracks. There are level crossings on this route, too, so you'll have to be sure to sound your horn early and often.

There are 13 different activities to complete on the Maria's Pass route, consisting of various combinations of picking up freight cars, dropping off other cars, and general freight operations. It's easy to get caught staring at the beautiful scenery, when you should be watching for a particular siding to move onto for uncoupling cars. This route is American freight hauling at its finest, and probably the toughest.

The first activity I undertook was one that was categorized as 'Easy,' and I had few problems completing the objectives, apart from the occasional speeding problem. I had to drive along to a particular siding, stop just past it, throw the switch, reverse the train onto the siding, uncouple two boxcars, then go on my way. While I needed to refer to the Notebook several times, I was able to complete the activity on my first try. I recall my first time running Train Sim, and sitting through the tutorials on how to drive the trains, that I thought I would never manage to figure out the activities. Happily, if you use the aids and tools that you're given, you should have few problems that can't be overcome.

• Tokyo Hakone – Jonas Lundh

I have taken a look at the Tokyo Hakone route; this is one of my favourite routes in Trainsim. Since I have not been there myself, I prefer to focus on the graphics and complexity of the scenery which in my opinion is very nicely done. The real route is in a dense city area in Japan and when driving it in Trainsim you really get that feeling. There are complex buildings more or less everywhere. Since the line is in a highly populated area there are many elevated bridges and turning over and underpasses, something that I really enjoy. The graphics are looking very good, and seem to be made with high attention to details. The frame rate pays it toll to the complexity of the scenery, but it is still very enjoyable on my rather weak PIII 733.

One boring thing in such complex scenery with cars and roads besides all the buildings is the lack of people. I have spent over 5 hours driving trains there and seen only one person.. Feels odd to drive a train in Japan with no passengers, perhaps the media here in Sweden is boosting the crowded commuter trains in Japan..nah, I don't think so! I understand that it would affect the frame rate with stations crowded with 3D modelled persons, but it still feels as it really lacks something. As with all other trains the wagons are totally empty, something that spoils my feeling of realism.

• Hisatsu –Bill McQueen

The Hisatsu line, situated on Kyushu Island, Japan runs between Yatsushiro and Yoshimatsu with a total distance of 53 miles (approx 87km).There are 2 sections of this line, between Yatsushiro and Hitoyoshi this is called the 'River Line' because it mainly runs in parallel with the Kuma river, Hitoyoshi and Yoshimatsu is called the 'Mountain Line' where the hills are very steep (Try letting the brakes off at one of the mountainous stations and enjoy the 'coasting of the train!'). The computer controlled train on this route is a KIHA 140.

Among the activities on the Hisatsu line are 'Quake damaged track' where you have to take the train through an earthquake zone with reduced speed limits and 'Westbound river view in Spring' which is hard because there are failed signals and so many stops which makes keeping to the tight schedule almost impossible!

With 19 stations on this route the highest is located at Yakate at approx 1780 feet above sea level. You get a real feeling of being in the countryside with this line as it feels so tranquil which makes you just want to open the virtual window and breath in some of that beautiful fresh air! (Don't stick your head out of the window whilst the train is moving now!!)

• Settle-Carlisle –Bill McQueen

Being the last mainline railway in this country to be built, the Settle & Carlisle (S&C) line was completed in 1876 by the Midland Railway Company after 6 strenuous years of building which resulted in the loss of many lives. The line itself is some 72 miles in length with 17 major viaducts and 14 tunnels which sweep through the beautiful hills in the Cumbria and North Yorkshire countryside. With 9 stations between S&C, 8 (including Carlisle) are located in Cumbria with Dent being the highest station at 1150 feet above sea level and the remaining 4 (Including Settle) are in North Yorkshire. The highlight of this route would be the Ribblehead Viaduct which has 24 arches and has a length of 440 yards and a height of 104 feet, you almost certainly get the feeling of Vertigo when passing over it!

There are 8 different activities on the S&C route ranging from 'Medical Emergency' where a woman on the train has gone into labour and you have to break some speed limits to get to Carlisle on time to 'Royal Scot Rescue' where the Royal Scot train has broken down and is lying in a siding at Ribblehead which then you have to take the Scotsman and couple up to the crippled train and take over its service to Dent station!

The S&C line in MSTS has been modelled from the late 1920s era which was obviously dominated by the steam engines pulling various passenger and freight trains of that time. Although the Flying Scotsman wouldn't have been found on the S&C line in real life (it made most of its revenue on the East Coast mainline between London Kings Cross and Edinburgh Waverley) it is the player driveable engine for this MSTS route. Expect to also see within the activities the AI trains such as the Royal Scots class Loco and the GWR Castle class 'Pendennis' Loco.

• St Anton-Innsbruck –Francois Dumas

Bill scheduled me to review this Austrian part of the former Orient Express line for you, which runs from Paris to Istanbul, a task that I have gladly excepted, being the Alps buff that I am (even live there for some weeks each year, albeit in the French part).

First of all let me say that I have ridden (part of) the Orient Express myself a few times. Now, that sounds a lot more romantic than it actually was. I used to ride from Amsterdam to Romania quite a lot, visiting my wife to be, and the part from Vienna to Bucharest (and onwards) was still called the Orient Express (this is back in the early 70s). The train I rode back then did in no way resemble the stately carriages and steam engine portrayed in the MSTS program. But I am sure that some of the feeling of being in those remote and always somewhat mysterious old train stations must have felt not that different from the times they still had steam engines.

And this hits the first snag of MSTS. The atmosphere! There are no people, not in the train, not on the stations, not even a train engineer or driver. Bummer! I know, we could get into the eternal debate among simmers about 'simulating' the real technical world or eye candy… I won't. But I look at simulators for the full picture and let's face it, what did we put on all our H0 emplacements? Right. Scenery! Houses, roads, cars, rivers, trees… And people. Tiny H0 populations. And cows, sheep, even deer. Stop!! There are deer on the tracks! And I have seen some cows too. So where are the people!!??

Oh well. Forget about that and let's get on board the train. Starting point is Innsbruck main station. I must admit, I have been in Innsbruck a few times, drove through it, even partly over it (there is a grand highway skirting the mountains and city borders with terrific views on the city), but never been at the station.

First thing we notice is that the scenery of the city itself is very limited to just a few buildings… Innsbruck was a pretty big city in those days already, but this doesn't look like Washington or Philadelphia or some of the Japanese cities. Shame.

Let's enter the carriage and sit down. This is nice, apart from the fact that I seem to be the only passenger. There must have been somebody before me though, because there is a cigar in the ash tray in front of me, burning. I stopped smoking over 16 years ago, so it's not mine. The fans are turning slowly on the ceiling, which is good, because at the time of writing it is some 29 C (that's 86 F folks!)….my computer is overheating again! Fortunately the champagne is in the cooler, just a few seats down the carriage. And there is a guy playing the piano somewhere in the background… listen carefully before pulling out of the station.

You can use the arrow keys to look around, up at the fans, down at the cigar, and outside of the windows. This is a nice touch and I sometimes just sit there and let the landscape go past the window. Relaxing in a way!

There are a number of different carriages to choose from. You can pick them before starting the Explore Route activity from the Drive a Train choice on the main menu. I had a look for you, the exterior is different every time, but the interior is not. You can also drive just the engine, or (my fun!) put one of the US diesels on that track!!

As for the route itself and the landscape/scenery I must admit I had expected a little bit more. The villages and towns are built up of very detailed, but also very FEW buildings. Perhaps it would have been better to lower the amount of detail on them and add a lot more, so it would appear the train would ride through actual towns and not just small groups of houses. The mountains are there, and there is snow on some, even when driving in summer. This is not 'mesh scenery' with lots of detail however. The mountains seem pretty generic (and a bit too dark, there is hardly any texture on them) and I am not convinced of the proper place of them, as compared to the real world.

Another slight disappointment lies in the fact that it seems impossible to start the ride from just any station along the track. I wanted to check out specific areas, but found that I could only choose a very limited number of departure stations. And another point of critique on the documentation is about the Routes pages. For each route you will find 2 pages, one depicting the bird's eye or map view, and the second one containing a one page description of the history and the route, and a small profile showing the elevation of the route. I would have welcomed a full map of the route with ALL stations and sidings. And a separate map for each siding to sort cars would not have been a luxury either. Now everything has to be done by trial and error, also using F6 to have the station names and platform numbers show up on the screen (in just one color).

Not having a detailed map also poses problems as to finding water towers and water scoop places (I haven't found the latter anywhere). Meanwhile there are a fair number of yard maps available here on AVSIM (and other sites), so that you at least have some idea of the yard lay-outs when picking up and dropping off carriages.

GRAPHICS, PERFORMANCE & SOUND – Craig Wyzik

It's tempting to look at MS Train Simulator in terms of what it might mean for the future of MS Flight Simulator, but let's remember that a completely different team designed it. That said, Flight Simmers could do much worse than to strive for some of the features incorporated in Train Sim. The scenery is, in a word, spectacular. Granted, scenery designers here have the benefit of only having to concern themselves with six routes of approximately 100 miles, but they made the most of the opportunity. The terrain is nicely varied, and offers very realistic shapes and forms. Mountains, valleys, hills, plains, and all the other features you can think of are nicely modeled. If your machine is towards the low end of the recommended configuration, there is two screens' worth of settings to can adjust to manipulate various levels of detail. I was brave and cranked everything to the maximum setting right out of the box.

Along with the wonderful representation of nature's scenery, there are very sharp looking cars, trucks, houses, buildings, signs, signals, and so on. All of the items in the scenery look very clear and clean. You may have some trouble reading some of the smaller signs that are located trackside, but that's mostly due to their size, and your position in the locomotive. Switching to one of the outside views takes care of that problem. Speaking of which, the outside views here are very helpful, and afford some nice views of the action. While you don't have one all encompassing, totally customizable outside view such as in FlightSim, you have several preset views that give you all the viewpoints you'll need as you are driving trains and completing activities.

Also, it is worth mentioning that Train Sim comes with a very complex graphical scenery editing tool. You can edit the routes that are included, or you can create new routes from scratch. I didn't spend too much time with the editor, but I think it's safe to assume that we should see whole new routes being created before long.

The sound in Train Sim is outstanding as well. Every clack, squeak, whistle, and whoosh sounds incredibly realistic. Every locomotive and every route have sounds that are unique, but you wouldn't expect any different in a simulation of this complexity. You can hear the wheels bump over seams in the rails, you can hear cars honking their horns at you as you pass a level crossing, and you can hear the whoosh of the air brakes as you release the brakes to start out on a run. From different viewpoints, the sounds change to reflect your position in relation to the locomotive. The Doppler Effect as a train rushes past a stationary observer is modeled particularly well, and I found myself switching to the fixed position exterior view quite often. Everything seems to be in stereo, and you'll find yourself wanting to turn the volume up to hear every little detail.

Train Sim is particularly pleasing because it works exactly as it is supposed to. Now, I'm not saying there aren't bugs to be found, but I have had a remarkably bug-free first few weeks. On my hardware configuration (P-III 1ghz, 384mb RAM, GeForce 2 GTS 32mb, SB Live), everything ran smoothly at high detail levels with no weird stuttering, pauses, hangs, or glitches!

UTILITIES –Bill McQueen

Included with MSTS is 4 unsupported Utilities which are an Activity Editor, Cab Editor, Route Editor and a Route Geometry extractor. The Activity editor is there for you to make your own activities or just modify the existing ones supplied with the sim, A very steep learning curve but with various tutorials posted in the file library at AVSIM Online you will master this sooner than you think. The cab editor is as it suggests a utility for modifying existing or creating your very own cab for MSTS. The Route editor allows you to create new routes or customize the pre-determined ones and modify buildings, trees, adding signals and so on. The route Geometry extractor is a powerful utility in which the shape and Geometry of the part of the world you are working on is extracted for you.

Apart from the Activity editor I don't spend a lot of time in the other ones but for the seasoned designer Im sure these tools will be to their advantage and put to the usage they are designed for.

To use the editors your desktop resolution must be set at 1024x768 minimum

West Coast Express Trucking

3rd Party add-ons

At this time of writing it is actually unbelievable the amount of add-ons that has since came out for MSTS, ranging from reskins of engines & rolling stock to completely new locos or wagons and even routes have started to appear in the file libraries. Take a look yourself in the AVSIM file library to see what you can add to the excitement of your MSTS routes!!

Conclusion

Ok then, so what do we think of Microsoft Train Simulator version 1.0? It's good; in fact it's very good for a 1st time effort. There will be the possibility that your average Joe public will get bored with this after a couple of weeks whereas the seasoned simmer will find the sim a lot more enjoyable thanks to the open-ended architecture which will inevitably prolong the shelf life of this great product!

MSTS does not escape faultless though. 'Where are the people at the stations??' which has been brought up more times than most, apparently the exclusion of people was a trade-off for good frame rates which is generally acceptable (there is probably a talented designer out there just now adding people into the sim!) and there is also the odd stutter noticed when there tends to be lots of trees on the route but apart from that there is more good than bad and hardly any ugly!!!

West Coast Express Train

It will be interesting to see if Train Simulator will go down big brother's Flight Simulator Avenue where we will see a new version every couple of years? Judging by the potential success of this version 1.0 there probably wouldn't be any doubt about future releases!

Msts West Coast Expressions

Return to the Microsoft Train Simulator review here.