“A railroad can go where a man or mule cannot.” Theodore Judo, circa 1863
The west coast of the United States of America has always held a fascination for rail enthusiasts from all over the world. Companies like the Southern Pacific, Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe, Western Pacific and Northern Pacific built lines up and down the west coast, as well as into the vast mountain ranges that cut off the industrial powerhouse to the east. These railroads brought industry to the west, overcoming the obstacles of nature to create some of the most awe-inspiring routes the world has ever seen. They have created a legacy that is sure to last for many years to come.
Welcome to Project Western (PW), a site showcasing the work of various content creators for Trainz Railroad Simulator who have devoted their time and energy to bring back some of North America’s railroads of the 20th century.
So then what is ‘Project Western’?
Originally it was the crazy ambition of an Australian content creator for Trainz Railroad Simulator (later N3V Trainz) to fill the void of missing Western Pacific content that for so long had been neglected for the sim, recreating the iconic locomotives and liveries that made the WP stand out amongst its rivals. The inspiration came from the quality MSTS content of the time, with routes like 3Dtrains’ ‘Feather River Route’ replicating the famous line as it was in the late 1960s, combined with an episode of the YouTube railroad series “The Full Bucketniers” which told the tale of how challenging building and operating routes into California from the east was. So combining the exotic liveries with the operations of the railroad, Project Western came into existence, with the sole aim of reconstructing some part of the Western Pacific in V-scale form.
Today, Project Western is far more than it was in the early days. Run by two WP enthusiasts, the group has furthered its aims to bring the many railroads of the west together. Names like the Southern Pacific, Northern Pacific, Great Northern, Spokane Portland and Seattle, and the Denver and Rio Grande Western are among the many well-established companies that we hope to bring to Trainz in a way that has yet to be seen. Locomotives, rollingstock, rail-related objects and routes are just some of the items we wish to replicate. Famous trainsets like the California Zephyr, North Coast Limited and Daylight trains are also future projects that we may one day see in the works.
The one project, however, that people seem to crave for most, is of course, the Western Pacific’s most famed line, the Feather River Canyon route, and so the big challenge is to recreate this beautiful stretch of railway from Portola C.A to Oroville C.A as it was during the steam-diesel transition period of the 1940s and 1950s, with many custom structures like the Keddie Wye bridges and many passenger depots, and of course, the legendary trains that ran on it. This is the major project of Project Western and is to perhaps be one of the most popular routes available for Trainz, or at least that is the goal.
So welcome to Project Western, creating content from the West Coast… and then some!
-Tim and Dave
The west coast of the United States of America has always held a fascination for rail enthusiasts from all over the world. Companies like the Southern Pacific, Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe, Western Pacific and Northern Pacific built lines up and down the west coast, as well as into the vast mountain ranges that cut off the industrial powerhouse to the east. These railroads brought industry to the west, overcoming the obstacles of nature to create some of the most awe-inspiring routes the world has ever seen. They have created a legacy that is sure to last for many years to come.
Welcome to Project Western (PW), a site showcasing the work of various content creators for Trainz Railroad Simulator who have devoted their time and energy to bring back some of North America’s railroads of the 20th century.
So then what is ‘Project Western’?
Originally it was the crazy ambition of an Australian content creator for Trainz Railroad Simulator (later N3V Trainz) to fill the void of missing Western Pacific content that for so long had been neglected for the sim, recreating the iconic locomotives and liveries that made the WP stand out amongst its rivals. The inspiration came from the quality MSTS content of the time, with routes like 3Dtrains’ ‘Feather River Route’ replicating the famous line as it was in the late 1960s, combined with an episode of the YouTube railroad series “The Full Bucketniers” which told the tale of how challenging building and operating routes into California from the east was. So combining the exotic liveries with the operations of the railroad, Project Western came into existence, with the sole aim of reconstructing some part of the Western Pacific in V-scale form.
Today, Project Western is far more than it was in the early days. Run by two WP enthusiasts, the group has furthered its aims to bring the many railroads of the west together. Names like the Southern Pacific, Northern Pacific, Great Northern, Spokane Portland and Seattle, and the Denver and Rio Grande Western are among the many well-established companies that we hope to bring to Trainz in a way that has yet to be seen. Locomotives, rollingstock, rail-related objects and routes are just some of the items we wish to replicate. Famous trainsets like the California Zephyr, North Coast Limited and Daylight trains are also future projects that we may one day see in the works.
The one project, however, that people seem to crave for most, is of course, the Western Pacific’s most famed line, the Feather River Canyon route, and so the big challenge is to recreate this beautiful stretch of railway from Portola C.A to Oroville C.A as it was during the steam-diesel transition period of the 1940s and 1950s, with many custom structures like the Keddie Wye bridges and many passenger depots, and of course, the legendary trains that ran on it. This is the major project of Project Western and is to perhaps be one of the most popular routes available for Trainz, or at least that is the goal.
So welcome to Project Western, creating content from the West Coast… and then some!
-Tim and Dave