Northern Pacific GE 44 Ton "98"

[RudiJaeger]

HC NP GE44T 01.jpg

HC NP GE44T 04.jpg

Historically accurate repaint of the NP's sole GE 44 Tonner. Number 98 was built in 1946 and served as the switcher for the South Tacoma shops until being sold to Pacific Car & Foundry, Renton WA, on 24 July 1964.

Note: There was one additional 44 Tonner (built 1943) ordered by NP subsidiary Duluth Union Depot & Transfer which temporarily served with the NP as Number 99 while the DUD&T resolved labor issues, but was later transferred back as DUD&T Number 5.

These were painted using the payware DigitalTrainModel (DTM) Boston & Maine GE 44 Ton switcher (Steam Store). Although with some bin-file edits for road names, will likely work with any of the other DTM 44 Ton offerings (the ones with the grill at each end).

Stay tuned for the next RWA Library update

[jalsina]

If you did it for the DTM B&M it can be done for the DTM UP version. I might try that one.

[wopflyer]

Very nice RudiJaeger! Thank you for making this.

[ET44C4]

Great work!

[RudiJaeger]

Thank you friends. I checked, and the file should be available in the next update, or as soon as workload permits. Thanks for your patience

[RudiJaeger]

GE44 NP98 rating.JPG

This just in ...Tragically, NP98 was shot shortly after entering the RWA Library. As yet, no one has come forward to explain the shooting, but witnesses have described similar incidents occurring with other contributors. Photographs of the prototype were consulted in an attempt to identify the reason for the shooting, but currently, no evidence has been obtained to justify the actions of the shooter.

Authorities believe it could be related to a discrepancy between NP98's model and the way the textures were applied to it's skin to accommodate it's unique contours, leading some to speculate it could be a hate-crime. A notorious local gang, The Rivet Counters, might be to blame. Others suggest the shooting could have been an accidental discharge that occurred while the shooter attempted to apply the rating system in reverse-order. There were two good Samaritans at the scene who rendered first-aid, but sadly their attempts failed to maintain the young file's five-star rating.

Although NP98 is an only-child and has no immediate family members, it's author is shocked by the the shooting and is considering retirement, stating "If we try to recreate accurate depictions of railroad history and release them freely to our community, only to see them gunned down for no apparent reason; then what's the use in going on?". He went on to say that other contributors should probably check their files for any signs of abuse, as one never knows when incidents like this can occur in today's vicious on-line environment.

If you have any information leading to a motive for the shooting, you are asked to post a brief description in this thread; or if you wish to remain anonymous, you may send a private message to the file's author. If we all work together, we can make the RWA Library a much safer place for all our files. Thank you.

[RudiJaeger]

My previous post was only intended to inject some humor into your Saturday morning, and perhaps raise some awareness about the rating system; but I see a few of you have actually tracked down the file and applied some remedial action to give it a boost. I certainly didn't expect it, but that was a pretty cool thing to do and I certainly thank you for your support. Cheers friends!

Humor aside, I would like to ask those who download our work here that if you are going to adversely rate a file, to please send the author a private message to explain your rating. I think we all do our best to contribute quality products to the library, and if we overlooked something, I'm sure we'd all like to know about it so we can fix any discrepancies. I for one, am not an expert on all things rolling on rails; so I welcome any feedback to improve my work. And I certainly don't want a messed-up file hanging out in the library with my stamp on it; so please feel free to inform me if you see something wrong. Unfortunately, there isn't an option on the download page to leave a comment, so a pm seems to be the best course of action. Thanks.

[wopflyer]

Hey RudiJaeger,

Don't let them get to you. There are people on every website that are negative and hate on things just because they can. Your repaint looks awesome and actually has given me more of an interest in running this little locomotive now.

[buzz456]

Truth be told it's usually one of the "I followed the instructions exactly and I can't get it to show up" or "it has no couplers" or "the texture is all goofed up and I did exactly what the read me said to do." So because they didn't get it to work they gave it a bad rating. Anyone who gave this piece of work a bad rating either has some kind of axe to grind or is just foolish.

Another five star rating on this one .

[GERUNIMO625]

LOVE YOUR GE44 RUDI!
Nothing but 5 stars from me!

[jalsina]

I haven´t been able to use this repaint, as I only have the UP version of the 44 tonner.
I tried to convert it from the UP, but I couldn´t. What I did, it just didn´t work.

When I don´t like a work I let it go without voting. But never vote against it. However when I vote, it could be either a 4 or a 5.
I will PM the author(or write in an existing thread, only if I find a bug or I have real problems to install or operate.
There are more times that I forget to vote than anything else.

Most of the downloads here in RWA are excellent.
And I say:

[RudiJaeger]

Thanks for your comments everyone; much appreciated. It appears NP98 is well on the way to a full recovery thanks to those who took time to visit and lend their support. Looks like I may have to paint some more of these little guys in the future; strength in numbers and all

Cheers!

[RudiJaeger]

I haven´t been able to use this repaint, as I only have the UP version of the 44 tonner.
I tried to convert it from the UP, but I couldn´t. What I did, it just didn´t work.

Jalsina, just an idea; maybe try copying your UP folder and changing the bin file as if you were creating a new repaint for it. Then overwrite the texture folder with the contents from my version. Please let us know if you have any success.

I'd try it myself but I only have the B&M version. Thanks.

[jalsina]

I haven´t been able to use this repaint, as I only have the UP version of the 44 tonner.
I tried to convert it from the UP, but I couldn´t. What I did, it just didn´t work.

Jalsina, just an idea; maybe try copying your UP folder and changing the bin file as if you were creating a new repaint for it. Then overwrite the texture folder with the contents from my version. Please let us know if you have any success.

I'd try it myself but I only have the B&M version. Thanks.

Thanks Rudi,
While I have not looked into the textures, I believe the problem is in the textures mapping.
In my first attempt I made a typical conversion changing paths inside the bin.

I will be back some time soon to this conversion and look deeper into the problem.
I will also take a look to what you are saying above. Not sure if it is feasible.

[RudiJaeger]

While I have not looked into the textures, I believe the problem is in the textures mapping.
In my first attempt I made a typical conversion changing paths inside the bin.

I had a look at the UP version at the Steam Store: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2083 ... oco_AddOn/

It appears to be the same model used for the B&M, SP, UP, B&O, NH (McGinnis) and PRR. The only model that's a little different (grill/louvers) is contained in the Springfield – New Haven Route (screen 6/8): https://store.steampowered.com/app/3259 ... ute_AddOn/

So that "should" eliminate any discrepancies between the textures' mapping and the model (geo-file). Theoretically, you should be able to backup the UP texture folder, then overwrite it with the NP texture folder, and the NP scheme will appear in the sim. So I would recommend looking at the naming conventions of the UP bin-file and Geo-file compared to those in the NP version. If you copy the UP version's folder and rename it and edit it's bin file accordingly, just like making a folder for a new repaint, then you "should" be able to dump the contents of the NP texture folder (textures only) into your newly created version's texture folder and overwrite it's contents. I alpha'd-out the numbers textures, so that should not be an issue either. I sure hope this works for you. If so, it should work for anyone else with a different GE44 road-name. Again, the key-word being "should". Keeping my fingers crossed for you.