Tutorial 3: Make a Basic Locomotive from Scratch or Nearly...

Part 4

This is part 4 of the third tutorial in our on-going series to teach you how to build a locomotive for MSTS from scratch. This will be the last of the beginners tutorials before we start the intermediate tutorials. And, this is the final part!!!

We'll concentrate this time on editing the .eng file to custom place the steam and exhaust particle effects as well as get the lights working.

We'll wrap up with how to package your loco so others can easily install and use your new loco.

The locomotive we have built is a simple design and has some resemblance to a GP9. Please realize that this is only a beginner's tutorial, so the engine that you will build isn't necessarily prototypical. We'll build prototypical locomotives in the intermediate tutorials later.

Now to finally finishing-up our NEW LOCO!

Let's start editing that .eng file!

We're going to do this semi-interactively so start-up MSTS and choose My First Loco in any explore route. Go to the external view by hitting the 2 key on the keyboard. Look at the roof of our loco - the exhaust smoke is coming out of the wrong area - Let's fix this!

Quit out of the activity, then hit ALT and TAB on the keyboard at the same time. MSTS will minimize and you should see the desktop. In windows, find your myloco directory, then double-click on the myloco.eng file - the file should automatically open in WordPad (If this doesn't happen for you - open WordPad manually then load the file)

In Wordpad, use Find (under Edit) and search for exhaust1 and scroll up a couple of lines.

The first line of numbers is the location of smoke. Let's change those numbers to match our loco better. Let's turn the -2 to 0. Change that line to look like this: 0.09784 4.78002 0 and hit Save under the File menu in Wordpad.

At the bottom of the screen, click on the Train Simulator button to maximize MSTS again. Click on the start button in MSTS, then go to the external view to see what we did with the smoke.

It's closer, but not quite. Quit the activity again, then hit ALT and TAB together. In Wordpad, change that line to this: 0.09784 4.78002 0.65 and hit Save under the File menu in Wordpad.

At the bottom of the screen, click on the Train Simulator button to maximize MSTS again. Click on the start button in MSTS, then go to the external view to see where the smoke is now.

So now we know that the last number in that line moves the smoke forward and back along the engine. If we change the first number, that will move the smoke from the left side to the right side (A positive number will move it to the right side).

The middle number controls how high the smoke starts from (more positive numbers make the smoke start higher).

Now that we know what these numbers do, let's change that line one last time to really get that exhaust smoke in the right place for our loco. Change that line now to read: 0.2 4.68 0.65 and hit Save under the File menu in Wordpad.

At the bottom of the screen, click on the Train Simulator button to maximize MSTS again. Click on the start button in MSTS, then go to the external view to see where the smoke is now.

So, what do the other lines of numbers do? Well, if you look at the comments lines just above exhaust1, they will show you. The line below the position numbers is the smoke direction 0 1 0 will make the smoke blow upward. 0 -1 0 will make the smoke blow downward. 0 1 -1 will make the smoke blow back at a 45 degree angle.

Gee, it kinda makes the loco look like its moving fast at a stand still ;)

The third line has only one number which controls the width of the smoke. Bigger numbers will give you wider smoke.

Let's move on to lights for our loco!

Adjusting The Lights For Our Loco