To make a steam engine from scratch, like baking an apple pie, first you must first invent the universe.
So in addition to writing my own physics for the steam engine, I’ve also created a model of the world, because presumably you’ll want to see the world outside from the cab windows.
As it turns out, it’s quite a bit like building a table top model railroad! Place the tracks, plant some trees, shape the hills.
The track is about 2.5 miles long—quite a bit longer than the Disneyland tracks. This gives me plenty of room to stretch the Holliday’s legs and run tests.
I plan on including this test track with the simulator, so you can have some variety and try running her in a different environment (like experiencing left turns!)
Keep in mind that the sim’s focus is inside the cab and the engine. The world view is only meant to give you a basic idea of how the engine is traveling, so it won’t be elaborate set pieces nor external views of the train. For that, there are other train “sims” that fulfill that role.