One of the new items coming as part of the Simulator update that I haven’t talked about is the highly limited printed edition of the Operating Manual!
Although a PDF copy comes with the Simulator, this printed version allows you to actually hold a “piece” of the Simulator. It is printed on 6″x9″ format and spiral bound, mimicking the real operating manual typical of steam engines and other technical/industrial type of work.
It is printed in color on glossy paper, and makes reading and browsing through the technical aspects of the Simulator and steam engine operation a breeze.
The printed manual is based on version Simulator version 1.0.1 (ie, the first update after the initial release of 1.0). You can also take this announcement to hint that the long overdue but minor update is coming really soon now (I hope!).
You can order the printed manual from the sidebar on the Simulator’s product page.
OK, I admit it. I’m a steam locomotive book junkie. I have almost 70 books on steam locomotives. Not the ones you get today at the bookstore (or Amazon), with pretty pictures of engines and trains, but little information. I’m talking about the ones that you’d have to study back in the last century if you wanted to know how to actually operate a steam locomotive. One series in particular—from the International Correspondence School, or ICS—was a complete course on locomotive operation. A great resource if you can find them.
Which brings us to today. Over the last few years, Preston has been working on his pet project—the Disneyland Railroad computer simulator. I have often commented on just how authentic this simulator is. To the point that I believe this simulator might be a powerful training tool for new employees on the Disneyland Railroad. But the simulator is really only half of Preston’s work.
The other half is the manual Preston wrote to accompany the simulator. I mentioned my fondness for books above. The manual Preston wrote is a work that rivals the correspondence courses of old. It not only explains how to operate the computer simulation, it goes well beyond. In its nearly 150 pages, you will find discussions on the physics of the steam locomotive, horsepower, the operation of the injectors, tractive effort and drag, the use of the Johnson bar and optimum cutoff, blower operation…in short, the nitty-gritty technical information you would need to know to actually operate a real steam locomotive.
Throughout, you will find drawings, photos, plans and graphs to illustrate the points made in the text. The book is printed on high-quality glossy paper, with a spiral binding, so it will lay flat. This is important if you are trying to apply the concepts in the book to the simulator. Even if you do not purchase the simulator, if you are interested in steam locomotive technology and operation—especially in relation to the Disneyland Railroad—then this book is a must-have. I keep all my historic locomotive operation books, including the ICS courses, together on the bookshelf. Preston’s manual is included in that collection.
You can read more about the manual and see some pictures here: https://ckhollidayplans.com/blog/disneyland-railroad-simulator-manual-printed-edition/ and you can purchases it for only $29.00 from the sidebar on the main Simulator page here: https://ckhollidayplans.com/disneyland-railroad-steam-simulator/
Don’t wait too long—I believe the print-edition of the manual is a limited edition. At this price, you really can’t afford not to get one.
–Steve
Thanks for your review, Steve!