I built 40 miles (Baker to Sumpter and Whitney) of the Sumpter Valley Railway, circa 1937-42, with the help of a couple other guys. Have one crossing set up where a SUV is stalled on the crossing, and show them what happens even when the emergency brakes are applied at the earliest moment they see the SUV. Have a simulation activity set up where you let high-school kids (especially the ones enrolled in Driver's Ed) take the throttle of a loaded coal train going 40 to 50 MPH, and tell them to not hit any cars crossing the tracks. You could throw a little Operation Lifesaver into it. Here's a great idea once you get your simulator set up:

I would start by sending a private message to any of the message board moderators, since they would have a good idea of the 'who's who' of MSTS, and if nothing else can point you in some different directions. There may be others out there.) All that's needed is access to digital terrain data and specifics about the route the tracks take, and maybe some reference information about locomotives and rolling stock. (I know that someone has recreated the Durango & Silverton in the 1950's. Maybe if you offered the right ones some incentives ($$ or a year-long pass to all of your special events) they could recreate your route, your locomotive, and your trains. The most popular message board is found at I believe some of the users have discussed ways to build a mock-up cab with appropriate controls that are wired into a souped-up PC computer and big-screen display.Ī lot of these users are very adept at building routes, locomotives, and rolling stock that can be added into the game. Microsoft Train Simulator seems to still have a substantial following, even though Microsoft itself has abandoned any future releases of MSTS. I have been known to run a few trains in MSTS.

Train artisan msts