tinysquishy presents...

Red Devil :: Immersive Steam Locomotive Simulator

Drive a massive iron horse pulling heavy freight and passenger trains.

In development :: Medium Term

This project will attempt to portray the work of a locomotive crew and a ride in one of steams last great advancements.

Background

The class 26 steam locomotive, the Red Devil (Originally named LD Porta, the name of the Argentinian designer who was primary in it's development), was possibly South African Railways' last attempts to increase the efficiency and competitiveness of steam locomotives - a last stab for steam against the flood of dieselization. Unfortunately, as impressive as the engine was, it was passed it's time.

Tinysquishy will attempt to provide a glimpse into what it was like to control this powerful iron monster of a just recently bygone, and very quickly forgotten era.

Many people don't know that South Africa was one of the last places where steam engines worked hard every day.
Indeed - the Knysna Choo Choo Branch Line, running From Knysna to George in the Garden Route, is one of it's kind in the world - and still going strong.

Tender

More about the Red Devil

Original Build Year:

1953

Builder:

Henschel, Germany

Rebuild Year:

1981 (My Birthday! Chris)

Supervisor:

Davil Wardale

Modification Designs:

L.D. Porta

Primary Modifications:

Gas Producer Combustion System - a fuel saving mechanism

Auxilliary Modifications:

Extended Smokebox, twin Lempor exhaust, larger steam chests, and increased coal capacity.

Deployment:

Bloemfontein and Kimberly

The increased fuel capacity and economy meant the locomotive had a long range.

The Red Devil is said to have 35 percent reduced coal consumption, 27 percent reduced water consumption, and 50% increase in maximum drawbar horsepower

This project is in early preparation phase. We are busy researching the Red Devil and finding out more about the history of the South African Railway as well as it's current state, as well as the technology required to model digital railways. We are lucky enough to live right in the Red Devil's home town of Cape Town. We urge anyone interested to find out more about this awesome artifact of our industrial history.

Feature Wish-List

Realistic, but playable portayal of the Red Devil steam locomotive
First Person In-Cab Driving Experience
Highly Immersive Train Effects
Challenging, but not necessarily super-accurate, driving model
Scenic and historical locations
Realistic recorded sounds
Music of the era would be cool!
Rolling stock and road traffic
Signage Simulation and time-tables for the sim-heads

A Sidenote

The Red Devil is sitting in a dark, lonely corner in Cape Town Station. It is well-looked after, but is, from what I last heard, just short of working condition. Even if she was workable, politics over steam on the rails are sensitive and qualified drivers are obviously in short supply given what a bad career move steam driving is these days ;( .

I hope the Red Devil (and all the other wonderful preserved steam engines around the world) are protected from fading out of our memories by people who have the means.

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