Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Welcome to Trainz Commuter Rail. We hope you enjoy your visit.

You are currently here as a guest, so you can not see everything. It is our mission to bring you free quality content for Auran's Trainz Railroad simulator. We have tons of content that you gain access to by becoming a member. You also gain access to a friendly community and helpful support staff. By registering you gain all of the following:

  • Full Forum Access
  • Private Messaging
  • Download Access
  • Abilities to Vote in Polls
  • Customizable Profiles
  • And much more!

    Join our community!


    If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

    Username:   Password:
Add Reply
How old is every one?
Topic Started: August 7 2013, 09:49 PM (483 Views)
amtrak2041
Member Avatar
Yard Master
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Were all males here(most of us), so how old are you? When did you first encounter trainz? And when did you have a passion (me love) for trains and or the railroad? And what ever else you may want to include, this is to my way of meeting you :D . And maybe we all find out a little more then we knew about each other.

Hi,
I'm Jonathan, i'm 16 years old and when I was 12-13 my dad bought me trainz 2006 and UTC. I never really liked UTC but I did liked trainz 2006.
And since I live in the urban city's of the New York Metropolitan area, I fell in love with Amtrak, NJT and every other commuter service in the northeast. But Septa, I hate that trip between Philly and Trenton. Way to long! I never really saw a CSX or Norfolk train often around where I live so I don't care for the freight railroads. With that being said I will fight you if you come after passenger rail and or HSR, Because you can't ride a intermodal container but you can ride a passenger car in safe conditions at speeds above 100mph. When i'm done with high school I want to become a civil engineer and work for the railroads(Ironic) or future HSR projects because you and I know both HSR is coming. Like California you can't really stop the project because if so people will look at America as "Can't get nothing done" and then foreign investors will not invest. That is a little about me and my age, this could be a nice reference when you see my post around the forum.

Now how about you guys, if your not to old! :lol:
Offline Quote Post Goto Top
 
RZTaylorJr
Member Avatar
TCR Administrator
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
I'm Robert. I'm 25 years old. My passion for trains started at 11 when I moved to South Baltimore City. I moved a block away from the Baltimore Terminal Subdivision, where I was able to see trains from my window daily. I would find myself at the tracks a lot. I was able to get a cab ride in a CSX SD40-2 which was very cool. MSTS came out in 2001 and that's where my love for simulations came in to play. Didn't really get into Trainz until i bought TS2009. From there my passion for trains grew, and it was the reason i started learning 3-D modelling.
Offline Quote Post Goto Top
 
slabay(SB)
Member Avatar
Content Creator
[ *  *  * ]
I'm Scott, and I'm 44- no, I never outgrew my interest in trains. I spent my summers every year at my grandparents' house in the Monongahela River Valley about 40 miles south of Pittsburgh, PA. I was able to sit on their porch and watch trains on the Penn Central Mon Line to my left, trains on the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie across the river to my right, and barges of coal being pushed up the river. I am an ex-police officer here in Florida, and was hired in 1991 by Amtrak as a police officer. I turned the job down because I could not see working for $20,000/year and moving to and living in Washington DC. I still kick myself to this day for that decision! I worked briefly for the sister company to Seminole Gulf Railroad in Fort Myers, but the pay was lousy and the benefits were worse. I'm a transportation supervisor for a food service distributor now and I'm majoring in management working towards finally finishing my bachelor's degree next summer. Hopefully, I'll be able to enter Norfolk Southern's or CSX's management training program after graduation and move to Pennsylvania or Maryland.

I got interested in Trainz after finding the UTC at target for $5 and getting it as a time-killer. I upgraded to TS09, then TS10, and now TS12 (but NOT SP1 or the hot fixes!) for better graphics and features, which has created a sort of arms race: now I need to upgrade my computer in order to keep up with the Trainz upgrade. And I only THOUGHT Trainz would be cheaper than model railroads!!!

Then, I learned to reskin stuff- There were a lot of things I wanted to have that weren't available, so I learned to paint it myself and taught myself weathering techniques and photoshop trickery to make what I make.

Of course, reskinning is only good if there is something to reskin. So I found myself struggling to figure out Blender and gMax. After repeated failed attempts at figuring out either of the programs, I FINALLY cracked how to make things in gMax. From there, 3ds Max was a piece of cake to get started with. I'm still teaching myself new stuff every day.

Edited by slabay, August 8 2013, 02:28 PM.
Offline Quote Post Goto Top
 
K4driver
No Avatar
Resident NASCAR and PRR knowitall
[ *  *  *  * ]
21 yrs old, and living in the Mon Valley, on the NS Mon Line. Living here has let me capture 12 of the 20 heritage units on revenue freight trains, and a special Amtrak train a couple weeks ago. I do model railroading of the Pennsylvania Railroad in the 50's with a twist. Although the calender would say 1950's, all the events would really be the 40's...IE, It would be 1957 and steam would still be running king of the rails.
Offline Quote Post Goto Top
 
slabay(SB)
Member Avatar
Content Creator
[ *  *  * ]
K4driver
August 9 2013, 07:56 AM
21 yrs old, and living in the Mon Valley, on the NS Mon Line. Living here has let me capture 12 of the 20 heritage units on revenue freight trains, and a special Amtrak train a couple weeks ago. I do model railroading of the Pennsylvania Railroad in the 50's with a twist. Although the calender would say 1950's, all the events would really be the 40's...IE, It would be 1957 and steam would still be running king of the rails.
Where are you at? I spent A LOT of time in Stockdale, my grandfather worked for Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel at the Allenport Mill. I've got a pretty big DEM of the Mon Line I've been working on.

SW Pennsylvania Mon River Line thread on the Auran/N3V forums

Unfortunately, upgrading to TS12 and the detail on the route (mostly the trees!) has just killed my poor laptop, so I haven;t been working on it. I'll get back to it when I upgrade my computer.
Offline Quote Post Goto Top
 
K4driver
No Avatar
Resident NASCAR and PRR knowitall
[ *  *  *  * ]
slabay
August 9 2013, 11:01 AM
K4driver
August 9 2013, 07:56 AM
21 yrs old, and living in the Mon Valley, on the NS Mon Line. Living here has let me capture 12 of the 20 heritage units on revenue freight trains, and a special Amtrak train a couple weeks ago. I do model railroading of the Pennsylvania Railroad in the 50's with a twist. Although the calender would say 1950's, all the events would really be the 40's...IE, It would be 1957 and steam would still be running king of the rails.
Where are you at? I spent A LOT of time in Stockdale, my grandfather worked for Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel at the Allenport Mill. I've got a pretty big DEM of the Mon Line I've been working on.

SW Pennsylvania Mon River Line thread on the Auran/N3V forums

Unfortunately, upgrading to TS12 and the detail on the route (mostly the trees!) has just killed my poor laptop, so I haven;t been working on it. I'll get back to it when I upgrade my computer.
Somewhere in Monongahela/
Offline Quote Post Goto Top
 
thallium
Member Avatar
ROCK AND ROLLBOT !!!
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
I wouldn't call going to TS2012 an upgrade. I like 2010 because of the compatibility mode.
Offline Quote Post Goto Top
 
NYSW3636
Member Avatar
75% Accurate
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
well Brandon im 16 and im in Sidney NY living here in sidney allows me to chase in great scenery i started with 2004 then i went to 06 and eventually i went to TC 1&2 and now i am using TS12 when i started in trains when i was 4 or 5 years old when my grandfather would take us chaseing a cp train from binghamton to oneanta and once he took us to see 142 on the NYSW Northern division and now i still like trains and have 4 friends in my school like them so that's about it!
Offline Quote Post Goto Top
 
epa
Member Avatar
Sizzle........
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
My name's Matt. I'm 15 years young, currently living in south-central Kansas, near the BNSF Ark City Sub. I've been into trains since I was 1, I would see the BNSF trains pass by on the ACS on the way to my Grandma's house (which was along the Emporia Sub). I would always look out the windows waiting for the trains to show up. This was only 2 years after the BN/ATSF merger, so there was still a lot of unpatched green and warbonnet, mostly SD40-2s, C40-8Ws, and rarely, FP45s. Now of course, back then I couldn't tell a train from a banana, so I don't remember this very well. Eventually, I would start reading off the sides of the locomotives. So we would be on the road, and suddenly my parents would hear me mumble "BNSF, Santa Fe, Burlington Northern, NS, CSX" or whatever was on the train. I remember hearing my dad say my first word was "Choo Choo", of course it probably came out more as "Thwoo Thwoo". Then as I got older, I would start watching trains out my grandma's dining room window. I remember being devastated when she moved away from the tracks. We would still cross the Ark City Sub on the way to her new house, but it just wasn't as fun. I came up with a plan fairly quickly. We would normally head up to 63rd Street, and go straight to her house that way. My plan: Backtracking. Going over to MacArthur Road, so we would cross 47th, then 63rd. This meant just a little more time near the tracks. To this day, I still can't believe anyone thought it was a good idea, as it made the trip about 10 minutes longer. In 2007, I got TRS2006 for my birthday, and that game was the reason why I almost never moved from the PC. I was hooked from the moment I first put the CD in. 2009: I get "Trainz Railwayz" which included TRS2006 and TC 1 & 2. Then I started playing TC. A lot. I switched around between 06 and TC a lot until late 2012, when I got TS12. Now TS12 is by far one of my favorites. I have learned how to fix most error it throws at me with older content, and I have a friend who knows how to fix said errors.

Well, I hope you all enjoyed my story. Goodbye.
Offline Quote Post Goto Top
 
K4driver
No Avatar
Resident NASCAR and PRR knowitall
[ *  *  *  * ]
Hey Slabay. I may be able to get you photos of Monogahela, New Eagle,etc like Ground level photos to work with.
Offline Quote Post Goto Top
 
amtrak2041
Member Avatar
Yard Master
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
I forgot to add this but in my home town I live in a 10 story hi-rise and two blocks away is the tripe track Morris and Essex line, so I go railfanning without leaving my own home. Also this, my dad worked for BNSF (civil engineer) so I must follow in his footsteps and ever since I was 1. I loved trains! So becoming an engineer is a great way to get a job.
Offline Quote Post Goto Top
 
slabay(SB)
Member Avatar
Content Creator
[ *  *  * ]
K4driver
 
Hey Slabay. I may be able to get you photos of Monogahela, New Eagle,etc like Ground level photos to work with.


Cool! I'll keep that in mind. I've got no method to the madness when I work on the route- of course, I have worked on Stockdale and around the mill quite a bit, Bendorsey made the N&W (W&LE now) bridge and I-70 bridge for me so I worked around Speers quite a bit, and I've done some work on where the Ellsworth secondary branches off in Monongahela. It is the filling in the middle stuff that bogs me down sometimes. I'm on hold until I upgrade my computer next month- my current one is just way too laggy.

Amtrak2041
 
I forgot to add this but in my home town I live in a 10 story hi-rise and two blocks away is the tripe track Morris and Essex line, so I go railfanning without leaving my own home. Also this, my dad worked for BNSF (civil engineer) so I must follow in his footsteps and ever since I was 1. I loved trains! So becoming an engineer is a great way to get a job.


SWEET! Nothing quite like railfanning from air conditioned comfort with a fridge full of food next to you!
Offline Quote Post Goto Top
 
Gandalf
Member Avatar
Head Moderator, Computer Tech
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
I am an entire 22 years old, I started with my fashion for trainz when I was a tiny kid, when I watch Thomas the tank engine non stop, and would travel into New York on NJT to visit my grandparents in the winter then NJT and Amtrak to visit them in CT in the summer months.

It then stuck, when I got my first computer (at 8 years old) My parents and myself came across MSTS, it was fun but barely ran on the ancient computer. After 2 years I got a new computer and that is when I got into it more as it could play MSTS just fine, I then also came across Trainz(the original) in one of those scholastic book order things you used to get every month, so I bothered my mom enough to order it. I found that to be rather boring.

But I did find the website for Auran at the time and saw the ads for TRS2004, which I never got, by the time I bothered them enough to get it TRS2006 was out and that is what I got. Shortly after really getting into it TCR was born, and then began the long trek to now with the plethora of assets released by myself and in joint ventures with other people and several versions of trainz later, and few thousand dollars later in computer parts to keep up with trainz and make it run almost how it should, I have pretty much stopped doing much trainz related at this point due to the instability in the program itself and me not being able to build the things I want at the detail I require for myself. The last route I made(The Valley Railroad) had pushed trainz to it's limits, and even cause trainz to crash a few times due to to much going on on screen. So that was the nail in the coffin.
Offline Quote Post Goto Top
 
trainman17
Member Avatar
TCR Moderator
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
My name is James and I am 21 years old.

I got into trains when I was a little boy. Like Gandalf, I got way into Thomas the Tank Engine and that, along with my dad's interest in model railroading, got me into trains so much that I annoyed people around me who hated them with my excitement for them. XD

I have slowly calmed myself and can tell you that I now am a respectable railfan.


My first Train game was MSTS, which I got not about a year after it's release and loved it. Soon, I found out there were websites devoted to making new content for the game and found a lot of things for my favorite railroads and downloaded what was free as soon as I saw it.
I got into Trainz in 2008 or 2009 when I found a copy of Trainz 2006 in my local Wal-Mart. I asked my parents to buy it for me and they did. Didn't take me long to find websites with the same devotion to content creation as the folks in the MSTS world did.

In search of new websites to find TRS 04/06 content, I stumbled across TCR quite by accident in 2010 and found quickly that I needed membership to get the downloads. I joined and found the downloads section, downloaded content I found useful to me, and was ready to be one of the dozens that join only for content and leave when I saw the this was a good group of people. I introduced myself and earned the right to be here, even though I was a little rough around the edges at first. XD

Not much over a year ago, I thought of the idea of becoming a Moderator since I saw TCR didn't have anyone other than our buddy rztaylor moderating the site. I gathered the courage to ask about it and through lot of effort, frustration, and (finally) patience, I was given a trial run as a mod. I guess I did the right things to keep the red name because it's still that way.

All in all, it's been a good time for me on TCR, and this is a great group of folks here. :D
Edited by trainman17, August 10 2013, 01:12 PM.
Offline Quote Post Goto Top
 
amtrak2041
Member Avatar
Yard Master
[ *  *  *  *  *  * ]
It seems like everyone stared with MSTS, I started with trainz the original a demo. Because I was broke but hell I played the hell out of that demo. And also most of everyone here watched Thomas and Friends, i'm 16 years old and I still get chills when I watch the show.
Offline Quote Post Goto Top
 
ThatCrazyRangerFan
Member Avatar
Flagman
[ *  *  * ]
Im back from my hiatus from anything electronic.


My name's John. 18. Liked trains since living at my grandparents' in Buffalo. CSX, NS and Amtrak lines. Lots of foreign power. Started with... Railroad Tycoon for games. Then MSTS and Trainz at around the same time. I still play both frequently.

Found this site and lurked for about a year. Now an account and it's nice to talk to other train fans on here :)
Offline Quote Post Goto Top
 
kj3400
No Avatar
Foamer
[ *  * ]
I'm Kenneth, 22, 23 next month. Live in Baltimore, atm too far away from any rail, except the CSX line going into Curtis Bay.

I'm more of a mass transit railfan, Amtrak and commuter rail rock too. I do appreciate freight, but I never really got into them. I've been into trains ever since I first rode the Baltimore Light Rail (incidentally, I'm older than my city's light rail XD ). Never looked back. I think my first train game was railroad tycoon? It was a demo on the Dreamcast. The first legit train game I had wasn't until I was 18, it was MSTS and Trainz (I bought both). But Trainz won out in the end. I got to this site about the same time I found the official site, but it wasn't until recently that I started being active.
Offline Quote Post Goto Top
 
1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
ZetaBoards - Free Forum Hosting
Fully Featured & Customizable Free Forums
Learn More · Register for Free
« Previous Topic · Off Topic · Next Topic »
Add Reply