Cascade & North Western RR
Begins Hiring June 5, 2006
by Jon Houston

Having been away from vRR activity for quite a while, it was with a touch of mild trepidation that I joined the C&NW, early on Day One. Trifling notions of bureaucracy, Big brother, and having to jump through hoops were quickly dispelled however, when I quickly realized the enormous amount of ingenuity and hard work that has so obviously gone into making the C&NW what it is: a beautifully complex, sweetly functional and very user-friendly entity of an unprecedented quality in the world of MSTS. There's simply nothing like it anywhere in MSTS-dom!

The Route
First, there's the route itself, of course, which is entirely sine qua non. I'm not one for favourite things, but I've probably considered the ADFRR to be the most interesting route in all of MSTS since back around the time I first discovered the M&RM, or maybe Klosen Ridge! So probably because of its great diversity, the ADFRR was always *the* prime route, from my standpoint. The "Mother Route", as it were. If all routes were to be taken away from me bar one, then the ADF would have been my instant choice for retention.

The "why" is an easy answer, of course: It has everything! -- cities, hamlets, mountain passes, long-running flatland stretches, heavy and small industries, and always interesting details to behold. And by the time the ADF hit V4(DM), it was a marvel that I truly thought couldn't be significantly surpassed -- until the advent of the C&NW.

So doubtless it was this diversity which made the ADF so attractive as a nucleus for a mega-project like the C&NW. And the magic that Rob Reedy has since wrought with the RE in producing such an astonishingly enjoyable railroading environment, is just fascinating to behold. All this beautiful detail, and high frame rates in the bargain -- what more could one ask for!?!

Pure, unmitigated genius, and a sure, keen eye for the elements that produce a sweetly viable vRR environment, Robert's work is just amazing!

LEADS
While waiting for the C&NW to begin hiring, I'd mused and speculated as to how effective the LEADS system would actually prove to be. It certainly sounded good in theory, but as the saying goes, "the proof of the pudding is in the eating", and I was curious as I waited for lunch. Well Shazam! The system is obviously very well done, since it's robust, fast, and can easily withstand a heavy onslaught such as it received on Day One.

The best part of LEADS is that I, the engineer, have instant feedback in all related areas of concern. E.g: submitting a time slip instantly shows on the Callboard, and reflects in my next choice in the Dispatching System. Just excellent innovation! Brian has obviously been hard at work, for a long time, and what he's produced makes everything come together like a nice, efficient clockwork! An outstanding piece of intelligent programming!

The Site
I can easily recall back on NERR's fora when Rick Foss volunteered to make a map, mildly commenting he had some experience with graphic arts. Those first maps were certainly a revelation to all, as were the many subsequent sets he did for other routes, over the following months.

But Rick has obviously not just been sitting still, nor contenting himself with only producing quality maps! The C&NW site is a *solid*, visually appealing place that's a pleasure to visit each time. Moreover, there's a nice, cozy, "logical" feel to the site which makes getting around a very pleasant experience indeed! Considering the complexity and the quantity of the material to be presented through the C&NW site, he's done a remarkably good job of making it easy for a viewer to navigate his way around. First-class!

Activities
Thus far, I've gone just a short way through the curriculum, and so it would be premature of me to make any significant comment on the C&NW activities. But the first four "Training" activities do elicit a few remarks, which I'd like to briefly present here.

From my humble perspective, including a "training wheels" set of activities for everybody to go through shows good solid thinking and great wisdom! I've been "around the (virtual) balloon track" a few times, and I could perhaps have argued from strength that I didn't need it. However a little review never hurt anybody, and I knew everyone had to go through this part, to get to the other side.

But as I was trundling through those trainers, I had in mind a chum of mine who's thinking seriously about getting into MSTS as a pre-retirement hobby. I had him in mind, as I went through the training, and so I evaluated it from a Newbie's perspective, asking myself "Would this training be of value to me, if I were just starting-out with the Sim?". The answer was an unqualified "Yes"!

So if those trainers were put in place with the intent of ensuring a more consistently-even level of operating expertise, and facilitating those with lacunas in their MSTS abilities, then I suggest you've succeeded admirably. Great job!

Sound
I've much more to experience yet, having only clanked a mile or so down the C&NW's trackage. And therefore there are many things yet to see, activities to run, and sounds to hear. So-far, I've had just one sound experience, and that was certainly a novel -- and unique -- "happening"! That was when I first hit the Tab key to request clearance through a red. Back came a nice, crisp, entirely believable dialogue between the engineer and the dispatcher. Very well done, and coupled with the examples given on the Website, they're doubtless an exciting portent of things to come. It's gonna be interesting, I'm sure!

Endat
That about wraps-up what I wanted to convey to you all. Perhaps you've gotten all manner of feedback on this magnificent Magnum Opus of yours, but my concern was that perhaps you hadn't yet gotten anything concrete, and I just thought the "Staff" of the C&NW should *certainly* be congratulated and encouraged for having produced such an excellent piece of work. The ingenious innovation, the long, late hours and brilliant cooperation that has so *obviously* been put forth to produce such a work, are astonishing to consider. And from the standpoint of an "employee engineer", I humbly and sincerely thank you *all* so very much.