Subway fans now have the opportunity to operate a first-of-its-kind subway simulator. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has created a realistic train simulator experience that the average railfan can now enjoy. The simulator covers New York City Transit’s Second Avenue Subway right-of-way, including a route through three stations that are yet to open.
Simulator movement is controlled with a realistic-looking operator’s joystick. The trip begins at the northern-most platform at 96th Street. From there you head south to the 72nd Street platform. Signaling and speed control are simulated just like on real subway operations.
“It’s a pretty good simulation of train operation,” says Peter Diamond of Manhattan. “I look forward to seeing the subway line in real operation.”
The simulator gives a real sense of the effects of braking too quickly or too rapid an acceleration would have on real passengers. The user’s score is measured with a “passenger mood” gauge that rates one’s effectiveness as an operator.
Those seeking to experience the simulator should visit the MTA Capital Construction’s Community Information Center located at 1628 Second Ave., between 84th and 85th streets.
Because part of the real line is still not in service, visitors to the center get to experience what no operating personnel has yet to see. Certainly, gaining an appreciation for the difficulty of operating a subway train with the simulator will give a new-found respect for what real subway train operators go through each day.
I second Patrick's endorsement of BVE/OpenBVE, although I'm not aware of an Acela/NEC consist/route for it. TS201x (they update it once a year) can be pricey, but it's high quality (usually, their Tri-Rail add-on is a disaster…) and does have an NEC pack that includes the Acela Express available for it.
Of course, I'm not a real railroad engineer, so I'd be curious as to their opinions on either…
Another gem for subway history and engineering buffs: The New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn at the corner of Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street. The museum is in a full size subway station. There's tunneling history and subway engineering and operations exhibits in the upper gallery, and two tracks full of historic subway trains on the rails below. Very kid-friendly, including gray-haired kids like me.
Microsoft's Train Simulator had a section of the NE Corridor- from Philly to Baltimore, if memory serves- as part of its program. For being from the early 2000s it was very accurate and detailed.
@ED CLOPTON – I know it's not a direct answer, but if you want to try an Acela simulator on your PC right now, there's one available for Train Simulator 2015. You can get it by installing Steam (visit steampowered (dot) com – despite the name, that's a gaming platform, not a railfan site…), and use that to buy Train Simulator 2015, and the Northeast Corridor Expansion.
Psh. There have been *freeware* train simulators (meaning you can just download them off the Internet without paying a dime or resorting to piracy) that already re-create in great detail a fair number of real-life transit systems, most notably London Underground and yes, NYC Transit.
If the "TERR-ARIS-TS" needed a simulator to blow up subways, they haven't needed to risk exposing their nefarious intent for many years now. Google "BVE5", "Open BVE", and "HMMsim". Better yet look 'em up on Youtube. Horror of horrors, that last one is for mobile devices to boot. #EVERYBODYPANICalhfoperhapngri!!!
Why what a clever idea! And will the ones availing themselves of these instructions be vetted against some terrorist data base? It is like when the 9-11 murderers learned how to manage a heavy jet by attending American flying schools.
Cool idea! How about Amtrak creating an Acela simulator? Could be a popular way for people to pass time in stations between trains.
Well at least they got a simulator, its the closest to the real thing considering theyve been on and off on the 2nd av subway since 1929 and maybe another 15-20 yrs to go.
And there goes what remaining free time I have.