GS-4 Daylight Steam Locomotive

The Southern Pacific Daylight, has been dubbed "The most beautiful train in the world." which you can see with out a doubt from my virtual recreation. At the time of this update I've invested nearly a year's worth of work into this project.

Each car lives in a separate reference file and is fully articulated. When combined as a train, a script "couples" the cars to a spline IK for precise motion path animation, right down to each individual axle. Everything has been created down to the finest necessary rivet detail.

The Locomotive is a work of art all in itself. More scripts operate the drive rods 100% prototypical to the real locomotive. Even the beacon light, called a "Mars" light which oscillates in a figure eight pattern for visual warning operates on this model.

Southern Pacific #4449 was originally retired from revenue service in 1957 as the last GS-4 Steam Locomotive in service for the SP Morning Daylight which ran between Los Angles and San Francisco. The last "full colors" Daylight train to run was on excursion in 1987, a sad fate for such a beautiful train. My desire to begin this project is to create the entire Daylight consist in virtual space, to composite into live action footage so that once again, the Morning Daylight may rule the rails.

 

Click on the thumbnails for a larger view.