4-6-6-4 Alco D&H Challenger
True to my north-eastern roots, I give you another steamer, the Alco D&H Challenger.
The J-35 was made in 1940, a year before the heavy challengers for the UP. These used a different tender from that of the 3900’s a triple axle variant. These also most notably have a different boiler door and front pilot. Oddly, and while I personally don’t agree, these were nicknamed the "most beautiful" of all the Challengers.
D&H ordered 50 of these bad boys from Alco and filled their roster from 1940 to approximately 1953, unfortunately retired early by the beginning of the diesel era.
- Not user recolorable (sorry)
- Custom sounds by MrCheesecake including a new whistle
- Emissive lights with actual textures
- Headlights "on" only in first position
- Dirt and rust
- Group menu listed under the Alco 4-6-6-4 Challenger mod
- Proper animations
- MC Couplers, now swing when turning
- 70 mph top speed
- 30 year lifespan
- 551,156 lbs
- 4800 hp
- 94,000 lb/f tractive effort
- Default emissive
- Available 1940, no end date
Unfortunately, there is a known issue that I nor can UG solve at the current time. This has to do with the front pipes on the front articulated set connecting to the main pipes of the boiler.
In short, I had to manufacture a way to make them appear connected, currently the way the coding works means making the pipes look always connected is impossible. I verified this issue on the vanilla big boy and with Yoshi (Mathias). When this issue can be rectified by the UG programming team you will see this updated shortly thereafter.
- Heavily Corrected Textures
- New Skins: #1500,#1503 (Gray Smoke Box)
- #1500 is generic and recolorable
- Asset versions
- No more plow crosswalk by smokebox
- #1531 and #1524 are both playable now
I have found the elevation plans Courtesy of the Alco Historic Photos. From there I plan on revampling this, consolidating my materials and add more LODs. Version 2 I expect will be of the detail that the Berkshires are.
Hope you enjoy!
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https://discord.gg/wU7DzxXNKs