In the world of TSTO, there are clearly those who don’t really understand the excitement around the return of the Monorail, and those who think, “The Monorail is the BEST UPDATE EVER Because It Keeps on Giving and Giving and Giving!!!”
I think it would be safe to say that I am in the latter camp.
From the earliest days of my youth, back in a time when you had to make your own toy building blocks out of the tree that you had to cut yourself, after walking nine miles barefoot into the woods, I have enjoyed building things. It would be accurate that the “building things” and designing, and redesigning, and tweaking your design, is the very reason I tap.
Yes. I love the Simpsons. Yes. I like the dialogue. Yes. I think Maggie is “oh, so, cute!” But, the real reason I play, is that TSTO gives us so many ways to build, and decorate, and create. This aspect of my personality came out early in life when I began model railroading.
I’ll let that settle in.
Yes. This CrankyOldGuy has boxes of HO track, rolling stock, and buildings, ready to set up at a grandchild’s notice. I like building things…and then watching them run.
Which is why the MONORAIL IS THE BEST UPDATE TO EVER… Oh. Wait. We already covered that bit.
But, even for those of you who are less than enthusiastic about grinding for track, there is a HUGE reward!!
BONUTS!!!
Even before the recent revamp and retread of the weekly Monorail Track Offering, there were Five Bonuts (bonus donuts) for those who completed the entire challenge in 7 days. It took a TON of tapping, to pull it off. You had to collect 70,000 points to get the Bonuts.
After the revamp, while we don’t get Bonuts every week, we DO get something of value for just 25,000 points. CAKE!!!
And this week…when you complete the tasks, you get 20 BONUTS!!!
But, for me…the coolest (and meanest) new addition is the Tunnel that allows you to extend or connect your monorail(s) together. Very cool. With one minor exception. They have only offered ONE tunnel so far…and it may be weeks until we can get a second. If you really want to do a loop, you need to have two. Unlike the world of Model Railroading, there aren’t any cross tracks, or merge tracks…so you need two tunnels. It’s OK. I’m patient. I can wait.
And yes. In typical EA fashion, the tunnel forces you to make some adjustments to link two existing monorails (what is the plural of monorail…duorail? It’s confusing…). And yes…all of us that have been collecting since day mono, have WAY more curved track than anyone should ever have to store. But, again…I’m fine with the tradeoffs…because of the fun, and because of the bonuts!
For those of you who missed the monorail the first time, this is your chance to “join the monorail community.” I know what you are thinking. Do you have to wear a funny hat and meet in a team member’s basement on Tuesday nights to discuss the virtues of HO Gauge over S Gauge track? No. Sadly, there are no hats yet.
But, you WILL get the fun of having something in your Springfield that runs…and can tour your town from a “close-up train perspective,” which is a GREAT way to see a neighbor’s town as well.
I hate to admit how much time I have spent “riding” the monorails of my friends and neighbors. There are some AMAZING layouts out there… Mine is fun. It isn’t a single loop….and in fact, if you start at one station, it takes more than 6 minutes to run the full cycle back to the station. I know. Huge…right??
But, as a special bonus…for those of you who are Model Railroad enthusiasts…let me introduce you to the REAL definition of HUGE. The “Largest Model Railroad Layout In the World” is just minutes away from Alissa’s home town in New Jersey. How big? How about 1.5 MILES of track in a single building?
Now…THAT is HUGE!!
Before I finish this up with some pics from Northlandz, I want those of you who are “less than excited by monorails” to give it another try. It takes time. It takes planning. But, the result is so rewarding. Hours of “riding” without leaving the comfort of your own home! And LOADS of BONUTS!!
HappyOldGuy
Patric
NOW…Here are a few shots from NORTHLANDZ!!
Their Site doesn’t really come close to making the point JUST HOW BIG this thing is…more than 1.5 MILES of track!!
Every single piece of the countless bridges and trestles is hand built…stick by stick. AMAZING…
One Solution for too many curved tracks!
You can look down canyons that are as long as 100 feet long…HUGE!
And just when you think you have already seen the LARGEST LAYOUT You Have Ever Seen in Your Life…you see a sign that reminds you that “you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!!”
Humor is part of a true “Model Railroader’s” version of a “perfect build.” This suspension bridge is no exception.
Don’t laugh! I have seen a ton of TSTO towns that look something like this!!
Rod and Todd would get lost on this Putt Putt course!
Another solution to the “too many curved track” problem!!
And…just in case the Largest Indoor Layout isn’t enough…you can ride the full-size, narrow gauge train in “the backyard” at Northlandz!
So. Cool. This one was definitely on our bucket list!!
I have four active monorail loops, and a fifth waiting for the Krusty station to be reoffered. Springfield is just a decoration for the monorail!
Finally!!! Someone with the proper perspective!!
After dismantling my Monorail I was just getting started in rebuilding my Springfield. This Monorail event wiped out all my stored track pieces.
Holyfreaking shirt!!!! That’s a marvelous model railway 🚂🚆🚇🚊🚞🚈🚅🚄🚝🚟🚃
My monorail is currently disabled. Thought it was the reason behind crashing during neighbor visits, but might not be the problem. So I plan on revamping it to travel my Springfield.
I love that model train. I’ll have to take the family to see it sometime.
And woo-hoo! This week’s rail yard prize is 20 donuts! EA is being pretty generous…which is either a good thing or an attempt to butter is up for an expensive premium item… 🙂
You need to come to Germany and visit “Miniatur Wunderland” in Hamburg:
http://www.miniatur-wunderland.com/
UHM…..WOW!!!!!!!!!!! That is really a whole different level of amazing! You are right, Chris!
While Northlandz has a “Guinness World Record” certificate to back up their claim as the “World’s Largest,” I am guessing that this place didn’t exist yet when they issued it. That. Place. Is. Amazing.
I have never seen radio operated cars and trucks on a layout before. That really takes the realism and movement to a whole different level…
Gosh…If we could only get our vehicles to move in TSTO!!
Or our street sweepers off the dirt 😉
That’s why I couldn’t resist getting the street sweeper…I love having at least *one* moving vehicle in my town. (Plus, growing up in NYC, I was used to seeing street sweepers go by all the time.) 🙂
They got their certificate earlier this year,… 🙂
http://www.miniatur-wunderland.de/typo3temp/pics/b056c0660b.jpg
Chris – Thank you for that! WOW! What an amazing time we live in to be able to share a hobby like that taken to the ultimate extreme. Most kids today don`t spend time on TV, they are on You Tube. (A youthful leap) I can`t help but wonder, in my old age, what my life would be like if I had You Tube in my time from the beginning. Marvelous times, no regrets by me for my adventures thru prehistoric times, and in total wonderment about the future of kids today with what they have now. What an amazing time!
This miniature train is beyond amazing! Thank you for sharing!
Great post. Love the pics of the model train!
Can anyone help answer a question about the ‘rail? I have all the stations from the event, as well as the first station pack for the last 2 tracks. How would the track appear for me, and would I be able to get all the pieces somehow?
Each week you’ll have the ability to get more tracks. Your 5th prize will be a station or monorail accessories…if you don’t already have them. If you already have them it’ll be swapped out for donuts.
Man did you have it easy as a kid. I used to have to plant my own forest and wait 20 years for the trees to grow before I could make my own toys.
I nuked my town slow on the rebuild its nice to connect the monorails to all parts of the town
I used to really love grinding for donuts with all the recycling, but now the game is totally frustrating…. since the Superheroes 2 event it keeps freezing… I’ve tried everything, even uninstalling… no change. I wish EA would get their act together, I suspect after a while of not being able to play for more than a few minutes I will get discouraged… sigh. I dont even have the monorail in my town as I know it can cause issues 😞 (my phone and OS is relatively new too)
I was having the same issue, but once I stored all of my NPC characters, it stopped. I have the eagle and Springy out (though he will go back to storage after the Olympic event). Try storing and see what happens!
I don’t think the problem is on EA’s end…I haven’t noticed any difference on either my iPad or my Kindle Fire HD (original version) since the changeover…if anything, I’m experiencing less crashing. My guess is the problem is with your device, sad to say…
Hello COG/HOG,
Welcome. I have no idea the history of war, therefore move to your highlighted topic.
Model Railways, I share your enthusiasm, ever seen Malcolm?
My Uncle is one of the largest collectors and known Orstraylyan enthusiasts…
I’m currently a “plopper”, but am trying to buy up enough land before nuking my town and creating a proper design, currently intending something like a urban area on the lower right part, a vegas/up town area bottom left connecting to springfield heights, with a nice beach, behind that connecting to the upper left, I’ll do a desert/old west, which in turn connects to a green, forested area (kamp krysty anyone?) on the top right, which again connects back to the urban centre on the bottom right, and them somehow all merging in the middle, with the monorail going around all of it, having a station in each part, I do wish they’d add more stations, even having gotton the premium ones from the event, I feel there aren’t enough.
20 track pieces and only 1 straight piece, come on… A total of 7 straight pieces for this and last week. Kind of disappointing but at least lots of bonuts👍🏻😀
Those are great photos of Northlandz. If you took them yourself then you can upload them to atlas obsurca. That is the site I first read about it on. I’m jealous you got to see it in person. So cool. 🙂
I didn’t get this update. 🙁 I even checked the Google play store.
It’s not an “update” per se…it didn’t require anything if you had played before, otherwise, it started automatically. It started on July 26th…and started automatically if you have cleared and reached Level 20.
Patric! Truly shocked to see a post from you on tstoaddicts! If it’s your first, awesome, very cool, I hope you find you like the rainbows and sunshine after all!!! If it’s not your first, I’m sorry I missed the others. The only other thing I can say is…. GO DUCKS!! QUACK QUACK!!
https://tstoaddicts.com/2016/07/26/forgiveness-and-rekindled-friendships/
https://tstoaddicts.com/2016/08/08/look-whos-back/
I’m a city girl, NYC born and raised, so I like the challenge of creating a public transit system for my Springfield. It’s just not a proper city without a train. I’m nuking the whole shebang in a month or so to redesign it- dis gun’ be good.
Plus, hey, bonuts!
You get it! Love your attitude-
I’m a born-and-raised NYC gal, too! Where did you grow up? I grew up on the upper East side (mom’s apartment) and upper West side (dad’s apartment and all of my best friends in high school).
Mine only gives 10 bonuts…
That’s weird…mine is clearly 20.
Perhaps you are like I – disgustingly old, with less time left.
We can’t afford to wait around for yet ANOTHER ten donuts, so,
Perhaps they are giving us a head (tail end?) start?
With extra donuts.
Perhaps?
It depends when you started the Monorail event… I finished it last year, so I got the Tunnel in the first week, 10 bonuts last week, and 20 will be this week.
Did you just start the event? Completing week 1 gave 10 donuts, week 2 gives 20 (if my weeks are correct that is, this week just started, is this week 3? lol)
It depends on which week you’re on in this monorail “mini-event.” If you didn’t finish collecting track and earning the tunnel during the first couple of days, you got bumped into the next week. It sounds like you’re just a week behind…you should get the 20-donut bonus next week. 🙂
Gotcha, thanks, everyone 🙂 This is my first week after getting the tunnel
Why my game only shows 10 bonuts?
Perhaps it is different for people who haven’t finished the full update? Really can’t say…I just showed what my games shows…
I think you are running a week behind. 10 donuts was my prize last week. No worries, you’ll probably get 20 donuts next week.
Welcome back!
It took me about 14 hours to get my donuts today. Lovin’ it!
I worked at a hobby wholesaler which supplied trains (but HO gauge was the most popular for a time) for 15 years and thought to myself as I watched business dwindle, “People are building virtual stuff instead of tangible stuff any more.” Sad but fun if you hopped on the digital train.
Well…as far as I’m concerned…the digital stuff is just for planning what you are going to do in the analog world! My grandkids love both…I have hope!
Cool info! Can you say a bit more about how I would find that “Largest Model Railroad Layout In the World”? I’m going to be down in that general neck of the woods (I think) in a couple of weeks and I might just want to check it out! 🙂
Pat can tell you more, but it’s in Flemington on 202 south.
Alissa is right… Here is the info…
Northlandz is a model railroad layout and museum located near Flemington, New Jersey, built by Bruce Williams Zaccagnino. The museum also features over 200 dolls from around the world, a 94-room dollhouse and a 2,000-pipe organ. Wikipedia
Address: 495 US-202, Flemington, NJ 08822
Hours: Open today · 10:30AM–4PM
Phone: (908) 782-4022
Thanks! 🙂
I actually ended up finding it online late last night, but I appreciate your taking the time to post the info!
How recently did you go? I saw a lot of reviews that said it’s sadly gone way past its prime, with a lot of it in sad disrepair and with not many trains actually running. I might have considered going anyway, if it were inexpensive, but, at $13.75 for an adult ticket, it sounded like it might be a disappointment nowadays (although it sounds like it was pretty spectacular in its prime!).
I just went in July…and loved it. The “disrepair” part makes sense…as it is ONE guy’s obsession, and he is old, even by my standards. But, I found it more than worth the $13.75.
I’ve been to Northlandz, as it’s not that far from my house. Yeah, it’s a little dusty, and a few things could use some repair, but if you like model trains it’s still pretty spectacular. Although the doll collection (included in the tour, at least when I last went, is a little creepy…..
Saw a great short (11 min) documentary on Northlandz at
a few weeks ago.
A search on vimeo also turns up some others.
If going to Northlandz you might as well hook up your visit with a ride on the Black River & Western which has stations in Flemington & Ringoes. I’ve never actually stopped at Northlandz but have passed it many times.
Now for next week’s 20 pieces: how about 20 straight instead of random. I’m tired of zig-zagging my layout with turns & S-curves because I don’t have straight pieces.
Other sites have said after 2 weeks of 20 there is a second tunnel, then back to 5 pieces but keeping the new payout rate of 25000 instead of 70000. At least you can complete in 1 day!
My grandfather worked for the “frisky” Frisco railroad. Most of my life my dad’s been train obsessed. My patient mother even allowed him to put tracks along the ceiling of their bedroom so dad could be around trains even as he slept (or they traveled around him). Every fathers day and birthday we would collect Frisco boxcars, cabooses and engines. Dad has probably every color boxcar they put out on Friscos. His enthusiasm has waned a bit, but I think of him every time I hear the train horn as it goes past my work (I work in Pacific, MO as in the Union Pacific railroad).
My monorail isn’t too impressive but I’m happy about the tunnel and how its easier to win the week is and get way more bonuts.
Trains are one of those things that once experienced in person, leaves a mark on your soul! The old steam engines were huge…and amazing…and had a life of their own.
They have plenty of steam trains still running over here. The Flying Scotsman is doing special journeys from May to October most of them were sold out really quickly.
Awesome post and what a great explanation to those who don’t “get” model railroading as to why many of us love the monorail and TSTO and not simply TSTO. Northlandz is on my bucket list. I notice a lot of people take out their roads too. I cannot imagine the town without roads and without a railroad. The monorail will have to do. Sometimes I get stuck and don’t know where to put stuff; sometimes all the neighboreenos give me great ideas.
And FWIW: S gauge will always be the better gauge.
I started with an 027 gauge “Marx” train set when I was 6…got an S gauge “American Flyer” when I was 10, and then switched to HO when I started modeling as an adult. HO just had more options…more rolling stock…and you could get more into a smaller space. But…S gauge is classic. The Real Deal!
thanks for the pics ! i thought of nukin my town as well and have just started moving stuff around and making sure that the edges can changed for when i get another tunnell. love the bonuts !
I packed my monorail away awhile back. I just didn’t like how it blocked buildings I thought it made the town look ugly. I still do the weekly challenge.
Don’t want to play ‘Can you top this’ but I love the Monorail because for two years I drove the Monorail at Disney. Never can get enough straight track !
Please stand clear of the doors…
Holyfreakinshirt!! You win!!!
Very cool!!!
Instead of a 2nd tunnel, I would love to see the monorail be able to go down on to the beach, and around the mountain in the water….. and be able to make a loop that way.
I hope, one day, to be able to operate the monorail in my town. It has been glitchy and causes a lag or crashes my town. So all of it sits in storage – just checked and currently in storage are 4 of my 5 stations, all of the extra station extensions, along with 211 curved tracks, 167 s-curved, 230 short, and 288 straight tracks). But I keep grinding for more tracks. Maybe I should nuke my town and start over with just a massive monorail system and then slowly add back the actual town.
Now you’re talkin’!!!
OK. That is a bit extreme…
Sign me up if you go that route, if like to see that.
Expatrie-
5 stations?, oh.. I only have 3 🙁
I recently nuked my town (as soon as the casino event was over) but I’ve been very slow in building it back. So far I did the city center (with all the “Where’s Maggie” buildings, plus recycling facilities) with a small industrial district and an “Old West” area (I plan to have a “seedy” area and a rural area connecting the two). Never mind the fact that my center turned out a bit too close to the outer edge (away from the ocean), too late to change that now! Anyway, I sketched a monorail loop with the main station next to the rail yard, the tetanus terminal in the Old West area and the Mall-O-Rail station in Springfield Heights, but since all the rest of my town is missing, there isn’t much to see when you ride it – I figure it should undergo some drastical changes in the future…
I like someone who plans ahead. I’ve never been a fan of “ploppers,” who just plop stuff randomly. I like what I am hearing so far!
I guess I’ve been what you’d call a “plopper” for quite a while. Let’s face it, it’s hard to plan ahead when you are starting out with the game, with just a few patches of land, very scarce income to buy more, and no idea what’s coming next! When the last Halloween event arrived I had about half of all the available land and my town had already turned into clutterville. So nuking (after I was able to purchase all the remaining land) was pretty much my only choice. I figure every new player must have to deal with this at some point.
Actually, I’ve always just built my town as I went, never “plopping” for longer than it took to get to the end of an event (plus a couple of days), at the most. When I was a newbie, I just kept my designs very “land efficient,” as one can still see in my town, if you go to the original areas. Occasionally I’d redesign a bit as I got more land, but not very often…for the most part, I tend to grow fond of things the way I initially built them and rarely mess with stuff much later. I don’t think I could ever even contemplate nuking my town.
One thing that I think had helped me avoid having to do a lot of redesign is that i generally only buy land as I need it…I still have quite a bit of unpurchased land, I think. I think that when fools take the approach of buying all the land they can, they tend to design more expansively, and then they have to redesign a lot to accommodate new items as they come into the game (or use a dedicated “plopping” area until EA makes more land available).
To be fair though, I’m not the fanciest of designers…I don’t really do any of the wonderful 3-D stuff I’ve seen in others’ towns (like Tapebelt’s amazing one, for example), and I think that kind of design takes a lot more room than just doing flat, 2-D design.
Sandra, I think you could write a post for newbies on “land-efficient planning”. I know it would have been helpful for me, because the order in which the buildings and decorations are presented to us as we level up doesn’t really make a lot of sense. And before they came up with the “batch selection” ability, redesigning was sort of… well, not something I would want to consider spending my time on.
20 bonughts! Best news ever.