Second Life Railroad

This article is a description of the Second Life Railroad ( SLRR ) on the Heterocera Atoll continent.

The Second Life Railroad ( SLRR ) runs over more then 80 Regions on the Heterocera Atoll (Northern) Continent. More than 20 Regions have branch lines extended out from the Heterocera Main line. Branch lines include the Maritime Line, the North Coast Line, the Mountain Line and the North Line. Track-laying and maintenance are provided by Michael Linden and the Linden Department of Public works LDPW.

The long distances covered by the SLRR Atoll railroad tracks make them a unique feature in Second Life. Residents can operate trains on the SLRR and other railroads, much as anyone can operate a car on the roads in Second Life. Any Resident may use this public facility for any purpose consistent with the Second Life Community Standards/TOS. There are a series of official Linden stations along the SLRR, and at times, Linden Labs has provided automated rail service.

There are many train builders in SL that make a wide variety of trains using several different methods for locomotion. The current SLRR track standards support all types of trains. Thousands of residents own personal trains. Standards for guidance, track and SLRR Switches have enabled residents to develop suitable vehicles. Using the SLRR with its current standard is simple to understand and accessible to Residents and builders of all skill levels.

As with any other public infrastructure, there is controversy about the SLRR and its role in Second Life. Some residents feel it is completely unnecessary, some residents believe that it should remain free and open for use by all residents, others have tried to control and restrict usage of the SLRR. Some residents believe that the LDPW shows favoritism towards one particular SL railroading group.

During one of the LDPW Office_hours at the beginning of 2010 Michael Linden has made the following public statements, summarized here:

• The SLRR track specifications will not change anytime soon.
• Signals will be installed but we will not be punished for example for "running red light signals".
• Switches will be installed connecting the various branch lines to the main line.
• Automated trains will not be put into regular service by the LDPW, if the residents keep using the SLRR with their private trains.
• Residents may choose to run automated trains, consistent with the ToS.
• Residents may make a request to the LDPW to connect their private track on the Atoll to the SLRR track via a switch.

The SLRR dates back to 2005 when Linden Lab created these railroad tracks. On the SLRR history page you can find out more how railroad became what it is to date.

Stations with a number are official Linden Lab SLRR station. Stations marked without a number are publicly accessible Resident build locations along the SLRR related to the rail system. Residents are encouraged to add their own railway station to this public list.

Note: You may need to refresh your browser to get the latest image updates to show up.

A Second Life Railroad reference map (creator: Stryker Jenkins / VRC)

SLRR map by Michael Linden / Myopic Mole - LDPW

Schematic railway map focused on the SLRR, along with the uncompleted WARR and GSLR.

There are several other gauge railroads in SL and private group initiatives, some on private land, some on Linden land.
This is an alphabetic list of some examples. The different systems are not necessarily compatible with SLRR standards.

• Bay City Harbor Railway - SLURL: Bay City Harbor Railway^D
• Caledon National Rail - SLURL: Caledon On Sea Station^D
• GSLR - The Great Second Life Railway - SLURL: Purple right of way Station/Dock^D
• Lackawanna Railroad (New York) - SLURL: Lackawanna Railroad Station^D
• LHRR - Lionheart Continental Railroad - SLURL: LHRR Pumbaa Station^D
• Loco Motives multi-region SLRR-gauge layouts
• ONSR - Okemo, Nakiska, and Southern Railway - SLURL: Smithers Bluff Station^D
• Saminekim Track Loop / *Premium member gift zone - SLURL: Saminekim Track Loop^D

The above information was compiled by various SL Residents including Moundsa Mayo, Jer Straaf, Damion Goodman and Dougie Flossberg.

Here is a list of Related resources. You can find more information about the SLRR and other Rail related articles on these wiki pages and external websites.

Wiki pages:

• Second_Life_Railroad (main page)
• SLRR History
• SLRR Standards
• SLRR Switch

• Linden Department of Public Works
• Linden_Vehicle_Tutorial
• Second_Life_Railway_Commission
• Virtual_Railway_Consortium

External information:

• Wikipedia: Rail gauge
• Physics related LSL on LSLwiki.net
• Vehicle related LSL on LSLwiki.net
• Virtual Railway Consortium