There are few things more captivating than informed and passionate individuals explaining their interest or demonstrating their craft. The passion of one train-loving Stardew Valley fan has managed to catch the attention of game creator Eric 'ConcernedApe' Barone himself in a lengthy argument for accurate engines in the beloved farming sim.
Last week, Twitter user – checks notes – pilarhasballs, who I'm just going to call Pilar going forward, implored Barone: please, sir, make the train more accurate. It's an immensely amusing interaction that I happened to stumble upon, and I wanted to share it.
In a series of four posts, Pilar explained that "As an avid railroad enthusiast it is my sworn duty (not really) to notice discrepancies in railroad art and train references throughout life," and "one such discrepancy" in Stardew simply must be rectified. I knew A Train Person once, and all of this tracks so far.
"The locomotive in stardew is a very old fashioned ten wheeler (4-6-0 wheel arrangement) that would’ve been manufactured in the later quarter of the 19th century," they begin, adding that "these locomotives were ALWAYS accompanied by a tender (coal car) the tender holds the fuel for the locomotive, the water and the coal or for the time, maybe wood," Pilar continues, finally pausing for breath with a merciful period.
"The tender is REQUIRED for these locomotives due to the locomotive not having water storage tanks or a coal / wood bunker, the tender is the other half of the engine." I think it goes without saying that all of the capitalization is Pilar's handiwork, not mine.
Pilar concludes: "So, as a railfan and someone who loves seeing trains accurately represented. PLEASE add a tender to the locomotive in stardew valley, without it the train is anatomically incorrect. If you want design inspiration, the in-game engine already resembles Sierra Railroad #3."
I am a game journalist, not a train journalist, but some quick research suggests Pilar is bang-on with their breakdown and recommendation. You're probably familiar with the Sierra No. 3 yourself, as it's appeared in enough films to earn the nickname "Movie Star Locomotive." Picture a black train engine right now and you'll probably get pretty close.
Barone replied to Pilar to say, "interesting, thanks for the info." Which, I like to imagine, probably made this train fan's day.
Did Stardew's train ever bother me before? No. Will it bother me with this newfound knowledge weighing on my mind? Also no. And will Stardew Valley actually update its train logistics in the future with this detail in mind? I have no idea, but if it does happen, I'll be thinking of Pilar.
