Skykomish - Wenatchee Route Length: ~136 km (85 miles) Rolling Stock: New - Boeing fuselage flatcars - P42DC "Genesis" or ALC-42 "Charger" - Superliners (standard, sleeper, sightseer lounge, dining car, baggage car) Layers - BNSF locos such as SD70ACe, ES44CW - Freight wagons (such as intermodal wells, reefers, centerbeam flatcars) Gameplay: Grades, winding curves, freight (intermodal, grain, Boeing), express (Amtrak) Scenery: Semi-arid hills of Wenatchee Valley, Cascade Tunnel, alpine forests, various bridges, urban scenery of Wenatchee Licenses: BNSF, Amtrak Time Period: 2023 (Transition era between P42DC and ALC-42) Similar Add-ons: Cajon Pass (BNSF freight route) Sherman Hill (heavy freight, grade management) Clinchfield (river valley scenery, forests) Why this route: This would be a scenic route in Washington State, part of the BNSF Scenic Subdivision, featuring the Iconic Cascade tunnel. The most unique feature is the ventilation system, which includes large sliding doors at each portal, and powerful fans to remove diesel fumes. It is the longest railroad tunnel in the United States at 7.8 miles (12.6 km). The tunnel is mostly unlit, so from a development standpoint light baking should not be an issue here. Either side of the the iconic Cascade Tunnel you have two distinct biomes. To the west of the tunnel you have a wet and mild forest biome with dense forests, steep, jagged granite peaks and deep, narrow river valleys. In contrast, to the east of the tunnel you have a semi-arid landscape, drier and hotter, featuring pine forests, grasses and shrubs, and sandstone rock formations. This would make for a unique experience compared to previous US freight routes. The route would primarily be freight based, featuring freight such as intermodal, grain, and fruit. The most unique would be the 737 fuselages, which would need some fuselage flatcar wagons (slightly modified versions of existing TSW flatcars with mounts to hold the fuselages) and a fuselage model. The new train included would be a Amtrak loco (either a P42DC or ALC-42) and Superliner coaches. These would stop at Leavenworth and Wenatchee. While this doesn't provide much passenger gameplay, the inclusion of them would greatly increase the desirability of the route, since the rolling stock could layer into future US routes featuring Amtrak stations. I think such a route, with its unique freight, mixture of biomes, and Amtrak trains could easily become a top pick among US routes if done well.
Location/Points of Interest Guide Skykomish - Small town featuring a helper station, that will feature as a terminus of the route Foss River Bridge - horseshoe curve on a high steel trestle over the Foss river Scenic - west portal siding Cascade Tunnel - the most important part of the route, a 7.8 mile long tunnel with large doors either end (it has almost no lighting, so light baking should not be an issue) Berne - East portal siding Gaynor Trestle - high steel bridge spanning a deep gorge Icicle Station/Leavenworth station - a short station in a Bavarian style village. Amtrak Empire Builder trains stop here Cashmere & The Fruit District - apple and pear orchards, fruit packing warehouses Columbia Station/Wenatchee station - a station in the city of Wenatchee. Amtrak Empire Builder trains stop here Appleyard - BNSF classification yard that will serve as a terminus of the route
Heck yeah. This is a must-have route for me. The Pacific NW is an area that we need in game. The Boeing Train is a must-have (those consists are awesome!). With the Empire Builder, we need a scenario with the 1st ALC-42 Charger run. As for BNSF locos, we need a C44-9W, ET44C4/ET44ACH, GP60 Spartan Cab (we are getting GP60M-3/GP60B units soon), GP50/GP25 rebuild, GP39-3 (rebuilt ex-BN GP30s/GP35s), GP38-2/GP38-3, B40-8, B40-8W, SD75M/I, or SD60M(-3). We have the SD70ACe, ES44C4, and SD40-2 already.
The main problem that DTG has been having since COVID is trying to get any kind of video, photo, and audio reference from the equipment. For some reason the freight railroads are ok with licensing but not ok with allowing DTG access to their equipment.
