Most Unique Locomotives And Routes In Train Simulator?

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by CSXtrains, Jun 3, 2021.

  1. CSXtrains

    CSXtrains New Member

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    Hi, been playing TSW for around 2 years, recently picked up TS21 in the search of something different.

    What are the most unique locomotives and routes in TS21? (I have no preference just want an unique experience)

    Thanks in advance :)
     
  2. decrepitts#7027

    decrepitts#7027 Well-Known Member

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    Hmmm...if you've been playing TSW and want something different, maybe a steam-train route like Riviera in the Fifties and/or Falmouth? Learning to drive steam locos will be a new experience for you. Admittedly, the stock steam locos provided with those routes aren't the game's most sophisticated. But they get the job done, and you can always add more complex steam loco DLC, some of which are excellent, if you find you enjoy the experience. Considering that most TSW scenarios are, in my experience, on the short side, you might want a TS2021 route that feature long-distance scenarios. (As I recall, TS2021 already includes at least one such route.) In any case, I've fairly new to TS2021 myself. Some old-pros are bound to provide better advice than mine.
     
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  3. triznya.andras

    triznya.andras Well-Known Member

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    Arguably the Maglev but it's only interesting and fun for a short period of time.
    As for steam, there are two extreme Smokebox offerings, the 1860s Sherman Hill variation and the newest Big Boy.
    Other than that, I find it interesting to play something I didn't for a while. Playing some veteran stock nowadays, be it the vR packs for Germany, the Alco RS-11 in the US, or Class 31 / 33 / Weardale in the UK.

    Stuff you don't have in TSW besides steam is Chinese / Japanese content, or regular big scale freight, whichever US railroad you fancy.
    You might also enjoy longer distance mid/high speed running...

    ... Overall, I'd expect Steam Summer Sale soon, put away some money and just check the cheaplings, maybe come back with a list of 10 that seems interesting, although reviews can be trusted, so just pick.
     
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  4. Mich

    Mich Well-Known Member

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    I highly recommend Sacramento Northern, it's a 1920's era suburban electric line, there's no other US route that's anything like it. I don't believe any of the other countries have anything particularly close either. Woodhead is a UK era electric route from the 40's (would also recommend by the way), that's in the ball park at least, but even then it's more like a typical British mainline, very different from ops in SN.
    I also believe the thing's very broken from what I've read, would not recommend because of that.
     
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  5. trainnick77

    trainnick77 Member

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    Another vote for Sacramento Northern, it is absolutly incredible
     
  6. peterchambers

    peterchambers Active Member

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    sure is !
     
  7. JJTimothy

    JJTimothy Well-Known Member

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    My favourite route is The Weardale and Teesdale Network in the '60s. It's big and varied with everything other than main line high speed running while, with the right rolling stock, it could fairly convincingly represent almost any BR period from Nationalization in '48 (and probably before that if you didn't look too closely) to the start of the Corporate Blue era in the late '60s when the lines were being closed. I got started with TS2016 and this and there are still bits of it I haven't explored.

    In marked contrast to that I love hooning around in the APT P-Train.
     
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  8. trainbraint

    trainbraint Well-Known Member

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    If you're going for something different, I would recommend Victory Works's GT3. It's sort of a mix of a steam and diesel loco (visually).
     
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  9. CSXtrains

    CSXtrains New Member

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    Thank you, this is great advice, tons of options!! Time to do some research :)
    I might have to go on a spending spree when the Steam Summer Sale pops up. :D
     
  10. JJTimothy

    JJTimothy Well-Known Member

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    Someone was kind enough to give me TS2021 and I can't say I'm that impressed with it. Clinchfield is pretty but slow, Fife Circle looks rushed with some painfully obviously scenery "flats" at Edinburgh and no superelevation on curves while I just can't get interested in the German route or be doing with the seemingly random speed restrictions. I certainly can't imagine it would have grabbed me the way W&T did. (Mind you- neither would the TS2016 routes but they were a better selection than the current offering.)

    Anyway- thought it worth adding that, if you want a cosmopolitan collection of routes for relatively little outlay, you can add routes from older editions of TS if you can get Steam keys for them. On installation the routes and rolling stock drop in to your collection as if you had bought them separately without affecting the core program. Here's a link to give you the idea (no experience with CDKeys so caveat emptor):
    https://www.cdkeys.com/train-simulator-2016-pc-steam
     
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  11. 749006

    749006 Well-Known Member

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    The best thing about TS2021 is all the different routes and trains available
    Some people like trains and routes from different countries and other people like something they know

    But like others I would avoid the Maglev - you set off and it runs in Automatic to where you are going - end of run.

    Peter
     
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  12. IronBladder

    IronBladder Well-Known Member

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    Semmeringbahn for its crazy roller coaster ride through the mountains on reasonable high speed standard gauge stock, Also Austrian for a bit of variety.

    Corris, because it's narrow gauge and funky.

    Canadian Mountain Passes because it's sooooo long. Route modelling is OK, but it sometimes gets repetitive.

    Skyhook's Austrian Wiesel. Distinctive driving coach and great sounds.

    3DZug's railway crane with its great cab view (not on Steam).
     
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  13. Mich

    Mich Well-Known Member

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    Not saying it's a bad suggestion in general by any means, but I wouldn't say it's that unique compared to most other German & neighboring country routes. If I were to go with that region of the world I would recommend something like the Albula Line instead.
    Now this is on the other hand is a fantastic suggestion, I wish I had remembered it myself! I would also highly recommend the diesel pack for it as well, they're very unique as well.
    Not the most unique, Yellowhead & Donner Pass are in the same ball park, but I would probably recommend it over the others. Donner's pretty dated, and Yellowhead's fine but it's not gonna have a ton of workshop scenarios because it's fairly new. CMP while a bit repetitive as you say, and not the best modeled line is much better looking than Donner, and has a lot more content than Yellowhead when account for workshop scanarios. The one other downside it has is that the only engine it has is a ES44AC, has a good amount of freight cars, but just the one engine. The other routes have a lot more stock, and Yellowhead has the fairly unique widecab SD40-2W and GP40-2W, with that said neither route's included stock is exceptionally high quality.
     
  14. UP13

    UP13 Well-Known Member

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    If you want unique then go for the gravity wagon on the Corris...
     
  15. trainbraint

    trainbraint Well-Known Member

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    Ah yes - I was thinking Clear Creek, another narrow gauge (slightly wider than Corris I think and American this time - a huge mountainous network of narrow gauge lines) and that made me think - a gravity train on clear creek, I think a lot of the gradients there would probably be even steeper than Corris!
     
  16. PhÜnKî_Rø0sTā

    PhÜnKî_Rø0sTā Well-Known Member

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