East German Nostalgia: Dresden - "chemnitz"

Discussion in 'Suggestions' started by thearkerportian, Nov 10, 2019.

  1. thearkerportian

    thearkerportian Well-Known Member

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    Moin Comrades!

    the 30th anniversary of the fall of the wall just reminded me of something I've wanted to do for a while already: Suggest some Reichsbahn content for TSW. While we have a nice selection of modern German routes in the game, the friends of vintage railways, as long as they aren't also British or at least Anglophile, don't have any reason to buy TSW whatsoever. And trust me, that's a demographic that definitely exists. In fact, it even exists twice, once for West Germany and once for the East, which had its own railways of course. "Ostalgie" we call the phenomenon, "Eastalgia".

    All nostalgia aside, the route I've picked here is certainly interesting enough on its own. Running about 80 twisty and bendy kilometers from Chemnitz - named Karl-Marx-Stadt in socialist times - to Dresden in the picturesque Saxon Switzerland. Some steep gradients, some big viaducts, sections on somewhat open and rural land and some where you go along valleys that shouldn't even be called valleys, but canyons rather. Beautiful Saxony. But see the pictures for that. Picture an electrified and German version of Northern Trans Pennine, a grimmer and grimier, more rundown and more oldschool Ruhr-Sieg Nord.

    "But East Germany would require a whole new fleet of trains, as if it was a whole different country?" Well, actually it wouldn't. Two of the DB engines we have already - the BR 143 and 155 - were originally built for the East German Reichsbahn, all they would need is a new (or old rather) coat of paint and some minor modifications perhaps. What is missing though is coaches, according to Google the dominant stock on this line were DR's bi-level coaches, early predecessors to the modern DoSto you already know.

    General

    Location: The (not so democratic) German Democratic Republic; a.k.a. East Germany
    Era: ca. 1985-1990
    Length overall: 50 mi/80 km
    max speed: 75 mph/120 km/h
    # of passenger stations: 20
    Service types: Local, Regional, Cargo
    # of tracks: 2-3
    Electrified: Yes

    Lines included at least partially:
    Dresden - Chemnitz

    Suitable vehicles (among others):
    DR BR 110 (= DB BR 204)
    DR BR 123 (= DB BR 232, "Ludmilla")
    DR BR 118 (= DB BR 228)
    DR BR 242 (= DB BR 142)
    DR BR 243 (=DB BR 143)
    DR BR 250 (=DB BR 155)
    DR coaches
    DR Bi-level coaches

    Maps
    Dresden-Chemnitz.PNG
    Dresden-Chemnitz Map.PNG

    Please note that most pictures show the route in its modern dy state.

    Key Locations
    Karl-Marx-Stadt Hbf
    [​IMG]

    Freiberg
    [​IMG]

    Dresden Hbf
    [​IMG]

    Further Impressions
    Karl-Marx-Stadt-Hilbersdorf
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Niederwiesa
    [​IMG]

    Flöha
    [​IMG]

    Falkenau
    [​IMG]

    Oederan
    [​IMG]

    Frankenstein
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Kleinschirma
    [​IMG]

    Muldenhütten
    [​IMG]

    Niederbobritzsch
    [​IMG]

    Edle Krone
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]

    Tharandt
    [​IMG]

    Freital-Deuben
    [​IMG]

    Dresden-Plauen
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2019
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  2. docsnyder1911

    docsnyder1911 Well-Known Member

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    Very nice proposal. It would be a perfect addition to the 1980's British Rail routes. The route would be a perfect mixture between rural and industrial areas.
     
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  3. thearkerportian

    thearkerportian Well-Known Member

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    Thanks! Exactly what you'd expect from the "workers' and farmers' nation", wouldn't it? :D

    Only thing is, it's slightly longer than most routes now, 80 km, and with large stations at both ends. Let's just hope its not too unrealistic...
     
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2019
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  4. joerg.lange

    joerg.lange Well-Known Member

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    In addition, this route would provide a lot of opportunities for missions, since in its historical state there were an incredible number of industrial connections along the route (in the GDR almost everything was transported by rail only).

    But even a up-to-date implementation would be interesting, especially the section between Dresden and Freiberg (this would also allow a small part of the S-Bahn connection from Dresden towards Tharandt), because this section is scenically beautiful and also challenging.

    It is also a very old line, existing since about 1866 and always of great importance. And: there are no current payware implementations so far.


    Dresden > Freiberg > Chemnitz (Karl-Marx-Stadt)


    Chemnitz (Karl-Marx-Stadt) > Freiberg > Dresden - starting from 01:30
     
    Last edited: Jan 13, 2020
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  5. taylormade#6721

    taylormade#6721 Well-Known Member

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    Great news: its on the roadmap for tsw2
     
  6. driverwoods#1787

    driverwoods#1787 Well-Known Member

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    Are you actually planning to do Dresden Chemnitz Karl Marx Stadt Tharandter Rampe in the DDR era. In the Deutsche Reichsbahn DDR era you're going to find DR BR250 DB BR155 DR BR132 DB BR232 do both freight and Intercity duties because Deutsche Reichsbahn DDR designed them to be mixed traffic locomotives. DR V100 DB BR204 will do shunting and Local passengers DR BR243 DB BR143 S-Bahn and Freight. You might as well add in DR BR119 DB BR229/228 a Romanian manufactured diesel locomotive in East Germany. DR BR132 DB BR232 is made in Ukraine and the engines come in from Russia. Looking for a domestic East German diesel locomotive then a DR BR119 DB BR228. The entire locomotive fleet can layer to Legends of the DDR Riesa-Dresden Route. Best value is this combined the two as Legends of the DDR Dresden Chemnitz Karl Marx Stadt & Riesa-Dresden. Towards the end of East Germany the DR BR230 DB BR180 from Czechoslovakia can be your DLC locomotive for a Scenario that you must take a freight train from Karl Marx Stadt to Decin via Dresden Bad Schandau & Schöna
     
    Last edited: Nov 29, 2021

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