You know we are going to have some fun here when this was one of the first things I did when booting up TSW3 for the first time. But there's good reason for this. You see, ever since Kassel–Würzburg was announced to be one of the core routes of TSW3, there's always been one area that I have been keen to check out, and that is regarding the slow lines that run alongside the main high-speed route. As expected, they didn't end up as part of the main route, but I've always been curious to see if the tracks for those lines had atleast been laid in game, and from having a look myself... ...well let's just say, if you loved the time I went and uncovered areas like Track 3 on Sherman Hill or when I was the one to discover that New Rochelle was hidden away on Harlem Line, then you are in for a real treat here. For this thread, I will only be focusing on the area heading out of Würzburg, as this is the area your probably most keen to find out about, as a lot of you might be answer is Main Spessart Bahn is somehow hidden away secretly on this route, and from having explored this area, the answer to that is... interesting, as we will see. So let's not waste any more time, let's get on with this adventure. Let's start with this image down, as this is around the limit that you can walk too without coming into contact with the invisible walls. But since I was able to get pass them (thanks to a new method of flying the free cam into a tunnel and pushing it up against the walls until I broke free) we can go beyond and see what else we can find here, starting with that yard that you can see from the route. Entering the yard now. We are now in the area that is invisible from the route, as you fly over the viaduct heading into/out of Würzburg Hbf. In which, a bunch of static stock has been placed here (and I would imagine if lucky, an AI train might pass through here). Continuing under the bridge. Where the line clips through the terrain, and some houses off in the distance. We now come up to what is the AI Spawnpoint and the endless track running off into distance. So that clearly concludes this short adventure of exploring the area around Würzburg... ...or does it? Let's go a little further on... In the image below, you can see the endless AI runoff heads straight into the hill. But there seems to be some tracks leading off the left next to it. Wanna see where it goes? Some of the track here is partially submerged at points. Cross-tracks just here.
Massively high cutting that's clipping through the track. Now I believe this is about where Retzbach-Zellingen station is in real life. This is something I've never seen before, unrendered black texture tiles. Something that comes up a lot here. We are coming into a yard, but not for the one that you are thinking, this is at Karlstadt am Main. I Believe the station is located a little further on. When the line goes from three-lane to two-lane... ...and then back to three-lane for a bit. Don't know what's happening with the tracks here.
Road running alongside the line here. We now arrive at the junction with the line coming from Waigolshausen, which is on the left of this image. If you want to know where that goes... ...It sinks underground... ...and doesn't go very far... Image here to prove the track ends here. So let's go back to the junction and continue on, because I feel like we are about to come across a very familiar place. Oh, the end of an AI spawnpoint, where could this be I wonder? Everyone, this is Gemünden (Main) on Kassel–Würzburg. But it looks nothing like what is does in real life, or like what it is on MSB. I feel like this has been done like an spawnpoint, were AI trains in this area can spawn. Which explains why it looks like this. Moving on from that, we are coming up to the junction that you pass by heading into/out of Gemünden, if you driving on MSB. I feel like we should head in the direction of MSB. Just of see how much of the track for it has been laid here. We will come back and explore the section heading north later. Passing under the bridge that now carries the route we are on (From the perspective that you would see it on MSB). Where Langenprozelten station would be.
More track sinking beneath the terrain. Here we are at the point where the high-speed line joins onto MSB, which you can see on the map. What you can't see however, is the line that it joins onto here. Things are starting to look very shiny around here. Don't know what on earth is going on here, but the ground texture's here are very shiny. Arriving into Lohf Bahnhof. Which the platforms for it, have been done up, despite being miles from the main route. So the question is, does the line go any further. The answer is a big, resounding... ...No (The track ends just beyond this shot. It's just an AI runoff from that point). The Industrial branch is also not represented, as it just leads to nowhere. So slightly disappointing that the whole of MSB isn't here trackage-wise, but the fact that quite a bit of it is here makes me believe that there might have been some plans to use it as part of Kassel– Würzburg (like having freight trains traveling from Lohr to Würzburg via the slow lines or going on to join the high-speed line at night) but ended up get cut from the plans. This could explain why this route comes with a BR 146.2+Dostos as AI only, as this might have been part of the plan to have it run RE/RB services here. But this is just speculation, but I would love to know from DTG if there were any plans to use this area as part of the main route, as I do remember Lukas saying in the previous stream for this route that incorporating MSB was discussed at one point, but never saw the light of day. Now we are not quite done here, let's go back to that junction north of Gemünden and follow the line heading north. Let's just check that branch on the right to see if there's anything... ...through some houses. Nope nothing here. Back to that junction.
Let's head north! Encountering the main route again. Going into a tunnel (which is straight into a solid wall here). Where it exits on the other side. We are now at the part where the two lines run alongside each other for a bit. For the sake of time, I decided to cut this bit out and skip from to roughly where the two lines diverge again. As the area here has been fully shown on the map and is accessible on foot to an extent. Here we are, roughly at the other end. This is where Mittelsinn station would be. Nice picture I got of the two lines here. Where Obersinn station would be. Track sinks underground again. Another view of the main route.
Heading into another unrepresented tunnel. View of the other side. One last look back towards the main route. ...and that's pretty much it. This is what I think is an AI spawnpoint, located about where Jossa station would be, and therefore the end of our adventure. This image is to prove that the track ends here, which is located underneath of the ground. But you know what's funny, I don't think this is even everything when it comes to extra tracks that are not show on the map. I feel like there could be more further north up the line. I will go and double check after this to make sure (Have been especially curious about the line heading north of Fulda towards Frankfurt). They say Kassel– Würzburg is the longest TSW route ever at 116 Miles (186 km), but it's clearly that doesn't include all of these extra tracks, which makes the route even longer than it actually is. Only one could imagine what this route could be like if they where all fully done up and made accessible with actual services running on them. It could also offer an opportunity to combine MSB with this route, while possibly making that part a more modern version of it with the updated section between Laufach and the newly-relocated Heigenbrücken staton. Do I think this will ever happen, probably not, as it would require a ton of work to bring it up to spec. Plus, the tracks around Gemünden (Main) station would have to be fully done up here, as it just represented as a bunch of AI spawnpoint tracks right now. There's also the signalling tha would have to done up here aswell, since I barely saw many while exploring these areas. Really curious to see your reactions to this one, and especially curious if there was any genuine plans to use these areas at all as part of the main route. I also check back if I can find any other hidden tracks on either this route, or any other of the core TSW3 routes. EDIT: Checked every other possible area that could have hidden tracks on this route... there wasn't anything else that I could find, making this the only hidden area that we know of right now.
It would have been so easy to link it up with MSB, literally just another tunnel, we have so many German routes that could easily be combined, maybe one day...
I am wondering how many man hours have been buried here?! I guess It would make sense, from a business standpoint, to go back and develops this further.
The way to do it is actually finishing the Lohr Connector Line Lukas said the Nantenbach Curve. That way we can actually operate the Aachen Hbf and Duisburg Hbf Nightjet to Asschaffenburg and and also the Hans Albers Nightjet to Hamburg Altona by playing it in two parts Würzburg Lohr Heigenbrücken Laufach Asschaffenburg and Fulda Kassel. 40 min for Würzburg Lohr Asschaffenburg. On the return trip you will take something like 45-50 minutes because you need to follow a Banker service Laufach to Lohr via Heigenbrücken where you actually split from the service unless it's also Schnellfahrstrecke Hannover Kassel Würzburg bound just like yours
But there are also hourly ICE services between Würzburg and Aschaffenburg, let alone the cargo traffic. They also use the Nantenbacher curve. I think roughly 90 trains use it a day. But if DTG were to develop this as an extension to SKW, it would definitely need not only this tunnel, but also the regional route to Würzburg. Now, this combined with KSW would be one impressive route construction
Also the Nightjet Sleeper train which is the 02:50 Würzburg to Hamburg Altona and the 02:40 Würzburg to Amsterdam via Duisburg & Utrecht Brussels Midi via Aachen Hbf where the sections are Split at Köln Hbf.
I'm really glad they took the time to make the vineyards on the mountain sides. It makes a huge difference. Anyway, nice thread..
off topic to main topic but you can use a command in Engine.ini to move up the flying height so you can fly over invisible walls easily, no need to hit your head against collisions to "break free"
