The Best German Route For Freight Service?

Greetings!

I'm new to TSW3 and so far my favorite is freight trains. I had a lot of fun with the Ruhr-Sieg Nord route, especially the BR 155 + heavy coal trains. Tell me which next German route should I take to enjoy freight service?

 

Does it have to be German?
There are freight services on Kassel Wurzburg, mostly at night. But the route is flat, so there's not much of a challenge, other than driving in the dark.
There are some interesting freight services on DCZ (Tharandter Rampe), and some on DRA (Nahwerkehr Dresden), but there aren't many.

If you enjoy the challenge of driving a heavy freight train, I would highly recommend US freight routes. I am loving Sand Patch Grade and Clinchfield in TSW2, and looking forward to playing Cajon Pass in TSW3. I've also added Sherman and Horseshoe to my wishlist, based on the respective reviews.

 

Nahverkehr Dresden and Tharandter Rampe definitely have great value for freight enjoyers because they have both a freight locomotive and a shunter included! Other than that, Main Spessart Bahn is also interesting with its many inclines and the unique Spessartrampe area.

 

Bro is a good freight route. You get full length freight runs, bremen to bremen grolland or bremen grolland to bremen, to and from hude, bremen neudstadt to bremen grolland or the other way around, hude to delmenhorst and the other way, loco changes and light engine moves. If you have next gen console or pc, you also get a couple runs with the 363 and the g6 can sub in as well.

RRO is also good with the g6 which has unique services. The base freight timetable is just a to b runs. But if you like shunting, then the g6 is an excellent shunter.

Dcz is also great. You get shunting with the 363 and various freight runs. Loco stabling, full length runs, freiburg to dresden, dresden to freiburg

MSB has unique banking services to go up the spessart rampe. You move a loco, hook up to the rear and take it up the ramp

If you want American freight recommendations, then spg, sherman hill, clinchfield and cjp are my recommendations. Clinchfield is challenging and you get runs to every branch/spur even though it might feel a bit dry scenery wise. Spg has lots of variety. SHerman hill is one of the realistic freight addons. Scenery wise, it is just a desert. Cajon Pass is challenging too.

If you fancy uk freight, then the recently updated bml. You need both ecw and gwe installed and need to use a next gen console or pc. Other routes include tvl with the 20 and 31 which add new services and freight cars. Loading unloading, running empties and loaded consists, runs from here to here or there to there. You get the point. Not always a to b or b to a on repeat. Sehs has some good and varied freight runs too.

 

Nahverkehr Dresden DB BR363 and here's the thing if you are stuck at Dresden Mitte Bahnhof on the 09:36 Dresden Hauptbahnhof Röderau freight you need the 155 because you can adjust its tap and tractive force selectors.
Bremen Oldenburg if you are on PC 9th gen consoles because the route gets busy. Sadly if you are on the Xbox series X Series S you cannot actually activate the front pantograph on the blue version and therefore you need to spawn the red colour 155 since you can raise its Front Pantographs

 

Thank you for answers!

I started play with German routes then I learned signals and PZB system. That's why I like to play German routes with completely hidden HUD and focus only on cab controls and signals

I don't try American routes yet, but Clinchfield looks really great, I think it will be my first American route

I have RRO and I see it mostly for S-Bahn, but I don't have g6 yet

 

You can't anymore, everytime you hook up the banking loco and press the Banking Comm button the game hardcrashes. I reported it many times but it falls on deaf ears. All banking services on MSB are unplayable.

 

Hi Matt.

I'm playing on Xbox Series X.
No custom liveries installed.

The only German DLC I don't have installed are RT, Hamburg to Lubeck, BR182 and 187.

I use the Railion 185.2 as it is the only loco that supports the banking services. I have never checked the leading loco to see what version of the 185.2 that the AI is using.

I follow the instructions and couple up to the rear of the train to be banked. Once that is done I press the banking comm button to see will the service progress, as soon as I do I'm dumped straight back to the Xbox Dashboard with the game fully closed.

 

I will try some of the services tonight and I will post the ones here that cause the crash. I will try and upload a video also.

 

So, to update from my brief tests last night. To my amazement the game did not crash this time.

I played with the MSB Railion 185.2 and selected service 89111.

I shunted to the rear of the train and coupled up, I did not dare press the banking comm button and the service ended. I then selected continue free roam and waited for the freight service to pass so the signal would clear. I then proceeded to push the train without pressing the banking comm to see what would happen. I could only manage to get the 2,900+ ton train to about 18km/h before shortly stalling on the 2% climb.

So I took a chance and pressed banking comm. Amazed the game did not crash. Released the brakes and gradually applied power and started to move on the 2% climb and I made it all the way before I spad at the uncoupling location.

I then tried service 89109. Did everything the same as before except this time before setting off banking the train, I activated banking comm straight away and climbed the ramp with the slightly lighter 2,200 ton fuel train. I made it all the way up but the game would not register that I had uncoupled after being instructed to do so. I coupled and uncoupled multiple times but the process would not register.

So, my initial bug appears to be gone but I found another in the process.