Introduction Hi, welcome back to my series "Improving Lineside Industry". I'm going to be looking at various routes in Train Sim World and highlighting what we have, and what we could have, in regard to railways that serve the various industries along them. I find these to be very interesting, and I think maximizing opportunities for players to use them in TSW would greatly enhance our game. I've tried to limit any suggestions to what is just about already within the scope of the route, and might just need some extra modelling of scenery, and perhaps a few new wagons. It must be said that I haven't been a railway fan for very long, and I'm from Australia, so I'd love for you to add your knowledge about these far-flung routes and correct anything I get wrong. I have speculated at times, as information can be hard to come by. (Some of the screenshots here of the in-game map are rather poor-looking as I couldn't do any better with their resolution when zoomed out. Some areas do not have 3D buildings on Google Maps so only some locations will have those images included.) Route In this post, I'll be looking at Rapid Transit. I believe the route is set in 2016, so there are unfortunately some differences between what I am looking at and what is realistic for that time period. Here is a map of the route as represented in game, numbered with each location that I will be highlighting. Industries Location 1 Starting at the south of the route in north Leipzig, there is an intermodal facility near the Leipzig Messe convention centre where containers are transferred with reach stackers. Players could deliver, rearrange and remove Sggmrss wagons. Location 2 Becker Wertstoffhof is a recycling business in north Leipzig. It sorts and dispatches a variety of materials. Players could shunt Eas wagons to and from the site. Location 3 Sächsische Autotransport und Service (a part of the MOSOLF company) has a large site in Rackwitz. With a capacity of 5,500 cars, it accepts trains of new automobiles and is used to prepare and dispatch them for delivery. Players could bring trains of Laaers wagons for unloading. Location 4 RailMaint in Delitzsch is a business that services and repairs rolling stock. It has several large halls for this work, including a transfer table. Players could tow locomotives, multiple units, carriages and wagons that require attention to the compound. Location 5 In Bitterfeld-Wolfen, Nobian (a chemical manufacturer) has a large factory. It is served by a rail link. Players could deliver raw materials and collect the finished products in Zacns wagons.
Location 6 Silicon Products Group manufactures several silicon products at their plant in Bitterfeld-Wolfen. It gets silica by train. Players could shunt Uacns or Ucs wagons around the compound for unloading. Location 7 Further north, there is an electricity substation in Marke that is served by a rail spur. Players could deliver technical components here on R wagons. Location 8 DB Fahrzeuginstandhaltung is one of Deutsche Bahn's maintenance facilities. It services and repairs the railway's locomotives and wagons. Players could tow vehicles that need work to the site. Location 9 Roßlauer Schiffswerft is a steel fabricator with sidings into their Dessau-Roßlau complex. They build large steel components for bridges, cranes and boats. Players could take away the large, finished pieces on Res wagons. Location 10 Heizkraftwerk An Der Fine is a combined electricity and heating plant in Dessau-Roßlau that burnt train-delivered coal during the period in which the route is set. Players could bring consists of Falns wagons to the plant for unloading. Conclusion This DLC was DTG's first based in Germany, so ignoring freight could be excused. However, its addition would revitalise the route. I hope this was interesting. Please feel free to add to this and let me know what I've got wrong. Thanks for reading!
First of all, a big thank you for all the research that went into this post. As the Rapid Transit route is close to my hometown I also feel a certain caring for this one. The last preservation update from 2021 provided a major upgrade, but the route still shows its age. Especially the level crossings still look very developing country moderate and would have to be adapted to modern DB standards of other routes. Leipzig's skyline also lacks a few skyscrapers, which are also landmarks of the city. At the famous Leipzig exhibition center, the entire scenery could also be reworked and the well-known exhibition tower can usually be seen from the Leipzig-Messe stop. There are also missing Tram lines in Leipzig. Wolud be somethimg interesting for the developers from ViewApp, which made TramSim. But at least there is an Airbus Beluga XL to see flying over from the airport Leipzig/Halle. Empty freight yards are not a pretty sight either, I agree. Last but not least, the bridge near Dessau Hbf isn't the correct one, as well as the world-famous Bauhaus district and the Anhalt university of applied sciences, directly next to the station, must be presented correctly. This is the figurehead of the region. But what still looks very good even after 5 years are the light-baked underground stations in Leipzig, where the UE4 shows its full graphical performance potential. So thumbs up! This bridge picture of Dessau Hbf was part of my first posting in the forum, so this is a welcome opportunity to show it 4 and a half years later again! If we summarize: there would have to be another complete preservation update needed to work through our list.
