I've decided to come back to TSC for a while and was wondering if there are any good U.S. routes that you guys can suggest. I'm mostly looking for US freight set in the 80s or 90s but I'm open to anything. I recently bought Arizona Divide and was disappointed a bit by the locomotives so I decided to ask for some opinions.
There's Shasta, the locos are OK, not the worst in the game (There are some patches to them i believe) and is set in the 1980s.
Blartthaniel42 from your signature picture have you seen this route? https://store.steampowered.com/app/258648/Train_Simulator_The_Racetrack_Aurora__Chicago_Route_AddOn/ It is set in BNSF days but its not really changed from the 1990s when I first went there Even the Metra F40PH locos are in the same colours I remember It would be easy to pick any route you liked the look of then just change to locos to the era you want
I can't give you a definite answer, it's super subjective. I would shoot for a combination of content. There is one workshop & payware scenario author, if you deep dive his offerings, you should see what inspires you. (I mean the content he used.) https://store.steampowered.com/search/?developer=High Iron Simulations A couple years ago Donner-Sherman-Feather-Soldier was a fairly standard suggestion for a start, fitting your target era as well, but it has aged further and while it's absolutely enjoyable, you may have different preferences. On the upside, the BNSF licensing is resolved so now you can absolutely collect any rolling stock you desire, to spice up your 80s-90s environment. (I would argue that it's probably the weakest point in TSC. The SD40 and GP9 sounds are not just inadequate but prone to Doppler. The F40 is sort of nice, supplied with Soldier. I find both the E/F unit era as well as the modern stuff covered better, of course the oldest models really could use a sound pack update.) Sort of obvious, but want to point out that you can mix and match rolling stock from all routes. So it's perfectly fine to pick up Donner, but skip it beyond basic exploration while using its stuff on, say, the Pacific Surfliner. Most of that is even prototypical, maybe rare. Routes (and liveries) have their own charm and soul, so unless modern stations, hotels or signaling are in the way, it should be fine. Same with Horseshoe, for example. And then you have a real load of varying freight stock.
B&O Mountain Subdivision,Clinchfield Railroad- Elkhorn City to St Paul,Bessemer and Lake Erie,Tehachapi Pass just to name a few.
Thanks for all the suggestions! I've just been kind of looking for solid route since there is just some much out there given both DTG and third party content as well. I'll make sure to keep a look out for when these routes go on sale
Really depends on what you're after. Do you want commuter, freight, a mix of everything? If you're into commuter I'd suggest Pacific Surfliner LA to San Diego, Peninsula Corridor: San Francisco - Gilroy, Hudson Line: New York – Croton-Harmon. All these routes alo offer a few freight operations. Also there's plenty of freeware content out there on Railworks America. Also, be sure to check out Searchlight Simulations' Enhancement packs - it'll breath new life into to some of the default locos (a couple of them are free)
