Introduction Hi, welcome to another post in 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 fan of railways 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 S-Bahn Zentralschweiz. I believe the route is set in 2022. Here is a map of the route as represented in game, numbered with each location that I will be highlighting. Industries Location 1 Starting in the north of the route in Sursee, Debrunner Acifer is a building materials supplier with a rail spur that is used to deliver cement. Players could shunt Uacns wagons here and unload them with the game's interactive hose function. Location 2 The Armeelogistikcenter Aussenstelle Sursee is a military storage base specialising in textiles and uniforms. Pallets are moved to and from the site by train. Players could shunt Habbiins wagons to the unloading dock. Location 3 Just outside what is represented in game, there is a rail-served warehouse belonging to OTTO'S. This a Swiss retailer that sells "over 80,000 items, ranging from food, cosmetics, washing/cleaning products, wine, perfume, textiles to furniture". Their administration and storage building here receives goods via train. Players could deliver Habbiins wagons to the site. Location 4 RAMSEIER Suisse is a beverage manufacturer. At their plant in Sursee, they make fruit juices, wine, iced tea and cider. The raw materials (fruit) arrives by train. Players could shunt Tagnpps wagons over the unloading bunker. Location 5 VARO "manufactures, stores and distributes conventional fuels and sustainable energies" and has a facility in Rothenburg. Players could bring loaded Zacns wagons here and empty them using the game's interactive hose function.
Location 6 CAMION TRANSPORT is a logistics company that uses the railway to move goods between their sites around Switzerland. Trucks are used at either end. Players could drop off Habbiins and Hbis-ww wagons at their Rothenburg location before taking them onward overnight. Location 7 Pistor is a wholesale supplier to the catering, baking and restaurant industries. Their buildings in Rothenburg are recipients of train-carried products. Players could haul Sggmrss wagons with refrigerated containers to the warehouse. Location 8 A spur with two sidings serves Sabag, a building materials and fixtures supplier. Electric locomotives can shunt deliveries right up to the rear of their warehouse. Players could bring Habbiins wagons here for unloading. Location 9 Belag und Beton is a concrete company with a branch in Rothenburg. Two sidings run along their site to deliver cement. Players could bring Uacns wagons here and unload them with the game's interactive hose function. Location 10 The Armeelogistikcenter Aussenstelle Emmen is another military storage complex hosting warehouses and maintenance facilities for the Swiss Air Force and Army. There is an Air Force base just to the east. Players could drop off and pick up Habbiins wagons.
Location 11 Steeltec is a sprawling site of buildings in Emmen engaged in the production of rolled and bright steel. The tracks uniquely enter the facility by passing through an office building near the Emmenbrücke train station. At the southwest of the location, their subsidiary PK Bau sells electric arc furnace slag aggregate, a by-product that can be used for road construction. Players could service the business with Uacns wagons for silica (used in the steel manufacturing process), Eas wagons for swarf and slag aggregate, and Res wagons for steel plates and slabs. Location 12 There is an electricity substation in Emmen which adjoins a Schweizerische Bundes Bahnen (SBB) maintenance of way depot. Players could bring replacement transformers into the siding on Rs wagons. Location 13 In Luzern, a few sidings extend to a quay but their purpose is unclear. It appears that barges of aggregate unload into trains here. There is also equipment to unload cement powder. Players could shunt Fac wagons to be loaded with gravel and Uacns wagons to provide cement. Conclusion There are several more buildings with rail connections (especially in Sursee) but it's hard to tell if they are operational as satellite coverage is blocked by roofs! Location 13 is a bit of a mystery to me as I'm unsure why cement would be delivered there. Overall, adding freight to this route would add much-needed variety. I hope this was interesting. Please feel free to add to this and let me know what I've got wrong. Thanks for reading!
Fantastic suggestion! I would recommend posting this on the Rivet forums as well as they are more likely to see it there
