Main Line Wikipedia Article Strasbourg Branch Wikipedia Article Welcome in the Upper Rhine Plain in South-West Germany. Here we find the Baden Main line, connecting the Rhein-Neckar Region with Basel in Switzerland and Lake Constance. With a total length of >400km, this line is not only the longest in Germany, but also far too extensive for TSW. The suggested route is between Karlsruhe and Offenburg with a branch to Strasbourg. As we already have the French signalling system implemented with LGV Méditeranée this international crossover is much easier to implement than another neighbouring country of Germany. This route features every service pattern imaginable, from international high-speed trains, to commuter services, S-Bahnen, heavy freight, intermodal trains and even shunting. Whilst the actual track length between Karlsruhe and Offenburg is around 70km, I've included some extra track around Karlsruhe for more diverse services and a large amount of variety. Quick Facts: Length: ~130km (including all branches) Max. Speed: 250km/h Track Gauge: 1435mm Catenary Voltage: 15kV 16,7Hz | 25kV 50Hz Signalling System: H/V, Ks | BAL Safety Systems: PZB, LZB | Crocodile, KVB Route: Karlsruhe Hbf & Gbf Welcome to Karlsruhe, the third largest city in the state of Baden-Württemberg and the former capital of the Grand Duchy of Baden. The main station Karlsruhe Hbf has 16 platform tracks and is one of the 21 top category railway stations in Germany. It is a major hub in Intercity and regional rail services. The station was opened in 1913 and replaced the older main station in the city centre, which had reached it's operational limits due to the surrunding architecture and increased traffic. On the north-western side of the main station lies the Albtalbahnhof, which connects our line and the Albtalbahn with the municipal tram network. Tram-Trains use a special connecting ramp to get from and to this station. On this ramp the catenary voltage changes from the standard 15kV AC to the 750V DC of the tram network. South-east of Karlsruhe Hbf lies the freight yard Karlsruhe Gbf. Besides a container terminal and hub for chemical trains, the yard mainly functions as a crew and locomotive change point. Freight trains pass the main station on a special track which merges with the original line shortly after the station limits. Karlsruhe West & Hafen Turning right from Karlsruhe Hbf we enter the line towards Winden (Pfalz). As a part of this route we will not leave the city boundaries of Karlsruhe. Karlsruhe West is a small station for freight trains, which wait for their routes into the harbour, to the oil refinery or the freight yard. The Karlsruhe Harbour is the fourth largest inland harbour in Germany. The harbour has an extensive rail network, connecting all basins and the big power plant located at the river directly with the railway. Local shunters move trains arriving at Karlsruhe Gbf to their individual destinations. The harbour railway is controlled by a old mechanical/electro-mechanical signalbox at the entrance to the harbour area. In the far north-west of the city limits lies the Miro oil refinery, the second largest refinery in Germany. Multiple trains per day either deliver crude oil or transport fuel and other products to/from this plant. With its extensive network of loading and shunting tracks, this can be like Germanys Oakville Sub. But it will be hard to get access for reference, as the operating company likes to keep their internal operations a secret. Ettlingen, Durmersheim & Rastatt In Karlsruhe Hbf, the line splits into two branches. The western branch through Durmersheim is mostly used by fast non-stopping serivces like ICE, TGV and EC, with the exception of the Tram-Train services from/to the Albtalbahnhof, as the other branch has no connection to this station. The eastern branch via Ettlingen is used by stopping regional and commuter services. Durmersheim is a special station on this route, as it features two mechanical signalboxes from 1905 & 1922 which are still in operation. This might be the only station with mechanical signals where ICE pass through regularly left in Germany. At Ettlingen West, there is a connection to the Albtalbahn, a line operated by normal trams and electrified with only 750V DC. This connection is mostly used by rare freight trains on that line, as passenger trains come directly form the Albtalbahnhof, which can't handle regular trains. At Rastatt the two branches merge together again. As Rastatt is a major bottleneck on the line, a railway tunnel is under construction underpassing the entire station and town for fast through running. Due to a collapse of one of the tubes, the drilling machine had been concreted in and is now being cleared with the tunnel in a massive recovery operation. South of Rastatt the line splits again into a fast and a slow line, which run in parallel. The small stations along the route only have platforms on the slow line, the fast line just passes through. Baden-Baden, Achern & Appenweier Baden-Baden is the only intermediate station on this route which sees a limited ICE service stopping. Untypically for European railways, the Baden-Baden station lies aproximatly 5km west of the city centre, which lies in a valley surrounded by mountains on all sides. In Achern the Tram-Train services from Karlsruhe terminate. It is also the starting point of the Achertalbahn, a 10km branch line connecting the small town of Ottenhöfen in fhe Black Forest with the Rhine Plain (see "Ortenau S-Bahn DLC" for more details). In Appenweier the Europabahn towards Kehl and France branches off. Whilst being a major railway junction between a major rail corridor and two branching lines, Appenweier itself only has a small station and only sees regional services. Offenburg Shortly after Appenweier we arrive at one of our two southern terminus stations: Offenburg. Being roughly the middle point between Mannheim and Basel, most ICEs stop at this station. Offenburg is the starting point of the Schwarzwaldbahn, which passed over the Black Forest mountain range and runs to Konstanz. Kehl & Strasbourg After Appenweier the Europabahn passes through the towns of Legelshurst and Kork, before arriving in Kehl on the Rhine river. With its medium size harbour and local steel industry, most freight trains terminate on the German side of the river. We cross the river on the new double track rail bridge from 2010. After passing through the French harbour and the borough of Neudorf we arrive at Strasbourg-Ville, the city's main station. Being the major hub in the Alsace region, all regional services terminate here. There are also non-international TGV services, which start/terminate here. The station was built in 1883 by the German Imperial Railways in Alsace-Lothringen, as the Alsace region was under German rule at this time. To this day you can see traces of this era in the French rail network. In contrast to the rest of France, which runs their trains on the left track, in Alsace and Lothringen the main track is still the right with signals and signs oriented appropriatly. As a national monument, the station is now cased inside a giant glass fassade, which was constructed in 2006 with the opening of the LGV Est. Rolling Stock: SNCF TGV 310000 2N2 3UA The TGV Euroduplex is the youngest member of the TGV family. Whilst looking almost identical to the existing TGV 29000 Duplex, the Euroduplex has some major changes from its ancestors. First of all, the Euroduplex is able to run in France, Germany and Switzerland, with all necessary safety systems installed, resulting in a different cab layout. It also features a new electrical drive with asynchron motors and larger coaches for a bigger loading gauge. DB BR 146.2 Traxx P160 AC2 The old and familiar BR 146.2 will find another home on this route, serving the RE2 from Karlsruhe to Konstanz. As a premier in TSW, this will be the first time the lack of high-entry coaches is not deminishing the immersion, as the RE2 is only operated with low-entry coaches. I've made a suggestion for a Traxx Remaster seperatly in this thread: Traxx 2 (Br 146 & 185) Remaster DB BR 407 ICE 3MS (layer from Köln-Düsseldorf) The ICE 3MS is used together with the Euroduplex on the international services between Germany and France. Whilst the technical base is the same as the ICE 3M, the exteriro and interior designs have changed drastically. The 3MS is currently under development by Folezz and is currently planned to be shipped with his route Köln - Düsseldorf, but this isn't set in stone yet. DB BR 406 ICE 3M (layer from SKA) The ICE 3M is operating on the line between Amsterdam and Basel. The train can be directly layered from SKA. DB BR 401 ICE 1 (layer from KWG) The original ICE train is still used on services from Hamburg to Basel and sometimes further on into Switzerland. The train can be directly layered from KWG. DB BR 101 (layer from BR 101 DLC) Whilst the only service with a BR 101 on this route, the Eurocity between Hamburg and Zürich, is operated with Swiss coaches, the German IC coaches can substitute these for a few more services in the timetable. The train can be directly layered from the classic and expert DLCs (without cab car). DB BR 363 V60 (layer from BR 363 DLC) The old and trusted BR 363 is used in light shunting services in the Karlsruhe area. The train can be directly layered from the BR 363 DLC. Optional Extras: ICE 4 DLC: DB BR 412 ICE 4 Introduced in 2016 the ICE 4 is the new workhorse of the ICE network. They are replacing older ICE 1 and ICE 2 units on the older high-speed and upgraded lines with a maximum speed of 200-250km/h. Whilst facing harsh critism when introduced into service, due to unconfortable seats and a maximum speed of "only" 265km/h, with some modifications based on costumer feedback, they are now accepted amongst passenger, but still not the most popular version of the ICE. Stadtbahn Karlsruhe DLC: AVG BR 450 GT8-100D/2S-M The BR 450 actually consists of three different generations of tram-trains operated on the Stadtbahn Karlsruhe network. The GT8-100D/2S-M is the most common of these three generations and mainly operates the lines south of Karlsruhe. The tram-trains are specially constructed to work both on the tram and the national rail network. With a maximum speed of 100km/h they're rather slow on the main line, but due to the special wheels needed for tram operation, faster speeds aren't possible. The 2S-M is used on the S7/71 and S8/81 services between Karlsruhe and Achern / Rastatt. Modified Layers: DB BR 1462 Desiro HC (layer from Köln-Düsseldorf) Whilst the RRX BR 0462 is already in development, it can't be directly layered onto this route. Minor details like livery, entry heights and door widths, as well as the support for LZB and ETCS are required for the BR 1462. The BR 1462 is used on the RE7 service between Basel and Karlsruhe. Heavy Shunter DLC: DB BR 294 V90 The V90 was derived from the V100 West and are used in heavy shunting services, humping services and local deliveries. In the 60 and 70s more than 400 of these locomotives were built and used all over Germany. To this day they are the most important heavy shunter in the DB fleet. These locomotives can be found all around this route, operating shunting and local freight services. Ortenau S-Bahn DLC: The Ortenau S-Bahn is not a real S-Bahn network, but rather a marketing term for a network of branch line services around Offenburg. Services on this route are run between Offenburg, Strasbourg and Achern. In additon I want to suggest a route extension of a branch line, which is too short for a standalone DLC, but isn't too long for a paid extension of this route. The Achertalbahn is a 11km long branch line connecting the town of Ottenhöfen in the black forest with the Rhine Plain. As this line is pretty quiet, usually being served by just one train, this line uses a form of direct traffic control with signals (singalisierter Zugleitbetrieb). The driver has to report when he's cleared a block for the signalman to be able to send another train into that block. Other than in direct traffic control eras without signals, the signalman doesn't need to contact the driver but can just clear a signal. The signals can only show red (stop) or white (ignore signal) but not green (clear) or other aspects. The Ortenau S-Bahn uses BR 650 Regioshuttles for its entire network, even on the services to Strasbourg where the entire route is electrified. Whilst they've introduced new Mireo battery units in the last few months, I'd rather have the BR 650 as a new train for branch lines. SWEG BR 650 Regioshuttle RS1 Built in the late 90s and early 2000s the Regioshuttles were the backbone of the Ortenau S-Bahn for over 20 years. For many branch lines in southern and eastern Germany these trains are a common sight. Due to their lightweight construction and powerfull engines, the Regioshuttles are fast accelerators, beating even trains like the BR 425 in a drag race to 70km/h (Acceleration Video). Five of these units are certified for operations in France and are equipped with Crocodile and KVB.
Would be a dream come true, the TSC version is fine for DTG standards even unmodded. Made some comparison shots of my station here: https://forums.dovetailgames.com/th...wn-stations-post-your-comparison-shots.78114/ Alla hopp, DTG!
Bring it on and I suggested the cross border segment Appenweier Straßburg Hbf 3 years ago. The French trains used here non TGV are X73900 BB37000
sounds awesome, but TGV Duplex atm doesnt have PZB/German stuff implemented yet in TSW... but damn this looks so good
