Lately after so many years I've finally started to really take interest in German/European content on TSW. I've got all the UK content as this was always my main interest being where I am from, however in the process of exploring new things to do over the last couple of months I have slowly found myself appreciating routes from over the channel more and more. I actually just yesterday picked up Niddertalbahn and that really solidified it for me. (Thanks TSG) Now I have picked up quite a few bits of the European content over the years without going into it too much, and then some in preparation for my video series of a Flying Scotsman tour that I'm planning (Still happening once Free Roam is more solidified and Formation Designer is on consoles). But now that I'm actually looking to get the rest, out of curiosity I wanted to ask the wider community for a little guidance and insight on which bits of content I should prioritise and get first. So here's the list of the European content which I have yet to obtain. I'll list routes first, then locos. For extra clarification, any not listed here are ones I already own. Berninalinie: Tirano - Ospizio Maintalbahn: Aschaffenburg - Miltenburg Bahnstrecke Bremen - Oldenburg Hauptstrecke Hamburg - Lubeck Hauptstrecke Munchen - Augsburg S-Bahn Zentralschweiz: Luzern - Sursee RhB Arosa Aggregates Pack DB BR 155 DB BR 204 DB BR 363 DB G6 ICE 3 Railbow
my judgement which of the DLCs is the best/most beautiful and interesting route, i'd go by: 1. Berninalinie: Tirano - Ospizio (stunning visuals, great train, absolute masterpiece. Rivets best DLC and the most beautiful in TSW imo) 2. Bahnstrecke Bremen - Oldenburg (BR 110 and nostalgic n-Wagen, BR 155 comes with it as well. Interesting operation and has layers) 3. Hauptstrecke Munchen - Augsburg (Great for high speed and the BR 423 is a nice S-Bahn EMU) 4. Maintalbahn: Aschaffenburg - Miltenberg (rather slow speed, not as beautiful as Niddertalbahn, but the DMU is great) 5. S-Bahn Zentralschweiz: Luzern - Sursee (meh) Locos: 1. DB G6 (TSG - so great quality) 2. DB BR 155 (Absolut legendary loco. Though, if you buy Bremen-Oldenburg, the loco DLC should be less prioritised) 3. DB BR 363 (Well done loco, though reused a lot in TSW) 4. DB BR 204 (Rivets first ever DLC, wonky physics, but actually not the worst piece of DLC) 5. ICE 3 Railbow (doesn't add a lot of gameplay action, also the livery isn't 100% correct) 6. RhB Arosa Aggregates Pack (meh)
Cant recommend any of those routes as i dont have any of them. You seem to have chosen the best german routes like DRA or RSN. I can definitely recommend the Vossloh G6 from TSG. They are known for really good quality and this also reflects in the G6. Except the problems with the taillights (which absolutely not spoils the experience) its superb. Great services for timetable on RRO aswell. The DB 363 for RSN adds some nice shunting moves to RSN and i felt this DLC was also great value for money. Only thing is that when you have get comfy with the controls DB 365 from Niddertalbahn, the 363 controls are a bit direct in comparison. Nothing to really worry about though.
I’d grab any of those that go on sale (the older ones, Munich and Hamburg, tend to have deep discounts during the seasonal sales). Bremen-Oldenburg is a challenging run with the “antique” 110 and cab car, and there are some great runs with the ICE and intercity. Munich shines with the S-Bahn services. Hamburg-Lubeck is underrated in my view, it’s great for learning how to maintain and adjust speed outside of AFB, on a flat track. And the Hamburg area is a lot of fun. You also get the 112 which is a challenging loco to master. Maintalbahn is worth it for the 642, which thanks to a recent mod can also be used on Niddertalbahn. the Swiss stuff is a mixed bag. I’ll definitely check out the berninabahn when it’s on sale, but I’m annoyed that it’s only half the route. Luzern-sursee is not ready for prime time in my view.
Thanks for the answers so far peoples, they're definitely a great help. My problem with some of these routes and my struggle with choosing which order to get them is that they're all locos I already have from other routes. I've got the 363 from the blue one in Dresden, I've got the 423 from New Journeys, the 182 from Rapid Transit and Dispolock, the ICE from SKA and KWG, and the 110 + cab car from Linke Rheinstrecke. So for some of the routes the aspect of new locos wasn't able to be considered, and it was more about what the routes and timetables are like, or if those loco packs add anything significant or are particularly well built. The 155 and G6 are definitely of particular interest in that field, so too is Bremen - Oldenburg.
In my opinion, from these my favourite is Hamburg-Lubeck. There's quite a lot of service variety passenger-wise (including a handful of IC and ICE services too), Hamburg Hbf is incredibly busy which is fantastic and there a few freight/shunting services as well. Meanwhile, I'd also recommend Maintalbahn, despite what many say, I do like this route very much. Why? Well for a single-track branch line, it has a decent timetable, with not one but three DMUs in normal timetable mode (612, 628 and 642), plus the 363 if you have all relevant loco DLC etc. Plus, there's quite a bit of AI traffic at Aschaffenburg, so it's always busy. Bremen is a route I also very much like, the timetable is very awesome in terms of being busy and detailed, but the route is incredibly short and rather linear, however. For the remainder of routes, Munich-Augsburg feels very outdated and empty, although the 423 services are quite nice - also worth noting this route does provide the BR 403 ICE 3 which is worth it for the many other routes regarding extra traffic alone. Berninalinie depends on taste, services are very long, but the scenery is stunning; Luzern-Sursee is okay, but a lot of bugs, plus it's only a one-loco, very, very short route with limited long-term gameplay. The obvious choices here is the 363 which will provide many hours of enjoyable shunting services across many routes. One great example of such is for Ruhr-Sieg Nord which the 363 has so many new interesting services that makes the route feel alive, and certainly adds to the gritty industrial atmosphere of the route. The 155 is also another great choice, it's a bit more of a challenge to drive but is worth it as it adds to most German TSW routes meaning better variety. The G6 is recommended, adds some unique services that the 363 doesn't to some routes; for example, the G6 has some unique services for RRO. I'm also British, but German/European content in TSW is my favourite because nearly every route feels busy and has so much interesting variety and long-term gameplay.
I think this is part of what has gripped me as well. Our railways in modern times have many areas that have grown quite dull compared to old times. The train classes are all predictable, the passenger units are all one-handled multiple units. In Germany on the other hand, you've got EMUs, loco hauled coaches with cab cars, HSTs going many more places and mixing in with the local services, but then just as quickly going onto the dedicated ICE tracks. And on the loco hauled services more often than not, there are a dozen different classes that can be used on the exact same service, especially for freight.
Indeed. Then also complementing all the German traffic is trains from the likes of France, Switzerland, Belgium, Italy, Austria and so on... Basically, it's always very interesting and hardly never dull. Out of interest, have you learnt PZB? This is another reason why I love German/Austrian routes because every service is always a challenging but highly rewarding experience.
I haven't just yet, I've been driving without safety systems so far. It is on my list to do, as I become more familiar with the different routes and their service patterns.
It takes a very, very long time to learn how it works and can be super confusing and frustrating at first. I recommend when you do want to learn, watch the PZB tutorials by tygerways as well as those by Matt P on the TSW channel - both on YouTube.
And once you learn it, it makes a boatload of sense and you wonder why it didn’t catch on elsewhere. It’s extremely intuitive and surprisingly low-tech, making it all but impossible to accidentally foul the line.
Maintalbahn is ok but when I’m in the mood for a single track mainline German route, I’m playing Niddertalbahn over it everyday of the week and twice on sundays. Point being, I’d rather spend on BRO instead as it’s a different experience. BRO has some cool little quirks, the drawbridge, the barge, etc. I love tap changers. Service variety is excellent Nice variety of 110 and cab car services Shunting Good variety of freight services 612 services if you’ve got Dresden-Chemnitz 42….5? One of the 42-whatever’s have plenty of action as well I think there’s even some empty stock runs the the 103 and ICE, as well as some weird mixed coach stock move or whatever… it might be AI only but it’s pretty cool to see Maintalbahn is a one trick pony and Niddertalbahn already does that trick better imo. Some opinions on the other stuff you mentioned: The 155 is fun. Tap changer freight, why not The G6 is absolutely bonkers, great sounds and some really fun rescue service in that thing. HMA is super dated, I’d wait on that to see if it’s ever updated Berninalinie is rivets best work, epic scenes. Very very long services though, and I’m not often in the mood for this one Luzern- the safety systems are borked in certain areas and it’s just way too short, I’m not often in the mood lol Hamburg is extremely underrated for all the reasons cloudy said, great route Arosa aggregates: tried two scenarios and they both bugged out so I can’t recommend it The other stuff you mentioned is there but I just don’t play them at all Short story long, I’d probably feel good about recommending BRO, Hamburg, G6, and 155 to you. In that order.
Hamburg to Lubeck is actually a hidden gem, just be aware that it can suffer from stuck train issues if you resume a save game and the DB 182 is not that great. BBO good for a quick blast and the N-wagon cab car actually provides a noisy, bumpy driving experience. Luzern to Sursee - wish I hadn’t bothered, it is really, really short. Just as you think you’re getting going, the run ends and in Luzern we have yet another grand terminal station devoid of any other train types or traffic. Haven’t bothered with Maintalbahn (reported quality issues) or Bernina (should have been the full run to St Moritz), though the verdict on the latter is that for once Rivet did a reasonable job. Munich to Augsburg, well it’s okay but essentially a flat quick blast in the ICE or a suburban EMU stagger, nothing that really stands out. I can certainly recommend the G6, just be aware you won’t be able to complete Journey mode as one of the timetable elements is broken and TSG/DTG seem to have thrown in the towel as regards fixing it.
I don't think Bremen-Oldenburg gets enough credit as a very nicely polished route, even if a trifle short. The scenery and modeling are really top-notch, with probably the best foliage of any German route besides Niddertal. If Linke Rheinstrecke had been made to the same standard, it would have been (in my book) the best route in TSW.
100% agree on Linke Rheinstrecke. Just a little more love on the scenery, some ships on the river… would’ve gone a long way. Good route regardless! BRO is probably in my top 10 though, it’s really good for all the reasons I mentioned earlier. nothing quite like my first time rolling into Hamburg with the station all lit up during a night run. It’s a good route
