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 Antelope Valley Line. I believe the route is set in 2023. 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 north of the route in Lancaster, Builders FirstSource receives wood products by rail. Players could spot boxcars and center-beam flatcars here. Location 2 In Palmdale, Lockheed Martin has their Skunk Works aerospace development facility. It is linked to the railroad network but it is hard to determine how trains serve it. Players could switch boxcars and flatcars carrying materials or assembled components. Location 3 Weyerhaeuser is a lumber company with a distribution centre in Santa Clarita and they have a rail siding. Players could provide bulkhead flatcars and center-beam flatcars of processed wood. Location 4 In Saugus, HASA is delivered water treatment chemicals by train. These are used for cleaning pools and spas. Players could spot tankcars here and unload them with the game's interactive hose function. Location 5 Also in Saugus, Builders FirstSource has a second rail-served outlet. Players could drop off and take away center-beam flatcars at the site.
Location 6 Sylmar is the location of both the Jensen Water Treatment Plant and the Los Angeles Aqueduct Filtration Plant. They accept water treatment chemicals via the railroad. Players could switch tankcars around the facilities and unload them with the game's interactive hose function. Location 7 Spears Manufacturing in Sylmar makes PVC pipe fittings and they get their plastic pellets in large qunatities by railcar. Players could spot coveed hopper cars alongside their factory. Location 8 Phillips Plywood in Pacoima sells panels of veneers and plywood and this comes in via their siding. Players could drop off boxcars of wooden goods here. Location 9 In Sun Valley, Vulcan Materials has a large plant for its aggregates business. Sand and gravel are brought in by train. Players could arrive with hopper wagons and unload them by driving slowly over the pit and conveyor system. Location 10 There is yet another rail-connected Builders FirstSource site in Burbank. Players could leave lumber-laden center-beam flatcars here for unloading.
Location 11 Glassell Park is home to the fourth and final Builders FirstSource outlet of this route. Players could spot center-beam flatcars on the short spur. Location 12 The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power has a depot in Los Angeles that features a rail link. It is hard to determine what it is used for. Players could deliver utility infrastructure components. Location 13 Union Pacific has its Los Angeles Transportation Center in the east of Los Angeles. This is a large intermodal facility where containers are transhipped from truck to train, and vice versa. Players could switch consists around the yard between the various incoming, outgoing, and loading and unloading sidings. Conclusion I hope this was interesting. Please feel free to add to this and let me know what I've got wrong. Thanks for reading!
Sorry if the writing is lacklustre ... 'Draft Saved' lied to me, so I had to redo it all after the post was 99% complete this morning.
A interesting post definitely shows that more freight runs switchig could be added to existing routes UK US Germany im from US freight is big business here more so than passenger ..I like running both in TSW but freight needs some more attention across all regions represented in TSW
Most certainly, it adds another big aspect of playability. If you haven't already, have a look at my other posts linked below.
I mean a good example of a good passenger and freight combo is in Peninsula Corridor. They could have done the same thing with the AV line since it would be similar
