Route extension DLCs have been discussed a lot. I think that these DLCs would sell well, especially if they included new rolling stock and a new locomotive or two, along with adding longer runs to the route. Train Sim Classic has a few routes that they've extended and upgraded. Why not TSW? Here are a few route ideas that could be made possible in TSW5 with future extensions. I will focus on the US, but if anyone has any other route extension ideas for existing or future routes, let me know in the comments. -Long Route With Extensions Idea #1: ATSF or BNSF Seligman Subdivision: Needles, CA-Winslow, AZ: I've suggested this route many times, and it is one of my favorite train-watching spots in the Southwest US. The desert and mountain scenery is amazing, and there is a lot of train action (and I do mean a lot; like 60-70 trains per day!). I even saw a few trains go by the Williams Grand Canyon RR Depot at 3AM! Best of all, this route offers a lot of cool stuff besides the scenery and trains: -History (Route 66, Santa Fe RR, Grand Canyon Railway (famous ex-ATSF branch; north of Williams, AZ) -Higher Speeds: up to 70mph for freight trains and 90mph for passenger trains! -Passenger Trains: Amtrak runs their SW Chief long-distance train on this line. It stops in Needles, Kingman, Flagstaff, and Winslow -Weather: Unpredictable: It actually snows in northern AZ; the highest point on this line is over 7000 feet high! Because this route is so long (293.5 miles!), the only way we'd get this busy northern Arizona mainline is with extensions to the base route. This is how I think this route would work: -Base route: the same one as TS Classic: Arizona Divide: Winslow-Williams, AZ; 92 miles long -Extension 1: Williams-Yampai Summit -Extension 2: Yampai Summit-Needles, CA -Time period: early-mid 1990s ATSF, BNSF modern day -Possible locomotives: -BNSF: -ET44C4/ACH or ES44AC/DC/C4/ACH -GP60/GP60M-3/GP60B -SD40-2 -C44-9W -B40-8W -Amtrak P42DC Genesis or ALC-42 Charger w/ SW Chief Superliner Cars -ATSF: -SD75M -C44-9W -GP60/GP60M/GP60B -B40-8W -FP45/F45 -SD45U -Amtrak P40DC Genesis or P32-8BWH "Pepsi Can" w/ SW Chief -Other DLCs: -Grand Canyon RR Branch extension w/ both steam (maybe) and diesel power -ATSF 4-8-4 #3751 and #2926 w/ excursion passenger trains -Older ATSF diesels: RSD-15 "Alligator," SD24, GP20, GP7/GP9, U30C, U36C/SF30C, SD45, SD40, GP38, C30-7, U25B, U28CG, U30CG, E6A/B, E8A/B, FT, F3, or F7A/B (both freight and passenger versions), FM, Baldwin, or Alco diesels -Long Route Idea #2: UP Evanston Subdivision: Ogden, UT-Green River, WY: UP's Overland Route between Omaha, NE and Promontory Point, UT was completed in 1869, and upgraded over the years. This section of the famous 1st Transcontinental Railroad line runs 177.9 miles from Ogden, UT to Green River, WY. The line sees heavy freight trains and even UP's business and excursion passenger trains with their restored steam locomotives. This route should be set in the modern day. This route offers some spectacular mountain scenery and other cool stuff, including: -Devil's Slide: a cool rock formation that looks like a giant stone waterslide (hence the name) -Taggart tunnels/bridges near Devil's Slide -Echo Canyon -Castle Rock formation -Curvo: where the tracks cross over each other -Altamont/Aspen Tunnels -Yards in Ogden, Evanston (a smaller yard), and Green River -Junction at Granger to the Pocatello Sub towards Idaho and the Pacific Northwest -Cement Plant near Devil's Slide -Westvaco has a Trona mine -How this route could be done in game: -2 parts -Base route: Ogden-Evanston (90 miles or so) -Extension: Evanston-Green River -Possible UP locos: -SD70AH-T4 -C45AH -C45ACCTE -SD70M -SD60M -SD70ACe/AH -C44ACM/C4460CW/AC6000CW -C44ACM/AC4400CW (including patched SP and C&NW units) -SD90MAC-H/SD90-43MAC -C44-9W/AC44C6M rebuild (including patched units) -GP60/GP60E/GP62 (including patched units) -GP40-2/N -SD40-2/N -DLCs: -UP Heritage Fleet Pack 2, including: -UP #4014 Big Boy -UP #844 FEF-3 -UP Challenger #3985 -UP DDA40X #6936 -UP E9 A-B-A -UP Excursion/Business Train Cars -UP SD70M #4015 (also drivable in game) -Long Route Idea #3: WP Feather River Canyon: Oroville-Portola, CA: The Western Pacific RR's famous Feather River Canyon Route is featured in TS Classic. Recently, DTG extended the route to Portola, CA. The Feather River Canyon Route features less steep grades than other mountain routes like SP's Donner Pass. This meant that the WP never needed six-axle freight locomotives to handle heavy freight over the line. This route became part of the Union Pacific empire in 1983 when the WP merged with the UP. The full version of this route is 130 miles long (including the Inside Gateway and Quincy RR Shortline), which might require a base route and a single extension. The optimal version of this route would be set in the 1960s-early 70s so we could run the WP/CB&Q/D&RGW California Zephyr passenger train over this route. The TSC version is set in the 1970s-early 80s with BN and WP operations. -How this route could be done in game: -Base route: Oroville-Quincy (84 miles long) -Extensions: -Quincy-Portola (34 miles long) -Inside Gateway and Quincy RR (12 more miles) -Features of this route: -World-famous Keddie Wye -Clio Trestle -Williams Loop (similar to the Tehachapi Loop further south) -Yards in Oroville and Portola -Great Northern (later Burlington Northern after 1970) joint operations from the Pacific NW through the Inside Gateway and over the Keddie Wye -Quincy RR interchange with lumber operations at Quincy -Beautiful mountain scenery -1% grades -Possible Locos: -WP U30B -GN (or BN) and WP GP35s -WP GP40 or GP40-2 -WP GP20 -WP SW9 -GN (or BN) SD45 -WP F7A or FP7A and F7B with California Zephyr Passenger Train -Other DLCs: -More GN or BN locos -UP DDA40X "Centennial" (for post-WP/UP merger operations; these often ran on this line) -Other UP locos, maybe a U30C, SD40-2, C36-7, and/or ex-WP locos (also for post-merger operations) -Quincy RR locos (?)
I think if you want longer US routes, you’re looking at the wrong game. DTG just don’t seem interested at present. Run 8, even though graphically primitive, is your best bet.
watched some Blu Games (I think thats the channel name) vids of Run8 and yes, the graphics is more barebones than TSW, but by no means ugly ... but yeah it is much more expert, like you can actually break couplers and such... but what I like is the MU manager feature where you can configure all locos via a pop up window, like you can set their brakes, radio etc., so you dont have to walk into all of em to do that... thats a feature that I would LOVE to see in TSW, not just for US locos (cos yeah, there is that thing where you can "teleport" between cabs, but that can often spawn you outside map and such )
If RUN8 can improve the picture quality in V4 and add subtitles in other languages, I believe this will also be a good reason to attract a group of new players to choose it.
