Wikipedia page about the route Note: All the images and videos are captured from the route of the RB90, except some images of the LINT27 from the companion routes RB29 (Limburg Siershahn) and RB95 starting in Au (Sieg) and the images for the Siemens Mireo Plus B since it is not in use yet. Trains: - Current: Alstom Coradia LINT 27 and LINT 41 (diesel) Starting in Limburg Lahn (sound enabled) Short look at the inside and outside Stadler GTW 2/6 (diesel) Starting in Limburg: - Future (starting in 2025): Siemens Mireo Plus B (electric) here is an article about it in english: https://press.siemens.com/global/en/pressrelease/battery-trains-siemens-mobility-westerwald first picture is how it will look like at this route with the HLB livery. - From 1989 up to early 2000s: DB BR 628.2 (diesel) not extremely good pictures to be honest, but these are the only real pictures from the route I could found. I also don't know if they still use some well BR 628s on the route since there is a video at the end of this post, which seems quite new to me. [Edit: Yes, I found out that the Hessische Landesbahn uses a few of them still but in their new livery] Layer compatibility: Class 66 from Great Western Express. DB BR 628.2 from Niddertalbahn. Company: Hessische Landesbahn GmbH (HLB) --- For the data of the length and stations it it importated to mention that not all real life services of the SB90 currently run the full track down. Some run to Westerburg only (km 28,6), some to Altenkirchen (km 65,1km) and a few services even further up to Siegen (used to be Au (Sieg) only 20 years ago but changed now due to different maintaining company). So even a part of the route would be fully relatable to real life. Length: 65,1 km (From Limburg (Lahn) up to Altenkirchen) + optionally 12,9 km to Au (Sieg) - [In total: 78km] Stations: 22 (Limburg to Altenkirchen) + 6 for the the piece up to Au (Sieg). Gauge: standard 1435mm Number of tracks: Up to km 5,3 and the third station "Staffel" there are two tracks because this part is also covered by the route RB29 Limburg-Siershahn (Unterwesterwaldbahn). After that and for the very most part, only single track. Services: Passenger and Freight. Introduction to the location: The Westerwald is a region within the states Rhineland Palatinate and Hesse in the south west part of Germany between the cities Frankfurt and Cologne and reaches up to Koblenz in its south west. The area is made of low to mid high mountains and valleys covered with forests but also long plain meadows and seas. For people of Cologne or Frankfurt, the area is used as a "Naherholungsgebiet" (the is no correct english substitute for this word, but it kind of translates to "CloseRelaxArea" for short vacations as it covers a lot of nature and place to calm down of the stress in the big metropoles. Probably the closest "go-to" city is Koblenz, which is also covered in TSW yet in the DLC "Linke Rheinstrecke". A lot of people suggested also the high speed route between Cologne and Frankfurt, which directly runs through the Westerwald. Montabaur has a stop on it and Limburg (Süd) is Germany's first and only "ICE only" station. Although I'm aware that these cites and stations have nothing to do with the route I peopose here, just a quick hint as they are close and improve the overall infrastructure of the area. The region made a moreover national, but also a bit international prominence for hosting two very popular Reality-TV series, "Die Ludolfs – 4 Brüder auf’m Schrottplatz" and "Steel Buddies". Again, both not really situated along the route I propose here, but people who watched some episodes of these series may could reach a few impressions of the general landscape and atmosphere of the Westerwald. What to expect of this route? I would compare it to "Niddertalbahn" with wide and plain meadow landscapes with small to mid small cities but also a bit more hill and valley routes and running through some forest parts, especially along the northern part of the route. Starting in Limburg (Lahn), as the biggest train station of the route if offers a varied mix of a semi-big train station with freight work but also a lot of RE/RB connections to other close regions and cities such as Frankfurt, Gießen and Koblenz. You leave Limburg by circumventing clockwise the hill of Limburg where also the municipal hospital is located. Up to Staffel (the third station, km 5,3) the route has two tracks as up to there the route is also used by the Unterwesterwaldbahn (RB29) up to Siershahn over Montabaur. Westerburg (km 28,6) is probably the second biggest station of the route and is used now as a division point to split services due the underlying responsibility of local destricts (up until the timetable gets renewed in 2025). So technically if the route would be too long, even the 28 km up to Westerburg only would make sense to me. A special spot to mention is the station Altenkirchen, which is a terminal station. If the service proceeds up to Au (Sieg) the driver needs to swap front and rear to drive further. An interesting challenge actually within a service to do. I know that this is unusual, but I think it perfectly would bring a new experience to the player. Why this route? "Everybody wants their home town route" said Lukas from DTG, and this is true for everyone of us I guess. However, why not just proposing a route? It does not hurt anyone. In my childhood (up until 2006) I resided in two cities of the route, but moved away since a long time. I rode many times along with this train because my mother had a job in Limburg and took me with but I just can't be sure to all (new) aspects to the route. So all the information I obtained to write this article is pretty much only out of the internet. Just to say that in case any information is wrong or missing. Feel free to correct me if I wrote something wrong. A video of the ride from Limburg to Westerburg as passenger:
A few more photos of the Stadler GTW 2/6 (also only from the RB90, Oberwesterwaldbahn): To the times where I lived there and up to ca. 2012, where the Hessische Landesbahn GmbH (HLB) overtook the management for the route from the vectus Verkehrsgesellschaft mbH, the LINT 27 and LINT 41 had a different livery in green, white and yellow. I prefer this livery over the new one, but I guess the new one adds better visibilty to being more clear and shiney to see from the distance and in fog etc. Here are a few pictures of the old livery. The photos also let you see a bit more of the landscape of the Westerwald: This is in Limburg (Lahn) Hbf, the RB29 Limburg-Siershahn stands along the Dosto RE20 if I am correct from Limburg (Lahn) to Frankfurt am Main Hbf.
Only nighttime photo I could find is from the RB29, the Unterwesterwaldbahn from Limburg to Siershahn. Leaving Westerburg station towards Limburg: That's actually Westerburg station. Today here some services split up, and either cover the north or south part of the route. Usually the trains wait for each other but it can lead to some prolonged delay (wait) times. The view from the Westerburg's station house towards the platforms: And here ready for take off Limburg's train station towards Au (Sieg): In Hachenburg station: In Altenkirchen train station: Leaving Altenkirchen:
The route is also used for some old locomotives in special service not only because of the landscape but also the in comparison more quite timetable. At Westerburg station, in which I also were when I was a child during a train festival and there were some locomotives like these inside. Here is a short documentary of "Eisenbahn Romantik" (a german series about trains) about the Westerburg depot, the historic Westerwald Querbahn (Wiki link) from Herborn to Montabaur over the old train viaduct, the Hülsbachtalbrücke, of Westerburg and we actually obtain some more details about the route and get insight into the station house in Wilsenroth (which is another station along the Oberwesterwaldbahn): The photos also give a good impression of the landscape in winter: A sightseeing spot of Westerburg, the Hülsbachtalbrücke for the old Westerwald Querbahn, north of Westerburg station towards Rennerod:
Speaking about freight, the Westerwald is a mining area for clay, basalt and iron ore. In the following pictures you see trains moving clay across the route. A common used train is the british Class 66 along with the BR 294 shunter. Don't know if the BR 294 occasionally also drive freight for longer passages.
Some remarkable spots of this route: Limburg: Cathedral of Limburg St. Georg: Limburg with the St. Georg cathedral and the river Lahn. The train station is at the left corner of the horizon, if you follow the railways. The Schafsberg with Limburg's hospital St. Vincenz on it, which the railways of the Oberwesterwaldbahn are almost circulating completely and builds an interesting experience from the start of the route: A map to make it more clear (the route is starting from Limburg (Lahn) Hbf towards west and then takes a slope before going north): The big station and trainyard of Limburg (aerial view from northwest): Limburg train station from north east (the route does not come in from here, that's the Frankfurt direction), but actually can get a good view of the station itself and its park (right side) and the overall look within it being in the city. The RB90 Stadler GTW 2/6 towards Westerburg, in the background the St. Vincenz hospital of Limburg at the Schafsberg hill, close before Staffel and the bridge over the Lahn. Bridge over the Lahn, short before Staffel: New solarpark near Frickhofen along the route (only low quality-pic available, sorry): The Westerburger castle (not exactly close to the route but for services at night good to spot at a far distance already, because it's enlighted in orange).
Excellent idea and from what I can see Schnellfahrstrecke Köln-Aachen can be extended to Au an der Sieg to meet this route. Otherwise this route meets Bahnstrecke Köln Siegen Sieg Strecke at Au
Yes, that's true. It could connect then to Schnellfahrtstrecke Köln-Aachen if DTG would extend it up to Au (Sieg) or even Siegen. This then would be the full RE9 "Rhein-Sieg Express" maybe even all the way up to Siegen, to which the RB90 also runs for some services. Two decades ago, it didn't and only run to Au an der Sieg. I know the route only as this, but to be honest didn't lived at that part of the route, so I didn't was in Au very often. I remember being there a single time, for the connection to Köln. The new company HLB (Hessische Landesbahn) extended the route of the RB90 from Au (Sieg) to Siegen in 2014. I know all the way up to Siegen would be too long for DTG, so I don't ask for that. The route is already quite long as it is, so I even proposed splits in it (maybe will change in 2025 with a new plan and the new loco), but however it would be cool to connect routes like that and maybe implement a direct map overlay for DLCs in TSW somewhen in the future (maybe TSW7 or 8). Technically it could even connect to Schnellfahrtstrecke Köln-Frankfurt (if it ever comes) over Montabaur with the RB29 from Limburg to Siershahn. Or connect with "Linke Rheinstrecke" with the RB23 from Koblenz to Limburg. Limburg (Lahn) is quite a busy regional station with many connections in the Rhineland-Palatine/Hesse area. And the station as well as the city is also very pretty I think. You can see it in some of the pictures I attached. Also to mention the Limburg Süd train station which is on Frankfurt-Cologgne. Would be cool to have it in TSW.
Thanks for the answer and from what I can see you would have a busy Au an der Sieg station with your proposed route and SKA giving 423 187 442 AI traffic at that stop.
If SKA would be extended up to Siegen and the RB90 line would implemented up to Siegen as well, they actually could "meet" each other at the piece of road from Au (Sieg) to Siegen. So AI RB90 when you drive on SKA, and SKA's RB9 as AI on this route. Or optionally you could swap services in Siegen, first driving the RE9 from Aachen up to Siegen and then take the RB90 to the ride to Limburg. I forgot to mention the RE20 also, the Limburg-Frankfurt line, so if the Oberwesterwaldbahn with the RB90, the Schnellfahrtstrecke Köln-Frankfurt and map overlays would come to TSW, it would bring an almost endless variety of possibilites to drive in the Rhein-Main area. But these are just some funny thoughts of joy and excitement based on the real connections.
