Route Route Suggestion: Saxon-franconian Trunk Line – Nürnberg To Plauen With The Br 605 "ice Td"

Hey everyone,

I’ve been thinking about a German diesel route that would really stand out in TSW: the stretch of the Saxon-Franconian trunk line between Nürnberg and Plauen (Vogtland). This line is famous because the ICE TD (Class 605) actually ran here in the early 2000s, making it one of the very few non-electrified mainlines in Germany to see scheduled ICE services.

Route overview

Route length: about 150 km (depending on whether it’s built to Plauen directly or via Hof).

Electrification: none – this is a proper diesel trunk line.

Max speed: Up to 200 km/h, but realistically 160–180 km/h with curves.

Tilting & GNT: The line was equipped with GNT (Geschwindigkeitsüberwachung Neigetechnik) from 2001, allowing tilting trains like the ICE TD and BR 612 to run higher curve speeds. TSW already simulates GNT on the BR 612, so it would fit perfectly here.

Scenery highlights:

The Pegnitz valley north of Nürnberg, with tunnels, viaducts and tight curves.

The spectacular Elstertalbrücke near Plauen, one of the largest brick bridges in the world.

Suggested era

I’d set the route in 2002. That way:

The ICE TD is the star, running long-distance services Nürnberg – Hof – Plauen – Dresden.

It’s right before the switch to the Franken-Sachsen-Express (FSX) with BR 612s in 2006.

Other stock like the BR 218, BR 628 or BR 642 could be layered for variety.

The star of the route: BR 605 “ICE TD”

The ICE TD is a tilting, diesel-electric, 4-car unit designed for non-electrified high-speed corridors.

Quick facts:

• Max speed: 200 km/h
• Engines: 4× Cummins QSK19, 560 kW each
• Weight: ~232 t
• Seats: 195 (154 second class, 41 first class)

The ICE TD entered service in 2001 and achieved 222 km/h on test runs. It was intended to cut journey times on winding, non-electrified routes. Service life on this corridor was short (2001–2003), making it a very unique piece of DB history.

Layers & stock variety

This is where the route could really shine – lots of stock already exists in TSW, and more could fit in future:

BR 612 RegioSwinger (Tharandter Rampe) – historically replaced the ICE TD, so perfect for AI or alternate services.

BR 218 – could handle RE services with n-wagen or act as a banker/rescue loco.

BR 628 (Niddertalbahn) – ideal for regional stoppers and AI traffic.

BR 642 Desiro Classic – very common in Franconia and Vogtland, often worked Nürnberg–Bayreuth stoppers or Hof/Plauen regionals. If this train comes to TSW, it would be a perfect layer for this route.

(Future DLC) BR 232 “Ludmilla” – for heavy diesel freight, which was common in this region.

Sample timetable (circa 2002)

(Numbers are approximate, based on historical patterns)

Long-distance (ICE TD):

Around 6–8 services per direction daily (Nürnberg ↔ Dresden via Hof/Plauen).

Journey time Nürnberg–Plauen: about 2.5 hours with stops at Pegnitz, Marktredwitz, Hof.


Regional Express (RE):

BR 218-hauled REs with n-wagen or 612s every ~2 hours (e.g. Nürnberg–Marktredwitz–Hof).


RegionalBahn (RB):

BR 628 or 642 stoppers on Nürnberg–Bayreuth and Hof–Plauen locals.


Freight:

Heavy diesel freights (232s) through Pegnitz valley and Vogtland.


This would create a really lively timetable, with fast ICE TDs overtaking regionals, locals covering all stops, and freight adding variety.

Why this would be great for TSW

Brings fast diesel gameplay with tilt physics – something totally unique in the current TSW lineup.

Lots of layer value for players who already own German DLC.

Historically authentic: the only ICE that regularly ran on a non-electrified trunk line.

A mix of iconic scenery and engineering landmarks.

Sources

Wikipedia – DBAG Class 605 (ICE TD): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DBAG_Class_605

Railway Gazette – ICE TD trials and purpose (2001): https://www.railwaygazette.com (search “ICE TD trials”)

Wikipedia – Hof station (ICE stop from 2001): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hof_station

Wikipedia – Franken-Sachsen-Express (BR 612 takeover): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franken-Sachsen-Express

Wikipedia – ICE TD operations via Nürnberg–Hof–Plauen–Dresden: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DBAG_Class_605

Bavarian Ministry of the Interior – Gesamtverkehrsplan Bayern 2002 (official timetable document confirming ICE TD tilting services): https://stmb.bayern.de/assets/stmi/vum/handlungsfelder/iie_gesamtverkehrsplan_bayern_2002.pdf

 

If you could put 100 likes and that amount would affect the probability of a route appearing... Diesel Germany sounds like music to the ears. I hope we see it

 

If you have more info, feel free to add more stuff to this suggestion down below

 

Wow, two and a half hour ICE runs? Sign me up! I remember doing a whole run from München to Berlin in PTP2 Deutschlandbox, so spending such time in the diesel ICE would really be a lot of fun!