I've been considering buying this route and want to know some of your thoughts on it before I buy it. I previously bought Hauptstrecke Rhein - Ruhr and didn't like it so I'm a bit on edge about it
If you have MSB and/or RSN, you get RE services alongside the ones that already come with the route. The route itself is quite short but there's quite a lot to do on it, with S-Bahn, RB, RE and freight services if you have all the layers. The S8 services terminate at Hagen Hbf, while the S9 services terminate at Wuppertal Hbf so if you missed changing ends in HRR, you can do it on RRO.
RRO has some nice scenery, and looks more detailed to me. HRR feels very 'open' where as RRO you feel closed in more. The Schwebebahn suspension railway scenery is nice and it was the main appeal for me having previously seen it in an old film. Two diverging paths like HRR and a tunnel. I like the foliage hanging down from walls and overpasses. RRO speeds are not as fast because of all the curves and you get some good PZB going on in some parts (some of the freight services will require you to get permission to go up the wrong line and you will have to use the PZB Override function). The gradients can catch you out especially if you are in restricted monitoring of PZB...one station I recall you have to stop on a 3% gradient. You get the BR185.5 MRCE in black, which makes a change from all that traffic red. The BR422 is nice too...I like the detail of it but find the sounds of the BR425 better. Overall more scenic and slower speeds. Still quite a short route like HRR. If only Dovetail could merge and expand the German routes into one but I can't see that happening anytime soon.
