02/07/2015

http://store.steampowered.com/app/277774

The distinctive Baldwin RF-16 with ‘Sharknose’ design comes to Train Simulator, from Digital Train Model.

In 1948, Baldwin Locomotive Works began to apply a new ‘Sharknose’ body style to its cab unit diesel locomotives, partly to differentiate Baldwin locomotives from its competitors, but also to distance the new locomotives from early Baldwin diesels that were plagued with mechanical problems.

The ‘Sharknose’ style was inspired by the Pennsylvania Railroad’s T1 class duplex steam locomotive, some of which were built by Baldwin. The first locomotives to receive the new styling were the Baldwin DR-6-4-20, which was carried through subsequent Baldwin locomotives, including the RF-16.

The RF-16 quickly gained a reputation as a reliable and rugged locomotive with heavy pulling power. Many of the units saw service hauling coal drags, where these characteristics were put to best use.

A total of 109 cab-equipped A units were built between November 1950 and May 1953, along with 51 cabless booster B units, for three main railroads - the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, New York Central Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Withdrawals of the Class began in the early 1960s and by 1971, all but two of the units had been sold for scrap – units 1205 and 1216 were to be scrapped in 1974, but were saved by the Delaware and Hudson Railroad for freight services until 1981. The two units have since reportedly been stored on the Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad, inside a warehouse that is inaccessible to the public.

The Baldwin RF-16 ‘Sharknose’ for Train Simulator, from Digital Train Model, is available in Pennsylvania Railroad livery and features position lights, number board lights, cab and instrument lighting, engine room lights, opening cab doors and windows, and cab heater. Also included are a number of freight cars, including a 40ft Boxcar, 50ft Boxcar, 53ft Flatcar, Tank Car and Caboose.

The locomotive is also Quick Drive compatible, giving you the freedom to drive the PRR RF-16 ‘Sharknose’ on any Quick Drive enabled route for Train Simulator, such as those available through Steam. Also included are scenarios specifically for the Horseshoe Curve route (available separately and required to play these scenarios).

02/07/2015

http://store.steampowered.com/app/277774

The distinctive Baldwin RF-16 with ‘Sharknose’ design comes to Train Simulator, from Digital Train Model.

In 1948, Baldwin Locomotive Works began to apply a new ‘Sharknose’ body style to its cab unit diesel locomotives, partly to differentiate Baldwin locomotives from its competitors, but also to distance the new locomotives from early Baldwin diesels that were plagued with mechanical problems.

The ‘Sharknose’ style was inspired by the Pennsylvania Railroad’s T1 class duplex steam locomotive, some of which were built by Baldwin. The first locomotives to receive the new styling were the Baldwin DR-6-4-20, which was carried through subsequent Baldwin locomotives, including the RF-16.

The RF-16 quickly gained a reputation as a reliable and rugged locomotive with heavy pulling power. Many of the units saw service hauling coal drags, where these characteristics were put to best use.

A total of 109 cab-equipped A units were built between November 1950 and May 1953, along with 51 cabless booster B units, for three main railroads - the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, New York Central Railroad and the Pennsylvania Railroad.

Withdrawals of the Class began in the early 1960s and by 1971, all but two of the units had been sold for scrap – units 1205 and 1216 were to be scrapped in 1974, but were saved by the Delaware and Hudson Railroad for freight services until 1981. The two units have since reportedly been stored on the Escanaba and Lake Superior Railroad, inside a warehouse that is inaccessible to the public.

The Baldwin RF-16 ‘Sharknose’ for Train Simulator, from Digital Train Model, is available in Pennsylvania Railroad livery and features position lights, number board lights, cab and instrument lighting, engine room lights, opening cab doors and windows, and cab heater. Also included are a number of freight cars, including a 40ft Boxcar, 50ft Boxcar, 53ft Flatcar, Tank Car and Caboose.

The locomotive is also Quick Drive compatible, giving you the freedom to drive the PRR RF-16 ‘Sharknose’ on any Quick Drive enabled route for Train Simulator, such as those available through Steam. Also included are scenarios specifically for the Horseshoe Curve route (available separately and required to play these scenarios).

02/07/2015

Today we have released update 52.2A for Train Simulator 2015.

This update contains the following changes:

UI Improvements

Added feature to generate random Quick Drive combinations.
Fixed the display of XP accumulation in the Front End screens.
Fixed inability to use an Xbox controller for various options in the Front End.
Fixed the display of Russian prices in the In-Game store.

Language Improvements

Improved localisation support for the core aspects of TS2015.
Added localisable Cab Tool Tips in Engine Blueprints for content creators.

Sky Improvements

Fixed the white effect obscuring distant scenery.
Fixed the howling wind and speedy clouds in Quick Drive scenarios when Dynamic skies are active.

Operational Bugs

Fixed the era date not being used in Quick Drive to generate appropriate AI.
Fixed inability to use 'Virtual' controls for Dynamic and Locomotive brakes for content creators.

Miscellaneous

Improved the rendering of water on lofts.
Added support for the upload of Free Roam and Quick Drive scenarios to Workshop.
Added support for MD5 check files to be uploaded to Workshop with community created Career scenarios.
Continued improvements to RailDriver.dll following feedback from the community.
Removed Trademarked logo from place holder texture for Texture Block asset.

This update should download automatically upon logging in to Steam and is around 45MB in size.

02/07/2015

Today we have released update 52.2A for Train Simulator 2015.

This update contains the following changes:

UI Improvements

Added feature to generate random Quick Drive combinations.
Fixed the display of XP accumulation in the Front End screens.
Fixed inability to use an Xbox controller for various options in the Front End.
Fixed the display of Russian prices in the In-Game store.

Language Improvements

Improved localisation support for the core aspects of TS2015.
Added localisable Cab Tool Tips in Engine Blueprints for content creators.

Sky Improvements

Fixed the white effect obscuring distant scenery.
Fixed the howling wind and speedy clouds in Quick Drive scenarios when Dynamic skies are active.

Operational Bugs

Fixed the era date not being used in Quick Drive to generate appropriate AI.
Fixed inability to use 'Virtual' controls for Dynamic and Locomotive brakes for content creators.

Miscellaneous

Improved the rendering of water on lofts.
Added support for the upload of Free Roam and Quick Drive scenarios to Workshop.
Added support for MD5 check files to be uploaded to Workshop with community created Career scenarios.
Continued improvements to RailDriver.dll following feedback from the community.
Removed Trademarked logo from place holder texture for Texture Block asset.

This update should download automatically upon logging in to Steam and is around 45MB in size.

25/06/2015

http://store.steampowered.com/app/277778

The classic Class 105 diesel multiple unit comes to Train Simulator, perfect for the stunning Weardale & Teesdale Network route.

Built by Cravens of Sheffield between 1956 and 1959, the Class 105 operated throughout the UK on branch lines and rural services in East Anglia, North West and North East England, and also parts of southern Scotland. The Class 105 could also found on suburban routes out of London King’s Cross before electrification.

Once the stable of North East railways, operating alongside their superior cousins, the Class 101, most of the units that operated in that area were based at the DMU Maintenance Depot at Bank Top, Darlington. However, some units were based at Heaton Depot, Newcastle and operated local services to Sunderland, Hartlepool and Durham.

Some Cravens Class 105s were designated as Class 106s, due to them being fitted with different engines; however they were all later re-classified to Class 105. They were also based on the BR Mk1 coach body, underframe and bogies, Cravens having built a number of these coaches for British Rail previously.

Nineteen of the Class ran as three car units, but all of the centre cars had been withdrawn and re-used in Class 101 trains by 1970. None of the units were selected for refurbishment as they were candidates for early withdrawal, however they operated in passenger service until 1988 in their BR Corporate Blue livery.


The Class has also fared badly in preservation, with only three vehicles preserved today; a number of cars were also purchased and sectioned for use as store rooms on North Sea gas platforms, although it is not known whether any of these sections survived.

The Class 105 for Train Simulator is available in British Railways Green livery and features a working gear lever, wipers, engine start/stop, AWS, headlamps and tail markers, and changeable numberboards.

The locomotive is also Quick Drive compatible, giving you the freedom to drive the BR Class 105 on any Quick Drive enabled route for Train Simulator, such as those available through Steam. Also included are scenarios specifically for the Weardale & Teesdale Network route (available separately and required to play these scenarios).

25/06/2015

http://store.steampowered.com/app/277778

The classic Class 105 diesel multiple unit comes to Train Simulator, perfect for the stunning Weardale & Teesdale Network route.

Built by Cravens of Sheffield between 1956 and 1959, the Class 105 operated throughout the UK on branch lines and rural services in East Anglia, North West and North East England, and also parts of southern Scotland. The Class 105 could also found on suburban routes out of London King’s Cross before electrification.

Once the stable of North East railways, operating alongside their superior cousins, the Class 101, most of the units that operated in that area were based at the DMU Maintenance Depot at Bank Top, Darlington. However, some units were based at Heaton Depot, Newcastle and operated local services to Sunderland, Hartlepool and Durham.

Some Cravens Class 105s were designated as Class 106s, due to them being fitted with different engines; however they were all later re-classified to Class 105. They were also based on the BR Mk1 coach body, underframe and bogies, Cravens having built a number of these coaches for British Rail previously.

Nineteen of the Class ran as three car units, but all of the centre cars had been withdrawn and re-used in Class 101 trains by 1970. None of the units were selected for refurbishment as they were candidates for early withdrawal, however they operated in passenger service until 1988 in their BR Corporate Blue livery.


The Class has also fared badly in preservation, with only three vehicles preserved today; a number of cars were also purchased and sectioned for use as store rooms on North Sea gas platforms, although it is not known whether any of these sections survived.

The Class 105 for Train Simulator is available in British Railways Green livery and features a working gear lever, wipers, engine start/stop, AWS, headlamps and tail markers, and changeable numberboards.

The locomotive is also Quick Drive compatible, giving you the freedom to drive the BR Class 105 on any Quick Drive enabled route for Train Simulator, such as those available through Steam. Also included are scenarios specifically for the Weardale & Teesdale Network route (available separately and required to play these scenarios).

25/06/2015

http://store.steampowered.com/app/277777

Some of the north east of England’s oldest and most important railway lines come together in the stunning new Weardale & Teesdale Network route for Train Simulator.

The broad network of railway lines connected some of the north east’s largest town and cities with collieries across the Pennines, with the first line opening in 1825 that connected the collieries near Shildon with Stockton-on-Tees via Darlington.

At this time, the line was a mere 25 miles in length, but by 1860 it had grown considerably with extensions and branches to virtually every corner of Weardale and Teesdale, covering more than 200 miles. The original line is probably most famous as being the world’s first public railway to use steam locomotives when they were first introduced in 1833.

The area was linked with a prestigious and long list of railway heritage, with several railway-related works and engineering facilities to be found throughout the network. Darlington Railway Works, responsible for the building of many steam and diesel locomotives, was built in 1863 and survived until the Beeching Axe in 1966. Shildon Railway Works, known locally as ‘The Wagon Works’ as it built many of British Rail’s freight revenue vehicles, is also a famous landmark in the area, closing only recently in 1984 and now home to ‘Locomotion’, the National Railway Museum’s second site.

Much of this extensive railway network and many of those famous landmarks suffered at the hands of Dr Beeching, whose sweeping changes to the British rail network in the 1960s closed many of the branch lines to passenger traffic. As collieries closed and freight traffic reduced, by 1980 there was virtually nothing left of the famous routes as they were once known.

Towns such as Crook, Tow Law, Barnard Castle, Piercebridge and Bishop Auckland – once bustling railway towns – lost their stations and trackbed lifted, and today visitors to the area would never believe they once had such a rich railway heritage.

The Weardale and & Teesdale Network faithfully recreates the main lines and branch lines around the area as they were between 1950 and 1960, just before the Beeching closures, recreating almost all of the 200 miles of rail lines between Durham City, Darlington, Middleton-in-Teesdale and Wearhead.

Classic BR green liveried diesel traction is also represented, in the guise of the Class 08, Class 25, Class 37 and Class 101, along with Mk1 blood and custard coaching stock and a number of freight wagons, including a 21t Mineral Hopper, 16t Mineral Wagon, Five Plank Mineral Wagon, Six-Wheel Milk Tanker, Presflo Bulk Powders Wagon, 20t Bitumen Tank Wagon, 20t Toad E Brake Van and 10t Cattle Van.

Also new for the route is a diesel brake tender ‘slug’ in BR green livery, alongside prototypical LNER semaphore and colour light signalling throughout the route.

25/06/2015

http://store.steampowered.com/app/277777

Some of the north east of England’s oldest and most important railway lines come together in the stunning new Weardale & Teesdale Network route for Train Simulator.

The broad network of railway lines connected some of the north east’s largest town and cities with collieries across the Pennines, with the first line opening in 1825 that connected the collieries near Shildon with Stockton-on-Tees via Darlington.

At this time, the line was a mere 25 miles in length, but by 1860 it had grown considerably with extensions and branches to virtually every corner of Weardale and Teesdale, covering more than 200 miles. The original line is probably most famous as being the world’s first public railway to use steam locomotives when they were first introduced in 1833.

The area was linked with a prestigious and long list of railway heritage, with several railway-related works and engineering facilities to be found throughout the network. Darlington Railway Works, responsible for the building of many steam and diesel locomotives, was built in 1863 and survived until the Beeching Axe in 1966. Shildon Railway Works, known locally as ‘The Wagon Works’ as it built many of British Rail’s freight revenue vehicles, is also a famous landmark in the area, closing only recently in 1984 and now home to ‘Locomotion’, the National Railway Museum’s second site.

Much of this extensive railway network and many of those famous landmarks suffered at the hands of Dr Beeching, whose sweeping changes to the British rail network in the 1960s closed many of the branch lines to passenger traffic. As collieries closed and freight traffic reduced, by 1980 there was virtually nothing left of the famous routes as they were once known.

Towns such as Crook, Tow Law, Barnard Castle, Piercebridge and Bishop Auckland – once bustling railway towns – lost their stations and trackbed lifted, and today visitors to the area would never believe they once had such a rich railway heritage.

The Weardale and & Teesdale Network faithfully recreates the main lines and branch lines around the area as they were between 1950 and 1960, just before the Beeching closures, recreating almost all of the 200 miles of rail lines between Durham City, Darlington, Middleton-in-Teesdale and Wearhead.

Classic BR green liveried diesel traction is also represented, in the guise of the Class 08, Class 25, Class 37 and Class 101, along with Mk1 blood and custard coaching stock and a number of freight wagons, including a 21t Mineral Hopper, 16t Mineral Wagon, Five Plank Mineral Wagon, Six-Wheel Milk Tanker, Presflo Bulk Powders Wagon, 20t Bitumen Tank Wagon, 20t Toad E Brake Van and 10t Cattle Van.

Also new for the route is a diesel brake tender ‘slug’ in BR green livery, alongside prototypical LNER semaphore and colour light signalling throughout the route.

23/06/2015

http://store.steampowered.com/app/277776

One of the most versatile German electric locomotives, the BR 120, is now here for Train Simulator in distinctive Deutsche Bahn ‘Regio’ livery.

The BR 120 was originally designed to replace the impressive BR 103, and was one of the first electric locomotives to feature three-phase motors, as widely used throughout modern electric locomotives.

Intended to be the first truly universal locomotive with capability to haul fast passenger trains and heavy freight loads, prototypes of the class were delivered in the late 1970s and more than 60 models entered service in the late 1980s. The BR 120 locomotives are still widely used throughout Germany today.

Weighing in at 84 tons and delivering 7500hp of power, these lightweight locomotives are versatile for virtually any route, and with a top speed of 200km/h (124mph).

The BR 120 for Train Simulator is available in Deutsche Bahn ‘Regio Red’ livery and features PZB, LZB and SIFA functionality. Also included are new IC coaches.

The locomotive is also Quick Drive compatible, giving you the freedom to drive the DB BR 120 on any Quick Drive enabled route for Train Simulator, such as those available through Steam. Also included are scenarios specifically for the The Rhine Railway: Mannheim-Karlsruhe route (available separately and required to play these scenarios).

23/06/2015

http://store.steampowered.com/app/277776

One of the most versatile German electric locomotives, the BR 120, is now here for Train Simulator in distinctive Deutsche Bahn ‘Regio’ livery.

The BR 120 was originally designed to replace the impressive BR 103, and was one of the first electric locomotives to feature three-phase motors, as widely used throughout modern electric locomotives.

Intended to be the first truly universal locomotive with capability to haul fast passenger trains and heavy freight loads, prototypes of the class were delivered in the late 1970s and more than 60 models entered service in the late 1980s. The BR 120 locomotives are still widely used throughout Germany today.

Weighing in at 84 tons and delivering 7500hp of power, these lightweight locomotives are versatile for virtually any route, and with a top speed of 200km/h (124mph).

The BR 120 for Train Simulator is available in Deutsche Bahn ‘Regio Red’ livery and features PZB, LZB and SIFA functionality. Also included are new IC coaches.

The locomotive is also Quick Drive compatible, giving you the freedom to drive the DB BR 120 on any Quick Drive enabled route for Train Simulator, such as those available through Steam. Also included are scenarios specifically for the The Rhine Railway: Mannheim-Karlsruhe route (available separately and required to play these scenarios).