03/11/2017

http://store.steampowered.com/app/621922

Traverse the stunning Upper Rhine and Black Forest Railways in this incredibly-detailed and picturesque route courtesy of Partner Programme developer Maik Goltz.

Set upon the stunning landscape of Baden-Württemberg, the Upper Rhine and Black Forest Railways serve as key links between major hubs throughout the state and beyond. Two of these hubs are more specifically the cities of Villingen, which is home to over 81000, and Konstanz at the southern tip of Germany, slightly larger at 83000 residents.

These two cities are connected by more than 90km of scenic inter-city rail. From Konstanz, the line starts off as the Upper Rhine Railway, which has followed the path of the great river since the 1840s. The Upper Rhine Railway stretches all the way from Mannheim down to the Swiss city of Basel, before sharply darting east and following, plus frequently crossing, the German-Swiss border all the way to Konstanz. Trains from Konstanz, bound for Villingen, follow this path as far as Singen.

At Singen, the line splits with the Upper Rhine continuing west, onward to Schaffhausen, Lauchringen, Basel and Mannheim. Meanwhile, the line to Villingen heads northwards. This diverging route is in fact the start of the famed Black Forest Railway.

Opened in 1866, the Black Forest Railway itself spans over 140 km and is laden with incredibly steep gradients, twists and turns to effectively navigate through the towering firs and packed valleys. Populous settlements such as Hausach and Donaueschingen were connected by rail, and south of Villingen, so was Immendingen, the starting point of the equally scenic Wutachtalbahn.

In Train Simulator, the 90km Konstanz-Villingen route authentically recreates scenic sections of the Upper Rhine and Black Forest Railways as they were between 1998 and 2002. The route is packed with no less than 4 different signalling types, including semaphores, and offers exquisite detailing throughout every station, every turn, every inch!

03/11/2017

http://store.steampowered.com/app/621922

Traverse the stunning Upper Rhine and Black Forest Railways in this incredibly-detailed and picturesque route courtesy of Partner Programme developer Maik Goltz.

Set upon the stunning landscape of Baden-Württemberg, the Upper Rhine and Black Forest Railways serve as key links between major hubs throughout the state and beyond. Two of these hubs are more specifically the cities of Villingen, which is home to over 81000, and Konstanz at the southern tip of Germany, slightly larger at 83000 residents.

These two cities are connected by more than 90km of scenic inter-city rail. From Konstanz, the line starts off as the Upper Rhine Railway, which has followed the path of the great river since the 1840s. The Upper Rhine Railway stretches all the way from Mannheim down to the Swiss city of Basel, before sharply darting east and following, plus frequently crossing, the German-Swiss border all the way to Konstanz. Trains from Konstanz, bound for Villingen, follow this path as far as Singen.

At Singen, the line splits with the Upper Rhine continuing west, onward to Schaffhausen, Lauchringen, Basel and Mannheim. Meanwhile, the line to Villingen heads northwards. This diverging route is in fact the start of the famed Black Forest Railway.

Opened in 1866, the Black Forest Railway itself spans over 140 km and is laden with incredibly steep gradients, twists and turns to effectively navigate through the towering firs and packed valleys. Populous settlements such as Hausach and Donaueschingen were connected by rail, and south of Villingen, so was Immendingen, the starting point of the equally scenic Wutachtalbahn.

In Train Simulator, the 90km Konstanz-Villingen route authentically recreates scenic sections of the Upper Rhine and Black Forest Railways as they were between 1998 and 2002. The route is packed with no less than 4 different signalling types, including semaphores, and offers exquisite detailing throughout every station, every turn, every inch!

In response to your important feedback on a variety of add-ons available for Train Simulator 2017, we have today released an update on Master Key Simulations’ behalf for the BR Class 460.

Here’s a list of what has been addressed:

• Fixed an issue where sound was glitching and the simulation was freezing
  
• Fixed an issue where the AWS alarm cuts out or doesn’t sound correctly
  
• In ‘1U43 Stewarts Lane – Three Bridges’, fixed an issue where passenger loading could not take place at London Victoria
  
• In ‘1U21 Gatwick Airport to London Victoria’, fixed an issue with a crawling train at Gatwick Airport

If you own the BR Class 460, the update will download automatically from Steam. If you have any problems/queries with regard to the update, leave a comment below or submit a ticket to our support site where our Support Team will be ready to assist.

If you do not yet own the BR Class 460, why not? Fulfill exciting Gatwick Express action on the bustling Brighton Main Line today! Head to the Store!

The BR Class 460 update will be approximately 37 MB in size.

In response to your important feedback on a variety of add-ons available for Train Simulator 2017, we have today released an update on Master Key Simulations’ behalf for the BR Class 460.

Here’s a list of what has been addressed:

• Fixed an issue where sound was glitching and the simulation was freezing
  
• Fixed an issue where the AWS alarm cuts out or doesn’t sound correctly
  
• In ‘1U43 Stewarts Lane – Three Bridges’, fixed an issue where passenger loading could not take place at London Victoria
  
• In ‘1U21 Gatwick Airport to London Victoria’, fixed an issue with a crawling train at Gatwick Airport

If you own the BR Class 460, the update will download automatically from Steam. If you have any problems/queries with regard to the update, leave a comment below or submit a ticket to our support site where our Support Team will be ready to assist.

If you do not yet own the BR Class 460, why not? Fulfill exciting Gatwick Express action on the bustling Brighton Main Line today! Head to the Store!

The BR Class 460 update will be approximately 37 MB in size.

26/10/2017

http://store.steampowered.com/app/621923/Train_Simulator_Southern_Pacific_SD45T2_Loco_AddOn/

Southern Pacific’s Electro-Motive SD45T-2 was born to battle mountains – and now the famed and rugged SP “Tunnel Motor” is ready for Train Simulator service!

In 1972, Electro-Motive introduced become its landmark “Dash 2” series of locomotives. An evolutionary refinement of EMD’s “40 Line” of diesels, the Dash 2 locomotives featured improved traction motors and alternators, strengthened components in the EMD 645-power plant, and solid-state modular components in the electrical and control systems. Among the “Dash 2” line was a standard SD45-2, but giant Southern Pacific issued a special request to EMD to better equip its locomotives to operate efficiently in the harsh and hot conditions found within SP’s long tunnels and snow sheds. Accordingly, the 3,600-horsepower, six-axle SD45T-2 (the “T” standing for “Tunnel”) was designed with rear air intakes located right above the frame to access cleaner air in tunnels and snow sheds and radiators placed at the top of the boxy rear of the locomotive. The SD45T-2s immediately earned the nickname “Tunnel Motors.”

Southern Pacific (and subsidiary Cotton Belt) acquired 247 SD45T-2s between 1972 and 1975, and the locomotives could be found working system wide. But, of course, the SD45T-2s had been created to work in mountain country and the rugged “Tunnel Motors” were most at home, and most impressive to witness, battling the railroad’s famed mountain crossing such as Donner Pass, Tehachapi, and the remote Cascade Line.

The Southern Pacific SD45T-2 comes to Train Simulator provided in three authentic SP liveries: SP’s Tunnel Motors were delivered in the railroad’s traditional scarlet and gray livery, later wore a similar livery with large and flashy “speed lettering,” and 14 SD45T-2s are known to have be dressed in the red-and-yellow “Kodachrome” livery intended for the aborted merger of Southern Pacific with the Santa Fe. Along with these liveries, the SP SD45T-2 is also provided with standard and “L” style windshield designs, and with winter snow covering.

And that’s not all. The pack features a remarkable selection of freight equipment, including a Gunderson articulated 5-table Twin-Stack car (in empty, single-stack, and double-stack configurations); a 50-foot “Hydra-Cushion” livery SP boxcar; Pacific Fruit Express R-70-12 mechanical refrigerator car; and a SP C40-7 steel bay-window caboose. The pack also features five career scenarios for use on the Train Simulator Donner Pass route (route available separately) and, is Quick-Drive compatible. Southern Pacific’s distinctive “Tunnel Motor” -- the Electro-Motive SD45T-2 – is now ready to go to work in Train Simulator!

26/10/2017

http://store.steampowered.com/app/621923/Train_Simulator_Southern_Pacific_SD45T2_Loco_AddOn/

Southern Pacific’s Electro-Motive SD45T-2 was born to battle mountains – and now the famed and rugged SP “Tunnel Motor” is ready for Train Simulator service!

In 1972, Electro-Motive introduced become its landmark “Dash 2” series of locomotives. An evolutionary refinement of EMD’s “40 Line” of diesels, the Dash 2 locomotives featured improved traction motors and alternators, strengthened components in the EMD 645-power plant, and solid-state modular components in the electrical and control systems. Among the “Dash 2” line was a standard SD45-2, but giant Southern Pacific issued a special request to EMD to better equip its locomotives to operate efficiently in the harsh and hot conditions found within SP’s long tunnels and snow sheds. Accordingly, the 3,600-horsepower, six-axle SD45T-2 (the “T” standing for “Tunnel”) was designed with rear air intakes located right above the frame to access cleaner air in tunnels and snow sheds and radiators placed at the top of the boxy rear of the locomotive. The SD45T-2s immediately earned the nickname “Tunnel Motors.”

Southern Pacific (and subsidiary Cotton Belt) acquired 247 SD45T-2s between 1972 and 1975, and the locomotives could be found working system wide. But, of course, the SD45T-2s had been created to work in mountain country and the rugged “Tunnel Motors” were most at home, and most impressive to witness, battling the railroad’s famed mountain crossing such as Donner Pass, Tehachapi, and the remote Cascade Line.

The Southern Pacific SD45T-2 comes to Train Simulator provided in three authentic SP liveries: SP’s Tunnel Motors were delivered in the railroad’s traditional scarlet and gray livery, later wore a similar livery with large and flashy “speed lettering,” and 14 SD45T-2s are known to have be dressed in the red-and-yellow “Kodachrome” livery intended for the aborted merger of Southern Pacific with the Santa Fe. Along with these liveries, the SP SD45T-2 is also provided with standard and “L” style windshield designs, and with winter snow covering.

And that’s not all. The pack features a remarkable selection of freight equipment, including a Gunderson articulated 5-table Twin-Stack car (in empty, single-stack, and double-stack configurations); a 50-foot “Hydra-Cushion” livery SP boxcar; Pacific Fruit Express R-70-12 mechanical refrigerator car; and a SP C40-7 steel bay-window caboose. The pack also features five career scenarios for use on the Train Simulator Donner Pass route (route available separately) and, is Quick-Drive compatible. Southern Pacific’s distinctive “Tunnel Motor” -- the Electro-Motive SD45T-2 – is now ready to go to work in Train Simulator!

Owners of REX 4 Texture Direct have something to get excited about today, with the add-on being updated to the Enhanced Edition. Featuring 2GB of new textures, emphasizing the cloud line and atmosphere.

New: 3D Clouds including unique cloud base structures
New! Updated vibrant sky dawn, day, and dusk textures. Includes improved transitional algorithms during dawn and dusk times, properly balanced terrain light and shadow values.

New: Enhanced sun, corona, glow, flares, and special effects, giving the most realistic renditions of atmospheric conditions. Panning around your aircraft at different angles during beginning or end of the day will yield just how dynamic these effects are. Rendered for DX9, DX10, and DX11

New: For the first ever, experience more realistic in-cloud, cloud to cloud, and cloud to ground lightning effects.

If you've picked up REX 4 then your add-on should automatically update, alternatively the Enhanced Edition is available for purchase now.

Owners of REX 4 Texture Direct have something to get excited about today, with the add-on being updated to the Enhanced Edition. Featuring 2GB of new textures, emphasizing the cloud line and atmosphere.

New: 3D Clouds including unique cloud base structures
New! Updated vibrant sky dawn, day, and dusk textures. Includes improved transitional algorithms during dawn and dusk times, properly balanced terrain light and shadow values.

New: Enhanced sun, corona, glow, flares, and special effects, giving the most realistic renditions of atmospheric conditions. Panning around your aircraft at different angles during beginning or end of the day will yield just how dynamic these effects are. Rendered for DX9, DX10, and DX11

New: For the first ever, experience more realistic in-cloud, cloud to cloud, and cloud to ground lightning effects.

If you've picked up REX 4 then your add-on should automatically update, alternatively the Enhanced Edition is available for purchase now.

19/10/2017

http://store.steampowered.com/app/500212

The Southern Railway’s 2-HAL, a once-classic on the commuter scene, makes a comeback in this detailed add-on for Train Simulator!

Derived from the 2-BIL EMUs of the Southern Railway, the 2-HAL fleet was built with the purpose of populating the spate of newly-electrified main lines in Kent – from London Victoria and Charing Cross to Gillingham and Maidstone. The electrification project was monumental, and would transform the Chatham Main, North Kent and Medway Valley lines into how they more-or-less stand today.

As the railways were modernised, engineers at Eastleigh and Lancing Works began to produce a fleet of 76 brand new electric multiple units. The on-order fleet for the Southern Railway was of similar specification to the older 2-BIL, the most significant change was half as many toilets (Bi–Lavatory/Half Lavatory), however differences in construction lead to quite a different aesthetic for the new units.

The construction of the 2-HALs beat the electrification project, and so the new fleet was ran-in on the Southern Railway’s central section – running suburban services out of London Victoria – until Kent’s modernisation was complete. 2-HALs would finally arrive in Kent, more specifically the Chatham Main Line, in July 1939, and get to work on commuter services to Maidstone and Gillingham.

Services formed of 2-HAL sets, typically in 8 or 10-car formation (8/10-HAL), would depart London Victoria and split at the relocated Swanley station, with each half bound for Gillingham and Maidstone respectively, before performing the opposite operation on the journey back up to the capital. 2-HALs would also work the North Kent “metro” services, them too splitting at Strood and serving Gillingham and Maidstone out of London Charing Cross & Cannon Street.

Perhaps the most prestigious working that the 2-HALs partook was long distance services from Gillingham to Portsmouth, these weekend excursions were mainly put in place for naval personnel but could also accommodate regular passengers. The popularity of the 2-HALs was so just, that a second batch was fulfilled at the outbreak of war.

The Second World War was harsh on the 2-HALs, but none were totally destroyed, instead they would survive beyond the conflict and eventually wind up on the Brighton Main Line in the advent of the 1955 Kent Coast electrification scheme. The final passenger work for the 2-HALs, which had now been officially re-classified as the BR Class 402, was on the Coastway routes out of Brighton.

Some Class 402s were re-purposed as parcel stock, but all services ceased in 1971. Throughout the next several years, the entire fleet would be sold for scrap, none survived into preservation. The 2-HALs’ story has spanned decades, and a new chapter is opened as this Kentish classic is ready to enjoy in Train Simulator!

19/10/2017

http://store.steampowered.com/app/500212

The Southern Railway’s 2-HAL, a once-classic on the commuter scene, makes a comeback in this detailed add-on for Train Simulator!

Derived from the 2-BIL EMUs of the Southern Railway, the 2-HAL fleet was built with the purpose of populating the spate of newly-electrified main lines in Kent – from London Victoria and Charing Cross to Gillingham and Maidstone. The electrification project was monumental, and would transform the Chatham Main, North Kent and Medway Valley lines into how they more-or-less stand today.

As the railways were modernised, engineers at Eastleigh and Lancing Works began to produce a fleet of 76 brand new electric multiple units. The on-order fleet for the Southern Railway was of similar specification to the older 2-BIL, the most significant change was half as many toilets (Bi–Lavatory/Half Lavatory), however differences in construction lead to quite a different aesthetic for the new units.

The construction of the 2-HALs beat the electrification project, and so the new fleet was ran-in on the Southern Railway’s central section – running suburban services out of London Victoria – until Kent’s modernisation was complete. 2-HALs would finally arrive in Kent, more specifically the Chatham Main Line, in July 1939, and get to work on commuter services to Maidstone and Gillingham.

Services formed of 2-HAL sets, typically in 8 or 10-car formation (8/10-HAL), would depart London Victoria and split at the relocated Swanley station, with each half bound for Gillingham and Maidstone respectively, before performing the opposite operation on the journey back up to the capital. 2-HALs would also work the North Kent “metro” services, them too splitting at Strood and serving Gillingham and Maidstone out of London Charing Cross & Cannon Street.

Perhaps the most prestigious working that the 2-HALs partook was long distance services from Gillingham to Portsmouth, these weekend excursions were mainly put in place for naval personnel but could also accommodate regular passengers. The popularity of the 2-HALs was so just, that a second batch was fulfilled at the outbreak of war.

The Second World War was harsh on the 2-HALs, but none were totally destroyed, instead they would survive beyond the conflict and eventually wind up on the Brighton Main Line in the advent of the 1955 Kent Coast electrification scheme. The final passenger work for the 2-HALs, which had now been officially re-classified as the BR Class 402, was on the Coastway routes out of Brighton.

Some Class 402s were re-purposed as parcel stock, but all services ceased in 1971. Throughout the next several years, the entire fleet would be sold for scrap, none survived into preservation. The 2-HALs’ story has spanned decades, and a new chapter is opened as this Kentish classic is ready to enjoy in Train Simulator!