Good day, train lovers! The day has come: we have arrived at the final station, where the last locomotive is waiting for you, the one that inspired us to create a game model. We have come a long way and at the end of it we get such a bright specimen of the railway progress. If you have played first Train Valley, you probably remember its predecessor, the fastest green handsome Shinkansen E5. Today we will meet its younger relative: Shinkansen E6 Series!

If we’re talking about high-speed trains, there’s only one place where this trip should end to come full circle: the very place where they started speeding up, that is, Japan. The first true high-speed train was the Tokaido Shinkansen, which began service in 1964 just a few days before the Tokyo Olympics. It was a real revolution! For the first time, it was possible to go back and forth Tokyo and Osaka, the two largest Japanese cities, in the same day: it started as a 4 hours trip, but in just a few months they managed to shorten it to three hours and ten minutes.

This train was quickly nicknamed “the Bullet Train” for the bullet-like shape of its nose. It was an immediate success – so much that it changed the whole way of making business in Japan, and the life of the Japanese as a whole since it allowed day work trips between these two capital cities for their economy. In less than three years it reached the 100 million passenger mark – and an impressive figure of one billion passengers in 1976. Its success convinced the authorities to extend the high-speed rail network – and it was a living example of success that helped to convince the world of the advantages of high-speed rails. Without the shade of a doubt, this is one of the many instances of train transportation well implemented changing society for good.

(Photo from Wikipedia)

The E6 series is their latest evolution. The first bullet trains ran at a maximum of 210 km/h; today’s Shinkansen are capable of reaching a max speed of 320 km/h. In order to reach their famed speed and regularity, the Shinkansen employs some of the most advanced technology. For a start, their rail lines are completely separated from conventional lines and designed to help trains reach their full potential with as few curves as possible. It has the usual Bo’Bo’ wheel arrangement of these trains; its engines use (via pantograph) a highly powered overhead in order to overcome the limitations of the direct current that power the Japanese electrified rails.

We’re talking about engines because, as happens with lots of high-speed trains, the E6 Shinkansen doesn’t have a locomotive as such; instead, each car is individually powered, which allows for faster acceleration and deceleration. This is very important for the Shinkansen since it has more stops than any other high-speed train in the world; it needs that extra kick so as not to lose too much time with every stop. And the living testament of the advanced technology of the Shinkansen is its safety: in his whole history, the Shinkansen trains never have had an accident. The E6 series, the one operating as of today, started its service in March 2013 and has no expiration date yet.

Its in-game counterpart has the same sleek, nimble features that make the Bullet Trains look like something directly from a sci-fi movie… and of course, its iconic bullet-shaped nose. This train is ready to take you all the way to the future without even slowing down – and in the most comfortable ride of your life too!

In the past months, we’ve come a long way. We started our trip in the early days of train transportations, discovering some of the iconic locomotives of the Steam Golden Era. We saw these monsters of coal and smoke evolving into faster and more efficient machines, then switching to diesel to travel through mountains and plains all across the world. As time passed trains became cleaner with electric-powered locomotives; then high-speed trains came and started spreading all over the world. And afterward? Who knows what the future will bring, but this we know: there will be trains in it!

It’s been a wonderful journey: we’ve enjoyed a lot writing this historical vignettes, and we hope you had fun discovering the trains that inspired the ones you can use in the game. Thanks a lot for joining us for this trip and for playing Train Valley 2, of course. May your trains run fast, safe, and on time!

----
:tvhook: Train Valley 2 Discord Server.
:tv2computer: Our Twitter.

Hello everyone! The latest edition of Choo-Choo Weekly is at your doorstep, and there are fresh winners in it, ruddy like morning croissants in a bakery across the road. Pour coffee or fresh tea and get ready to discover the most outstanding works in our workshop this week. Let's go!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1738243970 You are already familiar with works of this guy ‒ @The Good, The Bad and The Dudley again makes us happy with his new map. It's just about rockets. You need only a few. In fact, you get into full-scale production of shuttles from scratch. Everything falls on your shoulders: from coal mining to engineers training at universities. And try to keep it within 40 minutes (we were not immediately able to do it). As they say in Russia, "How do you like this, Elon Musk?"

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1734753544 While waiting for the prized pin from the “Let’s play together” contest, @yaroslav4tv made a new level. Residents of windy steppes are building a new city, surrounded by low hills, to take cover in silence and calm. Alas, the rock is so hard that you can’t cut tunnels in it. The new valley has only one entrance and you need to correctly develop a schedule to make the most efficient use of available tracks and trains. Great job, @yaroslav4tv, your map goes to Featured!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1736570921 The winner today is @BlaxlandAlex3 with “Lighthouse Point”. Here is a small port area with small factories that work at full force. This is a paradise for engineers and high-tech industries. This map is rich in alternative routes, try to find all of them! Very professional work, you can find something new with each subsequent try. We’re happy to send a $10 Steam Gift Card to @BlaxlandAlex3 and add “Lighthouse Point” to Featured so you can replay it a few more times.

That was a great week! We will publish the final issue of our historical blog very soon ‒ only one locomotive remains. In the meantime, you can practice your skills on your favorite maps to prepare for our traditional Friday competition. See you later, friends! :tv2conductor: :tvloco:

----
:tvhook: Train Valley 2 Discord Server.
:tv2computer: Our Twitter.

Good day, train lovers! This is the last station before our final destination: today and in the next post, we’ll have a look at the historical counterparts of the very last two locomotives you can find in Train Valley 2. We’re looking into present day now: these are trains that you can easily find and ride. Comparatively clean, insanely fast, and safest than ever, today’s trains are small moving marvels of cutting-edge technology. For the first leg of this journey we’re going to France, so brace yourselves, for this train goes really fast!

The TGV is the whole line of French high-speed trains (the letters stand just for “Train à Grand Vitesse”). Its first prototype was built in 1969 and funny enough they worked with gas turbines (basically burning gas oil to produce energy) instead of electricity. Regardless of their performance, the 1973 energy crisis prompted the French authorities to discard this prototype, deeming it to be uneconomic. On the other hand, France had started building nuclear power stations all over the country, so there was plenty of (comparatively) cheap electricity to be used…

So, in the end, their engineers turned to electricity from overhead lines and took many of the new technologies developed for the failed TGV 001, like high-speed brakes, aerodynamics, and new signaling systems. Several years later, the first electric prototype was completed and deployed for testing, and after some trials, the French administration decided to commit to the TGV project and started to fund it for good. In 1980 the first high-speed line was opened. After a few years, a good part of the French territory was covered by high-speed rails; in 1994, the Eurostar service connected continental Europe to London crossing the Channel Tunnel.

(Photo from Wikipedia)

The POS itself is in service since 2006; it is a curious specimen, having been built by connecting single-deck carriages of the earlier TGV Réseau with new power cars – and the now free TGV Réseau power cars are also in use with other carriages in hybrid sets, so the Réseau spawned not one but two “lineages” of high-speed trains. The POS power cars have the particularity of being asynchronous: in case of failure, the broken engine can be isolated in order to make the rest work without its output, thus allowing it to reach the station to get fixed without interrupting the service.

The TGV is famed for its safety: it has never suffered a major accident in its entire history. But that’s not the only reason for its fame: it’s also insanely fast. The POS itself is a record-breaking train: in 2007 it set a new world speed record on conventional rails, reaching up to 574.8 km/h. Because the train was slightly modified for these trials, it is considered a somehow unofficial record – but this max speed is still impressive, especially when combined with the safety record of the TGV in general. So if you ever ride a TGV, enjoy the ride without worrying for a second at how fast you’re going!

Our in-game counterpart keeps the same slender, elegant lines, with the bullet-shaped nose and wide frontal window. You can also recognize its long and stretch lateral windows. It’s name is Champion, and you can guess why. This train won’t stop at anything to get you to your destination – and fast!

That's all for today! We have only one stage left to reach the final station, where we will get acquainted with the last high-speed train. It is truly legendary and is absolutely worthy to complete our long journey through the milestones of the history of train development. For us, railways are a very special world and we believe that the readers of our historical notes are starting to feel similarly (or we just reinforced this feeling). We are anxiously awaiting our next stop. See you later!

----
:tvhook: Train Valley 2 Discord Server.
:tv2computer: Our Twitter.

Welcome, friends! The latest issue of Cho-Cho Weekly is with you, in which we, as always, want to tell you about new works in the workshop. They are all very colorful and interesting, just like spring gardens in Keukenhof. Let’s see!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1727352542 Maestro @The Good, The Bad and The Dudley is seriously testing us for speed. The level is clearly divided into zones: raw materials, high-tech productions and "Wall Street". Don’t forget to send trains to the stock exchange! The playthrough of this map resembles a fiery dance, in which you need to quickly and harmoniously move all the limbs, while at the same time moving around the platform relative to the other dancers. It's important to complete the quest of making money in time because if you hold the last train with the products, you will fail the level. Look for this map in featured, you'll probably return to it more than once.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1733256061 We're pleased to present you the first work of our permanent participant of the Let’s Play Together competition @stev1eb. This is a story about the monks who derailed their strict fasting ‒ and then set off after it themselves. No, no catastrophe, just now there are more workers in the village, and on the high cliff, it deliciously smells of something fried. Life in these parts is quiet and measured, we advise you to carefully distribute the workers, they appear quite slowly! The excellent task with logistics and work with relief, the level deservedly goes to the featured. This is a very good start, @stev1eb, we’re waiting for your new work!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1729644442 The unconditional favorite today is the map from master @alphrost. Factories and Fjord Town are scattered along the shores of the bay, and all this is folded into an entertaining puzzle, which you don’t suspect at first glance. You will probably need several attempts to complete this level for 5 stars, but it is definitely worth all the effort. Very beautiful and compact map, even the power station is placed artistically. The works of this author stand out among the others because of thoughtful gameplay and attention to details. We recommend subscribing to @alphrost, who deservedly receives a €10 Steam gift card today!

Friends, tell us in the comments, what most often inspires you to create maps? Perhaps your stories will inspire others to create new worlds! And we briefly say goodbye until the next historical post. Stay tuned!

----
:tvhook: Train Valley 2 Discord Server.
:tv2computer: Our Twitter.

Hello friends! It's time to name the best level of April. And it is the triumphal return of Maestro Dudley and all his Planes, Trains and Automobiles!
https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1701586869
Our sincere congratulations to @Mr. Dudley with the second Train Valley Time cover! You rock! The prize is 30€ steam gift card and our Train Valley 2 pin!

Want to see your name on the next cover? It's absolutely real! Express your creativity! Open our level editor and play with it. It can be really fun! Jump in, we are waiting for you! :tv2conductor:

----
:tvhook: Train Valley 2 Discord Server.
:tv2computer: Our Twitter.

Good day, train lovers! It’s been a truly exciting week for us since Train Valley 2 departed from Full Release Station, but it was but another stop. The journey continues: today we resume our trip through the history of locomotives... which is, actually, also about to reach its final destination. In our last historical vignette, we discovered a Chinese locomotive, the SS8, and with it, we closed the chapter of the first Electric Era. Today we enter the second one, which we could say started around 1995 and is pretty much still underway. If the popularization of electric-powered engines was the landmark of the previous era, in this one the most important characteristic is the constant spreading of high-speed trains, which are slowly becoming the norm for long- and medium-distance travels in Europe and Asia.

There is no international standard as such, but trains operating over 250 km/h on new railway lines or over 150km/h in old lines are widely considered to be high-speed. They are not exactly new, though: the first one started operating in 1964 between Tokyo and Osaka. However, they weren’t really successful at the beginning. The first reason for that is its implementation costs: for a train to be high-speed they don’t just need fast and powerful locomotives, but also special rails and sometimes even new railway routes – after all, no matter how powerful your engine is, you can’t expect to go fast on a dirt track! High-speed trains are also mostly used for passenger transport, and that makes them only really efficient in highly populated areas.

For all these reasons, they only started to spread in the 90s, and only became really popular in Europe and Asia (as we explained in a previous post, America is a different story) the first years of the 21st century. We’re still living this process: high-speed lines are still being built all over the world as of today, for instance in the Arab world, China, and even Europe. Today we discover one of the most popular trains of this era in Germany: the EuroSprinter 64 U.

(Photo from Wikipedia)

The Eurosprinter is a whole family of electric locomotives built originally for the European market, but it became so popular that it spread as far as Korea, China, and the US. It’s got an important peculiarity: it’s completely modular, which facilitates its maintenance and makes it easier to customize to different lines. They are used both for passenger and freight work; its use is stated in their name: the U in 64 U stands for Universal use, while a freight Eurosprinter would wear an F (like the ES 64 F).

The first prototype of the Eurosprinter came up in 1992, and they went to mass production in 1996. With some variations, their production stopped in 2010. Thanks to its modular nature, they’re capable of working in many different situations – for instance, they are adapted to all four European electric systems. It’s got the well-known Bo’Bo’ configuration, and it’s usually capable of reaching up to 230 km/h with a power output of 6,400 kW (that’s where the 64 in its name come from!).

We say “usually” because the ES 64 U is officially the fastest conventional electric locomotive. In 2006, the locomotive 1216 025-5 reached a top speed of 357 km/h when doing tests before its delivery to the Austrian Federal Railways company ÖBB. This broke a record that had resisted since 1955 when SNCF's BB9004 attained 331 km/h between Lamothe and Morcenx on France

You can see the in-game counterpart of this locomotive, which features the same symmetrical appearance and its triangular side windows, and its long pantograph. It sorts of look like a two-headed snake, right? This beauty is ready to cross your best railway lines at full speed! That’s all for today! In the next post, we’ll discover a new locomotive that inspired the ones you can find in Train Valley 2, and continue our trip across the history of locomotives. Until then, we wish you a great week and a safe trip for your trains. Choo-choo! :tvloco:

----
:tvhook: Train Valley 2 Discord Server.
:tv2computer: Our Twitter.

Hello, friends! The latest issue of Choo-Choo Weekly is here. It seems that many have finished the main campaign and are charged with ideas for the use of new mechanics and decorations, many of which are already available in the level editor. Let's see what they did!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1721579741 Unusual map from @PureSativa. Five zones with the same production in which you make money. However, each next one makes them faster and it would be better for you not to linger in the early ones. Monochrome at first glance, after building all the rails the map looks like a laced canvas. Don’t forget to spend seven million! Great work, @PureSativa, definitely featured!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1725182530 This time, @h2onik invites us to the future and suggests to fantasize about how to colonize the satellite of Saturn. You already have experience colonizing Mars, so you can do it right. But pay extra attention to the power plant, you have no right to make mistakes. This gray, inhospitable celestial body will make anyone who can conquer it a titan. We promise your eye will be much more accurate after receiving all the stars on this map ;) Featured!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1721723430 Ahead of everyone today is @The Good, The Bad and The Dudley. The “Good” map is like a small box with a secret: so simple at the first glance, but capable of captivating you for a long time. You need to deliver only one good and you need to buy it, so the whole game you will be earning money for it. Do you think it's hard to make a million on such a small area? We tell you more ‒ you can do it in less than 9 minutes! “Good” goes to featured, and @...Dudley gets a €10 Steam gift card.

These are the results of the past week. Friends, we remind you that our workshop is a storehouse of inspiration and crazy ideas. There are almost 500 entries there already and anyone will find a map to their taste and skill. And we are sure that many of you have yet to contribute to this collection, so we remind you about the green “level editor” button. Be sure to try it, you will definitely like it! See you soon!

----
:tvhook: Train Valley 2 Discord Server.
:tv2computer: Our Twitter.

Good day, train lovers! It’s been a while since the full release of Train Valley 2; for us, it’s been (and still is) a super exciting period, but we are happy and incredibly grateful for the great reception of the game. We feel humbled by your passion and love, so first of all, we want to say thanks to all of our players. We also want to say that this is the start of the journey. We’re gathering all your feedback, and rest assured, there are future stations to look forward to!
But life (and trains) still goes on, and so do our series of historical vignettes about the real locomotives that have inspired the ones you can find and put to use in Train Valley 2. Prepare your luggage for a long, long trip, for today we’re crossing the world to the Popular Republic of China. Today we discover the SS8, a popular Chinese train – and the last one of our first generation of electric locomotives.

Before we dive into the locomotive of the day, it’s worth explaining a few key details about the history of rail transport in China – a history so turbulent that it helped to topple a ruling dynasty. Creating an efficient railroad network for a country so big that amounts to a whole continent is not exactly an easy endeavor – so much that we could say that they are still ongoing. On top of that, they started sort of late: by mid-19th century some top-level politicians and intellectuals called for the building of the first railways, but the very conservative Qing court rejected the idea. Apparently, they thought the steam engines were a “clever but useless” idea, and they feared the railways would eliminate natural defensive barriers and harm agriculture.
Because of this, the very first railroads in China were built by the British in Shanghai… but since it didn’t have approval from the Qing government, it was dismantled only a year afterward. Just a few years later, the Viceroy of Zhili managed to convince the Empress Dowager to build a railway line from a coal mine to a nearby city. In order to sway her, he built a 2 kilometers railway from her residence to her dining hall. Even though, according to stories, the Empress was worried that the steam locomotive would disturb the feng shui of the imperial city and had the train pulled by eunuch slaves, in the end, she approved the construction of the railway line.
In the next years, railway construction lived a fast development: China’s defeat in the first Sino-Japanese War convinced the government of the need for modernization – and the most powerful nations of the world were also pressing to get concessions to build railways, settlements, and mines in China. In the course of 15 years, Britain, France, Germany, the United States, Japan, Russia, and even Belgium build around 9,000 km of rails. This interference, in turn, angered the Chinese, which prompted the government to permit provinces to create local railway companies and sell shares to the public. Some of these provinces bankrupted, though, and the Qing government sought to nationalize these local companies and offer them to foreign banks in exchange for loans.
Now hold on tight, this gets interesting. This attempt at nationalization angered the public even more, and it sparked the creation of the Railway Protection Movement. The government dispatched troops to suppress this movement. A still-secret revolutionary movement took the opportunity to launch an attack, the Wuchan Uprising. And this uprising kickstarted the Xinhai Revolution, the war that overthrew the Qing Dynasty. In a nutshell: a two-thousand years old imperial dynasty ended because they tried to take some people’s trains away. You don’t mess with train lovers!
The first half of the 20th century was marked by World War II and the Chinese Civil War that established the Popular Republic of China. Some railways were dismantled as a war strategic measure, some others were created. In 1949, China had around 22,000 km of usable railway network – a low number for a country that big. After decades of war, the communist government rolled up their metaphorical sleeves and put themselves to work. In the first five years, 6,100 km of new railway were built. The Great Leap Forward was a mixed bag, with misguided efforts that pushed the Chinese railroad and engines beyond their capacity causing lots of accidents and problems. Ironically, they tried so hard that it actually slowed down the construction, in some places for decades.
Despite some improvements in the system, the Cultural Revolution slowed down the building of new railways, and only new 16,000 km were set (when their initial goal was of more than 100,000 km by the 70s). During the 80s construction pretty much stopped, with government money going elsewhere – although it was also the time when steam engines were replaced by diesel and electric locomotives. And we arrive at last at the protagonist of the day, the SS8.

(Photo from Wikipedia)

The Shaoshan 8 (SS8 from now on) is a semi-high-speed electric locomotive, the eighth iteration of the “dynasty” of Chinese electric locomotives. Diesel and electric engines took more time to become popular in China because labor was so cheap that steam was still under use until the 80s. The first SS1 was built during the 60s; the first SS8 was produced in 1994, and it's batch production started three years later. It’s a Bo’Bo’ machine, a quite popular axle arrangement that we’ve seen in many other machines by now: two bogies with two powered axles.
Their first route was the Kingguan Line, which linked Beijing with Guangzhou; currently, it serves the Shanghai—Kowloon and the Beijing—Kowloon lines, two of the most popular lines in China (and quite long: they take 20 and 23 hours respectively). Kowloon is the old name of the train station in Hong Kong; as you surely can figure, trains from Shanghai and Beijing to Hong Kong are of key importance. The SS8 pantograph had to be adapted to access Hong Kong, and until last year it was the only electric train allowed to enter the city. Thanks to this, the SS8 is a true icon of the recent past of the Chinese railroad network.
The SS8 was, for some time, the fastest Chinese locomotive: in 1998 it broke the Chinese speed record with a top speed of 239,6 km/h on a test run. That record lasted for some time until the popularization of high-speed trains in China during the 00s. Its nickname is “the Broom”… but to be honest, we have no idea why it is called that – maybe because it sweeps the railway leaving nothing behind? We’ve tried to find a reliable source to confirm it but we couldn’t find any, so if any of our Chinese-speaking players can clarify the story, we’ll be happy to update this blog!
And what about the in-game version of the SS8? You can see the serious-looking front, with its square windows and protruding nose, and the iconical stripped plow. The long board on its side and the pantograph are also very recognizable. This machine is used to crossing very long distances and won’t stop at anything!

This post ends the first generation of the Electric Era; we’re getting close to the present day, with trains that still populate their countries’ railways. In the next blog of this series, we’re traveling to Germany to discover a very interesting train that you still can find easily in today’s German railways.
Stay tuned! :tvloco:

----
:tvhook: Train Valley 2 Discord Server.
:tv2computer: Our Twitter.

Hello! You have already launched the rocket, haven't you? Of course, many of you are enjoying the spring sun and we totally understand you. Meanwhile, there are new items in the workshop that use new objects from new levels and we can't wait to draw your attention to them. Let’s go!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1718080618 Works of the master @PureSativa are unique and recognizable by the previews. This time the author sends us to the intricate mountain mines, where an incredible number of bridges and tunnels are to be built. Really incredible! Pay attention to the description of the map, there are useful tips. We didn't check the time, but it seems there is the longest way from point A to point B. An impressive flight of thought and work with the landscape. Featured!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1719160221 The leader today is the “Glacier Express” from @h2onik. This map is just like the interactive edition of our blog about the history of locomotives. You will learn about the world's slowest express train, which runs through the picturesque Swiss Alps and passes 291 bridges. Like any self-respecting Swiss, you will raise livestock and... money. Don't forget to unlock the tunnel, so that tourists can get to St. Moritz! Thank you for such an interesting map, it’s as we have visited the largest ski resorts in Switzerland. The Steam gift card with a face value of €10 goes to Poland!

That's all for today! Friends, don't forget to look into the level editor, it’s constantly updated with new objects and decor that you saw in the main campaign. We are sure that you will have many unusual ideas for their application. See you later!

----
:tvhook: Train Valley 2 Discord Server.
:tv2computer: Our Twitter.

Hello friends! We still come to our senses after a busy weekend, but nothing can cancel the fresh issue of Choo-Choo Weekly. It seems that in the past week, many have focused on the beta test and less often looked into the workshop, but we still have a couple of great levels to add to our Featured list! Let's go!

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1708274344 This week @Mr.Dudley told a story about two kingdoms that were unhappy with their neighborship. Since olden times they provided for themselves and this could go on, but progress has forced them to use electricity, and hunger made them exchange resources. Most of the time you will have to switch the banks, and only at the end will your proteges shake hands. This is a very touching moment, we would like to see the continuation of their relationship! Save to Featured.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1706427611 You landed in the middle of the island with penguins and you must prepare the base for the arrival of scientists. The closer the earth's pole, the more fuel is required for a variety of needs, it will have to get a lot. The treasure is hidden on the map - an iron mine and a coal mine. But where? You should discover it yourself! And here is the tip: start storing food early. It is a well balanced map! Good job @Gaztibelza! The 10$ Steam Gift Card is yours rightly!

Today’s issue is short, but a new post about the history of locomotives will soon be waiting for you, don’t go far! In it, for the first time, we will go to Asia and find out what trains are capable of in the scale of history. See you later!

----
:tvhook: Train Valley 2 Discord Server.
:tv2computer: Our Twitter.