In case you missed it, in our March Roadmap, we revealed a new addition coming soon to Train Sim World 3, another trio of packs making a Loco Add-On Bundle 2! There was a lot to say, but not so much to show, and now we wish to redress the balance.
Loco Add-On Bundle 2 will be making its way into Train Sim World 3 on March 21st - yes, tomorrow! So, mark your calendars for some more rail challenges and experiences, and in the meantime, check out our latest progress in the screenshots below:
Rail Operations Group Class 37/7
Take in the sights of the stunning Europhoenix livery in all its glory, with the metallic text-style Rail Operations Group branding it held during the SERefurb programme. The iconic Class 37 has never looked more modern, when compared to its 1989 rendition from Tees Valley Line, especially with the added ploughs, updated headlight textures, and of course in this case, the Dellner coupler. Other subtle changes include the buffer shape, lamp hook placement and updated OHLE warning stickers, as well as other changes to convert it from the Class 37/5 to the Class 37/7.
Let us not forget the nostalgic Class 375 in its white Southeastern livery! A familiar sight to many, this was the primary livery held by the fleet from their introduction in the early 2000s, right up to its replacement with the blue livery, disappearing from the scene in 2018. While this does pull the 2019 timetable back a year, fundamentally they were the same, and the chance to relive the mixed-livery era once again is not one to be missed! The white 375 is playable on all the existing Class 375 services in the timetable.
While riding the unique dual third rail section of the Down Fast through Newington, 375924 is seen still clinging onto its previous guise, forming the lead unit on 1S28 Victoria to Ramsgate. The white livery dates back to the days of Connex South Eastern, later adopted by South Eastern Trains, and most recently, Southeastern.
Livery detail changes include fonts used for decals, placement of carriage numbers, moquette and grab pole colours, and of course, the grey stripe and yellow doors. The SERefurb programme took 3 years, re-liverying 112 trains, that’s roughly 50,400 miles worth of trips to Derby and back!
In the timetable, you can expect to find 10 services for the Class 37 itself, dragging Class 375s in a variety of formations and locations, inspired by real-world movements of units. These 10 services have been spread out using the Seasonal feature, meaning you will only see certain movements as AI during certain months of the year, much like the RHTT, Railtours and Summer Special 465s. There is also one bonus service which additionally requires Northern Trans-Pennine, offering an additional helping hand... Here’s how the services breakdown:
January/February: (4 playable services)
- 5X47 Tonbridge West Yard to Slade Green Depot (37+1xBlue 375)
- 5X49 Slade Green Depot to Tonbridge West Yard (37+1xWhite/Yellow 375)
- 5Q58 Derby Litchurch Lane to Ramsgate Depot (37+2xBlue 375s)
- 5Q57 Ramsgate Depot to Derby Litchurch Lane (37+2xWhite/Yellow 375)
March/April: (5 playable services)
- 5Q58 Chaddesden Curve to Ramsgate Depot (37+1xBlue 375)
- 5Q57 Ramsgate Depot to Leicester LIP Depot (37+1xWhite/Yellow 375)
- 5Q89 Wembley Reception Sidings to Gillingham Depot (37+2xBlue 375s)
- 5Q23 Yard Prep (37+2xWhite/Yellow 375)
- 5Q23 Gillingham Depot to Wembley Reception Sidings (37+2xWhite/Yellow 375)
September/October: (1 playable service requiring NTP)
- 5Q58 Derby Litchurch Lane to Ramsgate Depot (47+37+1xBlue 375)
November/December: (1 playable service)
- 5Z58 Derby Litchurch Lane to Ramsgate Depot (37+3xBlue 375)
37800 crawls its way out of Rochester Down Loop, towing no less than 3 Class 375s on 5Z58, bound for Ramsgate. The most common practice was to move one at a time, however there was the odd occasion where multiple were ready for delivery at once. The increased tractive effort of the 37/7 subclass makes easy work of it, but be ready on the brakes, you’re following 1C38 on a Highspeed service.
With the new in, out goes the old, a pair of white 375s are Derby-bound on a crisp winter afternoon, running 5Q57 from Ramsgate depot. While running at different times of day and to/from the same locations, moves such as these frequently re-use the same headcodes across the country.
The 37s are ever-reliable, until they aren’t, and sometimes an additional loco would step-in to assist in dragging the units if there was a failure. The ROG Class 37 adds a new dimension of virtual trainspotting to Southeastern Highspeed, and the added 47 is no exception! I wonder what’s due through Gillingham later on...
BNSF SD70ACe
As mentioned on the March Roadmap, the SD70ACe has received exterior model changes to match examples found in BNSF’s fleet, which you can see in this side-by-side comparison with the Union Pacific SD70ACe from Sherman Hill.
The central headlights have been moved from between the numbers, down onto the center of the nose, and on the rear, a slightly altered configuration of grills and vents has been represented. It is often the case that locomotive design varies throughout a production run, be that amends to improve the construction process or final results, or by specification of the railroad.
Working in tandem with ES44C4 motive power, BNSF 9384 takes the lead towards the summit on an afternoon manifest train bound for San Diego. Seeing multiple types of traction on one train is common practice, and now Train Sim World 3 offers a 2nd modern driving experience on mainline duties.
Container, meet containers. As a trio of SD70ACe’s accelerate their way southbound out of Barstow, with a lengthy Truck Trailer consist in-tow, they pass by lineside industries in the town of Lenwood, also being served by trailer-hauling power.
DB BR 403 ICE 3 Railbow
With a fabulous appearance, the ICE 3 Railbow races its way into Train Sim World 3 with the Green Stripe ICE 1 tagging along for the ride. This added splash of colour is good to parade around all German routes with Scenario Designer, and for Kassel-Wurzburg, both liveries substitute into the existing services, as well as feature their own scenarios, adding colourful variety to Train Sim World 3’s longest route.
If you picked up Train Sim World 3 without Kassel-Würzburg, this pack can be the perfect way to try out the ICE trains on Training Center, or other routes of your choice, to decide if high-speed is right for you – there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye, the ICE 1 is a complex and classic beast! Once enveloped in the grandeur of high-speed traffic, there’s no going back, especially with liveries as unique as these.
The Green Stripe ICE 1 accelerates out of a rainy Fulda heading northbound, operating the ICE 796 towards Berlin (above), meanwhile with the weather looking a little better at Kassel, the Railbow ICE 3 is departing southbound for Munich (below), it’ll be a sight for spotters ’ eyes when the two pass!
We can’t wait for you to bolster your collections and add more colour and variety to the Train Sim World 3 routes. There are a couple of things we’re working on as a post-release update (due within the next couple of weeks) that we wanted to share with you.
- One of the scenarios for the ICE1 wasn’t operating as intended, so we’ve removed it and are working on a new one. This will mean that, at launch, the German element of the pack will have two scenarios, with the third to be added in this post-launch update
- Based on beta tester feedback, we’re investigating ways we can expand the Cajon Pass service mode more meaningfully, such as incorporating the Truck Trailer and Centerbeam freight traffic to the route
These won’t be here when we launch tomorrow, but the team are hard at work to build out the value of the pack for you in the coming weeks, and we’ll of course let you know in our Patch Notes when these are released.
Join us tomorrow evening (Tuesday 21st of March) at 19:00 UTC, on YouTube and Twitch. RFTV’s Alex and Matt will be showcasing all the content in Loco Add-On Bundle 2.
Stay up to date with all things Train Sim World 3, and more by following @trainsimworld on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok.