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!