Woodhead Electric Railway in Blue - Out Now

The much anticipated 'Woodhead Electric Railway in Blue' route has now been released on Steam. Priced at a fairly reasonable £17.99, the route includes 'Pro' versions of the Class 76, Class 08 and Class 506 along with seven scenarios.

Key Features

• Late 1970s rendition of the Woodhead Electric Railway

• 43 mile route between Manchester Piccadilly and Sheffield Victoria
• 3 mile branch line to Reddish Depot
• 1 mile branch line to Glossop
• 14 mile branch to Wath

• Pro-Range Traction

• BR Class 08 in BR “Longsight” Corporate Blue livery
• BR Class 76 in BR Corporate Blue livery
• BR Class 506 in BR Corporate Blue livery, clean & weathered
• BR Class 506 in BR Blue & Grey livery, clean & weathered

• Rolling stock

• Ex-LNER HOP 21-ton Coal Hopper
• Ex-LNER Toad E Brake Van
• BR HAA MGR 33-ton Hopper
• BR MCV 16-ton Mineral Wagon
• BR GUV General Utility Van in BR Corporate Blue livery
• BR Mk1 Coaches in BR Blue & Grey livery

• Quick Drive Compatible

You can access the Steam store page for this product by clicking here.

Woodhead Electric Railway in Blue - Class 76

Further information and screenshots about the upcoming Woodhead Electric Railway in Blue route have appeared on the Dovetail Live website today, with a particular emphasis on showing the Class 76 locomotive that will be included.

The article (which can be viewed by clicking here) also provides some excellent information from Edward Fisk of Meshtools on how the Class 76 is driven and an explanation of the sheer amount of scripting that has gone into the locomotive. Although it does sound fairly complicated, it also seems as though it will be a very rewarding thing to drive.

 

Weekend Showcase - ECML London to Peterborough - 1988/89

In this showcase we feature the popular ECML London to Peterborough route as seen in 1988/1989. During this period the first revenue earning 'Intercity 225' services started but they were mainly seen on test before their full introduction, often with a surrogate Class 43 power car. Despite still being firmily in the era of British Rail, the East Coast Main Line still featured an array of colour schemes and liveries, not unlike the modern privatised railway we see today.

Temporarily away from it's normal duties, 37068 waits in the yard north of Peterborough with a departmental working - May 1989

At Peterborough station, 91005 sits at the rear of a Kings Cross to Leeds test train. A surrogate Class 43 power car can just be made out at the front - February 1989

43193 in attractive Intercity 'Executive' livery waits time at Peterborough before heading south to the capital - July 1988

47117 passes Huntingdon with 91009 & 91007 dead in tow following their earlier failure on a test train - June 1989

31293 leads 31134 through Hitchin on a Fen Drayton to Kings Cross sand train - October 1989

86233 races past the sidings at Welwyn Garden City with the return leg of the 'Blyth Spirit' railtour - August 1989

08873 prepares to shunt a newly repainted rake of Mk3 sleeper coaches at Bounds Green Depot - June 1988

313055 stands at Hornsey while working a service from Hertford North to Moorgate - July 1989

321408 waits at Finsbury Park during pre-delivery testing - July 1989

A sight that was seen at many stations all over the network, 08724 awaits it's next duty at Kings Cross - September 1989

43053 & 43106 stand side by side in Kings Cross while awaiting their next northbound duty - August 1989

If you have any questions about the rolling stock or repaints used above, feel free to leave a comment below.

Train Sim World: Northeast Corridor New York

After several teasers by Dovetail Games over the last few days, the next Train Sim World offering has now been revealed in the form of Northeast Corridor New York.

Although details are sketchy at the moment as to the exact route mileage or the areas it covers, it is confirmed that passenger rolling stock will include the Siemens ACS-64 locomotive along with the Amtrak Amfleet I standard coach, café, and business class passenger cars. Freight stock comes in the form of a CSX 'YN3' liveried EMD GP38-2 along with the 50-foot Plate C Boxcar, 5201-Cubic-Foot Covered Hopper, 30,500-Gallon Tank Car, 73-foot Centerbeam Flatcar, 85-foot Open Deck Flatcar and Containers.

An excellent article on the route by Gary Dolzall has been published on the Dovetail Live website, that can be viewed by clicking here. You can also now pre-order the route on Steam, with a current 40% off price of £14.99, click here to visit the Steam store.  

 

Woodhead Electric Railway in Blue - Class 506

Further information and screenshots about the upcoming Woodhead Electric Railway in Blue route have appeared on the Dovetail Live website today, with a particular emphasis on showing the Class 560 EMU that will be included.

The article (which can be viewed by clicking here) also provides some excellent information on how the Class 506 has been built by Masterkey Simulations, and explains the many features that will be included on this 'Pro'unit.

Bessemer & Lake Erie Route Released

A new add-on has been released today on Steam for Train Simulator in the form of the Bessemer & Lake Erie route. Priced at £24.99, the route includes an impressive 14 scenarios has the following key features:

• Bessemer & Lake Erie’s busy route from Conneaut, Ohio to North Bessemer, Pennsylvania, a route distance of approximately 140 miles, condensed into a total route length of 70 miles that offers the most compelling experiences.
• Additional B&LE branch lines, coal mine spurs, and railroad interchanges
• Conneaut Harbor, including ore, coal, limestone, and carferry operations
• Major yards and facilities at Conneaut, Albion, Greenville, Butler, and North Bessemer
• Standard Steel’s massive steel, rail car, and auto production plant at Butler, Pa.
• B&LE Baldwin-built D-1-A class 2-10-2 “Santa Fe” type steam locomotive
• B&LE Baldwin 0-6-0 steam switcher with two tender variations
• Period-authentic rolling stock including boxcars, flatcars, gondolas, hoppers, refrigerator cars, tank cars, pickle cars, cabooses, crane cars, and heavyweight baggage, coach, and commuter coaches, many in various liveries and with multiple loads.
• Fourteen challenging and highly-realistic career scenarios

You can access the Steam store page for this product by clicking here.

High Iron Simulations - Horseshoe Curve Scenario Pack 01

There has been a new release to the Steam Marketplace in the form of a scenario pack from High Iron Simulations. Set on the Horseshoe Curve route, the pack features ten high quality scenarios that feature highly authentic experiences based on actual PRR operations during the 1950s.

The following is taken from the product page:   

In American railroading, there are few names and places that evoke more history and drama than the great Pennsylvania Railroad and Horseshoe Curve. Now you can breathe in the atmosphere of the Pennsylvania Railroad in its glory days in Horseshoe Curve Scenario Pack 01!

Horseshoe Curve Scenario Pack 01 features ten challenging and realistic career scenarios that take you back to the 1950s and put you at the throttle of classic Pennsy first-generation diesel and steam power to challenge PRR’s famed crossing of the Allegheny Mountains!

In this pack, you’ll experience PRR freight, passenger, mail and express, local, and switching operations across the length of Train Simulator’s best-selling Horseshoe Curve route. You’ll go to work at Altoona, Johnstown, Cresson, Portage, and South Fork, and take the engineer’s seat in locomotives as diverse and unique as Pennsy’s Baldwin “Centipede” and “Sharknose” diesels, versatile EMD GP7s and F7s, and PRR’s renowned K4 4-6-2 steam locomotive!

Developed by noted scenario author Gary Dolzall for partner programme member High Iron Simulations, Horseshoe Curve Scenario Pack 01 features highly authentic experiences based on actual PRR operations during the 1950s.

Experience the glory days of the great Pennsylvania Railroad – in Horseshoe Curve Scenario Pack 01!

You can access the Steam store page for this product by clicking here.

 

Class 390 Reworked and Reliveried

A new article has recently appeared on the Dovetail Live website regarding the Class 390 EMU and states that it is coming soon to Train Simulator in a re-worked state along with an appropriate livery. There are no images or a great deal to comment on at this time, but as one of the older models available for Train Simulator, a re-worked version with more features would certainly be welcome in my collection!

You can read the article by clicking here.

© Snazzyskips - Wikimedia Commons

© Nicholas Hair - Wikimedia Commons

 

Weekend Showcase - Great Eastern Main Line - 2004 - Part 2

In this showcase we feature the excellent Great Eastern Main Line route, available from the Steam Workshop and as seen in 2004. Although at this time National Express have recently taken over the Greater Anglia franchise under their 'ONE' brand, the line is awash with a kaleidoscope of different liveries. Part 2 of this showcase takes us from Colchester to London Liverpool Street and despite it being more difficult due to a lack of stock available for use on suburban services, we still manage to capture some variety.

47818, still in Virgin livery is stabled at Colchester Depot while on 'Thunderbird' duties - February 2004

321308 slows for Marks Tey while working a service to London Liverpool Street - August 2004

150255 waits time at Marks Tey before departing for Sudbury - August 2004

66086 thunders through Witham with a rake of empty ballast wagons - March 2004

90021 pauses at Chelmsford while working towards the capital - April 2004

Recently repainted in 'ONE' livery, 321446 slows for it's station stop at Shenfield while working an early afternoon service from Southend Victoria - June 2004

47818 passes Romford while working the late running 0630 service from Norwich - August 2004

86628 & 86609 pass Stratford with a heavily loaded intermodal service bound for Felixstowe - July 2004

56018 heads into Bow sidings to collect a rake of empty wagons. The locomotive will take the wagons to Heck later today - March 2004

317664 passes Bethnal Green with a Stansted Airport to Liverpool Street service - April 2004

90018 & 90019 add a splash of colour to London Liverpool Street station while awaiting their next duties - March 2004

If you have any questions about the rolling stock or repaints used above, feel free to leave a comment below.