Train Simulator Classic 2024 News

Climb aboard modern traction and serve islandic dwellers in the northern reaches of Germany with Skyhook Games’ state-of-the-art ÖBB 4746 Cityjet.



The ÖBB 4746 is part of the Desiro ML family of trains and branded as Cityjet by ÖBB, it was delivered alongside the ÖBB 4744, which was built for regional services, whereas the 4746 was better suited for S-Bahn style operations, featuring a revised interior with more passenger doors for faster boarding and alighting. Stylish in design, the ÖBB 4746s are fully air-conditioned, completely accessible, fitted with dynamic lighting, and various ergonomic features to make the ride as smooth as possible.



In a twist of fate, a handful of ÖBB 4746s were rented out for use in Germany, covering for regional services on the picturesque island of Rügen, some were repainted for the occasion, but others remained in their Cityjet guise, making for a unique sight with Austrian traction traversing Germany’s largest island!



Take to the Inselbahn rails, shuttling between Stralsund and Sassnitz, from the cab of the sleek, imposing and feature-rich ÖBB 4746 Cityjet from Skyhook Games!





Get the new Pro Range loco on the Steam Store.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1804517/Train_Simulator_BB_4746_Cityjet_EMU_AddOn/

Smokebox locomotives for Train Simulator Classic are renowned for their ground-breaking quality, exquisite detail, authentic controls, and realism of performance – and the new and now available Smokebox Union Pacific Heavy Challenger extends all those features to yet another level of excellence!

The Union Pacific Heavy Challenger as developed by Smokebox for Train Simulator Classic meticulously represents the 45 Union Pacific 4-6-6-4s (known as groups 4664-3 and 4664-4) built by Alco (American Locomotive Company) during the World War II years of 1943 and 1944.

Designed to burn coal and haul tonnage on Union Pacific’s demanding transcontinental route, but equally adept at hustling passenger trains, these superlative locomotives served the Union Pacific into the late 1950s, and one – Union Pacific 3985 – went on to contemporary fame as a member of Union Pacific’s Heritage Fleet.

As Union Pacific’s Heavy Challengers (which weighed in at over a million pounds with tender) rolled out of Alco’s Schenectady (New York) works during WWII, six virtually identical UP-design 4-6-6-4s were allocated by the War Production Board to work for the Denver & Rio Grande Western (D&RGW), where the locomotives served capably until heading to the UP at the end of the war, then to the Clinchfield Railroad in 1947. And the new Smokebox Heavy Challenger DLC includes the 4-6-6-4 in Rio Grande livery.

The Smokebox Heavy Challenger for Train Simulator Classic delivers unmatched visual realism and the full, exhilarating experience of operating this massive locomotive, with the cab of the Challenger featuring nearly 90 working controls, gauges, or animations! The 4-6-6-4 offers a real-life engineer’s authentic railroading challenges, but it is also accessible and enjoyable whatever your level of expertise, featuring integrated complex or simple controls and with an auto-fireman and even an auto-engineer option.

The Heavy Challenger’s remarkable features also include a wide range of customizable details (which can be adjusted while in game). Among these are the addition of "wind wings" (smoke deflectors), pilot door and front coupler open or closed, clamshell smoke stack hood open or closed, changing classification light colors, and even changes to the amount of lagging around the steam pipe arms and elbows. As with all Smokebox locomotives, the Challenger features superb sounds and realistic air braking, firing, water usage, sanding, and additional operating features, all of which are explained in an accompanying information-rich 72-page manual.

The Smokebox Heavy Challenger is provided in four livery variations: Union Pacific steam-era clean and dirty; Union Pacific silver striping (as worn by famed UP 3985), and in D&RGW livery. And both HD (high detail) and SD (standard detail) variants are included.

To put you to work, the Challenger DLC includes a selection of period-appropriate refrigerator cars, a Union Pacific CA-4 caboose, and a selection of three career scenarios on the Train Simulator Classic Wasatch Grade route (as developed by Milepost Simulations and available on Steam as a separate DLC). The 4-6-6-4 is also QD (Quick Drive) enabled. And there’s no doubt enthusiasts will be creating a variety of Steam Workshop scenarios for the Union Pacific 4-6-6-4 on routes such as Wasatch Grade and Sherman Hill, as well as the Rio Grande edition on Train Simulator Classic’s popular D&RGW Soldier Summit route.

Previous Smokebox releases have included its highly acclaimed Union Pacific FEF-3 4-8-4 and iconic Union Pacific 4-8-8-4 Big Boy. Together with the new 3900-class Heavy Challenger, these locomotives represented the Union Pacific’s extraordinary “Big Three” late-era steam locomotives, which will provide Train Simulator Classic enthusiasts the opportunity to relive the full glory of the “Big Steam” era on the Union Pacific.

Put on your engineer’s gloves and take the throttle of one of America’s greatest and most renowned steam locomotives. The heavy – and heavenly – Union Pacific Challenger from Smokebox, is now available for Train Simulator Classic at the Steam and Dovetail Games stores!





From steam locomotive creator extraordinaire Smokebox now comes Union Pacific’s legendary 3900-class “Heavy” 4-6-6-4 Challenger for Train Simulator Classic! Constructed by Alco (American Locomotive Works) during World War II, the coal-burning behemoths were designed to tote tonnage but were equally adept at hustling passengers. Note: Screenshots may depict content while in development.



The new Smokebox Heavy Challenger is provided in four livery variations: Union Pacific steam-era clean and dirty and Union Pacific silver striping (above), and in Denver & Rio Grande Western livery (below). And both HD (high detail) and SD (standard detail) variants are included. Screenshots by Gary Dolzall.






The UP Heavy Challenger for Train Simulator Classic delivers unmatched visual realism and the full, exhilarating experience of operating this massive locomotive, with the cab of the Challenger (above and below) featuring nearly 90 working controls, gauges, or animations. The 4-6-6-4 provides a wide variety of available “in cab” views to enjoy as your operate the locomotive.





The Challenger’s features include customizable details (which can be adjusted while in game). Among these are the addition of "wind wings" (smoke deflectors), pilot door and front coupler open or closed, clamshell smoke stack hood open or closed, and changing classification light colors. UP 4-6-6-4 3989 is in standard configuration as it pulls from Echo (above), while sister 3957 is equipped with smoke deflectors (below) at Curvo, Utah.







Million-pound (with tender) Union Pacific 3989 is making its way up scenic Echo Canyon (above and below). Accompanying the Challenger in this new Smokebox DLC are refrigerator cars in multiple liveries, a UP CA-4 caboose, and a selection of three career scenarios on the Wasatch Grade route (as developed by Milepost Simulations and available separately at Steam).



The Heavy Challenger as developed by Smokebox meticulously represents the 45 Union Pacific 4-6-6-4s (known as groups 4664-3 and 4664-4) built during in 1943 and 1944. With a string of yellow reefers in tow, Union Pacific 3950 is climbing Weber Canyon (above) on the Train Simulator Classic Wasatch Grade route, while sister UP 3989 rolls below the often-photographed red rock cliffs of Echo Canyon (below).





With the arrival of the 3900-class Challenger, Smokebox now has created Union Pacific’s “Big Three” of the late-steam era, the beautiful FEF-3 4-8-4 (left), Heavy Challenger (center), and iconic 4-8-8-4 Big Boy (right). As with all Smokebox locomotives, the Challenger features superb sounds and realistic air braking, firing, water usage, sanding, and additional operating features, all of which are explained in an accompanying information-rich 72-page manual.



Put on your engineer’s gloves and take the throttle of one of America’s greatest and most renowned steam locomotives. The heavy – and heavenly – Union Pacific Challenger from Smokebox, is now available for Train Simulator Classic at the Steam and Dovetail Games stores!

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It’s time to climb aboard and experience America’s busiest and most iconic commuter railroad – the extraordinary Long Island Rail Road – which is now available for Train Simulator Classic!



The new Train Simulator Classic Long Island Rail Road route extends from the LIRR’s trio of New York City terminals – Penn Station in Manhattan, Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn, and Long Island City -- eastward across “The Island” to Hicksville, New York. The route features LIRR’s City Terminal Zone and its multi-track electrified (via third rail) “Main Line,” plus the captivating Hempstead Branch and the railroad’s extension to Belmont Park. Also included are the LIRR’s East Williston station on the Oyster Bay Branch and St. Albans on the Babylon Branch. In total, the Train Simulator Classic route brings to life more than 45 route miles of trackage and 30 served rail stations.



With the now-available Long Island route for Train Simulator Classic, you’ll climb aboard the Long Island Rail Road’s modern workhorse, the Bombardier-built M7 electric-multiple-unit (EMU). Aboard the sleek silver, yellow, black, and blue-liveried M7, of which LIRR operates more than 800 cars, you’ll handle the EMU’s advanced controls and keep a steady eye on its in-cab signal and safety systems.



Operating 24/7, the famed Long Island Rail Road is America’s busiest commuter railroad and the LIRR typically carries more than 200,000 passengers each weekday. Chartered in 1834, long controlled by the great Pennsylvania Railroad, and since the mid-1960s a property of New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the LIRR and its bustling trains are a familiar centerpiece of daily life around the Big Apple and on Long Island.



The Long Island Rail Road route for Train Simulator Classic – and its featured Bombardier M7 EMU -- have been created based on meticulous research and with unwavering attention to detail and realism. The Train Simulator Classic route re-creates the LIRR masterfully, from famed locations such as Penn Station, Atlantic Terminal, Jamaica, and Mineola, to its complex signaling and safety systems, to the performance and sounds of its stylish EMUs.



Seven challenging career scenarios, and a trio of railfan scenarios are included with the Train Simulator Classic route, which is also Quick-Drive (QD) enabled. Whether you’re aboard a flashy M7 EMU hustling an express to Penn Station in Manhattan, weaving your way through the sprawling Jamaica junction complex, or venturing over the Hempstead and Belmont Park branches, you’ll enjoy realistic, memorable, and challenging American commuter railroading.



It’s train time on Long Island, so climb aboard and experience the famous LIRR in authentic and extraordinary fashion, with the Long Island Rail Road: New York – Hicksville route for Train Simulator Classic, now available at the Steam and Dovetail Games stores!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1922043/Train_Simulator_Long_Island_Rail_Road_New_York__Hicksville_Route_AddOn/

The LIRR: To millions of New Yorkers and “Islanders,” the railroad needs no introduction. Indeed, the Long Island Rail Road is, and has been for decades, a familiar part of life to those who live in and around “The Big Apple.” And soon, in a masterfully created route, the LIRR is coming to Train Simulator Classic, July 14!



The Railroad

The Long Island Rail Road is not only America’s busiest commuter carrier, but it also is the country’s oldest commuter railroad. Chartered in 1834, the Long Island Rail Road was originally envisioned as a rail-ferry-rail route between New York and Boston but emerged instead as one of the world’s busiest commuter railroads as Long Island’s suburban population grew dramatically in the early twentieth century. LIRR came under the control of the giant Pennsylvania Railroad beginning in 1900 and during its half-century of PRR-control was notable for using Pennsy-style equipment and signaling and for being an innovator, including the D. C. (third rail) electrification of much of the western end of its route system beginning in 1905. Following World War II and into the 1960s, the LIRR became a siren for New York train-watchers, first for its late operations of classic PRR-design steam locomotives, then for its eclectic diesel locomotive fleet that featured Fairbanks-Morse and Alco locomotives.

Like virtually all U. S. commuter carriers, the LIRR struggled financially and endured bankruptcy after WWII. What can be considered the modern era of the Long Island Rail Road dates to the mid-1960s, when, after more than a half-century of control by the Pennsylvania Railroad, the LIRR was taken over by the Metropolitan Commuter Transportation Authority in 1966, and then in 1968, by its present owner and operator, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which is also the entity which governs the Metro-North Commuter Railroad and the region’s public transportation systems. The years of MTA ownership have been marked by continued enhancements to the railroad, including electrification extensions and fleet renewal and replacement programs.



The Route

Carefully researched and created with meticulous attention to detail, signaling, and accuracy, the upcoming Train Simulator Classic Long Island Rail Road route will extend from the LIRR’s trio of iconic New York City area terminals (Penn Station in Manhattan, Atlantic Avenue in Brooklyn, and Long Island City), eastward across “The Island” to Hicksville, New York. Included with be LIRR’s many famous and fascinating locations: the Big Apple, Woodside, Forest Hills, Jamacia, Hillside, Hempstead, Mineola, and Hicksville among them. The Train Simulator Classic edition of the Long Island Rail Road will include LIRR’s City Terminal Zone and its multi-track electrified “Main Line,” plus the captivating Hempstead Branch and the railroad’s short extension to history-rich Belmont Park of “Triple Crown” horse racing fame. Also included will be the LIRR’s East Williston station on the Oyster Bay Branch and St. Albans on the Babylon Branch. In total, the Train Simulator Classic route will include more than 45 expertly re-created route miles of trackage and 30 served rail stations.



The Equipment

On the upcoming Train Simulator Classic LIRR route, you will climb aboard the Long Island’s modern workhorse, the Bombardier-built M7 electric-multiple-unit (EMU). Once aboard the sleek silver, yellow, black, and blue-liveried M7, you’ll handle the EMU’s advanced controls. Like the route itself, the M7 for Train Simulator Classic promises superb realism, with authentic control features, cab and lineside signaling and safety systems, exacting performance, and actual sounds.

The era of the M7 on the LIRR began in May 1999 when MTA issued orders for Bombardier to begin construction of what would eventually become a fleet of 836 M7s for the LIRR. Following testing and trials, the first M7s entered LIRR service in 2002. Of stainless-steel construction, the Bombardier M7s receive power via LIRR’s 750-volt DC third rail and are equipped with asynchronous AC motors featuring IGBT inverters and ride upon outboard-bearing bolster-less fabricated trucks. The M7s employ traction motors each rated at 265 hp. Stretching 85-feet in length and weighing approximately 125,000 pounds per copy, the M7s were built in married pairs. Each married pair has a capacity of 211 commuters and on the LIRR, the M7s typically operate in consists of eight and up to 12 cars in length facilitated by the cars’ “pin and cup” couplers. Maximum operating speed for the EMUs on the LIRR is 80 mph and the M7s are equipped with regenerative braking and in-cab signaling and safety systems.



The Experience

To put you right to work as an engineer tackling the challenges of America’s busiest commuter railroad, seven challenging career scenarios, along with three railfan scenarios, will be included with the Train Simulator Classic route, which will also be Quick-Drive (QD) enabled. Undoubtedly, the talented creators in the community will develop a range of additional scenarios to be available at Steam Workshop.



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1922043/Train_Simulator_Long_Island_Rail_Road_New_York__Hicksville_Route_AddOn/

Visit Austria and drive through stunning scenery with RSSLO’s next instalment for Train Simulator; the Salzburg - Schwarzach-St. Veit route!



Built way back in the 1870s, the line between Salzburg and Schwarzach-St. Veit was part of the impressive Salzburg-Tiroler-Bahn, a feat of engineering running along the Salzach valley. The line is of vital importance, there is little road connections along the valley, making the railway the primary source of all passenger and freight traffic, on both local and long-distance duties.



Today, the line is as busy as ever, fully double tracked and electrified, it forms part of the Salzburg S-Bahn network. The route to Schwarzach-St. Veit is the S3 line, seeing frequent passenger services stopping at many stations up towards Salzburg, and through the city to Freilassing, where connections can be made to the S4 line.



Take charge of services on this line using modern ÖBB traction, the Salzburg S-Bahn awaits in RSSLO’s Salzburg - Schwarzach-St. Veit route for Train Simulator.

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1869398/Train_Simulator_Salzburg__SchwarzachSt_Veit_Route_AddOn/