Hi there Raichase, I just read your realism guide and it is well made, I just hope that many TTD gamers will follow it and post some nice screenshots of their networks using this.
Yet I still have some comments and maybe interesting facts for your guide:
Local Trains: 4x Local Coaches hauled by VT-08’s. For inner-city trains, a VT-95 with a couple of local coaches may suffice. V100’s make good trains too, to add some variety to the VT-08’s
The VT08 is some problematic engine in TTD... first the VT08 was used for long distance trains. A couple of famous german trains like the "Helvetia" or the "Rheinblitz" were VT08 trains. With the introduction of the VT11.5 the VT08 began to lose it's high role in the Bundesbahn.
What I wanted to say is this: These DMU's are designed for a Vmax of 140km/h, not 120. I am not sure if Michael is aware of this, but at all I think it is good the way it is. Also the number of 4 local coaches is too much for these train sets, the highest number in regular service have been 3 coaches. That of course is for a single unit, quite a couple of trains were just multiple units coupled together.
The BR110 is used for fast passenger services by default, and the BR140 is good for slower passenger trains, whilst the BR150 is used for heavy freight (although if for some reason you have a very steep hill and a lot of passenger coaches, it can be pressed into service).
The BR 140 is somekind of early "all-in-one" locomotive. It was mainly used for light to medium fright-trains but also for passenger trains. Today the passenger era is over: It is very rare to see a 140 hauling one of those today.
The BR 110 is almost a pure passenger loco, but not only on the main lines, it was also used for local traffic (even the famous 103 had some local trains to haul). There are some very few fright services left for the 110 today.
However, many of the older “Silverfish” coaches were still in use. That’s why, when building new trains, the new coaches are used as normal. When upgrading older trains, the replacement of some of the older coaches on the train is realistic, so a mix of old and new coaches is apparent. Some trains may even stay completely “Silverfish”!
Actually those white/green (and later on the red ones) are nothing but repainted (and some were redesigned in the inside) silverfishes. The repainting went on pretty slow, even today you can find some trains which consists of the original silver ones, the 80's white/green and the modern red livery.
IR trains have been discontinued and IC trains have been continued. Here, the newer coaches can be mixed with the older coaches, as in the last period. The new coaches are white/red, imitating the ICE colour scheme, only having a black roof instead of a white roof. IR trains can still be used; although they will be running in an IC capacity (i.e. they are no longer called IR trains, although you may still use the older IR coaches), so don’t feel like you have to change all your old IR trains into newer IC trains.
You can say that in 2003 basicly every IC coach is painted in the ICE color. But there are still some InterRegios left in the eastern germany region, which are hauled by BR 112 and IR livery coaches. In addition to that there are new local traffic trains which are called "InterRegio Express", which are actually "lower" trains than the usual IR ones. Those trains consists, depending on the region, of usual red local traffic coaches, the original IR coaches or a mix of IC/IR coaches. They are usually hauled by BR 112 or BR 110.
Inter-City Trains: 5x Mainline Coaches and 2x Mainline Mail Vans, hauled by a BR181, BR112, BR101, BR182.
This is a common mistake: The BR 182 is not used by the DB for any passenger trains. Actually until the end of 2003 it wasn't even technicaly possible to use those locos for passenger services, due to a deactivated power system for the hauled coaches.
Yet the austrain 1016/1116, which are basicly the DB BR 182, are running some IC/EC trains in germany, but only a very few actually reach longer distances in germany.
As of today the IC/EC trains are mostly hauled by BR 101, 120, and some on the slower routes are being hauled by the 112 (sometimes even with two locos or in "sandwich" configuration).
The BR 181 is btw. used for everything: Local traffic, IC/EC and light fright trains which are heading towards france.
Maybe also for interest, the lifetimes of a few locos:
VT-137: Used till the mid/late 50's
VT-08: Used till early 60's in longer distance trains, taken out of service in the mid 80's
VT-95: This one has been into service till the mid 90's on some routes, although the replacement started in the 70's.
V200: Taken out of service in the mid 80's, there are quite some private rail companies which are using these locos today though.
VT11.5: Retired in the late 70's / early 80's
BR 218: Still running and will keep running for the next many years, since there is no replacement on the horizon. For IC/EC trains there are usually two locos used.
BR 232: Still running, though there are quite a few taken out of service, but lot's of them have been built. They are also used for some local traffic trains and, everytime the ICE-TD stood still because of its many problems, also used for IC trains.
BR 605 ICE-TD: Don't laugh but... retired in late 2003 due to the many problems these trains caused. Currently they are all standing still and rumours say that the Iran has high interest in these DMUs.
BR 612: Still in service and running well, they don't have middle coaches! Usually there are two or three units coupled together. Since the ICE-TD retirement, these trains are also running in the IC service.
BR 144: I am not that sure about this one, but the very last should've went out of service in the early 80's.
BR 194: Those german crocodiles have been actually in service till 1988, when the last went out of service. There is one private rail company which still uses two of those fright locos today.
BR 110: Still running, but the numbers are definatly decreasing. They are today still in IC service on two routes. I think they won't completely leave the german rail network before 2008-2010.
ET-30: Usually running with no more and no less than two middle coaches. Last units went out of service in 1984.
BR 140: Many of them are being put out of service since 1998, but since over 850 of them have been built, it will take quite some time before this one will be completely retired, since it is still an important loco for medium fright trains.
BR 150: The last of those powerful locos have been retired in late 2003, the years 2001-2003 have been the last years for most of them.
BR 103: The retirement of my favourite locos started 1998, the number constantly reduced till 2002, when only around 20 of them were still in active service. I would say 2003 was the last year with regular trains hauled by the 103's, there are still a few in service though, but mostly for nostalgic trains.
BR 155: Still in service, and I have no idea when they really want to start their retirement, but it should be a few years away. Has also been used for passenger trains when it was still in service for the Deutsche Reichsbahn.
BR 181: Retirement started very slowly last year, but I guess they will still be in service for the next three or four years at least.
BR 120: Still in service, since the last year there are many rumours about the BR 120 being retired in the next 2-3 years, but nothing is really known.
BR 101: Of course still in service and won't retire any time soon!
BR 401: Originally these trains have been designed for 12 years, considering that they would already been taken out of service, but that won't happen any time soon. Actually there is currently a redesigned for the interior planned.
BR 403: The "flagship" of the DB, won't retire any time soon, there actually have been additional once ordered.
BR 182: Won't retire any time soon, but the DB has canceled the order for more 182's and instead ordered more BR 185.
BR 701: Still running and some will be redesigned with newer technology.
Hope you don't take anything as critique or something, I think some of the above might be actually useful for your guide. For example I would love to see an extra table with all the locos listed, what they were used for and the years they have been in service.
![:]](./images/smilies/pleased.gif "Pleased"){kind=small}
. I really do need to go and *finish* the DB Set XL guide, as well as finish the US Set guide. It'll happen one day 
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. Thanks for that.
