Transport Tycoon Forums

Badger wrote:Meh, expansion is over-rated!

Oh definitely!

New game similar stuff as before.

Trier and Siegen. The mainline runs through Trier which only has a station really because of the junction for the line to Siegen. The grain train forms the second leg of the journey from the farm to the brewery down in the valley. The goods train passing through platform 1 at Trier is running empty back to the Brewery having delivered some of the finest Weissbeir available in this German Territory to Siegen. The V140 operates locals on the mainline while the BR75 operates a shuttle between Trier and Siegen for connections onwards to Wuppertal, Bremen and Dessau. Express trains pass through here. Just to the west of Trier the track singles because of this particularly amazing feat of engineering. The BR85 on the grain train returns over the upper viaduct while the V140 on the local follows it up the spiral. Signalling on the spirals allows up to 3 trains to be going up the spiral at one time to reduce delays by slow lumbering freights going up the spiral. When coal trains are introduced to the line, it is likely that a banking loco will be needed.

Chemnitz is a small town that gets quite good services due to connecting services. The local tramway company links the town with Rostock at the top and a small private railway runs a service to Essen. The state run mainline does a sharp left after passing through the station from Wuppertal to reach Dessau (the tail end of an express can just be seen leaving the shot). The iron ore mine to the north of the town is served daily by a BR85 hauled train for Hanover Steel Mill which to gain access to the loading siding has to cross onto the opposite line run wrong line through the station and then use a small section of the Essenbahn railway to reach the mine. It is seen undertaking the manoevure in this shot. And a map to show you what the hell I'm talking about.

A brand new pair of tunnels has eliminated the need for a rather long and tedious journey over the hills near Pforzheim. The ever enterprising railway company saw a chance to make a bit of cash to help cover the cost of the 2 bore, 35km tunnel and introduced a car transporter service through the tunnel. Here we see the first public service at the northern loading terminal before the cars allowed into the complex. The trains are formed of already existing stock that the company had (it was deemed unnecessary to build new stock for the service but double-decker transporters may follow in the future along with faster locomotives) which are BR140s which run top and tail, partly for safety reasons in the tunnel, reliability should they break down and for quicker turn-around times at each end of the tunnel. Only 2 trains run at a time although there are 3 complete trains.
Currently, this is the only way for road traffic to cross the mountain chain without a massive detour.

The old line across the mountains can was severed to make way for the terminal and only sees a local service at the opposite end of the line nowadays run by a pair of BR515s The southern portals of the tunnel and the old line at Pforzheim. Now only a local service to Kiel operates from the bay platform at Pforzheim. The car unloading terminal in this image is not yet built but in the next few months will spring up to the south of the station meaning the transporter trains will have to travel through the station here. Pforzheim has an unfortunate bottleneck of a single track bridge followed by a very tight turn meaning that express trains must pass through the town at 50km/h.

The Pforzheim terminal and station area, customer feedback demanded coaches in which to stay during the journey through the tunnel rather than staying in their cars.

Very nice concept. I really like the idea. But how does it work profit-wise? Is there really a way to transport goods or passengers this way and make it profitable? Or do you already have enough money and need to think of new ways to spend it?

Amazing what you can pull off with a little imaginative use of grfs. It may not be profitable but it sure is clever. The screenshots are nice too. Reminds me of the Auto Train.

Pug wrote:Very nice concept. I really like the idea. But how does it work profit-wise? Is there really a way to transport goods or passengers this way and make it profitable? Or do you already have enough money and need to think of new ways to spend it?

Oh it makes no money whatsoever! I actually had to stop one of them because the tunnels are so long (about 40 tiles) that the line was grinding to a halt. This was helped partially by allowing the tunnels to be used in both directions with PBS but not really. As you say, I have a lot of disposable cash. When the DBSet double decks car carriers come out I shall fill a few of those with goods and make them shuttle back and forth as there will be cars on the trains too then.

Thanks for the comments though

Edit: Nite Owl, it is similar but was based more upon the Loetschberg Tunnel concept which is in Switzerland (or other similar set ups like the Eurotunnel).

Really nice concept with the car shuttle service

How much time would be slashed by taking the tunnel instead of the very long-winded mountain route? Interestingly, the fact you stay in your car is a huge selling point for Eurotunnel. The ferries even complained about it as you can't stay in your car on a ferry, and were thus at a disadvantage. I guess people are lazy

JamieLei wrote:Really nice concept with the car shuttle service

Ta.

How much time would be slashed by taking the tunnel instead of the very long-winded mountain route?

Sod all idea. Probably less because sometimes trains have to wait ages for the tunnel to clear. I now have 4 tunnels though so the wait is a bit less. Signals in tunnels would help though....

Actually, heavy freight runs faster now as I can make the trains longer because there are less hills to deal with.

Interestingly, the fact you stay in your car is a huge selling point for Eurotunnel. The ferries even complained about it as you can't stay in your car on a ferry, and were thus at a disadvantage. I guess people are lazy

Couldn't really care to be honest. The wagons available aren't enclosed so everyone has to get into the coaches at the end of the train. Like the lorry carrying Shuttles or the whole Loetschberg Tunnel concept.

Some more lessons on how not to build a railway...

1&2) Wuppertal and Hanover... Spot the differences The station hasn't moved at all and the lines leaving to the left have only changed slightly in the last 70 years! Looks so quiet and peaceful... mainly because it was, at this stage the tunnels through the mountains weren't built and the mountain line had a single DMU plodding along it. Boom? Chaos. The line to the tunnels runs out of the bottom screen in the right corner. Mental area that all works, amazingly. Note the transrapid station cleverly slotted in

Pforzheim has developed again as a major junction following increased use of part of the old mountain route to a Chemical works and a small iron ore mine. The travelling road service is going strong now with 3 trains in operation. There are plans to cascade faster locomotives to the service to improve it but for the time being the BR140s are in the process of getting a lick of paint.
A private rail firm got the contract for carrying chemicals away from the chemical works and one of their Blue Tiger locomotives can be seen passing through Pforzheim station. Pforzheim yard still remains an important transit point as diesel traction is swapped for Electric through the tunnels.
Finally, a new station was built on the line to kiel to serve the growing suburban population. When new BR612s are introduced to the line the station will be opened to passengers.

Massive

Current map showing that I've barely used half the map in 100 years of the company.

Some lovely shots

Very nice yes yes, but you fail at updating your signature

Ameecher wrote:Current map showing that I've barely used half the map in 100 years of the company.

I seem to do the same as you, especially with these larger OTTD maps. All your infrastructure seems to get concentrated in and around your intial cities, the routes that got connected later see lees £££s spent on them and seem to be far less complex.

Same here Badger, that's why I started playing on 256 x 256 maps, I'm prone to excessive tinkering on the routes I already have, especially in passenger games where I try and provide a 'realistic' level and pattern of service.

I know what you mean, Badger. I suppose it's because the initial routes grow much faster and need changes and the way I tend to build networks is to send most trains to one main station ending up with a hub & spoke network rather than a web of mainlines. Some of the other towns might get lines at a later date but I've taken to just adding buses at the moment! The lazy way of providing connections

Edit: and my signature is correct actually, few last minute changes...

The increase of freight through the tunnels was causing havoc some some extra sidings were added at Pforzheim for freights to wait* for a handy gap in passenger trains to pass through the tunnels.
*In reality all the trains arrive here and unload there load to longer trains that shuttle through the tunnel.

Nice shot Ameecher! I would love to look around in that savegame, just to see how your trains are moving around.