It’s time to hit the main line with the thundering diesel power! The DB BR 218, developed by TSG, is coming June 25th!
The current German rail network is defined largely by long, high-speed electrified lines, hosting a range of powerful electric locomotives. But that wasn’t always the case! A fleet of powerful, noisy diesel-hydraulic locomotives once roamed the tracks, with the DB BR 218 taking up both passenger and freight duties on both main and branch lines.
The Locomotive
Prototypes of the 218 were first built in the late 1960s, before the main run of locos entered service between 1971 and 1979. They became staple locomotives running across West Germany due to their impressive power output of up to 2800hp and a top speed on 140 km/h.
Like many German locomotives, their use was extended over many decades through until the early 2000s, with many examples still being active today. As time progressed, they slowly began to be replaced by more efficient DMUs and electric traction as more parts of the network switched to electrified lines.
Many remain in use for a variety of services and in recent decades have been allocated to push-pull operations on certain lines, long distance main line passenger trains and hauling out of service ICE units, as well as occasional heritage rail tours.
In-game, the DB BR 218 is recreated with a detailed cab and exterior, allowing players to experience the thrill of main line diesel traction for the first time in Train Sim World. The audio has been sourced from a real-world driver of this type of locomotive, with the exterior also being modelled based on detailed imagery from the real thing.
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As far as operating the locomotive is concerned, developer Maik from TSG explains:
"This loco, like most other older German classes, needs some patience and foresight when driving it. Its usage is similar to the tap changer locos (such as the BR 110), where you need to throttle down before you can start braking. The time needed for going from notch 15 to 2 and then 0 is about 25 seconds."
"It's also important to use the correct transmission gear for the type of train you run."
- Gear 2 (Fast Gear) gives you about 160 kN max force at slow speeds, ramping down quickly when getting up to speed. So this is only meant for light trains running with up to 140 kph max speed.
- Gear 1 (Slow Gear) gains up to 220 kN of force and is best used with heavy freight trains with a max speed of 100 kph.
- The hydrodynamic brake is not that powerful, with only 90 kN max braking force, but can be quite useful for maintaining speed down gradients. It's coupled to the train brake as usual and uses brake blending with the pneumatic brake.
"Cold-starting the locomotive also requires patience and can take some time. Otherwise it's a fun and easy-to-drive locomotive."
The Routes, Services and Gameplay
Hauptstrecke Hamburg - Lübeck
The primary route for the DB BR 218 loco Add-on is the Train Sim World Compatible Hauptstrecke Hamburg – Lübeck route Add-on. Here players can operate the 218 in timetable mode across 29 services:
- 15x RE83 services that run from Hamburg to Lübeck (Kiel) hauling n-Wagens
- 1x RE83 service (11446) from Hamburg to Lübeck hauling a BR 112 and Dostos
- 2x RE85 services that run from Hamburg to Lübeck (Puttgarden) hauling Dostos
- 11x freight services that run between Rothenburgsort and Lübeck using included freight
The 218 leads on northbound services. In addition, further services include:
- 16x RE83 services that run from Lübeck to Hamburg using the n-Wagen cab car
- 1x RE83 service (11447) that runs from Lübeck to Hamburg using the Dosto Cab Car, with a 112 in the formation
- 1x RE83 Depot service
- 2x RE85 services that run from Lübeck to Hamburg using the Dosto cab car
With the DB BR 218 and all other layers, Hamburg - Lübeck now has 271 playable services.
In addition to the BR 218 layer, with this timetable update; owners of Niddertalbahn will find that the DB BR 628 in its modern red livery also now appears as AI at Lübeck Hbf – the 218 is not required for this additional layer.
Four Scenarios are also included for this route covering both passenger and freight operations.
Maintalbahn
Players with both Hamburg - Lübeck and Maintalbahn will be able to operate additional services on the more recent Maintalbahn route Add-on. This is to represent a period between December 2017 and 2018 where Westfrankenbahn required additional traction to replace a DB BR 642 that had been allocated elsewhere. A DB BR 218 was provided.
There are a total of 19x RB88 and a handful of shunting depot services. The 218 operated RB services instead of RE, as in reality, RE services on the Maintalbahn operate on a request-stop basis, but the Dostos have no ability to request a stop and the 218 driver wouldn’t be able to see it, whereas the RB services are all stoppers anyway.
Players can also enjoy an ‘express’ style service in Free Roam to recreate the occasion of a 218 rail tour which arrived on the line in 2019. These locomotives (albeit in liveries not represented in-game) also ran along lines in Linke Rheinstrecke and Niddertalbahn which players can choose to represent in Free Roam.
Train Sim World 4: DB BR 218 loco Add-on will be available from 25th June for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Epic Games Store, and Steam for £14.99/€17.99/$17.99
You can join the Railfan TV team on Twitch and YouTube for a launch day stream of the loco Add-on in action at 18:00 UTC / 19:00 BST on Tuesday 25th June.
