Train Simulator: Sacramento Northern: Suisun Bay – San Francisco Route Add-On DLC

Only completed a few runs but am liking it. Great scenery and buildings, different to any other game I have. It seems a bit harsh on speeding, not very forgiving in the points. Overall a good game, the only downside is having to stand while driving, it makes my legs ache.

Well, I wanted this route ever since it came out and I finally got it, thanks to the Autumn Sale. I always thought traction railroads were a very obscure but interesting part of American railroading. It always fascinated me how they're a sort of crossbreed between a traditional railroad and a trolley/streetcar system. Even though we never really had too many traction railroads here in my home city of Philadelphia (at least no significant ones), we did (and still do) have an extensive trolley system, which was enough to spark my interest. It's really cool to see this time period as well, taking you from prewar to the very beginning of postwar in a classic California suburban and rural setting. I really love the detail gone into the street running sections, which would probably be my favorite part of the route. The amount and diversity of AI traffic is really cool as well as having to obey the rules of the road, stopping at traffic lights and maintaining following distance from the train in front of you. The only thing I don't like about this is that the orange articulated Key System trains are AI only. Yeah, it's okay if the red Interurban cars are AI only, since the only part of the route they run on is the bridge. But I would have liked them to make the Key System trains available to drive since there are a significant amount of Key System stops included in the route. I like the driving on the rural sections. You feel free not really being tied down to a speed limit and it adds a little extra challenge having to judge your own speed around tight curves. I love the feeling I get flying through the country on a sunny summer day in this route. The little towns you encounter are really quaint and picturesque and it makes you feel (not to reference Cheers) like everybody knows your name. The local train driver. Also the little flag stop shelters along the way in the middle of nowhere show how the train was the only mode of transportation into the city for a lot of people back then. Of course we can't leave out the Bay Bridge, the reason I initially bought this route in the first place. Even though the street running section is my favorite part of the route, the bridge is definitely the most epic. The cab signalling system is pretty cool for the time, and I never new that forced signal speed restrictions were a thing that long ago. It's sad that there's no trains on the Bay Bridge anymore, because that would be a ride I would like to experience. This part of the route reminds me of 2 other bridges that carry rail traffic. Philadelphia's Ben Franklin Bridge, which carries the Patco High Speed Line and was originally equipped for trolley lines, and the Seto Ohashi Bridge in Japan, which is another long bridge like this with rail on the lower deck and connects the Japanese islands of Honshu and Shikoku. The steeplecab and freight cars are very well detailed, although I noticed a few logos are missing on some of the freight cars and you can't spin the camera 360 degrees in the cab, which is a pain for switching scenarios. It's really cool however taking this thing in the streets with a freigt train behind it. This is an expertly made route that I highly recommend, especially if you're looking for something different, instead of the same old British and German passenger routes or American longhaul mountain freight routes (there are railroads in America in other places that JUST the mountains DTG). However, there's a catch. I am running this game on a very powerful brand new machine and I've experienced a crash every time I'm driving a westbound run. I wouldn't be surprised if it crashed the game while driving eastbound too. It's a problem that's happened with many other routes, such as the NJT routes, the South London Network, and the North London and Goblin Lines. It's sadly a bug that will most likely never be fixed, due to DTG's lack of basic quality control. Sometimes these crash bugs render routes completely unplayable! And I know I'm not the only one experiencing this because I've seen other people complaining about the same issues, one of the complaints even being in the reviews for this route (look for it). Therefore, so you don't waste extra money on a broken route, I still recommend it (as it's still a very nice route), but ONLY AT DISCOUNT SALE PRICES! Because of this crash bug, I don't think this route would be worth the full $40.

05/12/2019 - Review entirely rewritten After a few years playing Transport Fever I realized I wanted to drive trains myself rather than managing an entire transportation network. As a kid I had a bit of experience with Microsoft Train Simulator, but it was always with simple controls on, and a long way has come since then. I still remember when RailWorks first came out in 2009, I was still into train simulators, abeit I would lose interest not too long after that. Many years later, I checked the game, now rebranded as Train Simulator, but was astonished by the VAST amount of DLC avaliable for it. I admit I have the bad habit of "wanting it all" when it comes to extra content. Most games offer a somewhat reasonable amount of DLC. This is not the case. Making this game is expensive and there's not too many people interested, so that's why there's tons of DLC at high prices. So, for TS starters, I suggest being rather sensible with your DLC picks. Personally, I wanted something different, unusual, a route you could not confuse with another. And I came across this. An old interurban route set in the US, right before WW2. And I love it. Now, I admit this is probably not the best choice for a TS starter. For instance, the trains do not have speed gauges. You need to estimate your speed if you plan to drive with no HUD. On top of that, the speed limits don't have warnings, they just begin with a single, small track side signal, and you must be speed-ready before reaching them. The passenger scenarios put a lot of emphasis on passenger comfort, so travelling through thight curves demands achieving the right speed, at times way below the speed limit. Performance-wise the route is varied. During most of it (countryside and small towns) you'll get decent framerates, but between the street-running part and San Francisco it can be a bit demanding. I play on 64 bits. With that said, I think this is a great add-on. It's very unique and different to everything else. It comes with a fair amount of scenarios (including a tutorial for the passenger train) and there's a bunch more in the workshop, most of them don't require any additional content. After buying this route in February I got my collection of DLC started, yet this route remains my favourite. Totally recommended.

This is a challenging route, and going back 80 years in time is fun. The only drawback is that the Holman 1003 class motors lacks compressor sounds, and some textures are missing from the refrigerator cars, it shows "MISSING"... Otherwise a fun route to drive and I can recommend it...

A very well done route and models. I would say great for the price and I have heard that there are many workshop add-ons. This is not for everyone but a nice change. Good learning tutorials. It was a sham that GM bribed and bought out our light rail systems so they could sell buses. All that economical transportation and infrastructure that is now too expensive to replace and was built without taxpayer money. Killed many mid-sized cities downtown economics. Google it!

I really love this route, it is of an era that existed when I was born, so much of the charm of this long gone period can be glimpsed as you travel along its R.O.W. It is nice to have something different from all the modern routes. The Tutorial is very informative, as is the first 4-part group of scenarios.

I'll start off by saying this route has left me almost speechless, but I can still find the words to write a review. Even though I live in New Zealand, I am a very big fan of American trains, and after finding out about this route, I was simply blown away. I love the concept of this route, what with it being an Inter-urban railway; something I don't think we've ever had in Train Sim before. One of my favourite aspects of this route is just how much the scenery changes, in just 45 miles. You start out in the bustling city of San Francisco, go across the bridge and into the streets of Oakland, and up through the hills before dropping down into Contra Costa County and cruising along until you reach the Suisun Bay ferry slips at Mallard. There are two parts of the route that I like in particular; the absolutely tiny Shafter Yard and the ferry slips at Mallard. The latter is such a pleasant location to arrive at once you've finished the trip from San Francisco. And that's not even talking about the rolling stock that's included. You get both passenger and freight stock for the SN, plus the Key System and Interurban Electric trains (which I'll talk about later). The Holman 1003 is a real joy to operate, even though the physics could be tweaked a bit. I like how they use different motor and trailer car combinations. It reminds me of the old Class 487 trains that used to run on the Waterloo & City line. Having driven the SN 1003 many, many times, I haven't found any problems with it, aside from the physics I mentioned earlier. This train bears a strong resemblance to the trams that used to ply the streets of New Zealand cities, such as Auckland and New Plymouth. I'm just getting carried away here. Besides the physics, my only gripe with this train is the fact that you can only drive the motor car from one end. If you look at the small compartment at the non-driving end of the motor car, you will see some controls have been modelled there. This leads me to believe that the real SN 1003 motor car was bi-directional, just like the Class 487. To leave out the bi-directional capability of these cars is rather annoying, but at the same time, it doesn't really matter. I still like driving the SN 1003, and will continue to like this train for the forseeable future. As for the GE 'Steeple Cab' locomotive, I think it's a very nice addition to the route, just as much as the passenger train. I like how you get two liveries for this loco, with my preference being the plain black livery. I haven't driven it as much as the Holman 1003, so forming an opinion is a bit of a challenge. Now I feel it's time to talk about the Key System and Interurban Electric Railway trains. Considering that the SN shares the Key System tracks right up to 40th & Shafter station, with the Key System route being modelled as far as Piedmont, the fact that the Key System trains are Ai-only is a big disappointment. If they were driveable, then it would add a bit more variety to the route, instead of being stuck with the Sacramento Northern stock. As for the Interurban Electric Railway stock, it doesn't bother me that they're Ai-only. This is because that line branches off from the SN/Key System line somewhere near the Bridge Yard, and making them driveable would be somewhat pointless. So to summarise, I think this route is a refreshing change from the norm with U.S. routes, and it's a decent mix of freight and passenger operations. G-Trax did a fantastic job, given how difficult it would be to replicate a route as it was in the late 1930s. It has a very nice change in scenery, going from a bustling city to rolling countryside in just 45 miles. I can easily recommend this route for anybody with an interest in American trains.

[h1]Summary[/h1] This is a very good route and my personal favourite. Its 1930s/40s setting is really interesting and well-done, and you can certainly feel the era. If you're a fan of vintage rail - this is a definite buy. [h1]Pros[/h1] 1. A pretty unique setting. 30s/40s are certainly very unique and a lot different from modern rail. 2. Pretty detailed San Francisco with many landmarks and the ability to travel through the city alongside cars, like a tram. 3. Very detailed trains. 4. Unique transponder system with in-cab speed limit indicators. [h1]Cons[/h1] 1. It doesn't go all the way to Sacramento as the title might suggest, it ends on a Suisun Bay's ferry. 2. There are WAY too few motor car models for a route where you travel on the streets a lot.

Edit, Just wanted to add another, pro and con, Sadly a few freight cars have missing textures. I have no doubt this will be fixed, and it doesn't effect gameplay, but it still is a annoyance. Also a ton of extra missions are available on workshop, and I believe they are made by the Devs, or at least someone who worked with the devs. Either way, these missions add more stuff to do, which is a good thing. Well, I’ll be honest, I never thought today would happen. Not just a classic US route (pre 1950’s), but a interurban route as well. I have to say, Sacramento Northern: Suisun Bay – San Francisco is absolutely my favorite DLC ever released for Train Sim, even beating out both Maredy Branches. And if you want something different and interesting, I can’t recommend this DLC enough. So for those who don’t know, Interurban railways sprung up all across the USA between the 1890’s and 1930’s. These where basically full on railways, most of the time with both freight and passenger services, using electric traction in the form of Box cabs, Steeple cabs, and self-propelled electric rail cars. (or as the British call them, EMU’s.) These railways sprung up in towns all across America, since both cars and the roads they drove on were in their infancy. However, soon after World War 2, most of them disappeared as GM and Ford, bought them up and ripped them up, forcing people into buying cars. Today only one classic Interurban line remains, the South Shore Line in Chicago, however today the interurban concept has seen a resurgence with the introduction of the Light Rail network in cities all over the world. So, fast forward to today. Dovetail’s Train Simulator has been out since 2008, back when it was called Rail simulator, and to this day we only have 1 classic US route with another 2 being border line. In classic, we have the narrow gauge Clear Creek route. And in border line classic we have The PRR Horseshoe Curve and The New Haven Springfeld line, both patiently waiting for someone to make someone steam locomotives so we can back date them from the 60’s to the 40’s and 50’s. Well apart from the K4, it hasn’t happened, and the result is a whitewash of modern US route after modern US route. Similar locomotives and rolling stock, with nothing really interesting minus the Big Blow’s. Heck, even the latest commuter train route kind of sucks because, yes it’s something different, but it’s buggy and broken at the moment. So, if you wanted your old locomotive fix, you had to pick up a German or UK route, which isn’t a bad thing, except I can’t really relate to any of these locomotives. Sadly, this doesn’t look like it’s going to change in the future, with Train Sim World’s first route being another modern day, US route with the same trains and equipment that we used for 9 years now! But thankfully someone out there has seen this gap in the market, and has jumped on it. Enter the Sacramento Northern: Suisun Bay – San Francisco route. This is a true, old school, 1930’s interurban route with all the perks and quirks you expect. A wide variety in speeds (11-80 mph limit), tight turns, interesting stock and track arrangements, massive 4% grade, 4 types of signals to deal with (Cab, track side lights, street lights, and Semaphores.) and tons of epic sensory detail! To give you a example, In one of the freight missions I could hear the wood of my stock car groan as I pushed it through a tight turn in a siding. The lighting is excellent, street and city lights, make night time missions interesting and jaw dropping to look at. The city is massive too, albeit not super detailed. It gets the job done and doesn’t hurt the framerate too bad. The rolling stock is simple, yet charming. It doesn’t have the soul of a steam engine, but especially the Steeple cab, I feel like I need to give it a name. Traffic, both road and train reacts to your movements. If you stop before a crossing and are not parked on it, cars will go ahead a cross. If another train comes, they stop and wait for it to pass. If you start to move, they stop, considering how dumb car traffic AI can be, I was super impressed by this, and it makes street running a lot of fun. In short, there is a lot of Pro’s to this pack, and it’s so close to being perfect, but sadly it does have a few problems. 2 of the 4 trains included are AI only. Gtrax say in their manual the reason they are AI, is that those particular trains run of different parts of the route than what’s modeled, or something similar to that. To me, it just seems like a wasted opportunity for such a great package. A route with so much detail and so close to perfection, and 2 of the trains are AI only… It’s like getting a 6-course meal, when you know there’s supposed to be a 7th. Your too full to complain to the waiter, but you’ll mention it if someone asks about said restaurant. Personally, I feel the whole AI train deal needs to go away, if it shows up on the route, then I want to drive it, simple as that. Even if I have to create some BS reason for using train 1 in place of train 2. Also, I’ve had a few dump crashes mid game, but after refiring the game it worked fine… Also, no mainline railway stock even though the SN interchanges with 3 different railroads. Over all this route is a must buy for me, and I hope for you too. It’s something completely different, and its old school cool, from an era long forgotten. If I had to make a pro con list it would be like this… Pros Great variety on all fronts. (Rolling stock, operations, and scenery) Great sensory detail. (Sounds, reflections, lighting, setting in general) Challenging at first, somewhat hard to master, but not too bad. Missions are set up almost like a story. Not to Forest Rail standards but more like Horseshoe Curve. Charming drivable Locomotives Nails the atmosphere of the just after boomtime vibe of Western America in the 1930’s. Extra workshop missions Cons. A.I. only trains… No mainline railroad stock, even in AI form. Crashes for no reason sometimes. No Parlor cars? SN had a very interesting collection of parlor/observation cars that had driver cabs in them, that could have been a spiced up the stock already in the game, acting as a cab car for A to B to A style trips Freight cars missing textures

The Sacremento Northern is currently the only classic North American interurban route in TS, and I must say, as an interurban nut my self, this route is fantastic. The main feature of this route, the class 1003, is very well modeled, and preforms much like an interurban would. The key system bridge cab system included in the map is quite a unique feature, and plays a prominent role in scenarios. The map looks great, and when you are in cities, it looks supurb. Both the 1003 and the steeple cab have both horns and whistles (Both have their own sounds for both, and are very distinguished). The equipment's panographs also randomly spark, adding to the level of detail. As of this review, I have completed the first 5t scenerios (the tutorial plus the 4 parts of the tour of the route) and abit of quick drives,and I must say it's one of my favourite routes for Train Simulator, and it was well worth the wait.