Train Sim World 2 to see an American legend, the Horseshoe Curve route

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Train Sim World 2 to see an American legend, the Horseshoe Curve route

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AMERICAN LEGEND 8068
Credit: TSW

A new route soon to be released by Dovetail for (TSW 2) and is one of America’s most legendary and dramatic railroad landmarks, Norfolk Southern’s (NS) Horseshoe Curve route.

Few places in American railroading evoke more history and drama than Horseshoe Curve on Pennsylvania Railroad’s line through the Allegheny Mountains.

Over 150 years after it was built the Horseshoe Curve route is still a busy Norfolk Southern rail artery.

TSW 2’s Horseshoe Curve route, which is known today as Norfolk Southern’s Pittsburgh Line, will re-create NS’s crossing of the rugged Alleghenies and give players the opportunity to haul a variety of freights ranging from priority inter-modals to ponderous coal behind high-horsepower NS diesels.

With the ancient, worn rock face of Kittanning Point as a backdrop, a pair of Norfolk Southern General Electric ES44ACs haul coal gondolas uphill around the legendary Horseshoe Curve.
With the ancient, worn rock face of Kittanning Point as a backdrop, a pair of Norfolk Southern General Electric ES44ACs haul coal gondolas uphill around the legendary Horseshoe Curve.

Developed by Skyhook Games for TSW 2, the route extends 40 route miles from the railroad town of Altoona and the sprawling Juniata Shops to Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

The line climbs over the Allegheny Mountains and represents the railroad as it was in 2018.

At Altoona, a westbound manifest powered by a trio of Norfolk Southern GE ES44ACs passes the city's modern passenger station.
At Altoona, a westbound manifest powered by a trio of Norfolk Southern GE ES44ACs passes the city’s modern passenger station.

The route also includes part of Norfolk Southern’s steep South Fork Secondary line extending 15 miles from South Fork to a coal mine near Windber, Pennsylvania, and with climbs of up to 3 percent.

Motive power in the simulation will feature Norfolk Southern’s powerful six-axle, 4,400 HP General Electric ES44AC, as well as the versatile NS Electro-Motive GP38-2.

A pair of NS ES44ACs are standing at Altoona's Juniata Shops awaiting their next duties.
A pair of NS ES44ACs are standing at Altoona’s Juniata Shops awaiting their next duties.

A full range of modern freight equipment will also be provided to replicate the diverse traffic flow over the route.

In total, there will be a selection of four training tutorials, five scenarios, and a variety of timetabled services.

To climb the eastern slope of the Alleghenies, the Pennsylvania Railroad faced the daunting task of ascending nearly 1,000-feet between Altoona and Gallitzin, Pennsylvania.

Aboard a Norfolk Southern GE ES44AC, players can take the throttle of the modern 4,400-horsepower, six-axle diesel, and work in a realistic cab with a full range of authentic and interactive controls.
Aboard a Norfolk Southern GE ES44AC, players can take the throttle of the modern 4,400-horsepower, six-axle diesel, and work in a realistic cab with a full range of authentic and interactive controls.

To do so required a tortuous and twisting climb with a 1.85 percent ruling grade, and that was achieved only by the building of the 3,612-foot-long Allegheny Tunnel at the summit and the great horseshoe-shaped curve at Kittanning Point, which itself carries the line from an elevation of 1,473 feet on its east end to 1,706-feet on its west side.

Horseshoe Curve and the Allegheny crossing from Altoona on the east to Johnstown, Pennsylvania on the west are part of the Pennsylvania’s Pittsburgh Division and are one of America’s busiest and most critical railroad arteries.

With the city's classic domed Cathedral and now-closed Alto Tower standing behind, a train of coal gondolas makes its westbound departure from Altoona. Ahead lies the tough climb of the Alleghenies with its twisting 1.85 percent ruling grade.
With the city’s classic domed Cathedral and now-closed Alto Tower standing behind, a train of coal gondolas makes its westbound departure from Altoona. Ahead lies the tough climb of the Alleghenies with its twisting 1.85 percent ruling grade.

The route sees a seemingly endless passage of freight and passenger trains, including PRR’s premiere “Broadway Limited”.

Besides Horseshoe Curve, the route has other classic and memorable locations, including the Gallitzin, Allegheny, and New Portage Tunnels, remote MG Tower, the steep eastbound “Slide,” key coal feeder lines at Cresson and South Fork, and the sprawling yards and Juniata shops at Altoona.

Today, the Horseshoe Curve route remains one of railroading’s greatest displays of mountain railroading, constantly humming with traffic ranging from double-stack container trains to coal tonnage, manifest freights, grain, oil, and autos. The line is also host to Amtrak’s New York-Philadelphia-Pittsburgh “Pennsylvanian”.

A long Norfolk Southern westbound freight wraps itself around Horseshoe Curve.
A long Norfolk Southern westbound freight wraps itself around Horseshoe Curve.
Dawn is just breaking as a duo of Norfolk Southern ES44ACs grind past the aged MG (Mid-Grade) tower on the east slope of the Allegheny climb, halfway between Altoona and the line's summit at Gallitzin.
Dawn is just breaking as a duo of Norfolk Southern ES44ACs grind past the aged MG (Mid-Grade) tower on the east slope of the Allegheny climb, halfway between Altoona and the line’s summit at Gallitzin.
At the 2,167-foot-high summit of the Horseshoe Curve route, NS GE ES44AC 8096 leads the way into the open air at Gallitzin after passing through the 3,612-foot-long Allegheny Tunnel.
At the 2,167-foot-high summit of the Horseshoe Curve route, NS GE ES44AC 8096 leads the way into the open air at Gallitzin after passing through the 3,612-foot-long Allegheny Tunnel.
Cresson, Pennsylvania, located three miles west of Gallitzin, has long been a key point on the Horseshoe Curve line. Today it's a junction and interchange point with the ex-PRR branch lines now operated by R. J. Corman's Pennsylvania Lines. On a quiet night at Cresson, a pair of veteran Norfolk Southern EMD GP38-2s stand on the wye track.
Cresson, Pennsylvania, located three miles west of Gallitzin, has long been a key point on the Horseshoe Curve line. Today it’s a junction and interchange point with the ex-PRR branch lines now operated by R. J. Corman’s Pennsylvania Lines. On a quiet night at Cresson, a pair of veteran Norfolk Southern EMD GP38-2s stand on the wye track.
TSW2_Horseshoe_Curve_Watermarked_Screenshots_11
On the west slope of the Alleghenies, thirteen miles west of Cresson, is historic South Fork, Pennsylvania, where the Norfolk Southern’s ex-PRR South Fork Secondary connects with the Pittsburgh Line. Included in TSW 2’s Horseshoe Curve route is 15 miles of the South Fork Secondary which serves a busy coal mine and features tough grades of up to 3 percent. Leading a coal train off the South Fork Secondary, NS ES44ACs meet a GP38-2 at South Fork Yard.
Near South Fork along the Pittsburgh Line, a trio of Norfolk Southern ES44ACs are making the climb of the Allegheny west slope hauling an ethanol unit train.
Near South Fork along the Pittsburgh Line, a trio of Norfolk Southern ES44ACs are making the climb of the Allegheny west slope hauling an ethanol unit train.
Johnstown's history as a steel and industrial centre is recalled as a Norfolk Southern eastbound train runs alongside the Conemaugh River.
Johnstown’s history as a steel and industrial centre is recalled as a Norfolk Southern eastbound train runs alongside the Conemaugh River.

All screenshots in this article are by Dovetail Game’s Gary Dolzall.

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