Train Sim World 4
Train Sim World: Past, Present, Future
Twas a few nights before (or after) Christmas – it really all depends on when you are reading this. Anyway, as you were sitting comfortably in your chair playing the Holiday Express – Runaway Elf, a flash of light causes you quite a fright.
You hear the faint noise of squealing brakes, as a ghostly train arrives outside your living room window, chuffing to the tune of ‘Jingle Bells’. It’s a behemoth of a thing, surrounded by smoke and fire. It grinds to a halt, glistening in the winter air (and is that a turtle decal you can see on its side?).
Descending from the footplate, a soot-faced figure floats across your front garden, clears its throat, and begins to read from his clipboard. “I am Freddy, your spiritual driver this evening. We’re about to go on an adventure of the past twelve months, find out what your Christmas has in store, and check out where your future lies.
Hop in, we have lots to see, and not much time to see it.”
You ascend the stairs, and Freddy disappears. The coals ignite, the dampers open, and you accelerate into the night.
DING, DING, DING – THE CLOCK HATH STRUCK 12:00
The landscape flashes past your eyes. Another flash of light and, you guessed it, it’s a ghost.
“I am the ghost of Christmas past, I’m here to remind you of everything that’s happened in 2022 so far including that momentous day, September 6th when Train Sim World 3 released!”
January
It’s only January 13th and we welcomed in the year with Tharandter Rampe on Train Sim World 2, our first route to feature the BR 612, TSW’s first tilting train!
February
With Valentine’s Day firmly behind us, Creators Club arrived in Train Sim World 2 on February 24th and since then we’ve been in a permanent state of disbelief at the amazing, creative liveries and scenarios that have been shared for everyone to enjoy.
Oh, and to make sure JD is happy let’s share some stats: since launching, a whopping 15,700 liveries and scenarios have been created, and over 2 million subscriptions have been made to them. That’s a lot of love for player-made content.
Here are just a couple of our favorites.
IC2 “Dresden-Riesa” – created by Sparmi
[FL] NATIONAL EXPRESS SKA 442 – Created by FolyLantern
March
March was a busy one! Train Sim World celebrated its 5th birthday! (woo) we also released a bunch of cool stuff including Metro-North’s Harlem Line and, Rivet Games’ S-Bahn Zentralschweiz: Luzern – Sursee.
April
It’s April 12th, Spring is well and truly here. The sun is shining, birds are singing, and Skyhook Games’ Horseshoe Curve: Altoona – Johnstown & South Fork is released on Train Sim World 2, high green!
May
Is it me, or is it starting to get a bit steamy in here? Oh, never mind, it was Spirit of Steam: Liverpool – Crewe, our first ever Steam route hurtling into Train Sim World. Go back in time to the Northeast of England in the 1950s and climb aboard the footplate of this iconic steam locomotive, the first ever Steam train in Train Sim World. After 2 years of hard work, it was one of our proudest releases to date, and we've been delighted with the feedback and enjoyment it's brought to so many players.
June
June was actually pretty chilled (quite ironic for a summer month) but we did release a chunky update for Train Sim World 2 that bought much-awaited Preservation Crew updates for Great Western Express and Northern Trans-Pennine, among other things.
July
Ah July, the peak of Summer. You know what would make July even better? A trip to the Isle of Wight to take a ride on Rivet Games’ Island-Line and the BR Class 484.
August
Now this was an exciting moment, the announcement of Train Sim World 3 and an invitation for everyone to Master the Machine! We had some fun teasing and building up to the announce (you can find out more about it here, and were excited to see how much theory-crafting was going on as we built up to the announce.
This also revealed that the ICE1 was coming with Train Sim World’s longest route to date, Schnellfahrstrecke Kassel-Würzburg. The 4400-horsepower ES44C4 in the USA’s Cajon Pass and Britain’s fastest train, the Class 395 ‘Javelin’ in an expanded Southeastern High Speed that now includes Ashford International and Dartford.
September
Train Sim World 3 launched and provided players with a variety of ways to enjoy all the new content available in Train Sim World 3, whether that’s through the Deluxe Edition, Standard Editions, or via a Starter Pack. New Routes, new locos, Training Center, Dynamic weather, volumetric skies, all new lighting, and so much more.
October
You know that famous saying “less is more”? Well, we don’t like that – when it comes to trains, more is always more. So fast forward to October 4th and the release of the Loco Bundle that brought 3 awesome new locos for all three of the routes features in Train Sim World 3, with the Dispolok BR 182, Railhead Treatment Train, and the stunning heritage locomotive, the F7 in the famous Santa Fe Warbonnet livery.
November
November, probably the least fun month of the year right? Just after Halloween, still too early to start really thinking about Christmas. The worst. Anyway! Train Sim World 3 had a solution to brighten up those darkening nights in the shape of Birmingham Cross-City: Lichfield – Bromsgrove & Redditch, featuring the distinctive Class 323!
December
Time might be running out in 2022 but the good times keep rolling with the arrival of Germany’s Bahnstrecke Bremen – Oldenburg in Train Sim World 3 on December 6th. Experience the late 2000’s with the all new DB BR 110.3 and n-Wagen plus, the BR 425 EMU and BR 155 in its distinctive blue “PRESS” livery!
You look up briefly to the ghost hunched over and breathing heavily.
You ask: “Is everything okay, ghost of Christmas Past?”
The ghost replies “That might well have been the busiest shift I’ve ever had to do. Someone else will join you soon. I need 364 days off to recover now!”
And just like that, the weary ghost was gone.
DING, DONG, DING – THE CLOCK HATH STRUCK 01:00
You start to ascend, the wheels straining with the heavy load. You hadn’t noticed before, but each wagon is filled to the brim with presents, of all shapes and sizes.
“Hello there, I am the Ghost of Christmas Present, I’ve just seen my buddy, Past, asleep on a bench at the spectral train station. What on earth have you done to him? Never matter, I am here and I see you’ve been expecting me. I am here to show you what is happening in the world of Train Sim World present – like, right now. So buckle up and let’s have some fun”
Holiday Express – Runaway Elf
Why not wrap up 2022 with some festive fun in the shape of the Holiday Express – Runaway Elf. Gather the family around the screen, fire up the miniature F7 and get ready to undo the mischief caused by the naughty elf. Do you have what it takes to save Christmas?
There is a lot to do any see in this fun filled festive frolic from collecting gold coins, check out the vintage 80’s games console – why not turn it on and check out an 8-bit version of Train Sim World. Oh, and did we mention you can drive around in a little jeep as a Mastery reward?
2022 Holiday Social Special Event
We’re almost at the end of our 2022 Holiday Special Event, and we’ve been gifting you keys for Train Sim World content every day for participating in various festive challenges, puzzles, and riddles. Check out just some of the amazing submissions from the community!
But fear not, the festivities continue with our In-game challenges, and if it’s special prizes you’re after, we have just opened our amazing grand prize giveaway – more on that below!
Community & Mastery Challenges
Jump into Train Sim World 3 now and take part in two sets of challenges. Firstly, and staying on the theme of “12 Days of Train Sim World”, we have 12 tiers of Mastery Challenges that unlock new rewards in the shape of 2022 decals.
Complete the 12th challenge to unlock a new Mastery Tile to decorate Training Center with some serious festive cheer (Which also has a hidden easter egg that follows the fate of a mischievous elf – let us know if you find it!) - hurry though, these challenges will only be completable until the first week of January!
And for those looking for some teamwork, we have a Community Challenge for you to collectively reach 12,345,678 miles driven, achieve it and everyone who contributed will be rewarded with decal rewards from 2020 and 2021’s Festive Challenges!
Grand Prize Giveaway with Hornby
Oh, now this is something special! As revealed yesterday across our social channels, and with many thanks to Hornby for partnering up with us, we have an incredible set of prizes for one lucky winner – and it could just be you!
This is what’s up for grabs:
- Hornby iTraveller 6000 model train set
- 12 Month Hornby Collectors Club membership
- Work with our Creative Team to design an all-new set of Decals to be added into TSW!
- TSW3 Deluxe Edition with Holiday Express
- 3 DLC keys of your choice!
Enter now through our Competition Page to be in with a chance of winning these awesome prizes. For more information on the prizes and giveaway terms, please visit our Giveaway forums thread
Train Sim World Winter Survey
We want to hear from you. Take part in our Train Sim World Winter Survey and have your say on all things Train Sim World. We appreciate your time taken to let us know your thoughts, which will help us shape the future of the game.
“Well, that’s me wrapped up on all things... present!” said the Ghost of Christmas Present, with a little wry smile on his face after managing to cram two festive puns into one sentence.
Eyes rolling, you don’t give the Ghost the satisfaction of acknowledging the low quality of the puns you just heard.
After a few seconds of awkward silence, the Ghost vanishes into thin air.
DING DING DING – THE CLOCK STRIKES 02:00
You hear the familiar sound of a train horn in the distance, but you can’t quite place it.
Suddenly, out of the mist (how did that get there?), a shadowy figure emerges onto the footplate. Shrouded in fog, you can just about make out three stripes on his nametag, and name on his badge: Rudolph.
“I am the Ghost of Christmases Yet To Come – where trains fly, we’ve finally found a way to embrace World Peace, and scientists have just created a chocolate selection box which contains no calories.
I’m here to talk about some of the amazing things in coming to Train Sim World 3 in 2023. And, to be all alternative and wacky, I’m going to do it via the medium of teaser screenshots, rather than actually telling you outright. I’m a complicated kinda guy. Enjoy!”
First up, all aboard for Scotland...
Next: did someone say Railtour?
Next: to Germany!
And finally, a new way to get around Boston:
The Ghost tips his hat, winks, and disappears backwards into the fog. The horn (where is that from? Sounds American) reverberates in the small confines of your living room before dissipating into the cold, December air.
Alright that’s it from us here at Dovetail Games for 2022. And what a year! Creators Club, Steam, Train Sim World 3... and so much more. We want to extend a massive thank you to you, our Train Sim World community for all your continued enjoyment and feedback.
Our offices will be closed over the Christmas break, and we will be back, ready to get stuck into 2023 at the beginning of January. May you all have a wonderful festive period with your loved ones.
Stay up to date with all things Train Sim World 3, and more by following @trainsimworld on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, and TikTok.
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Train Sim World 4
21 Dec
Train Sim World: Past, Present, Future
Train Sim World 4
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Train Sim World 4
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