Announcing Feather River Canyon Enhanced!
Feb 01, 2024
Coming soon to Train Simulator Classic is Feather River Canyon Enhanced, an extraordinary new extended and detail-rich enhanced edition of this legendary route with a superb variety of new locomotives, rolling stock, and realistic scenarios!
Western Pacific’s fabulous and legendary Feather River Canyon Route is coming 15 February to Train Simulator Classic in an expanded and enhanced edition, re-creating the railroad’s entire 118-mile Third Subdivision from Oroville to Portola, California! This includes enhanced scenery from end to end, you can see a preview of this in the video below.
The upcoming Feather River Canyon Enhanced Route for Train Simulator Classic will also feature a portion of the Western Pacific’s Fourth Subdivision (the “Inside Gateway”) and the entire Quincy Railroad short line, bringing total route mileage to 130 richly detailed route miles.
Five types of Western Pacific diesel locomotives, a Burlington Northern locomotive, and 16 types of freight equipment, all provided in a variety of authentic liveries, will deliver superb operational variety and realism to the upcoming route.
Created through a collaboration between Dovetail Games and High Iron Simulations, the Feather River Canyon Enhanced route will include:
- Western Pacific’s entire Third Subdivision as it existed in the 1970-1980 era, and with major yard and terminal facilities at each end (Oroville in the west and Portola in the east).
- An all-new 34-mile addition of the route between Quincy Junction and Portola, including famous landmarks such as towering Clio Trestle and the remarkable Williams Loop.
- Enhanced and richly detailed scenery from end to end and including a variety of new custom-built stations, structures, and assets. Special attention has been devoted to enhancing the detail and realism of the route’s many lineside shippers and industries.
- Five types of Western Pacific diesel locomotives, including the EMD F7 (cab and booster), GP9 (with dual controls), SW9, and GP40-2, plus the GE U30B. All locomotives will feature advanced braking and are offered in 14 total livery variations!
- An all-new Burlington Northern EMD GP35. Western Pacific and Burlington Northern conducted joint operations via the “Inside Gateway” and over the west end of the route.
- Sixteen types of freight equipment appropriate to the line and era, including open-side auto racks, 86-foot auto parts boxcars, bay-window cabooses, and a variety of rolling stock in liveries including Western Pacific, Union Pacific, Rio Grande, Burlington Northern, Great Northern, Northern Pacific, and Spokane, Portland & Seattle.
- To further enhance the realistic operating characteristics of the line, route speed limits have been set as authentic to the 1970s era, signaling has been improved, and the route is fully equipped with lineside operational signage.
- Bringing the enhanced experience of the Feather River Canyon to full life will be a set of ten new career scenarios that include end-to-end operations and a free-roam scenario – plus the route is Quick Drive enabled.
Owners of the original Feather River Canyon Route (Released in 2016 by Dovetail Games) will receive a special limited-time -15% discount on the purchase of Feather River Canyon Enhanced. Available for the first two weeks of launch only. To get this you need to have the original route in your Steam Library and be signed in. Add to your Wishlist on Steam to make sure you don't miss it.
The Feather River Canyon Enhanced Route for Train Simulator Classic promises to deliver an extraordinary, challenging, and realistic railroading experience set on one of North America’s most famed and scenic railroad lines – stay tuned here at Dovetail Games for more information, including an end-to-end close-up look at the route!
Western Pacific’s fabulous Feather River Canyon Route is coming soon to Train Simulator Classic in an expanded and enhanced edition, re-creating in rich detail the railroad’s entire Third Subdivision from Oroville to Portola, California. At Portola, silver and orange EMD GP9 725 is leading an eastbound freight while a WP SW9 in “pumpkin” livery switches the busy yard. Note that screenshots may depict content while in development.
Legendary Locations: The upcoming Feather River Canyon Enhanced Route for Train Simulator Classic delivers the grandeur of Western Pacific’s most legendary locations. At 172-foot-high, 1,000-foot-long Clio Trestle, a trio of WP EMD GP40-2s have the hotshot “Ford Fast” freight in tow (above), while Western Pacific F7 921 is ducking under its own caboose at the remarkably engineered Williams Loop (below).
Portola served as the east end of Western Pacific’s Third Subdivision and was host to expansive yard and terminal facilities. Western Pacific EMD SW9 605 is shuffling some flats into the RIP tracks at Portola, while green-clad first-generation EMDs await their next duty. The area depicted in this 1970s-era scene, including the engine house, is now home to the Western Pacific Railroad Museum.
The Fab Four! Western Pacific was a major operator of Electro-Motive’s classic F-units and operated F7s well into the 1970s. WP’s last four units became stars among railroad enthusiasts and were nicknamed “the Fab Four.” With WP 913 in special silver-and-orange heritage livery leading the way, the Fab Four are hauling an empty grain consist through the upper canyon near Blairsden. Today, Western Pacific 913 is preserved in pristine fashion at the California State Railway Museum.
A pair of Western Pacific GP9s is switching the WP interchange with the short line Quincy Railroad at Quincy Junction. High Iron Simulations is known for the extensive detail and vibrance of its routes and has added extensive enhancements to the entire route. The Quincy Railroad short line is also included in the route.
The Feather River Canyon Enhanced Route for Train Simulator Classic is set in the 1970s-1980s era, a time when Western Pacific offered a menagerie of locomotives in colorful liveries, and the route will include six locomotive types. Five color-splashed EMD diesels have tonnage in tow eastbound at famed Keddie, California. Resting in the background is WP’s emergency work train complete with heavy crane.
Western Pacific’s Fourth Subdivision – also known as the “Inside Gateway” and “Highline” – extended north from Keddie. On a wintry day, a duo of Western Pacific GP9s have departed from Keddie and are working a local turn north on the aptly named Highline. The upcoming Feather River Canyon Enhanced Route features an all-new selection of ten realistic career scenarios featuring operations across the length and breadth of the 130-mile route.
The Inside Gateway, which linked the Pacific Northwest with central and southern California, featured joint operations and power pooling by Burlington Northern and Western Pacific. BN power typically operated west to Oroville or even Stockton. Bringing Burlington Northern to life on the upcoming route is a BN EMD GP35 and a variety of BN (and predecessor) freight rolling stock. At Crescent Mills on the Fourth Subdivision, a mix of BN and WP power is making a set out (above). On the Third Subdivision main line west of Keddie, BN- and WP-powered trains meet deep in the scenic Feather River Canyon (below).
As compared to the lush and mountainous Feather River Canyon, the western portion of the WP between Butte Valley and Oroville was a land of sparse foliage and semi-arid countryside. Making the climb out of Oroville, the “Fab Four” are lugging tonnage up the railroad’s magnificently engineered right-of-way.
In addition to being a key operating point and the western end of WP’s Third Subdivision, Oroville was host to a variety of lineside industries which have been expanded and enhanced in the upcoming edition of the route. Amid the sprawling Oroville wood and lumber yard, Western Pacific SW9 604 is delivering a cut of loaded flat cars.
Spring rain is falling as Western Pacific General Electric U30B 3053 and two veteran F-units power westbound tonnage through Oroville Yard (above). Motive power, including a laying-over Burlington Northern GP35, congregates at Oroville’s busy engine facility and roundhouse (below).
A set of powerful Western Pacific EMD GP40-2s is drawing a grain train around the superbly engineered Williams Loop. The Feather River Canyon Enhanced Route promises to deliver an extraordinary, challenging, and realistic railroading experience set on one of North America’s most famed and scenic railroad lines – and it’s coming soon to Train Simulator Classic!