Norfolk Southern Collection

In simplest terms, today’s goliath of a railroad named Norfolk Southern was created in 1982 by the merger of North American heavyweights Norfolk & Western and Southern Railway. Yet there is much more to the story! Both N&W and Southern were rich in pedigree, predecessors, and subsidiaries, which included for N&W the Wabash, Nickel Plate, Virginian, and Illinois Terminal, and for the Southern Railway the Central of Georgia, Savannah & Atlanta, Interstate, and Norfolk Southern (yes, the original NS was a short line earlier taken into the Southern fold).

Even then, there was more to come in the formation of today’s 19,500-mile titan, most importantly the acquisition in 1999 (shared with CSX) of much of the Conrail system, which in turn brought to the modern Norfolk Southern portions of legendary predecessors such as the Pennsylvania and New York Central, Erie-Lackawanna, Lehigh Valley, and Monongahela.

Leaving aside its truly remarkable family tree, the Norfolk Southern has proven a delight to train-watchers, in no small part due to its innovative operations and, perhaps somewhat paradoxically, predecessors N&W’s and Southern’s long affinity for distinctive “hi-nose” diesels. In summary, Norfolk Southern is as captivating as it is large, and with a wealth of available routes, locomotives, equipment, and scenario packs you can bring vibrant Norfolk Southern railroading to full life in Train Simulator Classic!

Three Norfolk Southern routes are available for Train Simulator Classic, including the recently released 70-mile Saluda Grade: Asheville – Spartanburg route masterfully created by High Iron Simulations which is highlighted by the legendary and historic 4.7-percent Saluda Grade, and which includes three types of NS locomotives (ex-Southern and ex-N&W SD40-2s and an ex-Southern GP35). Created by Dovetail Games, the 50-mile Norfolk Coal District route takes you to Pennsylvania coal country for heavy hauling on the ex-Monongahela Railroad. The rugged route includes NS General Electric ES44AC and Dash 9-44CW diesels. In contrast, captivating Carolina branch line railroading awaits you in Dovetail Games’ 29-mile Norfolk Southern N-Line route which also includes multiple variants of the NS EMD GP38-2 and a GP40-2 locomotive. Each of the route provide a variety of authentic Norfolk Southern rolling stock. In addition to these routes, NS operations also can be re-created on additional Train Simulator Classic routes such as the North Jersey Coast & Morristown Lines route and on the legendary Horseshoe Curve route (a line which NS acquired in the 1999 Conrail acquisition). Routes are listed below.

Train Simulator Classic DLC offers a remarkable variety of Norfolk Southern locomotives and rolling stock to join the locomotives available with NS routes. Norfolk Southern locomotives available for Train Simulator Classic as DLC include the Electro-Motive GP60, GP40-2, hi-nose SD45, hi-nose GP50, unique remanufactured GP33 ECO, SW1500, SD60E, SD70M, SD70ACe, and SD70ACU. Norfolk Southern General Electric locomotives available include the GE B36-7, C36-7, C39-8, Dash 8-40C, Dash 9-44CW, and ES44AC.

Not to be missed are Dovetail Games’ Norfolk Southern Heritage packs for the EMD SD70ACe and GE ES44AC which together includes the railroad’s remarkable collection of 20 modern and powerful locomotives in NS predecessor liveries! You can find a list of locos below.

Train Simulator Classic Scenario Packs are an ideal way to extend and enhance your enjoyment of routes and locomotives and the packs feature realistic railroading experiences. Scenario packs featuring Norfolk Southern action include Saluda Scenario Pack 01, Coal District Scenario Pack 01, Norfolk Southern N-Line Scenario Pack 01, and GP40-2 Mini Scenario Pack 02, the latter of which includes realistic NS local freight operations on the Train Simulator Classic North Jersey Coast & Morristown Lines route. Scenario packs are listed below.

Scores of additional Norfolk Southern scenarios created by many talented members of the Train Simulator Classic community are available at Steam Workshop and the NS scenarios include some of the Workshop’s most popular and highly rated scenarios. Norfolk Southern is a giant of contemporary North American railroading and you can climb aboard and experience the variety and the challenges of Norfolk Southern railroading with Train Simulator Classic!

Norfolk Southern is a 19,500-mile titan of North American railroading. Train Simulator Classic DLC includes three remarkable NS routes, including the recently released 70-mile Saluda Grade: Asheville-Spartanburg route featuring the legendary 4.7-percent Saluda Grade. Powered by a set of ex-Southern hi-nose EMD SD40-2s, an NS coal train eases through historic Saluda, North Carolina (above), while a trio of ex-Southern hi-nose Alco-truck-equipped EMD GP35s curl along the scenic branch serving a power plant near Asheville (below).

The 50-mile Norfolk Southern Coal District route for Train Simulator Classic takes you to Pennsylvania coal country for heavy hauling on the ex-Monongahela Railroad. A duo of potent NS GE ES44AC lead empty gondolas down the streets of West Brownsville, Pennsylvania (above), while in a recall of the route’s origins, NS Monongahela-dressed Heritage ES44AC leads a ballast train (below). Note: Screenshots may depict combined route and DLC content.

Captivating Carolina branch line railroading is the theme of the 29-mile Norfolk Southern N-Line route extending from Salisbury to Halls Ferry, North Carolina. A duo of Norfolk Southern EMD GP38-2s are working a local on the rural line (above), while in another classic branch line image, a pair of NS EMD GP60s are at work with tonnage (below). The potent, third-generation Norfolk Southern EMD GP60 is available as DLC.

Norfolk Southern has a remarkable and historic family tree, and not to be missed are Train Simulator Classic’s NS Heritage livery GE ES44AC and EMD SD70ACe packs, which together feature all twenty of the railroad’s strikingly beautiful heritage diesels. At Salisbury roundhouse on the NS N-Line, the heritage fleet is gathered for its portrait.

Six types of Norfolk Southern General Electric diesels are ready for work on Train Simulator Classic routes. On the Norfolk Southern Coal District, a pair of burly GE C36-7 diesels aid in the endless flow of coal gondolas to and from the mines (above), while on the Horseshoe Curve route (which became part of NS in 1999), a duo of GE C39-7s are powering a unique Norfolk Southern RoadRailer consist (below). The innovative RoadRailer equipment (truck trailers riding on steel rail wheels) is included with the C39-7 DLC.

A trio of hi-nose, 3,600-horsepower EMD SD45s, dressed in Norfolk Southern and predecessor Southern liveries, are leading tonnage through Saluda. North Carolina. The iconic SD45s as created by DTM are available in a DLC pack which also includes the SD45 in N&W livery.

As available in Dovetail Games’ GP40-2 Loco Pack, a pair of Norfolk Southern GP40-2s handle switching on the NS Coal District route. The GP40-2 DLC pack also includes the landmark EMD locomotive in Rio Grande, Western Pacific, Union Pacific, and CSX liveries.

Norfolk Southern predecessors Norfolk & Western and Southern Railway were long-time devotees to hi-nose road-switchers and among the last such units constructed were a group of ex-Southern EMD GP50s. On the N-Line, GP50 7075 awaits its next call (above). An example of the railroad’s innovative approach is represented in Train Simulator Classic’s GP33 ECO as created by Travel by Train. Remanufactured by NS with a new power plant and “Admiral” style cab and dressed in a special livery, GP33 ECO 4727 is mated with an RP-M4C “slug” while switching on the N-Line route (below).

In another example of Norfolk Southern’s remanufacturing and modernization of locomotives, a trio of distinctive NS SD70ACU diesels (which prior to rebuilding were SD90MACs) haul coal on the Norfolk Southern Coal District route. Norfolk Southern is a giant of contemporary North American railroading and you can climb aboard and experience the variety and the challenges of Norfolk Southern railroading with Train Simulator Classic!