User Guide

MICROSOFT TRAIN SIMULATOR ENGINEER’S HANDBOOK
THE ROUTES | 80
INNSBRUCK - ST. ANTON
Location: Austrian Alps
Route length: 63 miles (101 km)
Railroad: Orient-Express
Preferred player-drivable locomotive: Gölsdorf 380 steam locomotive
Computer-controlled trains on route: 310.23
Traveling by rail across Europe at the end of the 19
th
century was difficult, uncomfortable, and bur-
densome. So it was a somewhat revolutionary idea when George Nagelmackers created
la Compagnie
des Wagons-Lits
(CIWL, http://www.wagons-lits-paris.com) whose most famous train, the Orient-
Express
, would travel from Paris to Bulgaria from 1883 onward. The Orient-Express, like its other
famous sisterships such as the
Blue Train , is still synonymous with luxury, glamor, and adventure.
In its heyday of the 1920s and 1930s, the list of passengers read like a Who’s Who of international
royalty and celebrities. The Orient-Express still enjoys a fantastic prestige worldwide with its character-
istic blue and cream livery, decorated with the two-golden lion monogram. Apart from its modern
activities in the travel business,
Compagnie des Wagons-Lits is still active in preserving the legend
of the Orient-Express and all related properties, including historical archives, posters, and photos,
as well as public catalogues of products on the theme “le Voyage à la Belle Epoque.”
The original service consisted entirely of sumptuously appointed restaurant and sleeping cars, plus
baggage and mail cars. Although most famous for its Paris-Bulgaria route, there were many routes
and destinations serviced by the Orient-Express: London & Paris to Venice, Rome, Prague & Istanbul.
The opening of the Simplon Tunnel in the Swiss Alps allowed speedy service between London and
Venice, and the Arlberg tunnel in the Austrian Alps linked Paris to Vienna. Although diplomats, royalty,
nobility, and celebrities used the service, it was frequently disrupted by trade restrictions, border
disputes, and wars.
Train Simulator includes the portion of the route from St. Anton and the Arlberg Pass to Innsbruck as
it was in the late 1920s. You’ll travel past spectacular alpine peaks and visit beautiful Tyrolean villages
in pastoral valleys. We’ve recreated the line as it was before it was electrified. Driving a steam locomo-
tive is hard work, so remember to visit the piano bar car for a taste of luxury and relaxation.