TTDX railways and other stuff

Flat wagons have a flat floor and no or only small structures which are open. They are used to transport large and unwieldy loads such as machines, steel coils, wood trunks, or other such goods that do not need sheltering from the weather. Modern flat cars can be covered by tarpaulins, allowing the transportation of sensitive goods. Historically, flat cars were derived from stake wagons, which were very common in Germany. As with all the other freight wagon types, there has been constant development. Today they form the largest group of wagons operated by Deutsche Bahn (which is mainly due to the fact that wagons for transporting cars and containers are also considered flat cars for classification purposes).

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DRG stake wagon (1930)

capacity 25t, 80 kph

This wagon is the first stake wagon in the set and can be used to transport a variety of cargos.

Stake wagons had already been standardized in Prussia by the beginning of the 20th century. These standards were refined in later years, in the 1930s there were multiple standardized two-axle stake wagons. There were no four-axle stake wagons, but four-axle flat wagons.

stake wagon DRG: Google image search
DRG class Rs Stuttgart
rail wagon der DRG: Google image search
DRG class SSla Köln

Screenshots

The wagon shows different graphics for the different cargos, allowing to directly see what is being transported. With a bit of practice you even notice the small differences for the empty wagons, as they all differ in color and by the length of the stakes. Depending on the load, multiple loading stages can be shown. For some of the cargos there are additional graphics to distinguish between moving trains and loading/unloading trains.

Steel is transported in a variety of products which are chosen randomly. Depending on the parameter given to the NewGRF the products are the same for the whole train (all wagons will always show the same products), or it will be chosen randomly every time the wagon is being loaded. I definitely prefer the latter setting as it provides way more variety in the game.

Wood is always shown in the same way and provides multiple loading levels.

Transporting goods comes with a really large number of loading levels.

Grain (or rather straw) kann be transported on these wagons as well. The moving train will show gray and blue tarpaulins (chosen randomly), as the straw should be sheltered from rain.

Paper can be transported on stake wagons as well. Similar to straw, the moving train shows graphics where the paper is covered by blue tarpaulins.

Usage

This wagon is a replacement for the two-axle low board wagon when it comes to transporting wood, steel or paper. It offers higher capacity and a higher speed limit, making this the wagon of choice until about 1970, when the successor becomes available. That one then increases the capacity and speed limit even further.

DB flat wagon (1950)

capacity 30t, 100 kph

This wagon is the first specialized goods transportation wagon in the game. "Goods" are shown as large machinery here.

The Bundesbahn had a large number of two-axle stake cars available in their early years, as many such cars had been built during war time to transport war machinery. Further wagons of that type were added to the fleet for the last time in the 1950s, as the focus changed towards four-axle versions, which were later on standardized by UIC. These four-axle flat wagons are most likely the base for this vehicle in the set.

flat wagon DB: Google image search
DB class "SSlmas"

UIC class "Rs"

Screenshots

The wagon shows different cargo graphics, which are chosen randomly whenever it is loaded. There are no loading stages though, but then again it is difficult to load like half a machine. The wagon will therefore either show as empty (to the left) or fully loaded, even though it can actually hold up 60 creates of cargo and could also be partially loaded.

Usage

Given the combination of speed limit and capacity this wagon is a good choice until about 1970, after that wagons with higher speed limits become available.

DB stake wagon (1970)

capacity 30t, 120 kph

This stake wagon is an upgrade to the first one from 1930, providing more capacity and a better speed limit.

UIC standardized a variety of flat wagons in several classes, the classic German stake wagon was now also classified as a flat wagon, two-axle ones became class K, four-axle ones in class R.

flat wagon UIC 571-2: Google image search
UIC class "Rs"

Based on the speed limit the wagon in the game should be classified as Rss. Such wagons do not seem to have existed with the Bundesbahn, a fitting real world example would be the flat car of class Rps.

Screenshots

Wood is always shown in the same way and provides multiple loading levels.

Transporting goods comes with a really large number of loading levels.

Grain (or rather straw) kann be transported on these wagons as well. The moving train will show gray and blue tarpaulins (chosen randomly), as the straw should be sheltered from rain.

Paper can be transported on stake wagons as well. Similar to straw, the moving train shows graphics where the paper is covered by blue tarpaulins.

Usage

After 1970, this wagon is the best (and only...) choice for transporting steel, wood and paper.

DB flat wagon for containers (1975)

capacity 40t, 120 kph

By the early 1970s, ISO containers started to take over the transportation world by storm. That of course also required fitting wagons, and DBSetXL offers one.

UIC standardized several variations of flat wagons for combined transportation (which includes transporting containers). These wagons typically are not classified as ordinary flat wagons as they lack the flat bottom - the containers are only held in place by latch locks defined by the standards.

flat wagon UIC 571-4: Google image search
UIC class "Sgss"

Screenshots

The wagon shows containers in different colors which are chosen randomly every time the wagon is being loaded. The pictures do not even show all available color combinations.

Usage

This wagon is the first in the game to offer a capacity of 40t to be transported at more than 100 kph, which makes it a great choice for goods transportation. The sliding wall wagon is similar, providing less capacity but higher speed limits. By the millennium tarpaulin wagons become available which can be run at up to 160 kph. Still, this one is unbeatable in terms of loading speed. So all in all, you cannot really go wrong with container transportations, just look at how many containers are transported all around the world nowadays.

DB car transporter (1980)

capacity 35t, 140 kph

According to UIC classification, these are flat cars as well. That dates back to the usage of regular flat cars for transporting all sorts of vehicles, also during war times. Modern car transport wagons with two levels are a common sight and exist in multitudes of variations. Typically they run in single axle configurations, bogies are not needed as cars are not a particular heavy cargo.

There are however special car transportation wagons which are run together with passenger trains. These ones are classified as luggage cars, as they have to meet specific criteria for passenger trains, which do not apply to freight trains. Outside Germany there are also car transportation wagons with bogies, for example the class Seks.

DB car transporter: Google image search
UIC class "Laes"
DB car transporter for passenger trains: Google image search
UIC class "DDm"

One can assume that the wagons used within passenger trains are the base model for the one in the set - and there is no way to actually count the axles in the pixel graphics of the set anyhow.

Screenshots

Multiple loading stages are utilized.

The colors of the vehicles are random and are chosen every time the wagon is being loaded.

Usage

The wagon is a good choice for goods transportation - high speed limit and second best capacity of all wagons. It shares these characteristics with the sliding wall wagon, so the choice is up to the player.It is probably a good idea to use this wagon when transporting goods from a factory that consumes lots of steel. Using it when transporting goods from saw mills or raffineries are somewhat less comprehensible.

DB flat wagon (1990)

capacity 40t, 140 kph

This flat wagon is an upgrade to the first flat wagon from 1950 and provides a much higher speed limit as well as more capacity. It is not really clear which original freight wagon class might it is based on, there are a variety of flat wagons for really heavy loads, but typically these have six axles.

flat wagon UIC 571-2: Google image search
UIC class "Samms"

As a four-axle wagon this one would probably be classified as Smms.

Screenshots

The wagon shows different cargo graphics, which are chosen randomly whenever it is loaded. There are no loading stages though, but then again it is difficult to load like half a machine. The wagon will therefore either show as empty (to the left) or fully loaded, even though it can actually hold up 80 creates of cargo and could also be partially loaded.

Usage

This wagon is an excellent choice for transporting goods, the capacity is only matched by the tarpaulin wagon, which is introduced later and offers an even higher speed limit.

DB tarpaulin wagon (1997)

capacity 40t, 160 kph

At first glance this one looks like a closed wagon of some sort. That impression is misleading, it is a flat wagon with a tarpaulin cover, very much like a truck with a flat trailer covered by a tarpaulin.