The Santa Fe on Cajon Pass add-on, developed by High Iron Simulations, is a celebrated gameplay pack that rewinds the clock on the famous Cajon Pass route, recreating the vibrant, pre-BNSF era of railroading in the early 1990s.
🔑 Key Details & Requirements
| Feature | Description |
| Era Focused | Early 1990s (Pre-BNSF Merger) |
| Locomotives | C40-8W (Warbonnet) & SD40-2 (Blue/Yellow) |
| Developer | High Iron Simulations |
| Required Route | Cajon Pass route add-on (sold separately, typically set in the early 2000s BNSF era) |
| Compatibility | TSW 6 and TSW Compatible Content (TSW 3/4/5) |
🚂 Locomotives and Rolling Stock
The pack introduces iconic Santa Fe equipment and liveries that define the era:
- C40-8W: Featured in the famous Red and Yellow Warbonnet livery, typically used for high-priority intermodal and passenger trains.
- SD40-2: Included in the standard Santa Fe Blue and Yellow freight livery, a workhorse for mainline manifests and heavy tonnage.
- New Freight Cars: A selection of authentically-liveried Santa Fe rolling stock is introduced, including:
- Two-Bay Cement Hopper
- Three-Bay Ribbed Covered Hopper
- 86-foot Auto Parts Boxcar
🗓️ New Timetable and Scenarios
The content completely transforms the operational feel of the route:
- 1990s Freight Timetable: An all-new timetable is implemented, based on real-world Santa Fe schedules from the 1990s, replacing the default BNSF services.
- 5 New Scenarios: Players can engage in diverse duties across the pass, including:
- Hauling heavy mainline manifests.
- Running high-speed intermodal traffic.
- Operating local trains and performing yard switching.
➕ Layered Services and Compatibility
The add-on enhances immersion by integrating with other DLC:
- Union Pacific (UP) Layer: If you also own the Train Sim World 6: Sherman Hill add-on, the Cajon Pass timetable will be layered with Union Pacific SD40-2 services in appropriate UP liveries, reflecting the real-world shared nature of the line.
🛒 Availability
The Santa Fe on Cajon Pass add-on is available digitally on the following platforms:
- PC: Steam and Epic Games Store
- Console: PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S
I will search for the specific year that the Santa Fe Warbonnet livery was first introduced and the primary reason the SD40-2 was the backbone of Santa Fe’s 1990s fleet.
That’s fantastic historical context for the add-on!
The searches confirm the following facts that frame the Santa Fe on Cajon Pass DLC:
🎨 The Warbonnet Livery
- First Introduction: The iconic Red and Yellow Warbonnet was first introduced in June 1937 on the E1 locomotive set for the passenger train, the Super Chief.
- 1990s Revival: While the Warbonnet was mostly shelved after Amtrak took over passenger services in 1971, the livery was revived in 1989/1990 for Santa Fe’s new “Super Fleet” of freight locomotives (like the C40-8W in the DLC), making the early 1990s the perfect time period for its use.
⚙️ The SD40-2 Workhorse
- Reliability: The EMD SD40-2 (introduced in 1972) was one of the best-selling and most reliable locomotives in history. Its 3,000-horsepower rating was versatile enough for mainline freight without the maintenance headaches of higher-horsepower, 20-cylinder engines (like the SD45-2).
- Backbone: The SD40-2’s reliability and ease of maintenance cemented its role as the backbone of Santa Fe’s, and many other Class I railroads’, freight fleets throughout the 1990s.
- Interesting Fact: Some of Santa Fe’s SD40-2s in this era were former Amtrak SDP40Fs that had been rebuilt into freight units and reclassified as SDF40-2s.
📅 The End of an Era
- The time period of the DLC is clearly defined by the merger date: The Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) was created with the formation of a holding company on September 22, 1995, formalizing the merger soon after. The DLC transports players just before this historic change.
The Santa Fe on Cajon Pass add-on offers a detailed snapshot of a unique and well-loved time in American railroading.
