Train Simulator: DB BR 407 ‘New ICE 3’ EMU Add-On

My spreadsheet instincts kicked in the moment I read the words "Pro Range" in the product listing, and for good reason. This add-on sits firmly at the serious end of the Train Simulator Classic DLC catalogue, modelling the DB BR 407 - Deutsche Bahn's evolved Velaro platform - with a focus on systems fidelity over accessibility. The star of the show is the regulation system: you get AFB speed control, a prototypical LZB cab-signalling implementation, PZB90 V2.0 safety vigilance, time-time SIFA, and a delayed, smoothly regulated electric brake. That is not a beginner's checklist. It is a procedures document, and Dovetail ships a manual specifically because controller HUD support is not active by default - you need to read the documentation to operate this thing correctly. For the simulation enthusiast who has already put hours into Train Simulator Classic, that depth is the whole appeal. Running the Frankfurt High Speed Frankfurt-Karlsruhe corridor at up to 320 km/h while managing LZB transitions and watching the AFB hold speed on gradient changes is genuinely satisfying in a way that a simpler loco add-on is not. The three included Career scenarios give you a structured runway to learn the systems before you go free-roaming or pull additional content from the Steam Workshop, where the community continues to produce scenarios for this unit. Player sentiment on Steam sits at around 82 percent positive across its review pool, with the praise concentrated on model and texture quality, sound reproduction, and the feel of the driving experience. The criticisms are worth knowing upfront. Community feedback flags scripting issues on certain scenarios, and the absence of TVM 430 signalling support - relevant if you care about the train's real-world cross-border capability toward France and theoretically the Channel Tunnel - is a noted omission for prototypical sticklers. Repaint options are limited, which matters to the segment of the community that treats livery variety as part of the long-term value proposition. None of these are deal-breakers for the target audience, but they are signal that this is not a fully finished systems model. There is also a purchase-chain problem worth flagging clearly. The add-on requires the base Train Simulator Classic, and the included scenarios require the Frankfurt High Speed: Frankfurt-Karlsruhe Route Extension as a separate purchase. If you do not already own that route, your scenario content is locked until you buy it. Workshop content can supplement this, but the three Career scenarios are the only curated, Dovetail-authored content you get in the box. For a Pro Range product at its price point, three scenarios is a lean offering. The Workshop softens this, but it shifts the content burden onto the community. For someone building out a Deutsche Bahn high-speed roster in Train Simulator Classic, this is the logical next unit after the older BR 403 ICE 3. The model quality and systems depth hold up, the Workshop longevity is real, and running a 320 km/h ICE service on the Riedbahn corridor with proper LZB supervision is the kind of detail that will matter to exactly the people this add-on is designed for. Casual players who want to drive a fast train without reading a systems manual should look elsewhere in the catalogue.

Diego · Scout Team

Strategy & simulation

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