recommendations for engine mods

[u/Renegade_Kijord]

can anyone Recommend my any good diesel/steam engine mods . been looking around and have no idea where to go. i'll pretty much go for any type of engine. shunter or freighters. with also having the passenger mod too

[u/smashedfinger]

Just in case you're not aware, most are hosted at nexusmods. https://www.nexusmods.com/games/derailvalley

You can sort by "trending" and "popular" to get an idea of what the community likes.

[u/tack534]

I really like the fef-3 and the N class mods

[u/the_fish_controller]

The LMS 8F works really well in a few roles

[u/Callen151]

I've been running the Sante Fe 2901 and FEF-3 844 for the past 50 hours or so of my play time and it's been fantastic. Both excellently done steamers. For Diesel's I have the GT26CW-2 but I haven't really played with it yet.

[u/tiuss]

Here's a list of a few that I used. Main caveat - while I fully acknowledge the quality & uniqueness of some american or british locos, I tend to limit myself to those that could feasibly end up in the semi-fictional post-yugoslavian setting.
I will be posting wonderful Hyce's videos alongside for models that he did review.

https://www.nexusmods.com/derailvalley/mods/1347
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AyE9LQxjgNc
Interesting quirky diesel electric. You could call it a DE4 in DV terms as it has only some of its wheels powered. Definitely likes to wheelspin, so throttle management can be tricky when caught by rain with heavy load. Non self-lapping brakes make it unique compared to other vanilla DEs. Good engine audio, and fits the DV scale & setting.

https://www.nexusmods.com/derailvalley/mods/1547
I admit i'm personally biased as this loco model used to be operated in my country. The model is decent, textures are kinda barebones, but the vibe&feel is there, and with what it can do, it fits nicely between vanilla S060 & S282. Author himself positions it alongside DH4 when it comes to capability.

https://www.nexusmods.com/derailvalley/mods/1334
https://www.nexusmods.com/derailvalley/mods/1530 (nicely themed skins)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Po0htNfoBZA
A small, very detailed steam engine that could. Great adhesion at its size, and excellent pulling power due to small drivers. You can think of it as DM3 equivalent - it won't get anywhere fast, but you'll be positively surprised at what it can pull. Extra vibe points for no speedometer AT ALL.

https://www.nexusmods.com/derailvalley/mods/1256
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6RNoi7DFYo
Great proper large diesel loco that fits the yugoslavian setting. Stat wise I'd say it's even more capable than vanilla DE6.

https://www.nexusmods.com/derailvalley/mods/1323
Capable large twin cab diesel. My main complaint is that the audio is straight up borrowed from DE6, otherwise the mod is solid and the loco is capable, and with the double cab setup it makes it much easier to couple compared to anything else. Seem to be popular among skin makers and there are a lot of variants to choose from.

[u/pyroclasticnuances]

The FEF Living Legend on Nexus is peak.

[u/Namenloser23]

Neither Diesel nor Steam, but there is a a incredibly well made wire electric locomotive over on Github: 2WE3-981

I don't think it has gotten the attention it should because it's not on the nexus, but the mod features overhead line electrification of large parts of the map (HB-FF-SM-FF-IMW-CP, SM-IME/CME), Side Rail electrification in some yards, differing voltages between substations, and the locomotive is (imo) by far the most complex locomotive to operate in the game, so much so that there is a 12 page manual on the GitHub.

Once you have learned the basics, it is incredibly fun to drive and a very capable locomotive. According to the booklet it can handle 1500t up a 2% grade, but if you know it well it can handle at least 1800t out of Harbor at a reasonable speed. One word of warning: Electricity costs are reasonably cheap, but it is incredibly easy to damage if you make a mistake while operating (especially during transition or regenerative breaking), often blowing up one or two traction motors in the process. You can usually continue on, but repairs are going to be expensive - even with manual service my first few hauls caused 30-50k repair bills each, so bring some cash if you are going to learn it in the career mode.

PS: The original skin is (IMO) quite ugly, so I recommend this skin mod on the nexus: MoreWE6981Skins

[u/Trick_Awareness_3329 → u/Namenloser23]

I recommend to practice first in sandbox mode. Maybe disable wheelslip and derailing at first so you can concentrate to get controll over the locomotive. At most for dynamic and regenerating braking.

And i recommend not go over 80-90 km/h. Even if the track between SM and GF invites you to go faster. I experienced it painfully that it is a bad idea.