It'll probably be down to Crewe which in itself isn't that inspiring, but would be great with the branch to Liverpool Lime Street.
Even then you have a problem with the timetable as unless you artificially change it, many Liverpool services ran through Crewe without stopping as did a considerable number of the Anglo Scottish services which were either non stop from Euston or Watford to Preston or did something odd like Warrington or Wigan first stop. Anyhow that's something for the JT route thread already running but it does illustrate with the bits that are already done, how difficult it actually is to add another viable section of the WCML to TSW that doesn't end up being 200 miles long and/or duplicating the modern day WCMLS.
JT saying they'll use the Class 86 and 87 in future releases, I think that'll include their next release given that the 86 was only used on existing services in WCML. They'll want the 86 to be star of the show on the next release. So that's somewhere between Preston and Euston or Liverpool Street and Norwich. Narrows the conjecture down a bit, doesn't it?
i had a thought yesterday about JT and how long between routes, i've just had a look at the TSC MML stuff they did and it was just short of a year between the lincoln expansion and the hope valley, but it was a year n half between that and the buxton peak forest expansion. i got all three on first day release. so i wouldn't count ones chickens that they will do an announcement next month in line with TSW6 stuff. we could be waiting another 6 months or longer. plus if they did do the liverpool st to norwich route i know one member is north west based near blackpool if they all are and did do it, its a hell of a way to travel for on site research. i know happy days of plane spotting at raf coltishall and you get to sleaford and see that sign 74 miles to norwich after we have already driven for 2 n half hours. welcome to the fens you have 2 hours to go. marham and lakenheath were just as bad.
They started running Liverpool Street to Ipswich and Harwich Parkeston in mid-1985. At Ipswich they would be detached and swapped out for a Class 47 for the onward journey to Norwich while OHL work was completed. Through electric services to Norwich started in May 1987. DBSOs started to arrive from Scot Rail in 1990 so that push-pull working could commence.
Too much work on the Carstairs to Glasgow section, to make the whole thing financially feasible... if I remember correctly.
to compensate for recent community outcries, I am smelling Ebula-type of thing that would make community go utterly bonkers
Any german route featuring the ICE 4 would be neat, perhaps Halle/Leipzig - Erfurt, nice and short + we‘d finally be able to drive 300km/h with the 403
If I had to bet on a German route for TSW6, I'd probably say it will be SFS Köln-Rhein/Main (Köln-Frankfurt Highspeed). It has been a community favourite forever, with many suggestions in the forums, and some other factors speak for this route: I've had first suspicions back when DTG announced the addition of Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbahnhof to the Frankfurt S-Bahn DLC only 50 days before its release. Normally, such grand additions to a DLC in such a late phase of development aren't made, but maybe DTG have already been working on another route which includes the same station and "only" had to import the assets into the other DLC. Köln-Frankfurt would also use many existing assets from other DLCs and would therefore save a lot of development time. Especially as the total distance between Köln and Frankfurt is 250km, which would be by far the longest route in TSW. Reusing preexisting areas from other DLCs saves a lot of time, even more in Köln and Frankfurt with their unique skylines/buldings and dense construciton. Although the high-speed line itself is only used by ICE service, there are some significant sections in both Köln and Frankfurt, where S-Bahn and regional services run on the feeder lines. This would also be a great opportunity for the ICE3MS (BR 407 and BR 408) to make it into the game. Folezz announced the ICE3MS for his route Köln-Düsseldorf back in early 2024. As part of a partnership with DTG, it would be possible that the ICE3MS is now being released with another route. With proper route linking, you could also then drive from Aachen via Köln, Frankfurt and Fulda all the way to Kassel, which is a ~450km journey. All major TSW releases since TSW2 have included an ICE and a high-speed section. Whilst many other routes fit these constraints all over Germany, it at least rules out many lines without ICE/high-speed services.
Not too glued up on German/American routes but I have 2 predictions for the uk core route. 1st one is Sheffield to Leeds via Rotherham set in late 1980s. The route would come with a class 141,144 dmu and a class 56 loco.some landmarks I can name (off the top of my head anyway ) Sheffield station Tinsley yard & depot (lots of action hear) Rotherham Masborough station Aldwarke steelworks (quite a few shunt moves hear) Manvers coking plant Wath yard (busy) Leeds station (classic late 80s station) layers as above mentioned this route would come with 141 & 144 pacers for commuter runs. Class 101/142/150 would layer into this. class 08s for shunting at tinsley,Aldwarke,wath and station pilots at Sheffield and Leeds intercity express between Leeds and Sheffield HST in intercity swallow livery (everyone can dream) class 45/47 on loco hauled passenger services class 20/31/37/40/47/56 on freight trains (steel coal) class 47 on intermodal traffic class 31/40/45/47 newspaper & parcel trains NTP would layer in at Leeds (40/45/47 bound for Manchester and the north east NEXT ROUTE: Plymouth to Exeter St Davids Set in 2017/18 to my understanding DTG have got the Cross country license so this route would come with class 220&221 voyagers GWR & XC HST sets Class 143,150&158 GWR units Class 66 on freight runs. Hopefully they’ll add a class 59 or 60 loco in there too the route is 52 Mile in length so it is something that DTG can do. Not sure if I’ve missed anything so please let me know what you think
It won't be anything near Frankfurt confirmed by Matt. They want to stay away from Frankfurt until the get alot mor optimization in. But it is a route I would like too. There are other high speed parts though they could still have done though. Koln to Dusseldorf as an example.
Plymouth to Exeter has definitely been held in high regard as a likely candidate for the TSW6 UK Route. this is all speculation. The Crosscountry Licence. - I know this has been for the 170 pack on BCC, but surely, getting an entirely new licence, and a popular one at that would be very underwhelming just for a single, reused, DMU, with barely any airtime on BCC, could there be more to that? A Voyager DLC? The GWE Farewell Pack - for this pack, DTG stated they got the GWR licence back, but, for one gameplay pack? It’s strange, there definitely has to be more to that. In addition to this, for the scenarios on this gameplay pack, what the heck are they doing to use as AI? As it’s the HSTs last day, they have to use something realistic, like, AN IET. Could that also explain why the GWE remaster has been held back? getting the GWR licence back - this also opens the door for a GWR route. and Exeter to Plymouth seems to tick all the boxes. As for the stock. We have the 150/2, it just needs modifications from Cardiff. We already have an IET, it just needs some tweaks from the 801. The 166 can be slotted in and updated to TSW5 standards. And the voyager can be developed as a Deluxe Edition locomotive for the route. Fits like a glove if you ask me. if it’s not Exeter to Plymouth, it’s definitely something South West.
I've been a bit skeptical on that, since on the 170 stream Matt said that he didn't know about the Crosscountry licence until well into the 170 pack's development. Then again, he could be saying that to throw us all off.
I will squeal like a piggy with excitement if this is what is revealed. This is the one I have been waiting for for ages and I am sure I am not alone!
After my brief journey on one the other day (Bristol Parkway to Bath), if the route is set in modern day they need to reflect 7 extra years of use since GWE. It was absolutely knackered! Lovely Perkins (Rolls Royce) traction thrum but the whole thing rattled and shook along with a high pitched whine from somewhere in the roof space. The refurbished seating is rock hard too. The one we saw at Bath on a Down working while waiting for our Cucumber back to Swindon, looked and sounded in an equally rancid state. Well they are getting on for 35 years old, which is older than the 117’s and 119’s were when the Turbos replaced them.
I remain hopeful someday we'll get the London Waterloo to Bournemouth route in TSW5. I know we have part of it in TSC, with the Southampton to Bournemouth route and the expansion which includes the Eastleigh/Salisbury loop, but I'd love the full route in TSW. And if it could be extended to Weymouth, even better!
I would absolutely love Waterloo to Bournemouth, though I fear it may be too long for TSW especially with a lot of scenery to make for SW London and around Southampton. I think the longer routes will be mostly rural as we've seen in the past with WCML over Shap and ECML. Hence my suspicion that the next very long mainline route will either be out in the West Country like Reading to Exeter via Westbury, Exeter to Plymouth or ECML north between Newcastle and Edinburgh. I had a drive on TSC's Portsmouth to Waterloo yesterday and thought how good that would also be for TSW. So long as it's electric, interesting and in the south and/or East of the UK I'll be happy.
The way things go is if the route contains a built up area such as London we are unlikely, to get mor than 40 to 45 miles, so if we get something out of Waterloo it is unlikely to go any further than Basingstoke. Following on from Matts comments about something great coming I think it’s far more likely we will get something GWR, either Exeter to Plymouth hopefully with the Paignton branch included, or as Cardiff is already built, Cardiff to Bristol.
I think a doable stretch of SW lines is Waterloo-Basingstoke with Guildford and Hampton Court. Pretty sure every single AI service at Clapham would be able to be simulated, providing TSW6's optimisation improvements are sufficient. That sounds quite great to me.
Yeah I definitely think the scenery would be a cause for concern, but also the timetable at the London end would probably be a nightmare with how busy it is. I wouldn't mind though. My PC can struggle at 5FPS near Clapham Junction as long as I get my glorious 455.
My predictions: UK: Portsmouth Harbour to Havant, with the Class 458/4. Germany: Hamburg to Memminger US: California High Speed Rail
Don't think 3 is going to happen since construction just started and its not due to open until 2031 for revenue service. I like the 1st 2 though.
Not to mention the current administration pulled the funding for it recently, so now we don't even know if it will even exist aside from the already done infrastructure.
Just pondering we could all be barking up the wrong tree with the “Great”… Could still be related to the Greatest Gathering and the Stockton and Darlington. A reworked and extended TVL that actually reaches Stockton and adds the oft requested extensions to Bishop Auckland, Boulby and around the Durham Coast. Expect the unexpected could be exactly that, though how you could integrate the ancient Locomotion plus stock remains to be seen, some sort of fudge similar to Thomas on the WSR perhaps?
Where is Memminger supposed to be? There is no town with that name. If you meant Memmingen: Totally not. That's a distance of almost 900km across nearly the entirety of Germany.
Portsmouth Harbour to Havant would be a very disappointingly short route. I know it's a taste thing but I think the Class 458 is just about my least favourite multiple unit, down there with the equally ugly 175s and 334s.
How about Waterloo to Alton then we can have the Watercress Line vintage line locos at the end just over the platform. That would be interesting.
Waterloo - Windsor & Eton Riverside would do me for a third rail route. Not privatised rubbish though.
Autocorrect. And yes, I know it's a long route. That was the joke, as were the other two routes I suggested. I'm surprised so many people took them seriously. r/whoosh
The backround to DTG Direct and GBRs logo look vaguely similar... Also uses the word 'Great'. Although any GBR stuff would be odd considering it doesn't exist as a operator just yet.
You know, I've seen a lot of crazy suggestions on these forums. Says a lot if you can't differentiate a 900km joke suggestion from real ones anymore.
What Jo_Kim said. In a forum where people have seriously suggested the ATO, totally underground Victoria Line and, worse, the driverless Docklands Light Railway, it's sometimes difficult to spot the joke submissions. It was a good one though. Concorde9289 Some of the 458s are being reduced to 4 car units and refurbished so they can work London to Portsmouth stopper services. The slight (joke) introduction of the 701s has delayed the project, once all of the 455s have been replaced the 701s will displace the remaining 458s for the Portsmouth services.
That's good to hear, as I thought they were being sent to the scrapyard after all the 701s entered service, which would be a massive waste.
I believe the 458s were originally meant to replace the 442s on the PDL, but even that plan bas been shelved now and the overhauled examples will be put on the Reading and Windsor lines in future... The overhaul is actually really nice. They are on lease until 2027 with SWR, so who knows if they'll be withdrawn once the lease is up. The privatised railway was very wasteful towards the end of its life, particularly with SWR being the worst offender.
It's a bit complicated. You are right that the 442s were originally intended to replace the cancelled 442 project, and that it was delayed by the 701s being years late. However, the process was even weirder. There was a brief period a while ago where SWR were converting the 458s effectively one at a time. Not only was the conversion slow, when they were done they were not returned to service. On the relevant thread on RailUK Forums, it was rumoured (not baselessly might I add) that the 458s would be converted and then immediately withdrawn and likely scrapped. The reasoning was that SWR didn't see the need to have the fleet, and completing the conversion project would have cost less than cancelling it. Luckily this ended up not being true, even though it was a very real possibility. They were slowly introduced into service, but on the services they were on before the refurbishment. This meant that passengers on those lines were greeted with less seats. Additionally, there are seemingly no plans to actually use them on the Portsmouth Direct Line. Not only do SWR seemingly not want to do it, the twelve coach 458 formations are longer than a 12 coach 450 set. This means that there may need to be platform extensions... I don't know why that wasn't thought about years ago, but here we are. The current curveball in the story is that with SWR's reduced fleet requirements and the 701s coming into service, there is the very real possibility that a portion of the 450 fleet will be binned off in favour of the 458s. Either that, or the 450s get converted into battery trains to replace the 158/9s. I don't see the latter happening though.
I think for the German route it‘s most likely we get a two track eletrified route with the Baureihe 146.2 and Dostos, but I hope that we get a German route that it’s set in the past.
They won't have a "historical" route in a launch bundle. These routes aren't as appealing as the modern routes, as there you'll have rolling stock you can find on the tracks today. A kid or teenager won't have a connection to older trains from the 80s or before and won't have as much interest in them as in modern routes. Sadly, DTG seems to be focused on the 2010s when it comes to modern routes. Back then, the Dostos were the king of regional traffic; you couldn't escape them. This just began to change in the late 2010s with more and more operators switching to modern EMUs. And even if they still want to make their future routes in this era, it would at least be nice to get an update on the existing Dostos and add some other variants. Their age is showing, especially on the inside, and we never got high-entry variants or any other versions other than those released back in 2019 with MSB.
Although it was TSC, DTG included the Riviera in the 50s route in a launch bundle. I wonder how that worked out for them?
Obviously not good since they had to make TSW because the PC market alone for train simulation did not make enough. Since the company has grown double in size since TSW has been released. And if you look at the current situation TSC is not priorty for DTG, TSW is. Heck the communtiy manager for TSC posts more in the TSW forums than the TSC side as he is no longer exclusive to TSC.
