Route Birmingham - Crewe Feedback Thread

Discussion in 'Player Feedback' started by DTG Alex, Oct 21, 2025.

  1. vendys#6021

    vendys#6021 Well-Known Member

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    I'm a little confused, you wrote that even with all layers turned off, everything is blurry, and then you write that with Class 220, 170 or 323 it doesn't get blurry... I don't understand that.
     
  2. dal#7945

    dal#7945 Well-Known Member

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    So all layers where turned of and i drive a 350 and its blurry. Same thing all layers turned of and I drive a 220, 170 and 323 and there is no blurriness. So im guessing the 350 is whats causing the blurriness.
     
  3. matthewgoddard510

    matthewgoddard510 Well-Known Member

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    Class 390 services Stop at the 8 car marker at Crewe instead of a 9/11 Car Marker which it should be stopping at. Would be nice if this can get sorted please. Console is PlayStation 5 and it is all 390 services it is.
     
  4. Crosstie

    Crosstie Well-Known Member

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    Vern, have you seen enough yet to make an overall assessment of the route. Is it a " buy " or a " wait and see "?

    I'm still on the fence.
     
  5. dal#7945

    dal#7945 Well-Known Member

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    Come crosstie join us and pay to be a beta tester with me and vern. Lol
     
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  6. Crosstie

    Crosstie Well-Known Member

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    I'm one who's not anxious to subscribe to discord. I spend more than enough time on this forum already.

    My concern is that we on the forum are missing useful information because DTG appears to be planning to move their main news outlet to discord.
     
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  7. dal#7945

    dal#7945 Well-Known Member

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    They apparently have post quite a bit on discord.
     
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  8. andyward1971

    andyward1971 Active Member

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    There was definitely information on the DTG discord channel that didn't get put on the forum. I put a few screenshots over on the forum from the discord channel.
     
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  9. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    I will have a better idea later on today or tomorrow after a bit more play,

    My hot take remains that the route and 3D modelling is superb (apart from going crazy with the vegetation).
    Where the ball seems to have been dropped is setting up the 350 variants and of course the timetable.
    I don’t know why I had the derailment at Smethwick particularly as it didn’t repeat and not sure if spawning to a location other than the train you selected to drive, is more of a core issue.

    Sadly it seems we won’t get any more direct feedback on here about the issues and I for one am not joining Discord. This is the official TSW product forum and should receive equal attention from DTG and 3Ps.
     
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  10. CajonPass2022

    CajonPass2022 Active Member

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    Platform: PS5

    I seemed to encounter the AI SPAD issue on 9Y06: Liverpool Lime Street to London Euston, towards the end of the hour long service. I was not able to verify the cause or troubleshoot it because the game crashes when attempting to load my save. Very frustrating! Has anyone determined if disabling layers prevents the AI SPADs? Or even better, has anyone pinpointed the violating trains and deleted them to see if the services can be completed that way?

    I am also experiencing a lot of blurred textures in the cab. Once they blur, they remained blurred and never crisp up like they’re supposed to.

    For the devs, here is a summary of issues affecting me as PS5 player:

    AI SPADs
    Blurred textures
    Crashing when attempting the Class 350 Tutorial
    Crashing when loading saves
    Scenario “Contingency Measures” cannot be completed

    If these things can be fixed, this has the potential to be a fun route!
     
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  11. james.lea2007

    james.lea2007 Member

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    I hope they fix the station announcements as it doesn't mention the destination it is going to it only mentions where it is stopping at. For example a service going to Edinburgh it only announces Wolverhampton, Stafford, Crewe etc and not where it is going.
     
  12. vendys#6021

    vendys#6021 Well-Known Member

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    If you turn off all layers and go with 350, then you turn on the layer of that loco again, i.e. you turn on the Main service layer, because you definitely noticed that you met another 350 train ..... from what I noticed, this is how it works in TSW in general, so when you try with other trains, you re-activate the layer with that train ..... and then other trains of that line run there, controlled by AI. Yes, this confirms what we found out a few days ago, when the Main services layer is turned off, the blurring is minimal or none ........
     
  13. marco5

    marco5 Member

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  14. dal#7945

    dal#7945 Well-Known Member

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    So close this time got crewe station and crashed 66 yards before i stopped. So annoying lol. Getting fed ip off these ai do spads
     
    Last edited: Oct 25, 2025 at 6:52 PM
  15. dal#7945

    dal#7945 Well-Known Member

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  16. matthewgoddard510

    matthewgoddard510 Well-Known Member

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    Really loving this route. Annoyed tho that Oxley Car Depot can't be full for whatever reason. Its nice when you see Oxley full of 390s.
     
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  17. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    Just did 9S97 from Birmingham to Crewe and have to report I am quite zenned out. Lovely run in the 390, no drama or crisis to report. Only issue, which I think may already have been logged, is the Stafford station announcements can still be heard up to about 3 or 4 miles north of the station.

    Can't comment on the scenery north of Wolverhampton as despite picking to do the run in August so as to enjoy a twilight journey, TSW decided it was already dark by about 1930.

    Yes there are many issues that need to be sorted and the route or rather the things that make it work need mucho extra polish. But hey, this really felt like the mid section of the WCML with the original style catenary flashing by. It's a route I will be playing a lot and working into my Monthly Mastery campaigns.

    So I know you're not commenting publicly on the forums Kezz but I think at least some of my earlier scepticism was unfounded. Buy yourself and the rest of the team a virtual pint. And hurry up with the next instalment from Stafford to Milton Keynes (and a nice Class 304 or 310 EMU, too).
     
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  18. pascal.weick

    pascal.weick Active Member

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    Still unplayable on PS5. First Service from Birmingham to Crewe the Textures went out after 3 mins. Second Service the Textures even went out while still at Birmingham and then the Game crashed. Deleted the route and waiting for a proper Update
     
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  19. vendys#6021

    vendys#6021 Well-Known Member

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    You say, you're coming to Crewe and AI SPAD to end it for you? What time is it? Isn't it one of the times I identified?
     
  20. dal#7945

    dal#7945 Well-Known Member

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    Anyone else get an AI SPAD on job 1u49 right at the end of the job.
     
  21. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    Starting from Crewe P5 in the Up direction, the speed limit is shown as 60 MPH which is patently wrong as you are immediately on to a 20 returning to the Up Fast from the loop.

    No announcements audible at Crewe.

    The station PIS at Crewe uses a rather blocky and jagged font. Also trains underneath the first one do not specify second or third.

    Bridge reverb needs another pass. It's definitely there between Birmingham and Wolverhampton but seems absent between Wolves and Crewe and in the New Street tunnel.

    Edit: Oh yes and trying to load into the Class 86 Railtour at New Street, dropped me on foot in the middle of nowhere.

    Edit 2: Might have spotted a couple of misplaced OHLE gantries just south of Penkridge.
     
    Last edited: Oct 25, 2025 at 10:14 PM
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  22. matthewgoddard510

    matthewgoddard510 Well-Known Member

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    It be nice if Smethwick Galton Bridge P1 and P3 platforms had trains. But then I guess it wouldn’t be realistic. Not sure tho.
    Have seen some missing OHLE as well.
     
  23. matthewgoddard510

    matthewgoddard510 Well-Known Member

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    Just after this signal IMG_1194.png IMG_1163.jpeg
     
  24. steve08

    steve08 Well-Known Member

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    Why not aren’t those platforms for trains to/from Birmingham Moor street towards Stourbridge Junction.

    We have Avanti passing Lichfield Trent valley lower platforms.
     
    Last edited: Oct 25, 2025 at 11:35 PM
  25. simulator fan

    simulator fan Active Member

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    1. how do you open an account on discord?
    2. Is anyone else getting missing coaches on virgin class 390 's ai?
     
  26. Train Sim Society

    Train Sim Society Well-Known Member

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    Played 5 services today, 2 of them aided AI SPADs. How this was green lit is beyond me… :o

    I’ve noticed a lot of AI SPADs seem to be happening around the 16-17 hour mark in the day so avoid evening rush hour services (for now)!
     
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  27. iriv#7314

    iriv#7314 Well-Known Member

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    I kind of came to the same conclusion, there must be one(or more) service that spads in the early evening.
    i had it on 1O28, about 10 minutes in , thats 18:15
     
  28. chris#2798

    chris#2798 Active Member

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    These are relatively minor compared to the texture/SPAD issues but noticed that there’s no background sound in some parts of New Street and Oxley Depot.
     
  29. tardisgaming07

    tardisgaming07 Well-Known Member

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    Because no 172s. Although there was a limited amount of services that ran 170+153 so as those are already layered it is a bit odd not to include those.
     
  30. togaio#7138

    togaio#7138 New Member

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    I have layers not enabled, even though I have the relevant DLCs. Specifically DB Freight, DRS Freight, CL-A Static and LSL Static
     
  31. pauliesc

    pauliesc Well-Known Member

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    AI Spad just after leaving New Street on 9S44 (I think) Pendo service. It's a full length run around 6.15/6.30pm mark.
    9M60 Pendo run also has the Pendo formation mixed up with 1st class at the wrong end
     
  32. Sharon E

    Sharon E Well-Known Member

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    OldVern, know that you are a retired British Rail employee, but I am looking at the Crewe Diagram at RailCam.uk and it shows 60 as the speed on platforms 5 and 6 through the station. Now I understand that your train is faced with an immediate reduction to 20 at switch which takes track 5 back into the up fast. But I feel that the designer is picking up on vmax right at the platform and before. This is where, as you know, route knowledge is important.
     
  33. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    I stand corrected! The LM sectional appendix was one I never succeeded in acquiring before retirement.
     
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  34. arcsin

    arcsin Active Member

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    • Helpful Helpful x 2
  35. matthewgoddard510

    matthewgoddard510 Well-Known Member

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    My bad OldVern i never knew you were an Ex BR employee.
    Didnt know you were retirement age either.
     
  36. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    Well, early retirement… Big 65 next year!
     
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  37. matthewgoddard510

    matthewgoddard510 Well-Known Member

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    Nice mate! Congrats! What was your roles on the railway?
     
  38. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    Mainly in the Control under various operators, finishing up as a Train Running Controller with Network Rail, though I actually started in the Parcels Office at Northampton way back in 1977!
     
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  39. matthewgoddard510

    matthewgoddard510 Well-Known Member

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    Nice mate! Now I understand why you prefer BR content now. I wish Parcels were simulated on parcel trains on this game where you could load the parcels because they are always empty the parcel carriages. Probs should speak about this on another thread actually.
     
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  40. vendys#6021

    vendys#6021 Well-Known Member

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  41. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    While waiting time at Smethwick Rolfe Street, noticed the station information boards are showing the timetable for the Cross City Line...

    Maybe already mentioned but the destination Wolverhampton on the front of the 350 is too big for the space and reads olverhampto

    And definitely something up with the 350 physics, PBC seems to have very flakey response to the key presses and the acceleration indicator in the HUD is jumping up and down like billy-ho, even in Notch 1 or 2.

    Anyhow, about to see if I can derail again on the junction points after departing Rolfe Street... Update, no issue this time!
     
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  42. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    Another one. The second element in the proper Journey mode is described as 1K40 Birmingham to Crewe, but it's actually an all stops Birmingham to Wolverhampton terminator.
     
  43. steve08

    steve08 Well-Known Member

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    No timetabled TFW AI services from Swansea/Cardiff Central to Manchester Piccadilly at Crewe or Crewe to Holyhead.

    Further no route hopping to spirit of steam or at Birmingham onto BCC.
     
    Last edited: Oct 26, 2025 at 6:54 PM
  44. chris#2798

    chris#2798 Active Member

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    Does anyone know if the patches next week deal with the disjointed station announcements?
     
  45. joffonon

    joffonon Well-Known Member

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    This was pretty much my experience too today (finally had a chance to have a quick play).

    PC Steam, usually play with decent frame rates and various mods. One of the recent specific mods for this route caused a CTD at the same point 3 times running, only had time to take them all out and it then ran fine, so will troubleshoot further in due course.

    Did a Pendolino run from Birmingham to Crewe to cache some textures, then did another back from Wolverhampton. No major issues, spotted the various audio and PIS niggles that others have noted. Apart from the occasional stutter as you'd expect, everywhere seemed fine frame rate-wise.

    Looking forward to the planned patches to address the niggles.
     
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  46. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    Probably already reported but two examples of funky announcements.
    When a terminating train arrives at Wolverhampton and stops, the onboard announcements are still playing saying it is a train to Wolverhampton calling at Wolverhampton as are the platform announcements.

    Similarly, taking over a run at Stafford off the Trent Valley that was being announced calling at Stafford and Crewe when already stopped at the former! All possibly an issue or limitation with the new feature in the core but starting to grind the niggle a bit.

    Also couldn’t help musing, in view of the refusal to allow branding on the trains and stations, did LNW consent to use of their name in the announcements as every other sentence seems to include, “London North Western service…”?
     
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  47. Loco Dave

    Loco Dave Active Member

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    The lighting/time of day is a common issue throughout the game as I'm sure you're aware.
    Possibly route specific, not sure.
     
  48. eMAyTeeTee

    eMAyTeeTee Well-Known Member

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    In a similar manner you can see Hull Trains and Grand Central named on station PIS boards on Peterborough to Doncaster, so my theory is that the don't necessarily need a licence just for a name, but I could be wrong of course
     
  49. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    Absolutely. There seems little or no correlation to the correct application of lighting using a formula of latitude and date. Then not helped by the pitch black nights when the moon should be casting ambient light along with the pollution from towns and cities, the latter should be particularly evident between Birmingham and Wolverhampton passing through the “Black Country” conurbation.
     
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  50. cabbepe#2092

    cabbepe#2092 Member

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    Actually, the advices Alex wrote in the announcements forum about Xbox did work.
    "Workaround: For Xbox players experiencing crashes at Crewe, we recommend that you play in HD rather than 4k mode (you can adjust this in your console’s settings) – you can also remove the Class 150 layer and the LSL static layer to help with memory, as we believe these might be causing some of the issues."
    Xbox that is. I can't say about other platform. This is how I make it untl the hotfixes come this week. Haveny seen anything yet.
     

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