The Pacer comes to Cardiff! Turn back the clock from 25th November and fire up more diesels with new gameplay and DMU variants from Just Trains. The Story So Far... We announced the TfW Class 142 back in our April Roadmap, with further updates coming from Just Trains since, including the addition of liveries for the Class 150 and Class 153 and details of the new timetable. There have also been details given in the Just Trains Development Blog. The Setting: Cardiff circa 2019 Bounce back to the Trafnidiaeth Cymru days of yesteryear with Just Trains’ detailed BR Class 142, transformed to reflect the teal-toned Pacers as they were in their last years of Welsh operation. Shuttle around the Cardiff City Network in Nodding Donkey style! In this Add-on, revisit Cardiff City Network in the iconic Class 142 Pacer! Across an all-new 2019 timetable, embark on hundreds of services that shuttle around the city limits in classic bouncy fashion. The Trains TfW Class 142 'Pacer' The focus of this Add-on is the Class 142 'Pacer', first introduced to Train Sim World in Just Trains' first route Add-on: Blackpool Branches. Much derided by many an enthusiast and commuters due to their loud engines and bumpy ride, these cheap, utilitarian ‘buses on rails’ lasted many decades in service, prompting headlines of “the train that never dies” and “Britain’s hated Pacer – the train that just won’t go away”. Their ‘temporary’ services lasted from 1984 right through until 2021 and saw them take to the rails across Britain – from Carlisle and Dumfries in the north, to Devon and Cornwall in the south as well as Wales. Initially, Pacers in Wales were run by Arriva Trains Wales. These were taken over by Transport for Wales in October 2018. In this Add-on the Class 142 will be adorned in a transition livery, when the Arriva names and logos were removed and the TfW branding was placed over the basic underlying Arriva livery. In addition, the following changes have been made to reflect the more contemporary setting for the Pacer: LED Headlights Two-leaf bi-fold doors (replacing Four-leaf bi-fold doors) Updated door open/close operating buttons Sanding equipment fitted Non-operational 'smash glass to access' emergency door handle NRN and GSM-R antennas added to the roof New seat design and authentic moquette Operational DRA and TPWS As with the Blackpool Branches Class 142, passenger announcements are implemented featuring an authentic native Welshman! These function the same way as the Blackpool Branches Pacer, being activated by a manual button in the cab. Class 150 and Class 153 DMUs In addition to the Class 142, both the Class 150 and Class 153 DMUs receive the same style of ex-Arriva livery. These are only playable within the timetable specific to this Add-on and requires Cardiff City Network to unlock, as neither the Class 150 or 153 are included in the TfW Class 142 Add-on. Timetable & Gameplay The new timetable included in this Add-on features service patterns from the period for the Class 142, 150 and 153 DMUs across the multiple branch lines stemming from Cardiff Central and Queen Street Stations. A selection of new Scenarios are also included, with one featuring the headboard shown in the first screenshot of this article. In our October Roadmap, Just Trains stated: "The timetable included is set in 2019 where the service pattern on the valley lines was quite different compared to how it is now. Instead of trains going from Coryton to Penarth the trains from Coryton instead went to Radyr (a journey much quicker by foot as it’s a U shape) and the Penarth trains instead go out of the map to Bargoed and Rhymney instead of Coryton." "Class 142’s run most of the valley line diagrams but in 2019 TfW had a couple of Class 37 diagrams with Mk2f’s running services up to Rhymney which you’ll be able to drive up to Heath High Level." These services will require Tees Valley Line and Class 86/2 loco (for the Mk2f Coaches) to operate. In addition, AI layers from other Train Sim World Add-ons are featured: GWR Class 802 and Class 150 services from Riviera Line A once-per-day CrossCountry Class 220 Voyager service GWR HST and Class 166 services from Great Western Express CrossCountry Class 170 services from Rivet Games' Class 170 Add-on Class 66 freight services from West Coast Main Line: London-Milton Keynes and Cargo Line Volumes 1 & 3 Railhead Treatment Train 8th Generation Console Gameplay After further reviewing performance on previous-generation consoles, Just Trains have amended this timetable to provide a suitable experience for these players (Xbox One and PlayStation 4). There will be no additional services (playable or AI) from layered content from other Add-ons. Train Sim World 6: Transport for Wales BR Class 142 DMU will release on 25th November for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Epic Games Store, and Steam for £12.99/€15.99/$16.99 A user Manual for this Add-on will be made available shortly before or on release day. Preview Livestream Just Trains will be hosting the Preview Stream for the TfW Class 142 on their own YouTube Channel on 24th November. You'll also be able to join us for a Launch Day stream on the Train Sim World YouTube Channel on 25th November. The Route: Cardiff City Network Gameplay for the TfW Class 142 requires Cardiff City Network, the first route in Wales to ever feature in Train Sim World! This urban network style route Add-on runs along separate branches with the much more contemporary TfW branded Class 150 DMU, along with the 1-car Class 153 ‘Sprinter’. Train Sim World 6: Out Now You can still upgrade to TSW6 by purchasing Standard, Deluxe or Special Editions. The latter includes a wider selection of routes to play, including Cardiff City Network.
“In addition to the Class 142, both the Class 150 and Class 153 DMUs receive the same style of ex-Arriva livery. These are only playable within the timetable specific to this Add-on” This seems like such an unnecessary & odd decision. I’d have grabbed this pack instantly just to run the ATW 150’s on MAC, utter fumble of a decision here.
Sorry but think this will be a sale only item for me. Yes the 142 looks good and the new timetable, but adding the loco hauled service to Rhymney as far as Heath High level only serves to amplify DTG's lousy design decisions for this route in the first place. I know that's not JT's fault and maybe they shouldn't be penalised but it's a sawn off runt of a route, as others have said not much bigger than the Training Centre. If this had come alongside a genuine effort by DTG to tidy up some of the visual deficiencies (notably Cardiff Central station concourse and frontage) and put in a bit more route mileage - Barry Island, Caerphilly and Pontypridd at the least. But lets face it, no matter how good a job JT have done with the 142, trundling along at 15 to 20 MPH between Grangetown and Queen Street, or doing station stops one minute apart to and from Coryton does not show it to best advantage.
This may just be the first thing I buy for TSW6, Riviera Line and Voyager aside. Love driving the Pacer.
The pacer is brilliant and I have no doubt JT Will have done a great job with the pack and I'd love to buy it, but I can't because of the route. There haven't been any scenery fixes despite all of the feedback which was my main gripe with the higher price tag and the route just wasn't what it was supposed to be unfortunately. And there's no easier way to highlight that than by comparing BPO to CCN as they're the same price. It's a shame because I love what JT do.
Route keeps crashing for me at Cardiff Central on Xbox in the last few days, so I don't think console version can take another layer!!
Now I'm really glad I kept my money allocated for DLC this month so far. This will be my first day one and first TSW6 exclusive for this iteration of the game. Tried out the Pacer in free roam on CCN when the route released, felt it belonged there and will be oodles of fun and now there's gonna be an updated Pacer with timetable just for this route. Take. My. Money.
Looking forward to this one. I might even buy it on day one as a rare treat. When it was first announced I didn’t think I’d be getting it as Cardiff wasn’t on my radar to buy but I did end up getting it in a PS sale with this DLC in mind so I’m good to go now. Bring on the bounce.
so the question you need to ask is whether Cardiff Commuter is worth £43 or not. £29.99 for Cardiff Commuter £12.99 for Class 142
We'll see how this Pacer fares. Like Thomas the Tank Engine, another lonely orphan spending his time on this boring heritage line? DTG's idea of 'the ultimate in realism in train simulation' proudly but stubbornly prevents them from providing the TfW Pacer with layers on other routes? Unless, perhaps another licensed TfW route is in the secret pipeline? But then, given the famous roadmaps, there doesn't seem to be??
DTG like to claim otherwise, but just because something isn't yet on the roadmap, that doesn't mean it doesn't exist internally yet. Personally I feel it'd be kind of a shame to make one Welsh route, fall short, and then not bother with any more
We'll see. North Wales Coast Line (Crewe/Chester-Llandudno-Holyhead) has already been suggested and requested. South Wales probably also. In several installments both could be done. And being diesel, probably requiring slightly less effort compared to electrified main lines?
Well the 142's unlike the Canton based 143's didn't stray very far from the Valley Lines, as not many of the main line crews signed them. Maybe occasionally to Maesteg and over the Vale Of Glamorgan when passenger services resumed but they were the workhorses of the Valleys.
Don’t forget £25 for WCL for the 37, then £20 for the 86 to get the loco runs. All in all the playable timetable for this one is quite pricey. That’s kind of the issue in this 142 pack though, all the content is likey mostly owned by people using it for something else, but then JT are weirdly locking these ATW skins to this route only.
A fairly well known JT ploy on their TSC routes, in that if you want to play detailed scenarios rather than the handful using unsuitable default ancient Kuju stock, you need to own or buy separately a fair bit of their other content. Or worst of all the Metropolitan Line where you needed to buy the S7+1 and S8 stock in addition to the route in order to actually drive it! So while JT may knock quality out the park (though it wasn’t always so, look at some of their early RS/RW/TSC routes) they are not averse to a bit of Trotter’s Independent Trading when it comes to getting your money.
It’s a huge bill for everything if you include the AI trains as well unless of course you already have them. That’s the only issue I have. I am pretty much resigned to buying the Class 86 now as the coaches in that DLC are popping up as a requirement for drivable services everywhere, so the extra £20 will be spent, but I am still short of a few other things for AI in this timetable, like the intermodal Cargo Line pack and the Rivet 170, things that I will only buy in a sale. I can probably live without these things for AI only services for a while as I wait for such sales on the PS store but do I wait until I get them first before getting this? That’s my dilemma as AI services can change a route so much. I’m still undecided. If I had more money I would just buy everything without waiting for sales but I can’t do that.
I was being a little tongue in cheek as I’m all for getting more out of other products, but I do think TSW is now at the point where devs need to seriously look at how expensive a potential product is. Some of the requirements for layers in TSW are at AP levels of cost. It’s quite concerning that many recent layers are contingent on a separate £20 pack just to use one coach, the nuclear pack was a good example of how bad that is, the pack is £13 for little in the way of services, a significant percentage of those need that £20 pack to appear (that’s without getting into needing to buy a route & it’s rolling stock DLC too). I think for a route in which you get very little driving time, the costs involved in its DLC offering are really out there. I don’t know about anyone else, but the main draw for me with CCN was getting the TFW stock, so I really don’t like that JT aren’t letting me sub their versions of it into places the TFW stock is used. I doubt many people are going to go out of their way to buy over £100 worth of DLC just to get the most out of this route, rather they will already own it or have bought it for other reasons. It’s odd to me that JT would work against that logic with this new rolling stock pack, as these packs typically get their value in being used across multiple routes.
As if by magic, the Rivet Class 170 pack is in a PS Store sale right now, so I’ll be one step closer with AI dependencies for the timetable. It was by no means anywhere near the top of the list for buying in its own right but I have to take the sales discounts as they come up. Apart from TSW6 Deluxe itself I haven’t spent any money on TSW for a long time anyway. I can’t even remember the last DLC I bought it’s been so long.
If the route doesnt make a good decent return on money then they have to look whether its worth investing time, resources and money into another Welsh route? Hentis
Anyone gauging the success of a Welsh route on the results of what CCN achieved, is bluntly an idiot.
Frankly, I think you have to have an obsessive taste for UK toys to understand why such a quirky bus on rails ( won't call it a train ) played on a route that has been widely condemned, is worth the kind of money you might need to spend. I mean this bus was a novelty in Blackpool, but I never imagined it would be offered for sale by itself. That aside isn't it just the JT one with a new skin?
If CCN had its actual routes (or at least one of them) fully made, it would be the perfect fit for a modernised Pacer. Literally a bus on a bus route. There’s something slightly special in that Cardiff was basically only one of 2 places in the UK where pacers were running before their retirement, I have a suspicion this was one of the main factors JT made it. For me the bigger part of this is seeing at least some semblance of Arriva Trains in TSW, that franchise comes from a time period that’s massively neglected in TSW, the let down is that they’re locked into this route.
Is anyone really looking at Welsh railways as if they are in an experimental foreign country category? It’s just another part of the UK and the railways are the same as those in England or Scotland. Apart from licensing, I don’t think any devs would use the fact a route is or isn’t in Wales as a deciding factor, it would just be on the merits of the route being considered. The success or failure of CCN should also be judged on its merits or shortcomings as an okay but possibly ill-conceived stub of a route rather than it being in Wales, and should not hold much weight on potentially making another Welsh route. Just make the next one more substantial.
More of a rebuild than a reskin. The sprinters have been reskinned but the Pacer has had significant changes to be called a rebuild rather than reskin.
They were quite widespread and when introduced were basically seen as saviours or rural routes or even inter urban regional services, such as the residual BR operated services around Newcastle. They frequently appeared on Hope Valley services from Manchester to Sheffield. In fact even when the first generation of Sprinters arrived, the Pacers frequently substituted for shortages on longer distance services and even diagrammed by the planners in some cases. 143’s frequently got down to Milford Haven or Pembroke on workings from Cardiff and Swansea. Also not entirely unknown for a 143 to cover the southern portion of a Central Wales line trip and swap over at the crossing point with the 153 on the southbound service (usually Llanwrtyd or Llandrindod) to keep the service going when there wasn’t a 153 or 150 at Swansea. So just like the 150 and the 153, it’s basically wasted on the sawn off little CCN route. £5 in a sale is the most I will pay. Edit: Come to think of it, the 142 is actually a key component in the TSC version of NTP so JT would have had more success doing a Northern version and a hybrid new timetable for that route (even if not entirely realistic) than CCN. That I might actually have ventured Day One.
Does anyone know how badly the widely condemned Cardiff route has sold? I am surprised JT would have risked making DLC for it.
A cynic might suggest that it was made for Cardiff in order to boost sales for that widely condemned route. Certainly DTG or Rivet ( whoever made the route ) will benefit, especially as the train is apparently ( and inexplicably ) restricted to that route.
Probably diluted by now as it's popped up on sale a few times so even the sceptics like me ended up grabbing it. Also needed for the TfW 153 and 150 layers on other routes. I mean I've played it a bit, not wanting to entirely waste my investment, but it ends up being frustrating knowing what it could have been. Thing is, this is a fairly low hanging fruit for JT anyway. The base model already exists with whatever was required to rework internally and externally into the ATW variant. Obviously a bit of work must have gone into the timetable but so many trains go off into portals where the rest of the route should have continued there is relatively little "in and out" terminal working to balance up.
I was actually wondering whether JT took it upon themselves to make the TfW Pacer or whether they got asked to. I guess if it's been made to try to boost route sales I guess its the latter
Had a spare couple of hours this morning so had a dabble on Cardiff City, it’s the most time I’ve spent on it since getting it on release. Don’t get me wrong, it’s pleasant. Novelty of a single 153, and a fun couple of runs down to the Bay and Penarth. BUT. Stopping at Cogan and Heath High Level is beyond acceptable in the extreme. You could get away with Radyr maybe as some trains terminate there. But Cogan? Heath High? NO. Just NO.
The thing that annoys me most, is how the scenery on the part of the route near Cogan looks really nice, but we can barely experience it because as you said, the route ends there. I'd love to drive that full section of route via Llantwit Major to Bridgend.
