Ecml South Kings Cross From Ats

Don't forget we need a class 180 too

 

I would pay to see a 180 again could feature on GWE

 

Class 180 wouldn't make sense for this route as Peterborough isn't commonly served by Grand Central

 

Simply hook 2 Class 90 together, and you have the Class 180

 

I wonder if they're exploring adding Cambridge the Hertford loop or Moorgate, hence the vagueness?

Perhaps that could be just the name of the route (there is a 1950s version on the TSC Workshop called BR's ECML: King's Cross)

 

I’m confused on the vagueness with building the route to Peterborough. Providing ATS get North London nailed, the remainder of the route beyond say Welwyn isn’t hugely complex in terms of scenery.

 

Yeah, it’s a bit none committal? Surely ATS are aware of the disdain by the community after MAC ended prematurely before Crewe. You’d have thought they’d want to assure the community there won’t be a repeat of previous disappointments.

 

would provide few services on both ECML routes and potential on GWE

 

Happy to be proved wrong, but I'm still sceptical of their ability to make the jump from the flawed and curtailed MAC to doing a 74 mile mega route from the Cross to Posh, even if the latter is pasted in from ECML. Let alone adding the Hertford Loop or line out towards Cambridge.

 

Yeah it’s certainly an optimistic jump from them. I also wonder what they’ll be doing with rolling stock here too, maybe just ‘borrowing’ the 801 from DTG?

In any case they struggled with their first route, without the need to make stock & then struggled with a standalone loco DLC, I don’t think they’re the best placed developer to take on ECML South. I do wonder if they’re internally feeling pressured by what AAS put out & that’s why they keep trying to take on projects that they aren’t fully prepared for, in an effort to out-do them.

ATS has always been an optimistic developer & the result of that is usually a product released unfinished & way under the line of what they advertised. Even here, they start with not naming the DLC in what we are presuming is their way of not over-promising route length, but so far all their screenshots have been of Peterborough, so that expectation has been planted anyway - it’s as if they couldn’t help themselves & IMO this will lead to a disappointing end product that will cost them more of their good-will reputation.

 

Agree completely with this.

I saw some of the screenshots today which all about confirmed the aspiration of Peterborough being the northern end. For any developer this is an ambitious project... Although I'm willing to give ATS the benefit of the doubt for now. They are relatively good with the TSC content and I hope MAC & The Class 90 have been a harsh learning curve for them which have been problematic. Proof will be in the pudding on this one, exciting in theory, but how it translates into the game will be another thing. I'll be keeping a close eye on any insights and previews.

 

Matt on stream basically just gave away that it goes to Peterborough

 

Up the posh

 

Think we are getting a 91

 

I’m willing to give them the benefit of the doubt, if they can handle the pressure of all this. A more cautious approach could’ve been a mild remaster of Peterborough-Doncaster, extended it to York and then thrown in the 91. They must have more than naive confidence they can pull this big project off!

 

What ECML services? Hull Trains got rid of theirs years ago and as I said, Peterborough is an uncommon stop for Grand Central

 

No one's really mentioned the passenger 90s yet, which do have form here (albeit not majorly), and have been hinted as following the freight version.

 

Like I said a few services
4 playable per day on ecml south 20 overall including AI services and 2 per day that are playable on ecml PBO- Doncaster

 

There would also be empty stock movements

 

Despite Peterborough being shown, no final end station has been officially announced yet. Could ATS be planning a massive undertaking and a full run to Leeds from Kings Cross, utilising the DTG P2D scenery and the new Leeds section for their upcoming project? Or is a route that long simply too unrealistic for TSW? I for one would absolutely love that, but I think even I’m guilty of a bit of wishful thinking there!

 

It's far more likely that they are still debating something like whether to include the Hereford loop or not.

 

Definitely wishful thinking Flukey, I think that is one for the modders if they can make it work and a timetable where you can do end to end without the game dumping. Hopefully ATS will confirm soon, personally I can't see them adding in Moorgate or the Hertford Loop as Kings Cross to Peterborough is long in it's own right, at least if we get Drayton Park included, you can still do Welwyn Garden City services and if you have Train Sim Classic, start and end the journey to Moorgate (but ATS do need to confirm this soon as otherwise speculation will run rife - it already is!!)

 

IIRC 90s didn't run with LNER in the 2020s in passenger service. With there being three operational tunnels it would be a bit too late for 90s hauling MK4s on Leeds runs. They may add some for the sake of it though.

 

Wow 20 services with a total of 6 playable really screams "I'm worth the time and effort to add"

 

I am only one that wish both this route and Peterborough to Doncaster was set in GNER era that was best era of ECML meaining would have to get a 91 and a Valenta hst and have old Kings Cross and Peterborough before rebuild

 

GNER even had some 373s at one point when 91s went for essential maintenance works

 

I’ll go one further and raise a Class 55 Deltic to your Class 91!

 

ATS may decide to include a legacy timetable, maybe from pre-Covid years when more 91s were operational and a second current era timetable with 7 car variants.

 

The white rose units which were awesome. I always tried to time my trips to Doncaster and London so that I could be on one.
They were so long that the last 2 coaches couldn't fit on most of the platforms.
It wasn't just when the 91s were in for maintenance, they were actually on trial to see if they could run on the ECML to Leeds and York as a continuation of international services from the tunnel.

 

Hard to get excited for this after MAC farce and the Class 90 debacle, I'll wait for release and see what it brings, got potential to be great, but I'll wait patiently and see.....

 

I wasn't aware of that bit, interesting.

I was talking about the 180, not the 91 there

 

You don’t have to buy it lol, someone brang it up and I said it was a good idea, I believe it’s worth seeing it up and down

 

After the bodged trackwork on MAC and the absolute turd that was the Class 90 I think its safe to say buyer beware.

 

Interesting food for thought, but is anyone else a bit miffed that a 3rd-party dev has chosen to this instead of DTG wanting it for themselves as a flagship route for a new TSW iteration etc? Regarding TSW 7 for example, while Airedale & Wharfedale does peak my interest, it's a route I've never been familiar with in reality.

 

Matt said on the stream that It would have been too much for them to tackle in-house given their strict timelines.
3rd party teams have much more freedom to deliver when they are ready.

 

I’m only buying this if the 91 is there and has both liverys, intercity being the much better out of the two

 

I think you should look at other things to spend your £33 on in that case.

 

Given the scope of the route they have announced, I would highly doubt they are including as 225 set, given they'd have to model the Class 91, the DVT and a full set of different MK4 carriages. At £55 maybe, but I can imagine some players being vocally against that.

 

JT does more than that for the £33,

 

I'm pretty sure it's Kings Cross to Petersborough. That's already the start point of the previous route and it's about 1:20 in travel time (or less for expresses) and about 130km so that is about right for a normal DTG route. That is exactly what people asked for and it looks like they're making it.
I simply don't see any reason it wouldn't go there besides some "conspiracy" that ATS just randomly hates customers and don't want money.

 

Depends what you mean by "more" it's not just about physical length, its about scenery density and asset development. JT Didn't add any brand new modelled trains to their last route, they improved on current TSW assets.

 

To be fair, their explanation made sense. It'd add 50% more work on the route, raising the price and they were shooting for a shorter, cheaper route. Meanwhile, it didn't add much value going that bit. You can disagree with it personally, but it's not like it was random or not considered or accidental. It was a decision made by the design staff.

A lot of people are fully happy with MAC as it is. I like it how it is. It's not a "failure" or "incomplete" in my book. Again, you can disagree with the choice that's fine but there's far from universal "disdain" over it. It's a different opinion of a few people, and you can't make everyone happy.

All this hand wringing over the name on a route that isn't even close to release is a bit premature. You're predicting doom before you have seen more than literally one line of text.

 

I think you’ll find by researching the forum, disdain is the correct adjective to use here, ending a route several stops from the logical conclusion after a well publicised spat with his team seemed illogical, especially when the route referred to it ending at Crewe. I didn’t say MAC was a ‘failure’, I, like many am disappointed it didn’t reach Crewe. Failure would definitely be the 90, everyone here is more than entitled to be cautious of anything ATS as consistency hasn’t been their forte today. One good DLC, one shocking, so it’s 50:50 at the moment!

Again, you misinterpret my post, I couldn’t care what the route is called, more, if you’re going to create a route. Say where it’s from and to, they must have researched costs etc by this stage so should really be able to say where it’s going to end. It’s not their first route or dlc so I’d assume they’re well versed with what it takes to create a route and dlc. By not stating the full route is completely none committal. No one is predicting ‘doom and gloom’ for the route, just question and discussing the vagueness of an announced dlc and why that would be, as to date, I can’t remember another publisher doing this.

 

I didn’t buy the MAC route,apart from it not going to Crewe , was it a bad route?

 

i think it's an amazing route, simply a true shame of its shortened length. The timetables great and scenery is really good. Though the 90 was a disaster, MAC showed a develope who continued to update the route even to TSW6 standards with announcments.

 

Definitely not, imo one of the best regarding immersive modern day driving. So much detail in that route. The trackwork at one junction was bad, but they sorted it eventually, the rest of the trackwork was spot on.

 

I liked it. It seemed decently done. Not my go to, but it was worth the price.

 

As the others have said. Good Route, but too short. The launch was a bit of a mess, but I'm willing to bet that wasn't entirely ATS's fault given DTG's history.

There was a piece of dodgy track that took 2 attempts to fix, but overall it's pretty well done in my opinion. I enjoy it.

 

Preston to Carlisle- 87,101 remake, new mk3s versions, I think a few others as well, new freight and 90 miles

Blackpool branches 142, remade class 08 and 47, new rolling stock and one of the best routes for looks

Preston to Crewe new sub class of 86 which has multiple liveries, full class 20 remodel with multiple versions, new wagons and one massive timetable with good mileage

Pretty much everything JT has made has had multiple liveries and some of the best quality and still costed under £35

 

As someone that mostly hates modern routes, this one is surprisingly good and fun to drive, good detail and perfect for a quick run between other things