earlier this morning i found this in the comments of a recent ats video: now i’m not looking at this as any sort of guarantee, of course, nor am i treating it as confirmation that they’re actively exploring that possibility. but is this a sign that the route could be extended and ultimately finished eventually, even though it would likely come at least 2 years after the original route released?
I really hope that Alan and his team will return to this development in the near future. This project is at the top of my list of expectations and will make me happy when it's completed and we see the final version of the route. After all, this section is an integral part of the West Coast Main Line, which will offer exciting gameplay.
The fact the route didnt even go to Crewe in the first place is baffling, but I guess we go with the flow. I would absolutely welcome the route being extended to crewe, but ideally, it should have went to Crewe when it released.
I think now that we have the two Crewe routes from AAS it's an absolute sitter that needs to be taken. It was tolerable prior to that but it now forms a very noticable gap in an otherwise mostly completed WCML.
I'm sure there is a post on this forum somewhere, maybe the MAC feedback thread? from someone at ATS saying they are looking at ways to do the extension. Hopefully they find a way to do it, especially as Crewe going south is now in the game and it does feel like a hole in the map.
Well Crewe would be very cool, but I have various concerns about the performance, as it is like now, WCMLS and MAC are the two routes that crashes the most of all. And I hope they could maybe rework this depot section in manchester, cause there I have like 5fps or so.
It wasn't fantastic to cut it back at Alderly Edge... But I'm willing to turn a blind eye to it because A) The ongoing behind the scenes issues (no need to go into that detail it's out there already for those who wish to know), and B) being their first product. One thing I will say is, one thing I've grown to like about ATS is that they are potentially willing to revisit their product and extend it to Crewe, and if they do it would really give me confidence in products going forward. The Class 90 didn't release in the perfect condition, and I don't think that entirely ATS fault. But if they are willing to revisit MAC and extend it to Crewe, it would be appreciated by everyone in the community, plus it would give me confidence in all their future content that they look after their content. Let's just keep our fingers crossed though and get ECML out... I have high hopes for ECML. I'm just hoping it's full scope can be enjoyed.
All we need is to have the extension to Crewe done, and then the line via Stoke-On-Trent, and asides from the Glasgow stretch at the north end we'll have the WCML complete. Full end to end runs from Euston to Manchester. Liverpool would have been nice too but that would mean entirely replacing SOS route wise which TSW doesn't seem to do.
And I expect the SHG 158 Overshap TT to be based on the JT 86 era scenery unless they are doing something with it? At least on PC we get Preston to Carlisle in a more "modernisation" state with the relocation of Morecambe station.. Unfortunately that person wont be doing Crewe - Preston but never say never at that being done at some point in the future!
I'd be surprised if they did. Someone asked this to Alan on the TSC server yesterday (01/09) and this is what he said: "Not likely for the foreseeable future sadly the route would need a massive rework as it’s not optimised well at all as it was our first route"
The disappointing point for me is that they clearly don't want to say no, but it may be the best part of a year before ECML South is released - so you start to wonder whether this will ever be a realistic possibility - appreciate MAC was their first route, but surely optimising has to be a priority, you cannot just say it was their first route and imply that they aren't going to sort this !! (and that's aside from potentially extending), have my doubts on this.
Bottom line, it’s another sawn off stub of a TSW route like many before and still to come. Realistically the odds of it getting finished are pretty slim, particularly if the route builders for ATS are working on new - seen as more lucrative - projects.
whilst their upcoming project in ecmls is indeed more lucrative, i can imagine they’d get lots of sales by making a new timetable including the 331 with the updated route to crewe, i waited to get the route on sale (cost me £18 iirc), but i suspect a decent number of people would be willing to pay full price for the complete route
Given how much Crewe seems to hammer performance in all its guises bar Spirit of Steam, it’s probably for the best leaving MAC as it is.
there is a post from ATS on here when this question has been asked, that stated one of the main problems would be how to price it right. given its a bit to long to do for free project.
I mean the £14.99 ballpark seems suitable for a small route & some extras such as liveries for things. Could add the BeeNetwork scheme to the 323, then of course some timetable work to get a better Northern Fleet running. Obviously getting their own 90 into the running would be nice. Depending on when they get to it there’s alsorts of options we could see, LNWR will be taking over from Northern on the Airport to Crewe section from next year, then we have the TFW 158 coming soon too. MAC has some very interesting options available to it & whilst an extension to Crewe is at the top of my list, just getting the rolling stock corrected is a very close next spot. Too much fakery going on with the current selection.
The strategy for remasters/extensions appears to be to make a loco DLC in tandem. The only we don't really have (bar the 195) is the TfW Class 67. That runs hourly so would offer enough gameplay.
Won't happen but it would be great if they not only extended to Crewe but also to Stafford via Stoke on Trent, obviously I would be happy to pay for an extension like that
Hoping for an extension but I doubt it unfortunately due to their KX announcement. But it's a great route, insane level of detail they crammed in, very under-rated. Feels like a very realistic driving experience.
whilst i wouldn't expect anything soon, my thoughts were crewe and hazel grove extension and a northern 150/2 and a reskinned 150/1. would be a good shout and that was pre TSW 7 announcements. i did think that maybe extend to trafford park for the full freight runs but the work to extend just for a few extended services is a bit OTT. the 331 would layer in and with that upcoming i dont think it would be too long before we have the 195. the other stuff missing is a northern 156 and Tfw 197 which is just as common as the 67+dvt during off peak hours.
While I try to understand that even devs must dislike having to call time on a project before it's fully envisaged, the lack of realistic end-to-end driving turns on this route has massively reduced my playing time. It's also reduced the amount of time I spend playing Fife Circle, Mildmay Line and Frankfurt S Bahn to name a few so it's not just a ATS Manchester Commuter problem. Though at least the Mildmay Line extension is coming and Willesden was a realistic driver change-over location. I hope ATS finish it one day, or maybe another third party developer might be able to assist, it's a community on both sides of the fence after all. I appreciate, like us lot, they don't all get along but they, unlike us, have a financial interest in working together even if they're not besties. For the here and now, I'm much more interested in their ECML title as that will get far more play time from me than a route that's extended from to Crewe.
its a tricky one saying that its not a realistic end point at alderley edge. i can see the sense in it to a degree because it is a real world turn back point for the commuter services out of manchester and most of the crewe service stop there. where is dose wind me up is with the freight and expresses that are non stop through Wilmslow, then bang stop. that's when it can be a bit emersion breaking.
Alderley Edge would work as an end point, to a degree, were it not for the fact the timetable is set during the short-lived arrangement without end-to-end Man Picc - Alderley Edge EMU services. Instead, Northern ran a bolted together Alderley Edge - Manchester - Wigan service using DMUs and 769s that obviously aren't in the game. I really don't miss those days in real life, never mind in the game! I'd probably have spent a lot more time on this route if the current timetable with the hourly Man Picc - Alderley Edge services worked by 323s were used as it's just an immersion killer to lose your train before its destination on such a short route. I really, really hope the Crewe extension comes one day, and I actually don't mind buying the route again for the privilege.
It must be set prior to December 2022 as that's when the through Alderley Edge - Manchester - Wigan - Southport service which used 769s and DMUs was split. The hourly Manchester Piccadilly (from the trainshed platforms) to Alderley Edge stopper was brought back using 323s and 331s, with the Southport and Wigan service cut at Oxford Road. Using the current timetable would allow chained runs from Manchester and Alderley on the same train, without losing it to the AI at either end. Even this would be a huge improvement for me.
You’d have to look back to the release articles/discussions etc, but pretty sure they set it in 2018/19 - just before AWC took over VTWC. I don’t think it would be an issue at all to just implement the service to Alderley Edge, considering the hash made of the rolling stock & TOCs they’ve layered in. Personally I use MAC for some quick sprints in trains that usually dont have much gameplay elsewhere, but that service would certainly significantly increase my playtime too.
im sure you can do chained runs on the alderley services, i know you can on the crewe services so long as you don't mind the 10-15min wait at piccadilly.
The more I think about this, I just think it is incredibly unlikely to happen, ATS will be full steam ahead on Kings Cross to Peterborough and this route will not be given any consideration whatsoever.
that’s a pretty good shout. the 90 has been allegedly coming to mac for months now and my expectation of that happening is basically 0
To be fair, that may have already happened if DTG weren’t still sitting on third party updates even with TSW7’s release.
it’s entirely plausible that this is what’s happened, but having seen the whole fiasco with the 90 releasing with ats knowing it wasn’t finished, i really don’t know who the blame lies with for this one. only time will tell i suppose
I can't imagine MAC will ever be extended to Crewe, it's not like it can be done as a little side project while ATS work on the ECML route. It took over a year for them to fix that track kink, and even now there's a noticeable jolt in the Manchester direction which definitely isn't there in real life (otherwise you'd have trains on the ground). I'd wager it's not happening unless ATS sells the IP to another DTG or another developer.
From what they mentioned on stream, it was fixed pretty quickly but when through qa hell so took a long time for the track fix to get added, same goes for why 90 hasn’t been added yet since they already had a patch put in so if they added another thing it would needed to be resent to qa and go through another 6+ months
Regardless of where the delay lies, the paying customer has to wait for a year just for the track to be half fixed, so I can't imagine how many versions of TSW we'd see come and go before release if the route length was to be more than doubled...
I'm glad you posted this. As I recall reading somewhere on here that Alderley Edge was a turn back point so I was surprised when I bought it that none of them did. It would be good to get a timetable reflective of this, if no extension is forthcoming. I think it's a great looking route but I rarely play it as it feels illogical to end a service to Crewe at Alderley Edge, and the airport branch isn't particularly exciting. My favourite bit is the Stockport area. This is why I haven't yet bought Mildmay, I will do when the extension comes out. There are other routes which are frustrating for similar reasons.
A good stopgap before ATS think about building Crewe is a 331 timetable to add extra immersion. It’s one of the reasons I went for A&W.
East Coastway has a similar issue, a shorter complete branch and the main route that's too short to be a realistic driving shift. Eastbourne looks like a terminus but without the section to Hastings, you're stepping out of one train and taking charge of the next one back to Brighton.
not normally from piccadilly it would be longsights 323s (unless longsight now has an allocation of 331s) they have always run the locals south and east out of manchester to hadfield, hazel grove, alderley, crewe, and crewe via the airport for the most part... however if it was set 2019 to 2021 the TT change would be set when the 323s were undergoing refurb and i think use of the 769s and DMUs was to keep capacity on the routes whilst this work was being done. the 331s were still being introduced at that time so would of been rare. after 2024 and west midland getting rid of their 323s and northern at longsight taking some on should have more than enough hence 331s should still be rare on the stockport route. the through services going to the airport from man picc and back is the only place i see 331s there has also been times over the years that the hazel grove stub whilst electrified has had periods that no electric trains have been rostered to run down there. they do turn back, some will stay in the platform but others will run into the siding which are a listed run on the menu or you stay in game but there is a good 30mins dwell time sat in the siding.
There is one morning & one night service that operate to or from Alderley Edge, you can’t run them there & back as they form part of a positioning movement. Guessing the above user is using a mod if they have services other than that.
you may be right on that, and ill hold my hands up if im wrong, i have done an Alderley service and followed on into the siding and didn't wait for the return. that could of been the early morning one. however i do think some of the crewe services that are listed in the menu as a crewe service in the description are the alderley services and there is a typo in the description ill have a look when i get a chance. ok ill hold my hands up I'm wrong i cannot see anything other than the aforementioned services. there should be another half hour service to alderley edge a round 0038-0042 past the hour
That bit would tie together the network nicely, being a connection from the WCML all the way to Leeds with the NTP remaster (and with Leeds potentially linking to the ECML... that's the start of a truly connected UK network) However, that is a lot to add to the route, maybe doubling what's in it. Someone would have to put that work in and it'd cost somebody something to do. I'm thinking that'd turn the $24.99 route into $39.99 (or a $15.00 add on extension to existing users?) We all know how many people expect all their extensions to be "free" so there'd be quite a bit of bellyaching. I wonder what else could be added in or released to sell with it or to justify it better? Otherwise, I can see it being worth an extra $15 for that long stretch to Crewe.
