Weardale And Teesdale Route Sale

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by inversnecky, Feb 13, 2021.

  1. inversnecky

    inversnecky Well-Known Member

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    It’s now on sale for only £7.49 - 70% off the normal price of £24.99.

    Don’t delay, buy it today - it’s a fantastic little route with amazing scenery!
     
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  2. JJTimothy

    JJTimothy Well-Known Member

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    Seconded. I live in the area and it has a simple beauty that the DLC captures very well. The first route I drove in TS and still my favourite. (Be good to merge it with Stainmore though and I wonder if it would be difficult to swap the signals out...)
     
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  3. 749006

    749006 Well-Known Member

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    I prefer the Workshop Electric version :)
    Screenshot_Weardale Electric_54.53543--1.55368_15-18-59.jpg
     
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  4. inversnecky

    inversnecky Well-Known Member

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  5. JJTimothy

    JJTimothy Well-Known Member

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  6. inversnecky

    inversnecky Well-Known Member

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    Not at all, thanks for posting. I’ve subscribed to a number of these already, and look like I’ll add many on the list.
     
  7. junior hornet

    junior hornet Well-Known Member

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    The safe way to drive to Barnard Castle. :)
     
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  8. theorganist

    theorganist Well-Known Member

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    It is a fantastic route, I never tire of it. I am compiling a set of scenarios for it which I intend to upload to UKTS.

    The Wearhead line in particular has some lovely scenery.

    There is so much to with plenty of industry and yards. I recommend the J21, K1 and Q6 from Victory Works, the A5 and G5 from Caledonian works (plus more to come) and the J50 from Meshtools to run on it and the Matrix Trains NER/GER carriages, all suitable for recreating the 50's on that network.
     
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  9. PhÜnKî_Rø0sTā

    PhÜnKî_Rø0sTā Well-Known Member

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    I bought the scenario pack. You need the BR blue pack, class 105 and the Peppercorn K1 steam loco for the scenarios to work.
     
  10. TimeSlicedDanny

    TimeSlicedDanny Active Member

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    I'm not such a fan of the route. Much is good, especially the rural parts, but I find a lot of the industrial modelling samey and unconvincing. Likewise the endless terraced cottages. Yes, there are a lot of them in real life, but there's also plenty of between the wars and post war semis and detached houses that are largely missing, as are the grand Victorian dwellings in parts of the towns and cities.
     
    Last edited: Feb 15, 2021
  11. bearhugger1972

    bearhugger1972 New Member

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    I've bought this and am enjoying playing the scenarios, I haven't played TS for a while but getting back into it. It must be set at least in the 70's as there is a bay platform at Darlo that I'm not sure I remember from when I was little. I did manage to overshoot a platform at a little station near Witton-le-Wear and thus commit a SPAD. Oops!
     
  12. 749006

    749006 Well-Known Member

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    The route has Green Diesels and Maroon coaches so is more likely set in the mid 1960s
     
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  13. bearhugger1972

    bearhugger1972 New Member

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    Thanks. I've seen a few photos on Facebook of the Class 101 around my area of Teesside and slightly further afield so it is good to drive them.
     
  14. JJTimothy

    JJTimothy Well-Known Member

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    As the name indicates it's the '60s although there is some licence. With the possible exception of the occasional football special Spenny lost its passenger services before the War as did the line across Cockfield Fell IIRC and the line through Shildon tunnel was singled in the very early '60s. In truth it would ably represent any period from Nationalization to the start of the Corporate blue era when lines started closing.
     
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  15. 749006

    749006 Well-Known Member

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    And it is quite good running Steam and Diesel trains over the route
     
  16. JJTimothy

    JJTimothy Well-Known Member

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    For anyone who's interested this has been updated. More to add I dare bet.
     
  17. Ardaeshir

    Ardaeshir Well-Known Member

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    I feel like it is set in the early 60s, circa 1960-1961.Barnard Castle closed entirely in 1964, Wearhead closed entirely in 1961.

    While the route comes with BR green era engines, a steam G5/O class would certainly not feel out of place between Middleton and Darlington.


    As for the route itself - I strongly recommend it. (but I may be biased, as UK steam-to-diesel transition era is one of my personal favs)
     
  18. theorganist

    theorganist Well-Known Member

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    I think it is a mixture of eras. Passenger trains didn't run to Wearhead after 1952 yet the stations on the line are all modelled. Some of the industry featured on the route had gone by the 1960's.

    Really the diesels which the DLC has included do not really match the route in my opinion. That is why I was pleased to see much DLC steam released as well as the NER carriages and various wagon packs available.
     
  19. Ardaeshir

    Ardaeshir Well-Known Member

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    Agreed, as a proud owner of the J21 and the NER O/LNER G5 class.


    Which doesn't mean I don't enjoy the green DMUs either ;P
     
  20. theorganist

    theorganist Well-Known Member

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    Well no absolutely, DMU's were introduced in the area in 1957 I think when much of the network would have looked very similar. You could run a Turbostar up the line if you wanted (personally I wouldn't) anyway.

    The A5 by Caledonian works is also very suitable as Darlington had an allocation at one point, the DT 2MT and the Ivatt 4MT in the Stainmore route pack are also very suitable. The J94 by Meshtools is a good choice for shunting around Darlington. I think a couple of J50's ended up in the area too. For freight the Raven Q6 were very common in the area and the ROD 2-8-0 would have been seen too.

    On the Caledonian Works roadmap there is a J72 and I think an A8 tank which will be added the roster when (if) they are released.
     
  21. JJTimothy

    JJTimothy Well-Known Member

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    It's funny how the mind plays tricks. I went by Toronto for some reason or other in the mid '80s and was sure I remembered seeing hopper wagons parked on Newton Cap viaduct. A few years ago though I read that the track was lifted in the '60s...

    There's a video on YouTube with Matt P. and Derek Siddle of Dovetail talking about developing the route. It started as a bit of a labour of love for Derek (who's from Whitton Park served by the station called Etherley in the route) to make Bishop Auckland station and then it sort of "just growed". He's frank about it being a slightly idealised version of the railways he remembers.
     
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  22. WhippleStripper

    WhippleStripper Well-Known Member

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    I don't particularly like the route modelling. It's way too clean and ordered in the industrial parts, many of which just don't look convincing to me. There's not enough period clutter and debris and the buildings look like generic late Victorian shed plonked down next to generic late Victorian shed etc.
     
  23. theorganist

    theorganist Well-Known Member

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    I remember he built a lot of custom assets for the route, I followed his blog at the time. If he had made custom assets for everything you might still be waiting for its release now!
     
  24. Ardaeshir

    Ardaeshir Well-Known Member

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    I think its only fair to mention that the assets available for the route itself are good and given many of the stations don't exist anymore, it is not reasonable to expect 100% accuracy down to a single specific year.

    I've made a "real photo to screenshot" comparison of the Brommielaw station and I think the accuracy was decent. See bottom of this post: https://forums.dovetailgames.com/threads/train-simulator-2021-screenshots.28416/page-6#post-337652
     
    Last edited: Jul 16, 2021
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  25. theorganist

    theorganist Well-Known Member

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    Yes I agree, it can often be difficult finding resource material. Some of the industry on the route disappeared over sixty years ago.

    Personally I find the route to be very atmospheric, trundling through Bishop Auckland station with a heavy coal train with a Q6 then climbing up though the tunnel and into Shildon yard with the wagons clanking behind you as you clatter over pointwork over the sound of the motion of the engine is one of the most immersive I have experienced.

    I think some more variety of housing wouldn't have gone amiss but that is something you could say about many routes, but that is a fairly minor complaint.
     
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  26. JJTimothy

    JJTimothy Well-Known Member

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    After I'd been playing TS for a while the Friends of Darlington Railway Centre and Museum had one of the members giving a talk much of which involved him showing old photo's and asking if anyone could identify the location. It covered most of the north of England and certainly wasn't aimed at me- most of the pictures dated from before I was born and certainly before I moved to Durham in '81. When local pictures came up though I suddenly became quite good at placing them because I'd been spending so much time in the W&T.

    The house I lived in in Durham City itself, or indeed the row of four storey terraced townhouses it is part of which is easily visible and identifiable from the railway, is not at distinguishable in the route becoming just another of the generic terraces mentioned above but that's excusable. Actually surprising is the lack of the original station building at Barney (which still exists after all), Spennymoor's distinctive Town Hall which is barely a stone's throw from the station site or the railway inns which are right next to it.
     
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  27. theorganist

    theorganist Well-Known Member

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    I suppose if you are local then you will notice missing buildings, something like a townhall is a shame as they are usually quite distinctive and unique.
     
  28. JJTimothy

    JJTimothy Well-Known Member

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    Indeed. The North Eastern Hotel did stand out in fact it still does though it's in a bit of a state now. It's not that big but quite a fine building and was right opposite the station.
     
  29. theorganist

    theorganist Well-Known Member

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    You might find a similar building from another route you can use?
     
  30. JJTimothy

    JJTimothy Well-Known Member

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    Any ideas?
    https://pubwiki.co.uk/Durham/Spennymoor/NorthEasternHotel.shtml
     
  31. Ardaeshir

    Ardaeshir Well-Known Member

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    Last edited: Jul 16, 2021
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  32. theorganist

    theorganist Well-Known Member

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  33. WhippleStripper

    WhippleStripper Well-Known Member

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    Yes, I get that, but I would have preferred a smaller network with better non railway scenery. I think the former Royal Ordnance estate at Newton Aycliffe is particularly tragic. It's right by the line, larger than most railway termini, didn't exist until 1940, yet it's largely represented by Edwardian or earlier factory units. I know I lot has happened to it since, but there are still quite a lot of the original buildings standing. It would have been nice if one or two of the most common types had been modelled. They would also have been useful elsewhere.
     
  34. 749006

    749006 Well-Known Member

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    It is one of the problems with any route that people know from travelling over it or living near to it.
    Errors that stand out to these people really spoil the route for them.

    For me it is the Woodhead BR Blue which has loads of errors from incorrect track work at Piccadilly, Signalling errors all over the route, Track missing is places where there should be a loop and it is not there, Deepcar comes to mind.
    The route was not checked against information that is available and so what could have been a good route is not.

    Move away from where you know and the errors don't stand out
    For a route thru an area I don't know I'm mainly looking at the Signalling and does it make sense.
    If the wrong sort of building is used then I would not know but put a LNWR box on a Midland or GWR Route then yes that stands out and spoils what could have been better.

    Peter
     
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  35. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    Bumpity bump!

    I just picked up the K1 in the sale and what a wonderful loco. Currently doing the run where you form up a loaded steel train and work it across the line on a murky morning. So atmospheric, nothing in ersatz TSW comes close. I also picked up the Q6 but yet to try it, so guess the J21 is a required purchase too?

    I originally bought the locos to run on Stainmore but the Weardale scenarios have hooked me at present.

    The K1 should also be at home on the West Highland, if you close your eyes to the modern infrastructure!
     
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  36. theorganist

    theorganist Well-Known Member

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    Glad you are enjoying it. I have had some fun with the Q6 with heavy coal trains on this route and also the K1 and the Palbrick wagons from the various brick works.

    The J21 is a wonderful loco and from what I can gather was a mainstay on the Wearhead line in particular, certainly before the end of passenger services, off course they were common over Stainmore too. The Caledonian works G5 tank with the Matrix NER carriages are very much at home on the Middleton in Teesdale branch. Darlington also had at times the ex GCR A5 which is also available from CW.

    I would also recommend the brilliant Victory Works WD 2-8-0 as there were plenty of those around the Darlington/West Auckland area in the 1950's and 1960's and the excellent Caledonian Works J27 is suitable too. I can't wait for his J72 which is on the roadmap as they were very common in the area.

    The DT standard 2mt, which of course is very suitable for Stainmore and Weardale, is a nice loco but a bit old now compared to newer offerings. I would love to see an enhancement pack by SSS for it.
     
    Last edited: Dec 28, 2022
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  37. snowsalesman

    snowsalesman New Member

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    Such a great loco, the K1 that I bought in the clearance sale. At the moment, I'm on the run where I must organize a steel train, load it, and then move it over the line in the early morning fog. This level of atmosphere is unmatched by any TSW knockoff. I too just bought the Q6 but haven't had a chance to check it out, so I take assuming the J21 is also essential?

    driving directions
     
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  38. theorganist

    theorganist Well-Known Member

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    Well they were certainly very much part of the local scene working trains over Stainmore and on the Wearhead line and I am sure most of the other routes. It is a lovely loco in TSC form too.
     
  39. torfmeister

    torfmeister Guest

    Be sure to play the fantastic workshop scenarios from Coasty (Weardale Duties (4-part series featuring the K1), Timed Team Work, multipart) and Not.Silent. They always put a lot of additional scenery into their scenarios and have well choreographed AI traffic, really bringing that bygone era back to life.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 13, 2023
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  40. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    A bump for this one. I forgot I had bought the Q6 earlier in the year getting distracted by TSW but going through my TSC stuff this evening plucked out a Weardale scenario at random. Tell you what it's a lovely loco, creaking and clanking so atmospheric. Pete has done a fantastic job here and even on simplified controls the physics and steam performance is like drinking a beautiful cask conditioned real ale IPA, as opposed to the keg Watney's Red Barrel of steam in TSW.
     
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