Did you try the 45 or was it a no likey. If you like the 37 and 20 I can recommend the 40 which is also an EE loco so of similar pedigree. Personally I prefer my Sulzers more that the EE locos but all are great in my book!
I'm only going to judge US routes that I have experience with. I don't play UK or DE. CLASSIC MNRR Harlem Line (has signal/dispatching pitfalls but is otherwise pretty solid) NEC: Boston to Providence (has scenery issues but otherwise solid) IN THE MIDDLE NEC: New York - Trenton (has major signal/timetable flaws but otherwise pretty decent) DUD Oakville Subdivision (need I say more?) Long Island Rail Road (poor signal scripting, lackluster timetable, scenery issues) If we want to go back in time to the TSW1 days, then NEC: New Rochelle - Newark is a huge dud. My criticisms of that route is what actually got me onto the beta team back into 2018. It wasn't pretty.
Classics: Great Western Express - I think the fact that this still holds up pretty well all these years later is really telling. Bakerloo - With the new timetable the route feels really alive, it's quite demanding to play it (in a good way), there are some scenery issues but overall looks pretty good. Boston-Providence - I love the rolling stock, timetable nice and busy, whole route looks good. Peninsular Corridor - (I'd need to caveat this that assuming it's gonna get fixed to its old standard), just does a really good job of recreating US commuter railroading. Edinburgh-Glasgow - Once you've added a couple of mods (sound and route enhancement pack) that can bring out how underlyingly good this route is, in terms of the incredibly well built stations and the solid rolling stock. Timetable is also busy enough for the route to feel alive. Koln-Aachen - Does my favourite thing (running high speed stock on older lines) really well. With the new journeys timetable it's nice and busy. I also like playing it with the German safety systems. Northern Transpennine - Think everyone in the thread's covered this well. Duds: Isle of White - There's little good I can say about this. Was buggy as anything, the stock is bad, the route construction has big flaws. Oakville Subdivision - By some distance the worst route made by DTG themselves. Weird route to make 'switching focused' given really it should have been a GO Transit focused route extending to Toronto Union, but it doesn't even do that particularly well, with large parts of the map closed off. Hauptstrecke Rhein-Ruhr - This route is clearly too short, it should have gone to Dortmund and the timetable is missing so much, including the ICE 3s which are in the game now. Essen station is just completely dead compared to reality. If any route gets the SEHS treatment in a future TSW game it should be this one. New York Trenton - I really wanted to like this, hell I've suggested it on the forums, but it's still one of the buggiest routes and the scenery has major flaws. A timetable update alone (much appreciated though it is) probably won't move this out of the duds. Kassel-Wurzburg - Tbf this is more of a personal preference one than the route being made badly. I know people were requesting purpose built high-speed lines. But I think those people are foolish; they just don't make for particularly interesting gameplay. Marseille-Avignon - Same as the above except much of the scenery is also worse. I also think it should really have included a Ouigo Dayse.
Disagree about Isle of Wight. A nice, short 30 minute run, and the scenery isn't too bad. It becomes a problem with replayability. It's nice to drive on every now and again, but does get boring with only one train and mostly stopping at all stations. Don't find this route at all buggy, quite the opposite, in fact. Also, it's the only complete route that doesn't have any big empty stations.
Good thread idea. I have most of the routes, except some of the REAL duds (based on forum feedback)… I’ll only comment on ones I own: Classic: - Pretty much all the German routes, even the older ones hold up… but if I had to be specific I’d say the two Dresden routes. They are just great, varied services, tons of rolling stock (especially if you own other German DLC), interesting trackage. Also, I just got Linke Rheinstreke the other day, so I haven’t done a ton on it but so far I would put it up there. - Sand Patch Grade - probably my most played route, many hours on there, and still my favourite freight route even though it’s age has drawbacks (mainly loco sound, train length). I’m not a huge fan of desert/plains so even though Cajon Pass and Sherman hill are the “best” freight routes as far as the trains and consists, SPG is my love. - Boston - was a dud for a long time but with the latest signal fixes I’d call it a classic. Definitely my favourite US pass route. Pretty much a full timetable, good mix of diesel commuter/electric intercity and of course the Acela. -SEHS - always liked it even since TSW2, love the 395, and it’s gotten tons of attention ongoing - extended HS1, RHTT, ROG, Class 700, added AI HST and others… feels alive. - BML - another one that feels super alive with a monumental timetable, almost a class of its own. Duds: Oakville - love seeing CN as a Canadian and had to buy the Canadian route but it really is a bad choice. Could have been much better. The lack of GO Transit is a huge killer for anyone that remotely knows the line from real life. It would be like if they released Peninsula Corridor but without Caltrain. Picture all the Caltrain stations empty and only UP freight services on the line, that’s what Oakville basically is. - LIRR - route layout itself I like, but the timetable is basically dead. I get the reasoning due to age/signalling but LIRR would be a good one to remake one day, it’s such an iconic line that it would be good to have a modern take on it. - New York-Trenton - major letdown in release state. Basically unfinished - half a timetable, and super obvious bugs that still haven’t been fixed 6 months in (like AI pantographs not raising, wrong doors opening on AI services, some signal bugs). The route itself fundamentally could be the greatest US route, but it was rushed. I’m holding final judgement for the fixed timetable and have basically parked the route until that’s out.
Still don’t get the dislike for IoW. Great little route when you’re looking for a quick break of the other routes.
despite the scenery i really dont think its that bad. its not like LZB is holding your hand the whole way, you need to carefully use the brake and throttle to control speed during the roller coaster journey. (its also shorter and quicker, not an hour long run)
