Really enjoyed the route today/yesterday now, very much lives up to the expectations I had for this route, I’m working on writing up full feedback (going to take sometime and more playing) but yea massive appreciation to JT for this. already looking forward to and wish JT luck with future projects. Going to throw in a few shots I took yesterday (do note pics were taken using photo mode and may have had photo settings moved about), to complete this post, I think they help show the enjoyment of the route and back up the positive words with examples of what’s being said.
I I too experienced micro judders going between Blackpool North and Preston. But I’m still VERY happy with the route.
Fantastic route. Really enjoying it so far. Truly a fantastic effort. A couple of small points of feedback: 1. The self changing gearbox is a bit quick changing gear. It should take about three seconds to change gear. Although there is a pause at present it is only one second maximum 2. The hold gear functionality is misssing at present. Thanks.
Just wanted to congratulate JustTrains on a brilliant made route and well worth the money for the content it offers. One of the most pleasantly surprising features is the haptic feedback/vibrations present when driving the Pacer. I encourage everyone to experience driving the Pacer between Olmskirk and Preston with a controller whether you're on console or PC because every track joint sound is accompanied by a vibration which makes driving much more immersive. A much better implementation than DTG's standard junction vibration. I hope DTG can take notes and bring track joint vibration to future (and past) routes because it is such an enjoyable feature to have and really brings up the immersion level.
Very impressed, enjoying everything on this dlc as a br era fan. JT managed to go the extra mile and even deliverying some surprises on top of that. Pacer feels like the real train. Great job from jt, not only the dlc, also to bring a huge "wow, what a fantastic peace of dlc" into my mind. Thats how it should be after a full price dlc purchais.
From what I've seen in streams and photos it looks great! However I've found this bug with the class 08 tutorial. When it gets to this part where you have to wait for the main brakes to charge it doesn't go any further once they reach 21 on the gauge. I'm playing the DLC on PC - Steam.
In the pacer click at the phone on the left of the window in the cab, just in front of you. It is even labeled "Public announcement". On PC you can also press "G".
It only kicks in once you depart the first station, there are no “general” announcements just the next station. After my run with the 31 returned to Journey mode and the Pacer from Ormskirk to Preston. Those TL11 sounds might not be 100% accurate but they are growing on me. The other thing this train gives, partly due to the roaring engine and partly due to the motion, is a real sense of speed even at relatively low velocity compared to most other trains in the game. In fact, compared to the ersatz Azuma on ECML, this really sounds and feels like a train in motion. It will actually be hard to go back to any other route after experiencing this one. It’s a cliche and others have said it, but JT have knocked it out the park and both DTG in house and the other associates are going to have to raise their game considerably to match these standards. I really hope JT can either extend this route to Manchester or the WCML up to Oxenholme and the Windermere branch. Alternatively, I would pay Day One price to see them do Chester to Llandudno or preferably Holyhead in the same era and to the same standards. Caveats? Well as I mentioned elsewhere, this route needs DTG to get off their posteriors and sort the save game so we can remain in the world on emergent gameplay, doing a full 12 or 18 hours accumulated activity on the route. Definitely needs blue grey Mark Ones and a buffet or restaurant car too for those through services to Euston. A Class 104 sub DLC would also be a Day One purchase for me.
As regard to the TL11 powered 142 with the self changing gearbox. No the sounds are not right but they are a pretty good approximation with limited source material available. My only criticism of the modelling is the self changing gearbox changes gear about 2 seconds too quickly from what I understand of the unit. On to other entries in the back catalogue German routes might not be your thing but Niddertalbahn is also a very strong entry. Albeit it is a quiet branch line with only one passenger unit but it is a very well done route with a nice DMU.
Due to work commitments I've only done the route introduction and the 142 training. But oh my I'm loving the 142 so far. It's amazing the effect nostalgia has on people as when I used to see in arrive to take me to my destination my heart would sink, but seeing it recreated and with all the sounds as well make me want to travel on one again. Absolutely well done Just Trains. It's incredible.
Yes I have Niddertalbahn and while it is nicely done, tends to suffer from being repetitive and quite slow.
Just a small thing, but I did a short early morning drive and none of the road vehicles had lights on. It was dark 06:30 today's date. Street lamps were, however, lit.
Well JT you have outdone yourselves with this extremely well-put-together route, don't normally play TSW much these days as TSC is my main go-to sim, but routes of this quality very well may tempt more play time? Just a couple of niggles so far, the 142 with SCG the engine spools down slower than is depicted in the model when changing gear it was a snail compared to the Cummins voith combo! It should have a hold gear function too but I understand you didn't have time or the incentive to make two separate cabs. And the class 47 bogie run sounds are too quiet and I'm not picking up a lot of bridge reverb in the cab even with the windows open, more realistic in the pacer, yet to try the other loco rolling stock. Overall though JT I'm mighty impressed.
Query on the Pacer. When operating the doors as a guard would, when pressing the door close button all the doors except the local door should close I believe. The local door closes with the passenger close button if I recall correctly. Absolute love for the route. Now if we can another route that requires an AC loco we could perhaps make Preston him to the sounds of the 86s & 87s once more?!
Only played it quickly last night, but really impressed with the quality of the work on this route. Really excellent.
You can see they've taken there time with the route and not rushed it out the scenery is spectacular more of this please most fun I've had on a route in a long time
This route perfectly encapsulates the changing times of the railways, all these gloriously long station platforms ready to receive 12 carriages of train, only to end up being served by a couple of busses strapped to a railway chassis.
I have completed the 08 tutorial, be patient, it takes a little longer than normal until it jumps to the next task and continues.
Not purchased or played this route yet, but the feedback is quite positive so far. Looking forward to diving in. DTG should definitely be red-cheeked when a third-party’s first route is this good with so much content.
DTG you should wake up and take notice if a third party can do a route as good as this why can't you with your buggy routes, poor frame rates especially on ps5 you need to improve. Take a bow just trains,take a look in the mirror DTG it's time you improved your work The only thing I've noticed the fair is not lit up a night otherwise a great route well done just trains
Well I never thought I'd say this but I've just had a crash on PS5. It happened about halfway through service 6P65 Salwick Goods Loop to Kirkham C.E using the large logo 47/4. I replayed the service and the crash didn't happen again so it may have just been a blip.
Really enjoyed thrashing the Class 31, brings to life some of the older trains in TSW which is fantastic! If your still on the fence, buy it! https://www.justtrains.net/product/train-sim-world-4-blackpool-branches-preston-blackpool-ormskirk
I think this is my first time buying a route on launch day! I've only had a couple hours playtime last night but overall I'm very impressed with this pack, even only scratching the surface. Blackpool North has to be one of the most "alive" feeling stations I've experienced so far with various different locos coming and going in both the station, and the nearby shunting yard. Taking a run to Preston was a delight with how detailed and varied the scenery was. I never experienced the Pacer in real life so it was great seeing what it was all about. The ride comfort really does live up to its reputation =) The only true issue I can flag for now is in the 08 shunting scenario I had a SPAD issue despite nothing showing up on the minimal HUD suggesting so, even after reviewing the recorded gameplay. I had coupled up to the new set of coaches in the yard and was making my way back to the station. Not too sure what tripped it.
can anyone comment if the passengers are working or are they all getting off on the next stop. Just curious
Very pleased that it runs well on Xbox Series S. Some very small pauses thats all. Really enjoying the Pacer, the bouncing really brings back memories of riding these round West Yorkshire and on the jointed track Bentham Line to Lancaster and Morecambe. Top work to all involved and hope this standard becomes the norm in any future releases.
I love the class 31 myself and the lack of passenger runs (bar a failed DMU run) I wanted to rectify so I'm glad that someone else is happy I allowed it to sub in on the shorter rake services. Would recommend trying 2P55 and 2J58 with it.
Learning and playing this route has been an absolute pleasure seeing all the variety of things that run past and the substitutions if you have a DLC is very realistic to be our era and I can't wait to explore in more depth and have more fun. I'm glad to have played my path in making the class 47s a bit more in depth than they have been beforehand and I hope that this kind of flexibility and adaptability can be included for future releases by other developers, not just Just Trains. Finally, I would like to share just a few very varied screenshots of some of the fun I've been having.
It is rare I look forward to replaying a route these days when DTG and Rivet often put out mediocre content with missing features and bugs, but after playing Blackpool Branches for a few hours I can safely say that this route is something special. It was evident as soon as I spawned on foot at Preston to see a beautifully detailed station with plenty of AI traffic coming and going, Guard whistles, AI sounding their horn etc. JT have gone the extra mile to make this route something special with a bunch of new liveries, gameplay features and visual assets. Driving a parcel train at night with the new HI lamp on the 47 is really immersive and it's rare that I find myself enjoying a night time run. The Pacer is extremely bouncy as it should be and feels great to drive. There are a few minor issues I have such as the lack of the new snow textures introduced with TSW 3, but overall I'm very happy with the route and would say it's the definitive BR experience. I look forward to seeing what else JT have to offer.
Oh really? Doesn't surprise me that it's just down to me being impatient haha I'll give it another go then, cheers.
Count all the WOW's in this thread and that's how high I would score this route. Well done Just Trains for raising the bar. Looking forward to seeing more of your DLC's in the future.
The Blackpool-route-specific BR blue locos (the 47s and the 08) also do not have RailDriver support, in addition to the Pacer. As someone who uses RailDriver almost exclusively, I would like to see this implemented. Thanks
Crash To Desktop: PC version through Steam Class 20 Timetable Mode 1Z20 The Preston Docker Part 8 After approx. 10 mins the game crashes to desktop with an Unreal Engine asset loading anomaly.
Well, I was waiting to buy this route until the early reviews came in and a patch was released to implement Raildriver compatibility for the Pacer and other locos. Haven't seen a single negative response so far, so I'm tempted to hit the buy button and trust JT to solve the RD issue shortly ( I and others will harp on about it ). I suppose I could drive the 101 exclusively for the time being. Still mulling it over though, not in a hurry, plenty of other distractions, especially NYT, to be going on with.
First of all - great work creating this route, attention to detail is what it’s all about! a few minor observations, most probably core issues but I’ll mention them 1. At Blackpool, when the pilot 08 drags out a length of coaches there are passengers still onboard (though they seem to disappear beyond the end of the platform) - this at the start of a timetable session, so might be different for trains that have come in during the session rather than initialised like this at the start of the session; 2. At Blackpool, when a light loco comes in to couple to coaching stock, the driver remains in the same cab end at departure - i.e. he doesnt move to the forward end to depart with the train; 3. Passengers on the Pacer disappear rather than getting out onto tge platform when exiting the train A rivet counter comment here, sorry: I love the orange cable ducting detail, but I’m pretty certain, despite the artist’s lovely detail, that it was smooth, not ribbed on the outside - we adopted it for traffic signal highway works in Sheffield in ‘88 because it was virtually indestructible - (there was only one supplier for the BR spec duct at the time) so I’m unhealthily familiar with the stuff!
Praise where it is due on this one. This route is reason alone to own TSW4. I sank about 4 hours into this last night and I didn't feel the time go. The positives: The scenery and detail overall. No sloppy route building to be seen. The new smoke effects on the class 08 and 47, you can almost smell them.when they are just ideling away. The way the class 47 loads amps now mean it can be driven more realistically. The Mk2 running numbers are now fixed and more accurate along with the Mk1s. I'm enjoying the Pacer far more than I thought I would. Very few negatives or glitches. People and items were floating slightly on Blackpool South Station. One late freight service with 47, G6P derails on loading. Great route overall and a great entry by JT into TSW.
A fellow "harper" here - I got the Route and am enjoying it - driving the layered locos using RailDriver. Great scenery, ambient sounds, timetable, stations, etc.
Just want to say that JT have done an absolutely cracking job with this add-on. Not just the route, but the multiple livery and engine selections for the pacer, the improvements to the 47 and the 08 too. Whilst JT are known for their efforts developing for TS classic, the TSW tools and equipment are very different, and frankly I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it is considering it’s their first, and I’m sure many people are the same. In my opinion this add-on has certainly raised the bar further for what TSW can bring, and if this is JT starting as they mean to continue, the future looks very exciting and promising. Also want to acknowledge the work DTG have put into the new suspension physics, and working alongside JT to implement it on the pacer. I think it is very fitting for it to be the first, and it certainly adds more enjoyment and immersion to the game
Funny thing I've realised about the pacers suspension is that just watching it reminds me of what it's like to ride the Manchester Metrolink of some of the lines, especially the Altrincham line
Speaking of Altrincham, I think my worst experience on a pacer was on the Mid-Cheshire line. Abhorrent weather, a damp cold pacer that rattled so much rain into it, that it may aswell have had no roof. The suspension in TSW is really good though, hopefully the 150 & 158 will see it added too.
