You hear a lot of times that no UK diesel/electric trains outside of AP's stuff are worth using. I would like to hear what people overall on this forum think are non-AP stock of acceptable quality.
I always enjoyed the class 57 Freightliner by Oovee. The sounds are really good for a 57/0 and it feels like a train that needs to be worked up to speed, and is quite immersive when it gets there. It is one of my favorites, even when including the AP stuff. The wipers still needs fixing, but otherwise great loco. Another basic loco i can enjoy from time to time is the class 70. The sounds (again by Oovee) are again well done.
ATS/Imbue studios class 185 is quite good for a 3rd party add-on. As for default stock, most of it is low quality really and I rarely drive anything that is default within the sim.
All non AP stock is of acceptable quality. All give the ability to simulate the operation of trains, which is what this game is about. Whether the detail and function they have is acceptable to a player is a matter of personal preference. An AP Class 37 has better sound and more features than the old Kuju model, but whether it provides £30 more value is something only you can judge. Likewise, the AP Class 50 is better than the DTG/Mesh Tools Class 50, but is it six times better (the difference in price)? Only you can judge, but in my opinion, no. DTG published DLC that I consider high quality includes: Class 35, though best from the Western Hydraulics pack. Some complain about the wrong engine sounds, but as I haven't heard one for 45 years I can't tell. Class 08 Class 76 Class 506, the three above from Woodhead in Blue, though the older versions of the Class 76 in the earlier Woodhead route are fine for a straight-forward drive. Class 47, the third iteration, as in Welsh Marches and Huddersfield. Class 395 Class 460 and Class 73 in the Gatwick Express BR Class 460 'Juniper' EMU Add-On Class 87, both standalone and in WCML over Shap. None of the above are perfect (though the 460 and 73 come close), but in my view they give an enjoyable experience without the cost of AP. I'll add to this list if I have time later.
The 320 on the Glasgow commuter route is quite good, certainly the sounds. I would add the Class 86 from the other WCML pack to the Class 87 above. Great sounds and mastering the tap changer so much more fun than push to go. The Class 117 on North Somerset is quite good too, sounds and performance. The other DMU’s in the game are let down a bit by the sound implementation.
A friend of mine bought a Bang & Olufsen sound system in 1978, cost a fortune (almost the price of a medium car) - I couldn't hear the value then and my ears haven't improved with time. It is your memory (as most sounds are not a daily update), ears and hearing that are the judge here (stress YOUR).
On the other hand I can still say with certainty whether a Sulzer Type 2 sounds correct or not and sadly none of those in the game do...
I have always liked the Class 86 - the AP Pack made it better but it was good to start with. I like the class 33 - it need the Brake values amending and then its fine. Class 68 is another nice loco - you have to tweak the Brake values otherwise it does not work PBL Style. Class 66 is a reasonable loco. Class 101 is a good unit and looks better than the TSW version. Class 422/423 Emus are good to have for Southern routes - Same with the 377/379 Emus.
Such a shame that AP did away with pretty much all of their sound packs – it made the default diesels sound much better
I'm surprised the APT and Class 42 haven't been mentioned yet when it comes to Steam. And all of the Bossman Games stuff... And Victory Works... And the newer Caledonia Works stuff... And the MPV by Gold Star Trains. There's also plenty of great non-UK stuff although I won't mention it as it isn't the point of the thread. (although the New ICE 3 is very good and can be reskinned into Eurostar livery so it technically counts)
I think the OP was mainly referring to diesel traction - Caledonia Works and Victory works only specialise in steam traction.
The 506 for the Woodhead route is great. I was rather hoping it would be followed by a 306 but alas......
Unfortunately the documentation for it is nowhere to be seen, meaning driving it properly is hard to do. It's the same issue with the 76 and 08 but with the former there is a manual available to download which is quite good.
There's a section in the Woodhead Electric Railway in Blue manual that covers the cab layout and key commands but I've seen nothing more than that. Drive it like a 4-CIG or EPB, as resistance controlled DC EMUs with an EP brake they can't have been that different.
They weren't much different to a EPB unit in control method You cannot go from a higher notch to a lower one without going via Off. Some people said they were slow to set off but I think they were driving it wrong.
I'll ask my friend where he got the advanced manual for the 76. I know it's on an external website but I can't remember which one. Edit: It's in the ATS Facebook group, search 'Class 76' and it should pop up.
The Oovee stuff was the highest quality UK content at that time, 12 years ago. The Class 57 and Class 156 are exceptionally well made, and aged well because they are still much better than what DTG offered years later. Highly detailed cabs, good texturing, good ambient occlusion (baked in soft shadows), sounds and feature richness. In a time where most loco scripts only contained code for the RPM based smoke emitters and maybe the cablight, they added a cold start or sliding newspaper on the dashboard.
Thanks but we were discussing the lack of info for the DTG Class 506. The DTG manual for the Woodhead Electric Railway in Blue route has the Class 76 well covered.
You did not make that clear. And as for the manual, the one included with the route does not go into much detail about the 76. To compare, the entire Woodhead in Blue manual is 17 pages long, the same amount of pages as the manual specifically for the Class 76 available on the ATS Facebook group. I found Edward Fisk on the ATS Facebook group and tried to send him a message about the manuals for the 506 and 08 but his privacy settings block messages from new people, so that's a dead end. I tried replying to an old message of his in the group, but his only post is the one where he uploaded the 76 manual and that was five years ago, so I doubt we'll get any answers from that. If anyone knows him elsewhere or is friends with him on Facebook we could probably send a message, assuming he's still active anyway.
As it happens I do have the longer version of the 76 manual available on ATS, not sure where it came from now, but you're right it is much more detailed. As it's copyright DTG I assume that if DTG gave permission it could be posted here.
Sorry, I meant the Facebook group. I should have proofread. https://www.facebook.com/groups/alanthomsonsim/permalink/1953637457997460/
The APT by Skyhook is really good considering none are still running. I also recommend the S8 stock too by JT. Class 68 by DTG is great to, The Class 745 by ATS is shaping up nicely too. It is developed with ANDGames.
The APT isn't really a Skyhook production, it had input from a number of sources including Waggonz and Mr Fisk.
