15 Years And Your Favourite

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by 390001, Jun 24, 2024.

  1. 390001

    390001 Well-Known Member

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    Since it has been 15 years since train sim delighted us with its presence was just wondering what people’s favourite routes have been in that time.

    for me it has got to be west coast mainline over Shap. I just never get bored on that route with class 86/87s. Brings back memories of going up and down the WCML with some reaction traction and the smell of the mk3 coaches as you board them.

     
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  2. Tigert1966

    Tigert1966 Well-Known Member

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    I have to agree. WCML over Shap is one of my all time favourites. Especially if we are just talking Releases published on Steam.

    Looking a the bigger picture of 3rd Party and Enhanced routes. I absolutely love what JT have done with MML and all its extensions. AP’s recent London Bedford enhancement is also fast making it on to my favourites.

    There are so many I could mention that I’ve really enjoyed over the years. Perhaps not a popular opinion, but one of my most disappointing DLC’s is the Riviera Line. It’s a nice DLC, but the Sea totally ruins it for me. If someone did an enhanced version with improved water, I’d be really happy. (It’s my local line from when I was young).
     
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  3. triznya.andras

    triznya.andras Well-Known Member

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    EU
    Hamburg-Hannover seems really good for the main point of German railroading: speed, agility, and a good mix of services.
    I could easily recommend any that I played.

    NA
    Canadian Mountain Passes - Varying scenery, speeds, grades, all in one. You can also take a 15 minute power nap in the tunnel.
    Many routes are great in one of those aspects. My most played is Donner but it's like cheesecake, at one point you're full and never again.

    UK
    Torn between Settle-Carlisle and the new Portsmouth Direct Line. Open views or lush suburban.

    I play older routes since I am looking for performance and pretty effects, while caring a bit less about model details.

    ps. forgot and it's memeey, so:

    CH
    I played one route (thus far), so easy to pick a favorite. Shanghai Maglev.
     
    Last edited: Jun 24, 2024
  4. IronBladder

    IronBladder Well-Known Member

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    I go through different phases. Currently it's WCML North, for its immersive but frame rate easy scenery. Yes, no super-elevation, but you soon don't notice.

    Previously I've done a lot on RSSLO's Südbahn: Bruck an der Mur - Maribor, which is probably an acquired taste, but I like the variety in the route.

    Wherry Lines is another favourite, as is the Welsh Marches and WCML Trent valley, as they are the closet modelled lines to me. Wherry has a lovely ambiance and the Welsh Marches and WCML Trent are a relatively fast blast through accurately modelled countryside.

    West Highland (South) is a route I've spent too much time on. There's something about the magnificent desolation that is special. Mind you, the same could be said of Bernina, and then we go on and on!
     
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  5. josh#4926

    josh#4926 Well-Known Member

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    JT's Metropolitan Line is my favourite TSC route overall, in terms of DTG releases then it's the Portsmouth Direct Line, and for freeware it's definitely the Virtual District Line.
     
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  6. nwp1

    nwp1 Well-Known Member

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    Metropolitan Line is my favourite too. Severn Valley Railway and West Somerset Railway are also favourites. WSR is in TSW and I hope the other two will come to TSW someday.
     
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  7. josh#4926

    josh#4926 Well-Known Member

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    Honestly, having them in TSW would be so good, I'd spend days on it.
     
  8. IronBladder

    IronBladder Well-Known Member

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    TSW owners are not allowed nice things. It's part of the deal when you buy into TSW.
     
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  9. trevkiwi

    trevkiwi Active Member

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  10. buzz4567

    buzz4567 Active Member

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    Marias Pass.
     
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  11. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    For the UK definitely WCML over Shap, though all of Keith Ross’ routes are good.

    Runners up have to be Derek Siddle’s Weardale, still a masterpiece after all this time and Wherry Lines.
     
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  12. atomicdanny

    atomicdanny Guest

    Can i say mine? or would they count? (I know some have strong opinions about me on here :P )

    I mean mine is probably Chatham Main Line to Dover (but then i'm biased there), I also Liked Kiel to Lubeck (seems odd i know :) ) but also London to Brighton (it was the first route that i did that i enjoyed)

    (the first two routes i really didn't enjoy, North East Corridor, and Donner Pass - the latter i had 1 month to do 90 miles, i mean thankfully it improved after that - if people wondered why it was so bad on release - that's why, and also why i "really dislike" that route )
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 25, 2024
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  13. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    Hamburg to Kiel isn’t bad albeit a bit of an avenue of trees but suffers from the rotten physics on the DMU (literally, each notch just acts as a speed set, regardless of gradient or other conditions) and an inferior 218.
     
  14. atomicdanny

    atomicdanny Guest

    I mean i wasn't really talking about the trains, but in real life the trees are that close, if not closer :) (PS Kiel to Lübeck, Hamburg to Kiel is a different but electric route ;) - with lovely green trains though :D )

    (I guess in my case it was the first time that i went to Germany - so that probably has some influence on the route too :) )
     
  15. toms87

    toms87 Well-Known Member

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    Biased: Harznetz 2000.
    Others: Konstanz-Villingen, Bremen-Münster, South London Network, Metropolitan Line (Just Trains), U-Bahn Frankfurt, South London Network, Ringbahn Berlin with it´s announced extensions. As you can see, I have a thing network routes.
     
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  16. mindenjohn

    mindenjohn Well-Known Member

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    Marias Pass, Bremen-Munster and right now: Valea Oltului Mega Route (Romania)
     
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  17. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    Sorry I meant Lubeck to Kiel. My bad. A route it would be nice to see in TSW now we have the rather excellent TSG 218.
     
  18. Spikee1975

    Spikee1975 Guest

    Hard to pick a favourite. I just love them all. Especially with some updates like AP's, or my own mods (hardly any DLC where I didn't fix something), or community revamps like Hagen-Siegen v3. I really enjoy them all.

    Over the years, I've changed my attitude a bit. I can forgive errors in the DLC. DTG pushed out content like crazy in the early days - which is now the base for many community mods and improvements. Looking back, that model was probably the best for us all.

    Current favourites are AP's MML and the Harznetz 2000, which is among my top 10 best designed routes ever.

    I can enjoy simple routes like SDJR too. That's why I started collecting in 2015.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 25, 2024
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  19. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    As you say, there are very few poor routes. I do enjoy the Berlin S25 line even if I never remember the correct procedure for operating the doors. Ringbahn is also on my wishlist and hoping it gets a little discount in the Steam sale starting later this week and Pegnitz looks appealing, came to my attention as the route on which the better quality 218 gets its scenarios.
     
  20. Spikee1975

    Spikee1975 Guest

    If you want a fine 218 buy the VirtualRailroads one. Their "Traffic Red" 218 is sold on Steam. The DTG one is very poor and almost silent.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 25, 2024
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  21. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    I think that's the one I've been looking at.
     
  22. 749006

    749006 Well-Known Member

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    I had Lubeck to Kiel on my computer but it did not run properly - problems with AI and signalling on single lines.

    Frankfurt High Speed, Salzburg to Rosenheim, and Munich to Garmisch are good running the Real Drives.

    Weardale and Teesdale Electric adds a nice twist on the route.

    London to Brighton and the South London Network are two good routes - I know of the combined route but not many scenarios for it.

    WCML over Shap it good
     
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  23. atomicdanny

    atomicdanny Guest

    There are a few here :) - Train Simulator Classic 2024 (steamcommunity.com)
     
  24. jibaduole#8147

    jibaduole#8147 Well-Known Member

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    Sherman Hill is my favorite route, it's a very classic DLC.
    At that time, when I first played this game, I came into contact with this DLC, the classic ES44AC, SD70M, SD40-2, SD70ACe and other locomotives.
    The content of the mission is also relatively rich, such as long-distance freight, shunting in the station, and the cutscene animation of the mission.
    It was this DLC that sparked my interest in North American rail heavy-haul freight.
    The ES44AC is the locomotive I can never get tired of driving, and my favorite locomotive is also the ES44AC.
     
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  25. trlz#8165

    trlz#8165 Well-Known Member

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    I just entered the TSC realm got TSC 24 2 weeks ago ..playing for the North American stuff for now .. So far ive bought Cajon pass ..West Palm Miami .B&O mountain sub (my favorite so far). NS mon line and N line ..UP topeka to K.C ..Soldier summit ..My next routes will be Saluda grade Horseshoe curve . La San Diego .Western Pacific enhanced. Like most of the NA routes so over time will get a lot of them..eventually plan a few UK maybe a china route both those im looking for Freight action routes . Can anyone recomend a few good UK freight heavy good sized routes to get.
     
  26. BritishRail60062

    BritishRail60062 Well-Known Member

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    For me, it is WCML Over Shap as that was the first add-on I bought in 2015 that I loved when I embarked on this game. I did like ECML South as well back then but WCML-OS was the bees knees. My new fave is the Midland Mainline with all expansions for it. I like that I can do Leicester to Lincoln in this game although I would love to see an expansion to Cleethorpes with the Humber Oil Refinery on it.
     
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  27. Kim Olesen

    Kim Olesen Well-Known Member

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    If i can pick only one (extremely hard to do).

    RSSLO Brenner - Kufstein with the brilliant upgrade from fsclips, and slightly upgraded by me.

    Hands down the one route i’ve driven more than any other. I have a very sentimental attachment to this route as i have traveled the area extensively, and i’ve driven the Brenner-autobahn (visible from the route) at least 70 times, perhaps even 100 if I count trips as a passenger when i was a child.
     
  28. buzz4567

    buzz4567 Active Member

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    Congratulations Kim, you actually read the question and chose one not a critique of several.
     
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  29. PhÜnKî_Rø0sTā

    PhÜnKî_Rø0sTā Well-Known Member

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    London - Brighton will always be my favourite. However that being said, I don't mind dabbling in the following:

    Chatham Main (Any version)
    Portsmouth Direct (The London Waterloo version)
    Settle - Carlisle
    Marias Pass
    GEML Liverpool St - Ipswich
    WCML (any version
    Birmingham X City.
     
  30. 749006

    749006 Well-Known Member

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    Actually you did not read the question
    The word routes means more than one

     
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  31. drumsart

    drumsart Member

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    Weardale and Teesdale
    GEML London Ipswich
    Chatham Main Line Victoria to Dover + Ramsgate
    Liverpool To Manchester Piccadilly via Warrington
    North Wales Coast Line
    Portsmouth Direct Line London to Portsmouth
    Settle to Carlisle
    Woodhead Line
    Maria Pass linked to Montana Hi Line (workshop)
    Soldier Summit - Helper to Salt Lake City
    Union Pacific's Wasatch Grade with Smokebox Locos
    Sherman Hill with Up FEF-3 Adv and Up Gas Turbine Electric A Unit
    Midland Line, New Zealand but to loud for my system

    Richard.
     
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  32. fakenham

    fakenham Well-Known Member

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    Agreed, maybe it's to do with the foliage, its all 2d, but I find the trees more realistic compared to the 3d efforts (apart from AP trees). There's also something to be said about having rock steady 60fps.
    Anyone remember Wales and Borders? Fictional but incredibly immersive and believable scenery....all 2d foliage as well.
    South West Wales is also worth a mention here, but I think it's disappeared unfortunately.
     
  33. nwp1

    nwp1 Well-Known Member

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    Routes from third party developers like Just Trains with Metropolitan but Steam Sounds Supreme has to be up there with the Stainmore and KWVR routes, both top quality.
     
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  34. 390001

    390001 Well-Known Member

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    the JT Midlands mainline network is just incredible.
     
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  35. DrTrenchcoat

    DrTrenchcoat Well-Known Member

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    Picking even a few favorites is quite hard tbh, but here goes...
    Montana hi-line: a proper high speed high traffic single track American main line, the signals actually work (a rarity for us routes) and the scenery is really well done. The existence of the Searchlight bnsf 40s also helps

    S-Bahn Bad Altburg and Nachteberg-Rannstadt: two excellent German freeware routes, they're fictional routes set in east germany in ~2025 and are both excellent.

    Wycombe joint line: an aging freeware network that is certainly long in the tooth but still has a great network of the ex-gwr London and Birmingham divisions.

    GAD Dorset Coast: an incredibly high quality steam era route from Bournemouth to Weymouth and a great playground for the PLD southern steam
     
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  36. Pookeyhead

    Pookeyhead Well-Known Member

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    I'm with the OP. Shap is such a great route for those that remember the WCML when 87s in BR Blue ruled the roost. Is it the most sophisticated route? No.... is it showing its age? Yes. Is it fun to drive? Oh yes. Brings back so many memories of standing on Platform three of Preston back in the late 70s when 87s were recently named and still had the GEC pantographs... begging the drivers to get a "cab", many of which were obliging. Imagine that today?
    It's for the same reasons of nostalgia that I also like the deeply flawed Woodhead in Blue route as well.

    Nostalgia aside though... my favourite route(s) based on merit, simply have to be the JT MML routes, simply because it's such a massive set or routes with so many possibilities.
     
    Last edited: Jun 29, 2024
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  37. 390001

    390001 Well-Known Member

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    My fond memory of the WCML is travelling on a regional railways 158 from Glasgow to Preston now that was a experiance lol
     

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