The Great Western Express route is set in mid-2010s when the electrification of the line was in progress. As a result, the route looks unfinished. Another example is Salzburg Liefering station on Salzburg - Rosenheim, which was under construction in 2013. In future every TSW route should be set in a time period when there was not significant construction works going on along the route, so the routes wouldn't look permanently unfinished.
The reason will be so it is a sort of time capsule representing the exact time but I can see why some people might not like it that way but personally doesn't bother me.
I hated the unfinished look to GWE. I would have preferred before or after the electrification extension.
I personally don't mind that GWE electrification is shown in progress as it was at that time. What I really did/do mind is the missing dlc classes that would have filled the timetable for a much more realistic experience and the complete omission of the Thames Valley branches both passenger and freight which again would have provided so much more variety than what we ended up with. This route, despite being a personal favourite, feels very underwhelming. It feels to me that the opportunities whilst DTG had the GWR license were squandered somewhat with absolutely zero dlc released for this route.
It was very much experimental but DTG should have accounted for that when building it. Should have been poised ready with the uncooked master to go back in and add the branches and push out further towards Didcot or even Oxford, with additional stock to boot. What we got should only ever have been a stopgap.
Couldn't agree more OldVern. What i still struggle with is why SEHS got a rebuild but GWE never did? Baffles the mind.
Low hanging fruit, just outside the front door? Though doesn’t really explain how they made a complete mess of the subsequent Class 700 sounds - again a short step from the office, buy the sound guy a weekly season ticket from Faversham to Farringdon go and listen! (Unless of course the sound guy is out based in Inverness ).
Another thought occurs when it comes to GWE. If GWR are unwilling to renegotiate the licence, how about rebuilding the route to the latest standard with branches and all, during the DLoGW period. In 1971 the diesel hydraulics ruled the Western Region and the opportunities for dlc are quite extensive with Baby Warship, Hymek, Warship (D600 and D800 types), 117/121, 123, 128 dmus and Blue Pullman sets. This is before even mentioning the Western and other BR Blue stock as layers. Only a DfT licence would be required.
My sentiments exactly. This is why I state repeatedly that this route used to have so much more character. It feels very stale in the present day.
BCC launched as 'present day' so has a load of HS2 building work going on around Digbeth. Wonder if we'll ever see an update once the new hub is built, along with new 730 units to bring it back up to date, and maybe some 196 traffic heading off to Hereford.
Purely speculation on my end but maybe that was the original plan before they lost the license? Seems plausible enough. But then that raises inconsistencies with every route released since then.
I actually don't mind routes being set during construction works. But maybe once those works are completed in real life, the associated TSW route is remastered to replicate it? But that'd only work if the changes are significant I think (such as new rolling stock).
It just happened to be that way when they started building the route and got the reference material. There is nothing wrong with that. They couldn't just wait until the future because then it could never release or have other barriers. The operators could change (would need new licenses), trains could change, etc. That's just extra work in itself. Set a route when they want it to be set and if it has unfinished construction, so be it
Same issues exists on München-Augsburg. Augsburg Main Station is under major construction work since the early 2010's. They are building a new tram and passenger tunnel as well as new platforms, amongst other things. The work is slowly nearing completion and should be wholly finished in 2025. In TSW, the status of about 2018/19 is depicted. With a lot of excavation pits, removed platform roofing, boarded-up areas and so on. I'd rather have this station represented in it's "full glory", i.e. either the status of before construction began (around 2015) or the (almost) finished state of today. Perhaps the 2015 option would fit better in regards to the available rolling stock for the route.
that's not an "unfinished" route. construction work happens a lot. the coming 5 to 10 years almost every country will be replacing their old tracks. refurbishing and upgrading stations happens all the time. instead of having a fictional route where construction is something that doesn't happen. why not spice up the timetable with some construction or maintenance trains. or for Salzburg - Rosenheim. temporary speed limist because of construction. it's a simulator. it's supposed to try and be like the real world.
IMO the fact that Crossrail construction was going on at that time in GWE isn’t the reason it looks unfinished. I think it’s more to do with missing stock and the route feeling empty as a whole. For example you have no 360’s, 165’s and 332’s (I know about the HX licensing issue). And then you don’t have any London Underground AI at Paddington and Ealing Broadway followed by SWR and Cross Country at Reading. And then certain stations just don’t feel busy at all. Stations like Paddington, Ealing Broadway and Reading should feel busy to at least some degree whether that’s by adding more passengers on the platform or more services.
Spot on assessment UnlimitedMagic. So much untapped potential. There should have been various dlc when the iron was hot but the route was ignored and now has no license. I can't remember if the airport directly owned the 332s but fairly sure that First were responsible for the 360/2s. The 332s and 360s would be perfect to drive from Paddington as far as airport junction ending at a red signal. The low hanging fruit in the 165/1s is a curious no brainer that would have provided many more services for little work but was never done.
