After seeing a few routes starting to come together and interact with eachother I think this is a great thing and im hoping soon it will be possible to go from london to glasgow in an Azuma or an Intercity 225 or HST hopefully in the future Although all of this could take a 10 year stall if say york to Newcastle comes out and is in BR Era with deltics and Mk1's no OHLE so the journey is restricted to Peterborough to Doncaster unless you use an HST Dont get me wrong the Deltic belongs on this line so I would love to see a modern Heritage Railtour maybes even an old BR version in a pack for layers onto BR and Modern routes and I guarantee my wallet will throw itself at the Xbox store I guess the real question is do people agree with this or would they prefer to see an older Unelectrified version like the TSC original
Considering wcmls is set in the present day and wcmlos is in the 80s it doesn't matter to me. Its not realistic either way. I would probably favour just trains doing wcmls and all the other section's. In the same era. As over Shap.
But tbf all that has happened since then is modernisation at these stations the route itself is still the same The point I was making is if I wanna drive a pendolino up the WCML I can go from london euston drive to milton keynes Put the pendolino on the preston to carlisle and go as far as carlisle even though different eras its possible but on the ECML Electrification came later on so a BR era ECML section will really limit driveable layers for the class 801 as it layers nicely on so many routes as an AI only service not a driveable service
If its all electric, you could pretend it's all the same I guess. When doing lines like these in sections it's better to have it all one era or another. I know it's the same route but alot changes over the years.
Nah, I'd prefer future sections of ECML be represented in different eras. The Doncaster - Peterborough route shows everything the Azuma has to offer, which isn't much... A section with real LNER traction in the steam era, a section in BR when the Deltics ruled the roost and then one featuring a Valenta HST would be a lot more interesting and varied than doing it all in modern era with less interesting stock.
It would be good if separate timetables were available like wsr with steam and diesel and if required the timetable removed the OHLE Model from routes It would be such a good game feature being able to switch between electric diesel and steam and get the best immersion possible in all cases And also would a 225 (Class 91) really be a boring addition im quite sure its operations are very similar to the 86 in its a tap changing loco and you cant overload the motors
I would personally like the sections in the current era, or the 91 and HST era. But preferably the current era with 91s on the lower section of the ECML, and 80xs on the rest. This: 1. Adds continuity of game play with route hopping 2. Would make fuller runs playable if/when they manage to do route merging (+ if they build more sections) 3. Would be more relatable/relevant for me. I didn't know the Deltic era so, no offence to anyone who liked it, it doesn't mean anything to me. However I do have memories on the 91s, and the 80Xs. Controversial take but the main thing I remember the HSTs for was being really smelly with all the diesel
If they continue the same era then things will get rather tedious. Thing is, the Azuma is already a rather boring drive on the current route, doing more modern would just add more of that... I wouldn’t mind a 91 though. Whereas you do alternate eras, you have a greater variety of stock to choose from and adding gameplay variety. It’s just better for the game overall. You could have the real LNER represented in the form of a steam era segment, Gresley A4’s pulling Teak coaches would be ultimate ECML experience. Though that requires DTG to go back on their utter nonsense decision on steam. Deltics need to be done in their era, rather than preservation. We already have a nice selection of BR stock to layer too. If we’re lucky, maybe a JT BR era ECML will happen. HST needs a route that gives it a good, long run rather than a quick 30 minute affair. We also don’t have a Valenta spec HST. Could knock two birds with one stone this way. Personally, I’d love the Valenta HST to be on the original Intercity 125 BR Blue livery. There’s just so many interesting options that expand the game. By doing future sections in an era of ECML already represented, DTG would be shooting themselves in the foot. Just look at the WCML, we have a modern segment and a fantastic BR one. It’s much better for it!
Suppose for variety I could go for an East Coast liveried 91 rather than the azuma and LNER 91s lol. It's difficult I suppose because everyone has a sweet spot for different eras based on nostalgia. If route hopping is to be maximised, I do feel that same era works best. It would be cool I suppose if they could do like a modern and an old timetable for the routes so everyone is happy. but I don't know if they can link modelling adaptations to the timetables - for example old fashioned PIS over new PIS for a deltic one vs azumas.
If we're going to have multiple sections of a route like ECML, to keep it interesting they'd be better off in different eras. That way you can showcase the different trains that ran on the route.
So you'd rather have a 70's ran down and unprofitable When trucks carried most freight All 6 station stops York yard to Tyne yard freight With a Deltic and probably another class 47 layers from a class 37 Unable to use Electric on the route Or The same route minus the abandoned unusable parts With a Class 91 maybe BBMF if they wanna go the extra mile And maybes and add on loco of a Class 67 for Rescue services, route learning and the royal train. And a Deltic Railtour Pack Just makes it accessible to all locos and not just Diesels
Once you've driven the 801 on one section, it's pretty much the same experience on them all. Take WCML for example. We have both a modern and backdated version on separate sections, which allows to showcase the different traction that ran on the route and how much things have changed in the past 40 years. The ECML is roughly 400 miles long, it would get boring fast if, despite being separate sections, it only had one train. The section of ECML we currently have can be boring at times with the 801 being the main train. Backdating certain sections would allow to showcase the HST, Deltic, Flying Scotsman, A4s, IC225s etc. - all trains which ran on the line. Why restrict that variety when there's no need to, not everything has to be modern just because it's on the same route.
I support those who want to see different sections of the line with different time periods and rolling stock. Let’s be honest - a full ECML run would be so long and monotonous (and only possible in the future if you owned all the sections, which would set you back a few hundred pounds) that only a few very dedicated individuals would even make use of such a feature. And even then, we’d have people complaining about having the whole line in the wrong time period and so on. You can have different sections set in different eras and then use scenario planner or free roam to make your own “big” service happen.
