I just wanted to comment that, however much we complain about accuracy, TSW (at least the German routes) are really not far off! I’ve been travelling around Germany for the last few weeks and it’s been really cool to travel on routes I drive at home! Has anyone else found this?
I agree entirely! It is amazing just how detailed everything is in all the routes. There are issues sometimes, but most of the time, it's like I'm really there myself!
Funny you mention this, back in 2022 I actually went to visit the areas of two of the game routes in Pennsylvania. Sand Patch Grade and Horseshoe Curve... I did a thread about how close/accurate the SPG route actually is scenery wise: Sand Patch Grade In Real Life | Dovetail Games Forums
I found the opposite.... -Cajon Pass is so far off in game it doesn't compare IRL. -Peninsula Corridor is out of date, so the scenery doesn't add up. -Antelope Valley doesn't have floating buildings IRL.
Yup, I spent a *lot* of time on Preston station in the early 80's, and the TSW version is bang on IMHO. Work of art! Can't wait to see how Carlisle, Penrith, Carnforth etc look in the new route. If the work-in-progress screenshots are anything to go by I'm going to be well chuffed.
Went on the Fife Circle the other week and airport aside I would say it’s a decent match to how it is in real life. Preston to Blackpool, whilst obviously slightly different now in real life with the north branch being electrified, is absolutely spot on for how it was in the time period. The other section that’s in TSW which I know quite well is the St Ives branch from WCL and frankly the less said the better on that one. Looking forward to checking out Kings Langley to Wembley Central on WCML as recently did that section in real life.
So, how about Cane Creek? What are ICAO & IATA codes for that airport? (And are there really water dispensers along the track in the wild?)
I was in vienna earlier this year and if i hadn't been with a friend i would have taken a train to Neustadt/Semmering
This must be an awesome experience, to walk around an accurate representation of a place you’ve been but 30-40 years later.
The rails are very realistic, but when I compared them to the real scene, I was surprised to find that the real scene was full of weeds and some trees, while the game was full of houses. Why add things that don't exist in reality? It's disgusting.
I subbed to your channel after watching that. That’s amazing how far JT went detail wise. When you switched from real life to in game it matched perfectly. The church, the houses etc.
I took a quick trip out to Barking Riverside a couple of weeks ago, changing between the District and Suffragette lines at Barking. Both stations in TSW are superb recreations, and the run into Barking Riverside was totally recognisable from TSW. Great work by DTG on that route.
Thanks. Also worth saying they did all that and it was non drivable scenery. Also the fact the route, Blackpool Branches, is 80’s yet today on this section not a lot has changed. Really looking forward to the route proper up the WCML
The Euros took me along MSB, half of HMA, Linke Rhinestrecke, and small parts of KWG and SKA - as well as through the upcoming Frankfurt Hbf. Only one I can say I felt was off was Munich, because of the lack of trains and lack of clutter (in-game). Back over here, the Cathcart Circle route is near enough perfect in TSW, especially with the new timetable. Edinburgh - Glasgow and Fife Circle do the stations/landmarks well but that's about where it ends.
I actually live in Dresden, might get some similar shots together when ive got time. Just was out at Dresden Hbf Area to watch some trains. Saw a DB 411 and some great freight diversion via S-Bahn lines as theres a lot of construction going on there atm around Hbf area. *Edit: i might also found some dutch trains around here
Really enjoyed that video too, I live close to that area so was interesting to see the Cadley Causeway comparison. Hoping my house might be visible as distant scenery in Preston to Carlisle, stopped just short in the Blackpool DLC!
over the last like 3 yrs, I have been exploring Vienna, including its expansive transport network, also some regional lines, including all three ways to get to Wiener Neustadt (Modling/Baden mainline, Pottendorfer Linie and Aspangbahn), all three ways to get to St. Polten (old Westbahn via Neulengbach, new Westbahn via highspeed tunnels and Tullnerfeld and from Franz Josefs Bahnhof via Tulln on regional S40 line) and others... also Badner Bahn, which I love to ride (waiting for the construction to finish as I want to travel the classic route from Karlsplatz) and many of them offer so many diverse operational patterns, would love to see em in TSW... I was happy to see Wiener Neustadt Hbf in TSW, tho I was a little sad that we didnt get the part leading to Vienna)
That is true. At least for the majority of German routes, they are pretty close to reality IMHO. I started a thread a long time ago with cab rides that show German routes featured in TSW: https://forums.dovetailgames.com/threads/real-cab-rides-on-tsw2-routes.52577
I wish DTG would stop being afraid of grass in tracks, the trackbed looks so dead in direct comparison... Rosenheim looks amazingly on point though. I shot some more pictures alongside SRM this week, let's see if I can recreate more of them in the game
Yeah I just went to Germany in April and found the train travel to be very interesting and surreal. I went to Munich, Nuremburg (AWESOME DB museum), Hamburg, Berlin, and Dresden. All by train. I'm from the US. Trains aren't like that here. Even Boston, which is at the top of the NEC, has awful public transportation on the local level. It truly is an apples and oranges comparison when you stand the US up against Europe. Germany was such a cool experience that I'm going to the UK next month to do the same thing! The best part of exploring a rail network (after the network itself obviously) is the small towns it takes you to. I probably wouldn't have ended up in Meißen if it wasn't for TSW. I ended up in other small towns too because I'd make a point to take a ride on rolling stock that I knew how to drive. Hearing a real Talent 2 accelerate was so cool. I got into train simulation with the first TSW. I never expected it to become travel inspiration, but I don't hate the fact that it has. I can also say that the skyline around South Station in Boston is absolutely spot on. I look up at the buildings and think it's really cool that my hometown has such a great showing in my digital fantasy land.
On easter holidays I took an ICE from Hannover to Stuttgart and then a EuroNight to Zagreb and a week later back again on another route. Thus I drove these 2 days: RSN (a couple of hundred metres entering Hagen) RRO (complete) SKA (from Köln Hbf to Hansaring ;-) LFR (complete) HMA (nearly complete (going to München Ost) SRM (complete) and on the way back SRM, HMA, FRF, KWG 8 different routes... that was very cool and I recognized so many locations)
Climbing towards Alp Grüm in game and in May this year (there still was a lot of snow around the highest section of the route).
Impressive accuracy overall. On the question of trackside and inter track foliage, I don't think DTG is scared of it, exactly. The lack is probably the result of the dreaded 'optimization' of the route in question. With all engines, foliage, especially grass and weeds, is really heavy on memory - if I remember correctly, UE4 used to be less effective than some engines in reproduction of foliage, but that may have been improved. A pity, because such 'junk' adds to the immersion.
No sim can beat the experience of visiting a real railway. Even though I yearn for a North or West Scotland route with Class 26's and Class 27's, it's only ever going to be a bunch of 0's and 1's drawing pixels on a 2D monitor. No sitting in a comfortable Mark One TSO (or RMB!), the steam heating hissing gently away mixing the musty aroma with the diesel wafting back from the loco. No standing by a door with the droplight down, leaning out and said diesel mingling with the Highland air and the lovely rasping of the loco in natural surround sound too. Oh and going to the RMB and buying the infamous Pork Pie, Mr Kipling Apple pie and Maxpax tea for breakfast or evening tea.
I found that with Scotland. Fife circle needs polishing, no question, but I knew where I was all the way to Leven and back, and when I went from Queen Street to Waverley my service even hit restrictive signals in the same places as it does on the timetable. Very impressive stuff.
It was at release, got better after a few fixes. Somehow, routes can't seem to shake off a shoddy first impression. Same with WCML South, IMO
Biggest problem for me is how quiet it is. If and when the new timetable comes along it'll be a very strong route, but at the minute it suffers from Birminghamitis for me. More traffic urgently needed
