It'll probably be down to Crewe which in itself isn't that inspiring, but would be great with the branch to Liverpool Lime Street.
Even then you have a problem with the timetable as unless you artificially change it, many Liverpool services ran through Crewe without stopping as did a considerable number of the Anglo Scottish services which were either non stop from Euston or Watford to Preston or did something odd like Warrington or Wigan first stop. Anyhow that's something for the JT route thread already running but it does illustrate with the bits that are already done, how difficult it actually is to add another viable section of the WCML to TSW that doesn't end up being 200 miles long and/or duplicating the modern day WCMLS.
JT saying they'll use the Class 86 and 87 in future releases, I think that'll include their next release given that the 86 was only used on existing services in WCML. They'll want the 86 to be star of the show on the next release. So that's somewhere between Preston and Euston or Liverpool Street and Norwich. Narrows the conjecture down a bit, doesn't it?
i had a thought yesterday about JT and how long between routes, i've just had a look at the TSC MML stuff they did and it was just short of a year between the lincoln expansion and the hope valley, but it was a year n half between that and the buxton peak forest expansion. i got all three on first day release. so i wouldn't count ones chickens that they will do an announcement next month in line with TSW6 stuff. we could be waiting another 6 months or longer. plus if they did do the liverpool st to norwich route i know one member is north west based near blackpool if they all are and did do it, its a hell of a way to travel for on site research. i know happy days of plane spotting at raf coltishall and you get to sleaford and see that sign 74 miles to norwich after we have already driven for 2 n half hours. welcome to the fens you have 2 hours to go. marham and lakenheath were just as bad.
They started running Liverpool Street to Ipswich and Harwich Parkeston in mid-1985. At Ipswich they would be detached and swapped out for a Class 47 for the onward journey to Norwich while OHL work was completed. Through electric services to Norwich started in May 1987. DBSOs started to arrive from Scot Rail in 1990 so that push-pull working could commence.
Too much work on the Carstairs to Glasgow section, to make the whole thing financially feasible... if I remember correctly.
to compensate for recent community outcries, I am smelling Ebula-type of thing that would make community go utterly bonkers
Any german route featuring the ICE 4 would be neat, perhaps Halle/Leipzig - Erfurt, nice and short + we‘d finally be able to drive 300km/h with the 403
If I had to bet on a German route for TSW6, I'd probably say it will be SFS Köln-Rhein/Main (Köln-Frankfurt Highspeed). It has been a community favourite forever, with many suggestions in the forums, and some other factors speak for this route: I've had first suspicions back when DTG announced the addition of Frankfurt Flughafen Fernbahnhof to the Frankfurt S-Bahn DLC only 50 days before its release. Normally, such grand additions to a DLC in such a late phase of development aren't made, but maybe DTG have already been working on another route which includes the same station and "only" had to import the assets into the other DLC. Köln-Frankfurt would also use many existing assets from other DLCs and would therefore save a lot of development time. Especially as the total distance between Köln and Frankfurt is 250km, which would be by far the longest route in TSW. Reusing preexisting areas from other DLCs saves a lot of time, even more in Köln and Frankfurt with their unique skylines/buldings and dense construciton. Although the high-speed line itself is only used by ICE service, there are some significant sections in both Köln and Frankfurt, where S-Bahn and regional services run on the feeder lines. This would also be a great opportunity for the ICE3MS (BR 407 and BR 408) to make it into the game. Folezz announced the ICE3MS for his route Köln-Düsseldorf back in early 2024. As part of a partnership with DTG, it would be possible that the ICE3MS is now being released with another route. With proper route linking, you could also then drive from Aachen via Köln, Frankfurt and Fulda all the way to Kassel, which is a ~450km journey. All major TSW releases since TSW2 have included an ICE and a high-speed section. Whilst many other routes fit these constraints all over Germany, it at least rules out many lines without ICE/high-speed services.
Not too glued up on German/American routes but I have 2 predictions for the uk core route. 1st one is Sheffield to Leeds via Rotherham set in late 1980s. The route would come with a class 141,144 dmu and a class 56 loco.some landmarks I can name (off the top of my head anyway ) Sheffield station Tinsley yard & depot (lots of action hear) Rotherham Masborough station Aldwarke steelworks (quite a few shunt moves hear) Manvers coking plant Wath yard (busy) Leeds station (classic late 80s station) layers as above mentioned this route would come with 141 & 144 pacers for commuter runs. Class 101/142/150 would layer into this. class 08s for shunting at tinsley,Aldwarke,wath and station pilots at Sheffield and Leeds intercity express between Leeds and Sheffield HST in intercity swallow livery (everyone can dream) class 45/47 on loco hauled passenger services class 20/31/37/40/47/56 on freight trains (steel coal) class 47 on intermodal traffic class 31/40/45/47 newspaper & parcel trains NTP would layer in at Leeds (40/45/47 bound for Manchester and the north east NEXT ROUTE: Plymouth to Exeter St Davids Set in 2017/18 to my understanding DTG have got the Cross country license so this route would come with class 220&221 voyagers GWR & XC HST sets Class 143,150&158 GWR units Class 66 on freight runs. Hopefully they’ll add a class 59 or 60 loco in there too the route is 52 Mile in length so it is something that DTG can do. Not sure if I’ve missed anything so please let me know what you think
It won't be anything near Frankfurt confirmed by Matt. They want to stay away from Frankfurt until the get alot mor optimization in. But it is a route I would like too. There are other high speed parts though they could still have done though. Koln to Dusseldorf as an example.
Plymouth to Exeter has definitely been held in high regard as a likely candidate for the TSW6 UK Route. this is all speculation. The Crosscountry Licence. - I know this has been for the 170 pack on BCC, but surely, getting an entirely new licence, and a popular one at that would be very underwhelming just for a single, reused, DMU, with barely any airtime on BCC, could there be more to that? A Voyager DLC? The GWE Farewell Pack - for this pack, DTG stated they got the GWR licence back, but, for one gameplay pack? It’s strange, there definitely has to be more to that. In addition to this, for the scenarios on this gameplay pack, what the heck are they doing to use as AI? As it’s the HSTs last day, they have to use something realistic, like, AN IET. Could that also explain why the GWE remaster has been held back? getting the GWR licence back - this also opens the door for a GWR route. and Exeter to Plymouth seems to tick all the boxes. As for the stock. We have the 150/2, it just needs modifications from Cardiff. We already have an IET, it just needs some tweaks from the 801. The 166 can be slotted in and updated to TSW5 standards. And the voyager can be developed as a Deluxe Edition locomotive for the route. Fits like a glove if you ask me. if it’s not Exeter to Plymouth, it’s definitely something South West.
I've been a bit skeptical on that, since on the 170 stream Matt said that he didn't know about the Crosscountry licence until well into the 170 pack's development. Then again, he could be saying that to throw us all off.
I will squeal like a piggy with excitement if this is what is revealed. This is the one I have been waiting for for ages and I am sure I am not alone!
After my brief journey on one the other day (Bristol Parkway to Bath), if the route is set in modern day they need to reflect 7 extra years of use since GWE. It was absolutely knackered! Lovely Perkins (Rolls Royce) traction thrum but the whole thing rattled and shook along with a high pitched whine from somewhere in the roof space. The refurbished seating is rock hard too. The one we saw at Bath on a Down working while waiting for our Cucumber back to Swindon, looked and sounded in an equally rancid state. Well they are getting on for 35 years old, which is older than the 117’s and 119’s were when the Turbos replaced them.
I remain hopeful someday we'll get the London Waterloo to Bournemouth route in TSW5. I know we have part of it in TSC, with the Southampton to Bournemouth route and the expansion which includes the Eastleigh/Salisbury loop, but I'd love the full route in TSW. And if it could be extended to Weymouth, even better!
