just hope i didn't put them off with my views on the 104 and PFR and how it offers very little to the route. hope to see it and get used on other routes rather than PFR.
Noticed playing Riviera today a guy was at Dawlish reading a newspaper and it had a headline about running a Peak on the Peak Forest Line…
I’m in two minds about this topic. I was looking forward to something new for Peak Fores, but at the same time, there’s already loads of UK content announced from seven different developers. Germany and the US are in a much worse position content-wise, so complaints from the British community about lacking content seem a little silly at this point.
The Class 104 was eagerly awaited because it would not only have enhanced PFR, it could also (in modern guise) have subbed in for the Class 101 on BPO or even fitted in on SoS for some of the local services. The UK had many classes of first generation DMU’s and at the moment still only one in game, which was by no means universal everywhere on the network. I know it’s a modern equivalent, but imagine if the only German EMU we had was the 425 and that was being used on every route regardless of whether it worked there or not. Or entire service groups omitted from the all day timetable because of no suitable train in game.
It wasn’t just the BR Class 104 in the pack, it was also coming with two additional wagons and a big timetable overhaul, something Peak Forest really needs. This pack would also give us something we don’t have, steam and diesel running alongside each other in their original era. Not to mention, it would be in BR Green (hopefully with whiskers, not yellow boxes) and we do need more BR Green stock. Peak Forest is definitely the right call for this pack.
But we ain’t complaining about a lack of content, it’s more related to the fact this was announced years ago and is still not out yet. a lot of us want another first gen dmu + the wagons shown at Christmas and even better a upgraded timetable
the point of this thread is just to know if anyone has any information that I don't have about this pack or about simtrack studios itself, since this pack entered the roadmap and stayed for months and months and then was suddenly removed from the roadmap (a long time ago too) and nothing has been heard about any simtrack studios projects since then no one here is complaining about absolutely nothing
Or a 205. DTG have not outright stated it is cancelled, just offer their usual wall of silence and appears Simtrack have adopted a similar posture of neither confirming or denying the project is dead. I thin it's fairly safe to assume neither the 104 nor the new PFR timetable are going to happen.
The wall of silence is incredibly frustrating and it seems to be happening more and more. I'm also pretty sure it's not happening at this stage. Which is incredibly sad because the route itself has beautiful scenery and some real promise with a mixed timetable. I bought it day 1 and I don't regret it despite the state of steam! To the community manager who will read this thread is there any way one of you can go and badger the powers above and just level with us on this one? Please can we just have an answer no matter how disappointing.
Correct. 201 to 203 were the Hastings units. The 204's were basically the same as the 205's. 206's were the hybrid sets formed from 2 cars of a Hastings unit and an EPB trailer, used on Reading to Redhill/Tonbridge services. 207's were then the Oxted line units.
Solicitr - don't want to be to picky, but 'That's what ended manorial feudalism, at least in England' is only partially true - what kicked off the change was the Black Death (and later the First World War) - not enough laborers still alive - survivors could name their price or take over land abandoned by deceased families.
the 104 would just add 6 up and 6 down services between millers dale and buxton and that's about it, it would be wasted on PFR. i did put on a previous post that the 104 and the PFR should be split into 2 different addons with a full 104 pack that adds into NTP, PFR,SOS, BPO, and WCMLos and a revised PFR upgrade with the new timetable, the wagons and a back dated class 45 in green and as a new build a class 25 would be a better way to work it
In some ways the 104 was probably a poor choice for a new heritage DMU, a Class 108 would have been more useful for the routes we got (particularly North Lancs and Cumbrian) and lasted pretty much until the end of first gen DMU service on the main line.
on PFR yeah it was a poor choice unless the buxton line was included though stockport to London rd or vise if you went down via new mills central and hayfield to london road it would come into its own. the 108 is still in the same boat on PFR but would suit other routes better than the 104 but both still could be used for what we have.
There around 20 of them on a weekday according to my 1960 LMR passenger timetable. If I recall there was talk about some DMUs operating on the main part of the route. So it wouldn't be a waste, a complete tranche of services are missing which were operated by DMU. One of the stations, Rowsley if I recall, doesn't even have a passenger train stopping in one direction. If a "modern" route was released with a timetable like this there would be much disgruntled gnashing of teeth.
Serendipitously the 104s were probably more common than the 108s in the Preston area during the 80s, but elsewhere 108s would be a better choice I agree.
i did think on Tuesday after posting that id missed the manchester derby local connections from buxton and that 20 services is about right. ive got a 50s WTT but it would be much the same as a 60s WTT. if you do have a 60s WTT you can see from that how sparse the passenger services were, freight was king.
Yes the 104’s tended to dominate around south Manchester and also across to Blackpool. I have memories of cramming into a very crowded example from Preston to Blackpool back in the early 80’s.
