What Happened To Simtrack Studios?

Discussion in 'TSW General Discussion' started by pedro#1852, Oct 9, 2025.

  1. phil#160

    phil#160 Active Member

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    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.
     
  2. LawrenceNL

    LawrenceNL Well-Known Member

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    I mean the 420 eventually came too after what was it, 3 years? 4? So everything is possible...
     
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  3. sadler_owls

    sadler_owls Active Member

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    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…
     
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  4. marcsharp2

    marcsharp2 Well-Known Member

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    Peak Rail does have at least one Peak Locomotive, D4 FB_IMG_1760304703727.jpg
     
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  5. star#5823

    star#5823 Well-Known Member

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    Imagine if we get that in game at some point, it would be great
     
  6. Calidore266

    Calidore266 Well-Known Member

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    One might even say it would be peak.
     
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  7. toms87

    toms87 Well-Known Member

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    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.
     
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  8. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    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.
     
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  9. SonicScott91

    SonicScott91 Well-Known Member

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    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.
     
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  10. star#5823

    star#5823 Well-Known Member

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    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
     
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  11. ilovelucky63

    ilovelucky63 Well-Known Member

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    The only DMU I really want next is the THUMPER.
     
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  12. star#5823

    star#5823 Well-Known Member

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    The 207s?
     
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  13. pedro#1852

    pedro#1852 Well-Known Member

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    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
     
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  14. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    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.
     
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  15. coursetim

    coursetim Well-Known Member

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    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.
     
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  16. star#5823

    star#5823 Well-Known Member

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    Isn’t it the 201 to 207?
     
  17. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    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.
     
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  18. star#5823

    star#5823 Well-Known Member

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    Cool
     
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  19. roysto25

    roysto25 Well-Known Member

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    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.
     
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  20. phil#160

    phil#160 Active Member

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    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
     
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  21. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    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.
     
  22. phil#160

    phil#160 Active Member

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    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.
     
  23. theorganist

    theorganist Well-Known Member

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    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.
     
  24. GWRKingClass

    GWRKingClass Member

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    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.
     
  25. phil#160

    phil#160 Active Member

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    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.
     
  26. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    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.
     
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  27. theorganist

    theorganist Well-Known Member

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    There are 20 or so shuttles in the passenger timetable from Buxton to Millers Dale.
     
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  28. phil#160

    phil#160 Active Member

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    looking at the 1954 WTT its about the same, although run by buxtons allocation of midland 1P tanks and in the WTT they are listed as AUTO trains which will lead me to further research. the 1Ps also ran the buxton chinleys. i do know in 1966 that the Waggon und Maschinenbau railbus (yes copy and paste) were moved up on it because there wasn't the footfall to use a 104 to make it economical. interestingly the jubilee is inaccurate as they were displaced by 1957 by brits and scots and by 61 most of the london services were peaks which also ran the local service from central to derby as well as the London's.
     
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  29. solicitr

    solicitr Well-Known Member

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    Manorialism was already on its last legs by 1348. What the Black Death did was increase agricultural wages- note the peasants were working for wages by then.

    WW1? Feudalsim was as dead as Julius Caesar by 1914
     
  30. First capital connect

    First capital connect Well-Known Member

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    Slightly off topic ish, does anyone know if athena simulations are still about?
     
  31. theorganist

    theorganist Well-Known Member

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    Their website Athena Worlds is extant. There is nothing new regarding TSW, only the ECML 47484 pack.

    I wonder if we will see anything more from them.
     
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  32. davod2021

    davod2021 Well-Known Member

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    Nah has to be the iconic class 205
     
  33. SierraOscar95

    SierraOscar95 Well-Known Member

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    Also to add to that, Janes Linkedin account was still active (last time I checked), but they haven't been active on the TSW forums for sometime...
     
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  34. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    Well to be fair, that never generally ends well!
     
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  35. stujoy

    stujoy Well-Known Member

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    No sightings on the forum for six months now, following the disastrous release of their one DLC. It’s strange because they were very active here before the release, bigging themselves up and saying how much they care about quality and accuracy. It would be a very good thing for TSW if we never hear from them again if you ask me. I normally give the devs the benefit of the doubt but Athena really annoyed me with their lies, both before and just after release, and their obvious distain for the players who bought their broken mess of a product by leaving it in such a state and running off with the money. Oops, little rant there.
     
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  36. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    Maybe Athena are the sub contractor for Metro Rivals! Seems about their level…
     
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  37. antony.henley

    antony.henley Well-Known Member

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    Think the term dont hold your breath comes to mind.
     
  38. theorganist

    theorganist Well-Known Member

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    Yes I'm sure you're right.

    I haven't got round to buying their one DLC yet.

    I was hoping they might have been another developer of older period routes.

    However it seems they were a flash in the pan.
     
  39. Scorpion71

    Scorpion71 Well-Known Member

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    I actually took the 484 for a spin the other day, the mess Athena left it in is inexcusable and DTG are also at fault here.

    One thing's for sure, I'll never buy anything if I know Jayne is involved in production because it will just be left in a mess.
     
    Last edited: Oct 17, 2025 at 3:48 PM
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  40. joffonon

    joffonon Well-Known Member

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    Same here, I was willing to purchase but the early reviews put me off. The fact it's been on 50% sale twice already on Steam suggests it's been abandoned.
     
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  41. antony.henley

    antony.henley Well-Known Member

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    I personally wouldnt. This is one of those DLC's that if I was not an ambassador I definitely wouldnt buy it. I did think twice in allowing it to soil my PS5 whilst downloading all my stuff for TSW 6 a few weeks ago. But its nice to see it if it turns up in an AI run but thats about it to be honest.

    Hentis
     
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  42. marcsharp2

    marcsharp2 Well-Known Member

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    I only got ECML tour pack for the MK1 carriages. The 47 is a mess, the scenarios are broke and yeah I don't know what we'll see first, a new Athena pack, the 104 from Simtrack or Lord Lucan riding Shergar through Trafalgar Square.
     
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  43. jack#9468

    jack#9468 Well-Known Member

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    Safe to say this is probably more likely.
     
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  44. Midnight

    Midnight Well-Known Member

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    I like how the rivets on the class 47 roof glow when you switch-on the marker lights.

    How the heck do you even break something like that?
     
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