Wcml Preston To Crewe Discussion

It's the large amount of unique assets that make JT's routes feel so real.

 

What is the holdup on release?

 

Not sure, but I’d rather it be of top standard like Preston - Carlisle and Blackpool branches. Lots of products have been released lately in such a poor state, I’m sure JT have completed significant QA on this

 

Presumably it's not ready yet.

 

It just feels like it's been coming soon for ages, hence the question.

 

It's the timetable going off some Discord posts, apparently the most complex timetable they've done (and possibly in the whole game) due to all the shunt moves and freight stuff and has taken them a lot lot longer than expected. Last post I saw was that the timetable was now in testing.

 

What do we think is currently the most complex timetable? WCMLoS? Is this another victory lap?

 

And thus stujoy never wore trousers again

 

WCML South has 5 or 6 different timetables now.

If you want confusion, start there.

 

It needs another one, retro!

 

If somebody wants to complete Crewe - London Euston in 1986, I'd throw money at them.

 

Yeah, but it's 158 miles and very complex in places. I can't see it happening. If the southern end of the WCML is ever built in the BR blue era I think they'll split it somewhere - probably Rugby. It's a bit of a shame because lots of trains don't call at Rugby, and TSW routes can't be merged it seems, so it limits the number of trains which would be drivable, but it's difficult to see a way round it.

Mind you, a lot of Anglo-Scottish expresses didn't call at Crewe either, so I'll be interested to see how that's dealt with on Preston-Crewe.

 

It seems it's now possible.
But performance wise I think it would be better to have portals, for example at Milton Keynes. You run on it, loading screen, and then you spawn "on the other side".
Automatic train route hopping.

 

Maybe they'll factor in a crew(e) change so you have to stop!

I'll get my coat...

 

One feature of MSTS that I do miss was the ability to have a rolling start, where you picked up the activity at the start of the route already doing an appropriate speed, showing Crewe post resignalling with the 80mph through lines and not having anything go through at speed does seem a bit of a waste.

 

I loved that on MSTS and also the fact I could place a marker beyond the station where the activity would end and you only had to reach it, not stop.
It was handy on the route I built as it had so many spur lines and I could make activities for them.

 

Well to be honest, it has. It was in the 0-3 month box in the August 2025 roadmap!

I'm just hoping the delay's are due to polishing and a thorough QA so we don't have to wait several months for DTG to authorise the patches...

I have said elsewhere (not sure which thread now as I'm getting old and confused) but it should be possible to have the non-stop services start/stop on the mainline at the bottom of Basford Hall yard, not exactly a massive stretch but at least you'd get a decent run up to go through the centre roads Likewise you could start getting signal checked and then pegged at south-BH where the run ends. I'd like to think it is much more logical than just having everything starting/stopping at Crewe for crew changes.