Today I have a suggestion which sounds basic initially but I hope will offer a range of services that will appeal to a large portion of the player base. This is a suggestion for Leeds to York via Harrogate and Leeds to York via Garforth as one route. The Stations Leeds Cross Gates Garforth East Garforth Micklefield Church Fenton Ulleskelf York Poppleton Hammerton Cattal Knaresborough Starbeck Harrogate Hornbeam Park Pannal Weeton Horsforth Headingley Burley Park New Rolling Stock Class 195 CAF Civity for Leeds to York via Garforth and Blackpool to York via Garforth services TPE Class 185 for express services calling at Leeds (Cross Gates and Garforth in peak times) and York pluss a special timetable where they operate stopping Leeds to York via Garforth services as they did in reality. Reworked Stock Northern Class 158 for York to Hull/Bridlington, York to Leeds via Harrogate, York to Leeds via Garforth and Hull to Halifax Northern Class 170 for York to Leeds via Harrogate Class 800 LNER for Harrogate to London services as well as AI at Leeds and York (potential add on) Layers XC Class 220 for Edinburgh to Plymouth playable between Leeds and York Class 66 for freight Northern 323 to act as electric AI Service Patterns 1 TPH Leeds to York via Garforth 1 TPH Halifax to Hull 1 TPH Blackpool to York 3 TPH TPE Manchester to the North 1 TP2H Harrogate to London Kings Cross 2 TPH Leeds to York via Harrogate Additional Leeds to Harrogate during peak hours 1 TPH XC Plymouth to Edinburgh Overall I think this suggestion offers a great balance of express and commuter services with various stopping patterns and plenty of traffic along the route. Let me know any improvements I could make.
Don't know anything about the route in the 80s but I think most of the appeal for me it the modern varied stock with the layers from other routes.
Maybe sneak back a little earlier to the 1970s when you have a bit more double track and some pick-up goods services still running as well as the army sidings at Hessay, or at least before the 2020 resignalling where some of the fun stuff vanished, such as the manned crossing that had distants but no stop signals - drivers were expected to stop before the red targets on the gates! You would also have to get the signalling right such as Belmont putting the green in the starter at Starbeck. Off the top of my head Starbeck-Knaresborough was one of the few places authorised in the 21st century for the train approaching bell code for exactly this reason.
I think the route works best as either modern day (excluding partially done overhead lines) or slightly back dated to get the old footbridge bridge at Garforth
It's 4 trains an hour plus 6 KGX trains that turn back at Harrogate, you get one train that turns back at Knaresborough and a couple of class 5s and that's it. Everything doing exactly the same thing at different times of the day doesn't make for a route that has a lot of staying power, to me its nice to do something different or at least have some variety in traffic. In the 70s and 80s you still have pick-up goods, yards and as I mentioned the army sidings at Hessay plus a mixture of loco hauled and multiple unit. I suppose this shows we all want different things from TSW.
I understand your opinion and it is a valid point but I don't know if you forgot the route via Garforth which has has got express services as well as stopping services offering a different variety. The main reason for via Harrogate is mainly scenery for me and the rural setting as opposed to the more built up areas on the via Garforth route. If Selby was included it may make for a more natural stopping point for Halifax to hull services as opposed to Micklefield but it may make the route too long.
I feel like we already have a few routes now which are 80s themed, especially with just trains in particular with their new route in development. it’s nice to switch it up again, especially modern diesel stock which we don’t have a lot of.
