Wcml Preston To Crewe Discussion

You don't have to delve that deeply into history; all you need to do is buy a PC and grow a mustache.

 

I wouldn't argue with a man with a golden machine gun.

 

Next level is adding a beard to that.
Masterclass.

 

May roadmap just dropped, it's just a copy & paste of JT's own development blog which has also just been published.
https://www.justtrains.net/in-development/west-coast-main-line-crewe-preston

No clue as to when it's going to be released, heck looking at the Roadmap it suggests that Trent Valley will be coming out first.

Going to sit in a dark room and contemplate mass murder...

Still, the 108 looks beep-hot in blue and grey for the Whitehaven route

 

Is Vern still collecting his thoughts after the reveal of a 2nd MK1 buffet?

 

I hope the emergency exit doors will be functional in the RBR so we can escape when the cheeseburgers catch fire.

 

Haha incidentally my airline recently introduced cheeseburgers to the menu and has already had to remove them as they are "too big" for the ovens on some of our aircraft and are catching fire

 

Collecting his thoughts?
More like putting his order in!

 

Oh yes to the first and hopefully not too much longer to wait on the second.

 

wonder if we will ever get a mk2 buffet car.

 

Pleased to see more coach varients. Those plastic seats were most enjoyable at high speed!

 

The micro buffets were all that existed in the time that JT do. I dont recall seeing them on the WCML either. Mk1s or mk3s were the norm.

 

Aye i kinda remember the mk1s but mainly grew up around the mk3s, was mainly thinking would be nice to round out the mk2 fleet, as for some reason i have a real soft spot for the mk2s LOL

 

Ahhh the orange plassy seats, memories memories

 

Micro buffets, that takes me back!
Remember seeing them in Scotland and I know they used them on some Waterloo-Exeter services back in the day, but going back and forth between London and Glasgow on the WCML, it would only have have been a Mk1 or MK3 doing the catering.
However, wouldn't they have been occasionally used on cross-country services? So in theory they could have popped up on the WCML.

 

I am sure that in the mid/late 90s Mk2 Micro-Buffets (RFO) were seen on some cross country runs, I think they were converted so that the Mk1s could be phased out. Obviously I could be wrong, memory is very fuzzy at the moment.

 

The one thing we do need for the WCML classic fleet is still a Mark Three sleeping car, so the night trains can run with the proper consists.

 

Yes thata a big immersion killer sitting watching the comings and goings at night and seeing 13 mk3 day coaches....

 

Your right in that RFOs did phase out mk1s but they are out of era for the JT routes.

 

yep, hence why I said 90s

I do think it would be nice if they could introduce Swallow even if it is slightly out year wise (like the 40 might I add) but yeah I second the call for SLEP/SLE to be added, shame there is no incentive for another dev to make one, we just rely on JT eventually filling the void.

 

Here are the latest photos from the development log.

 

part 2

 

The lady working behind the counter there looks more aptly dressed as if she's about to go on safari!

 

Tomb Raider: The Beginning

 

Ahhh the memories! Loving the corridor coaches, I’d all but forgotten there even were aircon versions. Happy days when they’d show up with a sticker in the window saying your lowly second class ticket was valid in them!

Even the TSOs, for all their smoke-filled plasticky tackiness, bring back happy memories of when you could look down a carriage and see what was coming on both sides … I’d forgotten how intrusive these modern high-backed seats were until I relived the Carlisle-Preston run as a passenger…

 

Great to see some Uncle Joes Mint Balls!

 

Or pole dancing…

If those are interior shots of the Mark 2D/E stock then the interior panelling and seating is wrong. AFAIR these were fitted with the winged style seats same as the Mark 2 A/B/C and also employed a wooden finish material on the interior walls and panelling. Sorry for ping but JT Benedict please can you confirm you haven’t messed up the detail on these. (Plus another plea for the Mark 3 sleeping car, even if that had to be a separate £6 DLC).

 

Vern, maybe your memory is failing you? The last time I rode a train was in 2024, and I can't even remember the colors of the walls in the car. As for the carriages produced by Wagonbau Ammendorf, which I last rode in in the mid-2000s, I only remember from photographs.

 

I always associated those winged seats with the non-air on stock, but it seems you are right -
https://www.rmweb.co.uk/topic/172161-mk-2e-tso-interior/

I don’t remember these at all - interesting post - got me wondering when and where these D & E varieties worked. Something to keep me occupied this morning

 

I can assure you my memory is quite certain on these! I did a lot of bashing and travelling on the UK network in the late 70’s and early to mid 80’s and encountered the earlier build Mark 2 aircons quite regularly (even if we did scorn them for blocking out the thrash, unless you stood in the vestibule with the droplight down).

 

That’s the RBR though, I was talking about the Mark 2 D’s and E’s which should have a different interior than the F’s we currently have in the game.

 

Yeah agree, I wish they could put people behind the counters that looked like staff in their uniforms.

 

Maybe she's a passenger who got bored waiting to be served, and took matters into her own hands.

 

mk1s in summer where sweatboxes

 

At least you could open the windows, unlike Mark 2 coffins when the aircon failed or the only loco was non ETH fitted!

 

Your both right and wrong Oldvern just did some research and by the look of it the mk2D's were the last coaches to have wooden panelling for the interior (Mark 2d FK - UK Prototype Questions - RMweb) though in preservation some mk2E's have received wooden paneling for some reason (Mk2e - TSO).

 

Thankfully i never had that pleasure LOL, had a similar experience in a mk3 set on a euston run, they even ran out of drinks in the buffet somewhere around milton keynes

 

During the period in which the route was set the Mk2E's had underwent an overhaul switching the panels to the plastic style seen on the Mk2F's along with some having the seats switched to the type the Mk2E's had.

 

Fair enough. Still a bit of a shame though as representing the older style would have offered a bit more variety.

 

I remember them getting some plastic interiors later on. Recall my last run on a 2D in the 90s was definatly wooden interior.

Keep banging the Sleeper drum Vern also!!

 

Exactly as I recall it. In fact fairly certain when I caught the Bristol to Glasgow overnight in either 85 or early 86 it was a Mark 2D with wooden interior and winged seats. Oh and Mark III sleeping cars...!

 

Was any explanation given in the May road map for the delay to this route? Or any hint as to a potential release date? I hadn’t realised it was already in the 0-3 month bracket as far back as August. Surely it’s not commercially sensitive information to tell us what has caused the delay eg complexities of the timetable or other suchlike reason? I’ve been in more anticipation over this route than any other in TSW, and it’s so frustrating seeing it seemingly stagnant on every road map.

It doesn’t particularly bother me, but now we have many shots of the 86/4s, can any keener eye than mine tell me if the bogie frame is in a more realistic position now? If it has been done for the 86/4s then hopefully the 86/2s can be modified.

 

It's my understanding that the 86/2s have been fixed and that as usual DTG is sitting on the patch...

As for the delay, no, no explanation was given

Personally I believe that it is the timetable that is the issue, it's very complex. Just think about one MGR running from Bickershaw to FFPS, how many run-rounds that would require? Even just doing the triangle around Arpley & Latchford is several moves, each one choreographed nicely but also requiring the built in despatcher to not poop-itself when trying to handle it, especially if there is a delay to a service and it's knock on effects.

I'd like to think that delays are down to fine tuning or maybe throwing in a few little extra bits, like the Haydock branch which was still in use back then

Gotta admit though, I'm fed up of waiting
Yes I know, that makes me a child haha.

 

These recent screenshots look awesome and i cant wait for get my hands on my route! But i have some concerns with the livery's for the 86/4

All the locos feel way too dirty! This is mainly a problem for the Intercity livery as these were the new one.
Looking at photos from the time, most locos where only slightly dirty, with some being freshly painted.

Here are a few examples:
At Coventry in 1987...

...and at Euston in 1986.


I would appreciate if those livery's could be looked at to include a few cleaner/freshly painted ones.

 

Im glad JT takes time for a very good looking weathering. This makes it realistic and immersive for me. Tsw has enough of the "too clean" liveries.

 

The timetable is the main thing that took a while along with me doing quite a bit with the rolling stock this time round.

 

"Took a while" rather than "is taking a while?" I like the sound of that!

We have had dirt buildup in racing games for many decades now


It seems like making perfectly clean liveries would be fine if the dirt is accumulated (and randomized). Could give us a reason to drive through the train wash thingies too!

The rusty liveries are great and need to stay though.

 

Please don't encourage them to add more features when the ones we have don't work fully yet LOL

 

They aren't going to stop, may as well be something nice for everyone rather than random fault bs.