West Coast Main Line: Trent Valley From All Aboard Studios

I think the main point of this long route will be to give the fast trains a place to stretch their legs at long last. Personally as well as the 807 I’m looking forward to driving the 390 on a decent run more than the 350 which is getting a tad boring now.
It’s so frustrating on WCMLS to be restrained by such a short run on the Pendo. Now we’ll be able to sprint and lean to our hearts content.

 

They have done a lot of effort to be safe with the blurry textures.
You can basically conclude that for years there has been far too little attention given to optimization, and they more or less admit that themselves in a roundabout way. Not literally, but it’s so obvious. Producing a game isn’t just “build it and throw it on sale”; it takes hours and hours of work on performance, and that has just been messed up for years. But now they’re getting the consequences of that, and they’re realizing that half‑finished routes simply aren’t an option anymore. It’s clear they need to put in much more effort.

I also hope this will lead to more and better quality. We as users are really fed up with routes being thrown onto the market half-finished. Look at the Class 90 they had a serious clash with practically most users, and rightfully so, because that was a tragic release. And then the “sorry, it should have been different” apology message… painful.

The same actually applies to the texture issues! That also comes from years of paying far too little attention to quality, and now they basically have to do twice as much work, work that will never pay off. They’re paying a high price for it now, with a large group of users who have been complaining for years about the state of the game. DTG clearly doesn’t find the forum very friendly, but they themselves play a big part in that. Complaints can sometimes go quite far, I agree, but in my opinion they could have prevented a lot of it by delivering better quality.

I’m not saying it’s acceptable to be rude or insulting, but the vast majority of people are reasonably civil and simply critical.

 

Tbh I can see All Aboard Studios doing either an Birmingham New Street local network routes or Snow Hill line as they are local lads to the area. As a guard for WMR would be lovely to see the local routes in the game

 

I thought the answer Re: Northampton was interesting and made me realise that I (we?) have been thinking about this upside down. Whilst I was seeing this as an extension to runs out of Euston beyond MKC, AABS have been doing this as a route out of Crewe. Looking at it from that direction, them not including Northampton makes sense, as, like they mentioned, there aren’t really that many services that go that way.

Let’s hope that someone is toiling away on an MKC to BNS via Northampton with a 730 to complete the network and then everyone can move on to looking at the rest of the country

I will be really interested to see how well the route hopping holds these two routes together and was a bit disappointed that (unless I missed it - didn’t see the whole thing) there was no route hopping shown in the stream. As I mentioned in the Q&A thread, if the AI decides to set off in the service you have arrived in whilst you are route hopping it will be less than ideal!

 

And for that very reason this wont be a day one purchase for me. It either gets fixed in a patch or a modder brings out something.
Cant really put my finger on it but wasn't really that impressed with the route in all honesty - maybe too much WCML?!

 

I'd say WCML was the "cowbell" of TSW, but that's already the Class 66.
=-)

 

Maybe because it's always the same old stuff in the same old way.
A stream that goes on for a long time with a driver in the cab.
It feels familiar.
Okay, that's what you'd expect in a train game.
However, in my opinion, there are many other things that could be implemented a little better.
For example, focusing more on train operations, having more variety in rolling stock.
TSW seems obsessed with schedules and layering at all costs.
Two excellent things.
But there's more.
For example, the "GAS" tanks in Skyhook, which will be released soon, become incredibly complicated due to the layering and pairing with this or that locomotive.
I'd like to see add-ons (also) start being purchasable like in the Virtual Railroads store, with slightly less rigid constraints.

 

One thing this brings home and possibly slightly OT for this discussion, but the possibility of route hopping from Euston to Carlisle was directly mentioned on stream. However it needs to be completely seamless, not like it is now. Arrive at MKC and a screen pops up, would you like to continue this service to Crewe? Click yes and you get a momentary loading screen then spawn straight into the cab of the next working. Obviously things will get a little more complex at Crewe with the era shift, but surely not beyond the ability of the system to offer you the next suitable departure towards Preston (or vv to MKC if coming from the north).

IMHO that type of linking is an essential required improvement, now we are getting many adjoining routes with the same service effectively in two portions.

 

Yeah it would be nice if you could load a full service from the main menu, select the routes you’ll be needing & the train, service etc & it could compile the whole thing there before you load in, hopefully achieving a saving in the load times when switching route. Of course it’s likely a technical impossibility, especially with how unstable the game already is, never mind the lack of technical knowledge within DTG. Then of course the memory required to do it all would be a massive hurdle that I doubt could be overcome.

 

In the last survey I made a suggestion that I feel could be a very simple way to go some way towards ‘solving’ this. If we could create our own journey mode activity that spanned different routes, we could set up all the services we wished to link and then potentially play through them like you would a journey chapter.

Obviously this wouldn’t be as good as some sort of seamless transition but I feel like it is the best we can ask for without a whole load of technical development. (Assuming that journeys spanning routes isn’t a big deal!)

 

For those wondering about the AI services, I've just gone through the 350 (as far as Stafford) and the 807 runs again. With the help of OpenTrainTimes I've worked out what AI services you should see when and the traffic levels appear correct. There may be one service from Liverpool missing on the 350 run and two services (one from Liverpool and one from Chester) on the 807 run, but those may have passed when Matt trying to use the speed set. I hope that helps.

 

For those who didn't watch the entire stream I've noted some highlights of the route:
-They've left some layers in the TT for the Class 70
-The Class 350/4 has new audio courtesy of SamT
-The 807 has a working speed set (still nothing on the 805)
-Route has been in development since June/July 2025
-AABS stated they are done with the WCML for now and no other route will be as long as this one.
-The route was originally Crewe to Rugby but thankfully was extended to Milton Keynes to join up with the WCML S route.
-The Northampton Loop was considered but scrapped due to being too much work, they also thought it would be too similar to Birmingham To Crewe as a standalone add on.
-AABS were given access to some Xbox dev kits to help with testing (a first for a third party)
-The route has two timetables, the full WTT from November 2025 and a reduced one. Both Timetables are able to be used regardless of platform however it is recommended to use the reduced one for Series S or low end PC's
-Every service in the timetable menu includes calling points
-Neutral Zones are simulated and will work with any train that also has the functionality enabled
-A dispatcher scenario is included

Full Playable service count: 470 (402 for reduced)

Class 807: 28 services
Class 150/2 TFW: 2 services
Class 153 TFW: 3 services
Class 158 EMT: 4 services
Class 323 NT: 7 services
Class 350/1: 80 services
Class 350/2: 17 services
Class 350/3: 40 services
Class 350/4: 38 services
Class 37/7 EPX: 2 services
Class 390: 87 services
Class 805: 39 services
Class 66: Unknown but different 66's have different services (DRS,Cargo Lines etc)
Class 220: 2 services

 

If they are done with the WCML then so be it but it would be a shame not to at least get a rolling stock gameplay pack for the 730 since there are quite a few DLC that this could be utilised on!

 

One interesting omission from the services this time round is a Class 86 or Class 87 Railtour.

 

I hope they haven’t cutback on ai traffic just to placate blurring on consoles because lacking ai traffic will put me off from buying. It’ll be the first WCMLS release all over again.

 

Route looks great, and can’t wait to take it for a run. I really like the inclusion of calling points on the timetable route selection screen; that’s something I’ve often wanted previously.

shame they didn’t show off route hopping, as the cross route journeying potential has been a key marketing angle for TSW7… even if presumably no refinement has been made, some level of tutorial in the stream of how to best use the feature to get the e2e feel would have been handy.

 

Anyone else thinks it looks fiddly trying set the speed control.

 

Yeah I think not highlighting that it is on needs to be changed. The on button changes colour when clicked but then reverts back.

 

I was quite happy to hear that this would be the last WCML route that was being made. While it's good you can drive from Euston to Crewe, I'd like to see the visual quality of All aboard's routes seen in other regions.

 

yeah i think they need to nail down a tutorial for that as none of them could figure it out. it didn't help that there's nothing to tell you whether it's actually on or not

hoping the usual controller shortcuts allow you to set/adjust it to save all that

 

Not just that, there are no Wild West ECS runs between Carnforth & Southall which particularly during the summer months run on Thursdays (south) and Monday/Tuesday (north). Would've been a great opportunity to just chuck in a few paths for the 47, 37 and even the 33 or kettle. Still, I guess that's what freeroam is for :/

 

Hopefully someone will go east soon as that’s a glaring omission from the game right now, either GEML or the Wherry lines would be nice. The excuse for GEML used to be no license but that hardly applies anymore with GBR.

 

Reasons why I decided to initially give it a miss.

No railtour services - I loved them on the Brum-Crewe route, but literally days after I bought the route they've gone. The 86 and 87 are from my favourite era and I've had loved to do some services on Trent Valley.

Yes, I could do free-roam, but no timetable means no fun, no timings to keep.

And if the number of paths on this route is similar to Brum-Crewe, it'll be pointless writing my own scenarios as on that route there were two platforms I could use at Crewe. Two!!! It sometimes feels the third parties care as less about scenario planning as DTG.

The emptiness now around Crewe on Brum-Crewe since the update leads me to expect it'll be the same on this one. Driving past empty sheds/sidings at Crewe is an immersion killer. Even during the middle of the day there's always something to see from passing trains in real life.

At some point - when it's fixed - I would like to get the Class 90 and this route would be ideal, but for a polite way to describe it, "politics" means it won't be included. Whatever, various parties think about each other, at the end of the day you're there for the players to get as much out of their routes and DLC as possible. Not forgetting the cross-sales element.

I will say however, the route looks fantastic, I love some of the stations and the detail gone into them. Only a few minor scenery issues from watching the stream.

I don't have any issue with the pricing as it's on a par with the almost as long Just Trains Preston to Carlisle route, but I'm happy to sit out this launch and wait for Just Trains' next instalment to come out.

 

I watched the stream last night. Without reading through all 17 pages the question I have that I don't think I saw answered in the stream chat is this.......

Are the TSR issues only sorted on this new route or have they been sorted full stop and Matt was using a future build of TSW not yet released to us mere mortals????

In case you don't know what I'm on about....... Whilst driving the route DTG Matt had a TSR on one of the runs that was 75mph and was for quite a distance (Not 40mph and for about 50yds as we all have currently in game).

 

Well, I watched the first and last hour or so of the preview stream. Man oh man was it boring or what. Where is the AI traffic? What timetable did they use? I mean, isn't this the West Coast Main Line? Shouldn't it be busy as all get out? ? Did they switch out all the layers to make it run better?

Oh well, don't see the $50 worth here. Maybe a half price sale at the tail end of the year? Not even sure I'll do that.

When I look at this route and B2C ( which I did buy ), I wonder if this developer is biting off more than it can chew.

Maybe try something half as long next time?

 

Yes, and very distracting too.
Thankfully, I gather, the keyboard works as usual for this.

 

I do hope so if not then I wouldn't bother it.

 

He had two TSRs like that.

 

Did he get a pre-run briefing about TSR's like was originally promised? Or are we to continue imagining the work crews just rushed out there in the 15 minutes since our train departed the station?

 

Certainly looked that way and not intuitive. Is it too much to hope that the functions of the TMS will be explained in a manual?

 

Technically, in which case they would need to be ESR's with the dalek boards put out

 

That's very useful information.
Now I know it's not worth it for me to buy it with very few freight services.
Eh... that's fine. The Crewe to Preston is coming up with plenty of freight stuff to do =-)
Not everything is for everyone.
To address the person posting above (fpriotto?) about focusing on timetables and not having "other movements".... well that's how passenger services work. It's a single, static train that just follows its route, making timed stops. That's literally a passenger service.
And most TSW players want passenger services (the majority in urban areas)
There ARE a few freight focused DLC out there, but you can't expect a game that is mostly urban passenger players is going to cater very often to the minority of players who don't do as much urban passenger stuff.
I'd suggest if you don't like this one, just wait for Crewe-Preston. You'll enjoy it more if the preview are anything like the route =-)

 

I'll just wait for the full fat timetable to come out later in the year from Fawx or someone

 

I am definitely looking forward to Trent Valley.

a nice, long and lengthy modern section of the WCML in TSW is very welcome.

AABS has once again made a very solid route here, however, will it have a rough release like Birmingham - Crewe? I guess time will tell.

 

Indeed, though personally I would much prefer the route set in the early 1990s with slam-door units. I believe the only Eastern region routes in game are Tees Valley Line and ECML so it would be nice to add another.

However I am still yearning for my fix of the South-Western division of the Southern region. I feel a stretch of the main line perhaps from Basingstoke to Bournemouth or Poole would be great. Given that Sam at all aboard did such a decent job at the 350 sounds I'd love to see the SW desiros taken on. Not to mention the rolling stock already in game that could appear, such as the class 220 and their upcoming class 70.

 

Basingstoke to Bournemouth would be a cracking route, get in Eastleigh TCD, both FLT Intermodal Yards at Southampton and the DB Terminal as well.

 

Early 90’s slam door?….couldnt think of anything worse!
It’s been mentioned before but it’s mainly today’s trains that players want. Even with the quality of work from Just Trains and their BR Blue stuff I really cant get excited by it as much I do by what I see in the real world today replicated in TSW.

 

Not me! Being able to experience previous eras that don't exist anymore gets me far more hyped than modern era content. Steam era, if done properly, would be the absolute peak of TSW

 

I lean to more modern-ish routes myself, and i'm no diehard BR blue enthusiast, but the thought of the GEML being wasted with today's silent class 720 units haunts me!

The older electrics make a lot more noise which for me gives them a much more interesting drive. On top of that, there are no slam-door electric units yet so it'd be a totally unique experience for TSW.

 

I agree with your statement about experiencing earlier eras, especially slam door trains. I was a young boy when they were going out of fashion and being replaced by the 465’s where I’m from.

When it comes to steam trains though, one of the most uninteresting things to drive in TSW for me. It’s complete chaos getting the valves at the right balance to get the train moving. It’s more of a chore than anything else. That alone just makes me fed up and want to turn off the game.
If I happen to see a passing steam train on my travels IRL that would be an amazing sight. Playing with one in the game though. Hard pass!

 

I’d be happy with any of those especially slam doors, something that’s totally absent from the game. The GEML is also very interesting in the early 2020’s with a great variety of rolling stock.
SWR would be nice but not 450’s as too similar to 350’s which we’ve had an awful lot of latterly. A 455 or Arterio would be nice.

 

I can definitely live without pre-run briefings if we actually get TSRs that are anything other than 40mph and around 25m in length!!!!!

 

London Liverpool Street to Norwich with the FLIRTS come clutch. More realistically to Ipswich but that would be a tad disappointing, given the standards we are seeing AABS pushing with 108 miles. Then again if they add the Stansted Express run I could look past that.

 

Swear to god people set the lowest bar for DTG, and when they trip anyway, no problem, just means we need to lower it even more.

We're 9 months out from launch and TSR's are just now getting a slight improvement to what was supposed to be core feature.

When's last time DTG came out with a feature that wasn't half-baked?

Announcements, suspension, improved track shadows, rush hour passengers- literally none of these has been implemented fully and consistently across the game.

 

Trick question - it’s never happened.

 

You’re right & IMO they’ve put themselves into a position they aren’t going to recover from.

They realised how much money a ‘new’ version is making them every 12 months & to help sell it they’re making new features within that title. They aren’t wrong with the logic because of course we should be seeing new features added over time.

The problem then arises in how DTG simultaneously treats every single route as its own standalone game, everything within the route usually not playing nice with other routes, hence the problems we’ve had over the years with PIS, passengers & other route specific features. Never mind the whole duplication of rolling stock issue.

That problem then compounds itself further when DTG don’t even have the time to try and make content regardless of the number of features removed, of sound quality, because they’re having to meet back with the same release deadline every 12 months. This is then resulting in content being treated as ‘legacy’ just a few weeks after release.

The last 2 years we’ve added a new factor in which is DTG scrambling to release everything they can before the end of each financial year, meaning even more stuff gets cut, less time making sure it’s of acceptable quality & by this point the idea of adding or improving things that aren’t directly making money, is long gone.

Personally I didn’t mind the yearly release as it presented good value relative to stand alone DLC’s, but TSW6 marked the first time for me where that value wasn’t shown. There was basically no saving to be made unless you were going to buy all 3 routes anyway, which isn’t something I find likely anymore.

At this point I don’t think it would be for the sake of improving quality, but simply preventing further degradation, if DTG were to realise they need to stop with the obviously untenable release cycle. Only after we’ve gotten past that can we really hope to see actual improvement in quality & refinement of existing features.

 

Ah but problem is the current trains in real life are boring as hell so when they only focus on them it causes the game to be boring as hell

and asides modern routes are overrated with zero challenge

 

When it comes to the current steam physics, get moving with full reverser and then stick it into 25% once moving and adjust power with the regulator. Keep the small ejector open at all times and only use the cylinder drains (drains because the other word would get me in trouble on here!) when at a stop, turn them off once you get up to 5mph. Completely ignore the boiler pressure, it comes back as you drive and the auto fireman wakes up. Ignore manual firing unless you want to experiment with it, implementation isn't complete whatsoever.

The current state of steam isn't as complicated as the cab looks, the above method will get anyone moving no problem Braking to a smooth stop is the part that really requires practice.

I'm looking forward to the new TSG updates and seeing how they improve the experience.

 

TSW4 spawn into timetable

 

It's just your opinion that current trains are boring. That opinion is allowed of course, but it's not my opinion. It's also your opinion that it makes the game boring and also your opinion that modern routes are overrated.

I like to drive modern trains, especially emu's on commuter services like S-bahn, with a lot of stops. I do not have much interest in ICE, IC or other high speed trains, as that's rather boring for me.