During their preview stream for Crewe - Preston, JT confirmed that an updated timetable for Blackpool Branches has been developed. I imagine this might be delivered in a patch with or after the release of the upcoming route. Specific details are obviously minimal at the moment but what is confirmed is that it will still be based on the same saturday timetable and likely includes all the same services, perhaps with some layers and stock swapped out. Services will include all of JT's new stock, even seeing MK3 stock travelling to Blackpool which was a surprise to me. On the speculation side, I imagine perhaps we will see some new freight services? Not much that couldn't be included beforehand mind you, but maybe things like some of the oil services or departmental movements being run by Class 20s. I would also speculate that perhaps the Class 20 railtour will be swapped out to use the Crewe - Preston versions instead. I also imagine that while later coaching stock will be prevelant, we will still see a proportionately larger number of MK2As than we do on the two mainline routes since JT seem to use these to stand in for blue MK1 stock, which would have been utilised often on the extra saturday services.
Mk3s were regular to Blackpool on the Euston services. Pity sbout the Mk1 situation and its sad that the blue grey DLC offering was phoned in by a 3rd party who have seemingly vanished? Time for a decent Mk1 pack to be brought out?
Would be fantastic. The existing Athena Mk1s aren't pleasant to look at unless you have the wonderful SprattyHeath patch.
Even then they still aren't great. Cut and pasted wooden 1950s interior. Coupling bugs out completely if you have two FKs coupled to each other. Plus the dual braking equipment on the underside isn't even modelled so you have to guess where the buttons for the vacuum and air chamber release valves are based on their code having been cut and pasted over from the BGs. Fortunately one pull cord can drain the vacuum for the whole train so it works alright if you have one of JT's RMBs in the consist. There is simply nothing short of a complete ground up remake that can save those MK1s.
I´m really looking forward to this update. It will make everything come together. Preston is going to be the coolest route hopping point in the game.
I'm super excited for this one... I'm really glad they've taken time to revisit BPO, as at one time it was hands down the best route in the game, atleast UK content wise, and was even slightly above ECML in terms of favourite routes for me at the time. This route was also what I consider to be a pioneer and benchmark for quality we had never seen in the game before. Unfortunately it had started to age, not in terms of scenery which still stands up today, but certainly a lack of updated traffic. Having an updated timetable with all the traffic you could ever need on it is going to be pretty darn good! I've also got to admit, this isn't some secondary excitement, I'm genuinely as excited for this update as I am the release of Crewe to Preston. We've got a proper real 1980s BR network with such a vast amount of diversity in it. Phwoar, this looking to be a tasty few weeks for us BR fans!
I am definiately looking forward to this. Blackpool remains in my top three favourite routes of all the TSW routes, my only bugbear are the rakes of mark 2's sandwiched between mark 1 BG's but I understand they didn't have any choice at the time.
I really hope it gets some form of remaster, even if its just 'remaster lite' to change the lighting. Its one of the best routes in the franchise and could do with some updated love.
I have always thought quietly to myself that the lighting on the JT routes seems a little "off" in that is seems just a touch too bright? The vegetation being a couple of shades of a lighter green perhaps? The orange Pacer being borderline luminous? I've never quite been able to put my finger on it. As for timetables, they did say in the stream that there should be a couple of minutes grace but if you arrive 5+ late then odds are you'll have missed the connection. Ah yes, I forgot the logic behind that move though do remember that it was the only option at the time, hopefully they can do something about it in the new timetable as it is a bit on the side of immersion breaking. One tiny tweak that I would absolutely love, and it affects the JT routes the most, is the coupling on the rear vehicles of consists to be set with the buckeye down and buffers out as per real life. It doesn't really interfere with the coupling moves as you've just got to take a second to jump out and fix it before jumping back in and buffering up but it does look odd seeing every passing train set for buckeye ops...
Got me thinking about the "exciting" thing they briefly mentioned in passing about Blackpool, maybe they *have* got a set of Mk1s to go with it... ok, I know, I'm reaching here... but still...
It is a fantastic route. Brings back so many memories of when I'd catch the train to Blackpool as a kid. I definitely need to get the rest of the Just Trains Preston based stuff in time. I hear Over Shap is gorgeous, and the Preston-Crewe stuff looks really good from the previews as well.
I actually wouldn't rule that out, since ine of their missions seems to have been filling the gaps in UK coaching stock and actually good blue MK1s are probably the last thing left. They've already done the NHA, some BG variants, RMB and RBR, why not go the full way?
Watching TinTin_57s stream, it was confirmed that BPO has had the new station announcements that Crewe to Preston will have added to it!
Crewe - Preston and Preston - Carlisle mainly match but Blackpool does not as it is set on a Saturday.
The surprise was the timetable but it got sort of lost in translation as there were 2 hosts and the other just casually mentioned it.
Would there ever be a possibility of a weekday timetable being created for BPB as part of a rolling stock pack or gameplay pack in the future?
This is once again magnificent news and Just Trains going above and beyond once more, Preston was such a change over station, particularly for the Blackpool Inter City services and adding in things like the announcements too will certainly add even more excitement to Blackpool Branches (there's quite a lot in the update when you read it in full).
Better wait for tomorrow and you will see whats included and what not. If its not they can't fix that for tomorrow if they willing to do that. I will say for 99% sure JT has done a good job. JT is one of the best quality wise.
most likely not, they wouldn’t cut the base product just to allow for the lesser percentage of owners of shap and crewe to have more layers
what ever happened to athena simulations? they dropped a sub-par railtour pack last year, then went awol. i’ve heard that they’re a bit dodgy but nothing specific
That’s a hard one to answer quickly - best I can do is “search for Jane Whittaker” both on this forum and whatever search engine floats your boat. Interesting reading, for sure….
New timetable should be great and yes we need to buy Preston to Crewe for the 47/3’s but, let’s face it, of us 1980’s basher and thrash heads, who isn’t?! As regards the Mark Ones, yes we definitely need a new comprehensive pack and, while I didn’t like them compared to the older versions, some reflecting the more modern interior variant TSO’s in particular with, Commonwealth or B4 bogies, the smaller wing rest seats, the melamine wall panelling, even those bilious lime green partitions! Oh and the buzzing fluorescent light tube, bane of many a journey in the dark. It really does irk somewhat to see all those seasonal services at Blackpool formed of Mark 2 stock, at the time anything not a core Inter City service would have been solid Mark Ones - whether original or more modern interior style. A decent developer could make a nice bit of coin with a comprehensive Mark One set for the game.
31s were needed for passenger and few freight services across the 40s were just nice extras you would see 45s had postal services
sorry for being a little confused. i did ask a while back about a week day timetable which yourself said wont happen, understandable. so is this TT upgrading the original TT or a new/refreshed TT?
We do indeed seem to have lost some variety in the new timetable. I will miss being able to drive the 40s, 45s and 31s. Good job we still have the original timetable.
The route is kinda dead now, I’ve only seen three trains being a 87 at Preston and a 142 and 47 passing me Service being 1M89 Preston to Blackpool north Blackpool is a bit more alive but missing a lot of stuff in the yards
As others have said, why were the 31,20, 40 and 45 removed? I know they weren't going to be in Preston-Crewe (yet) but I wasn't aware we were losing them in the new timetable. The variety was one of the reasons I kept going back to Blackpool Branches. I've still got the old timetable at least so I'll probably just stick with that.
I'd imagine the reason the other locos are gone is because the 47/3 would have taken over most freight duties, and the 47/4 would be the only ones really hauling passenger stock... Also with the Class 20, the TT may be waiting for the new version to be updated and added tomorrow. I can't really comment on the Class 45 side of things (as I don't know enough about them in this time period) and nor with the Class 31, and I also think the Class 40s were realistically gone by this time (IIRC), so it probably has been updated correctly. We may just be waiting on some stock being added tomorrow with the release of Crewe to Preston.
31s at least were still really common on passenger services at Blackpool though at that point in time.
