Written by: Gary Dolzall. Coming soon, the Western Maryland Railway Retro Pack brings an American classic to life on the acclaimed CSX Hanover Subdivision route! READ MORE
Pretty neat that we are getting a retro equipment pack for a modern day route. I wish more North American Routes got this treatment.
With all due respect, I’m absolutely thrilled that the Western Maryland’s finally getting the justice it deserves in Train Simulator. However, there are a few minor problems that I’ve noticed that should be taken care of prior to release in the name of accuracy. *ISSUE 1: The F7s:Speed Lettering(Preview image and authentic WM F7s shown below) First of all, probably the most obvious thing I have to point out, the horn bells on these units should not be red, I don’t believe a prototype ever existed with that characteristic. Besides that, the cab numbers may be a tiny bit small, but do have the correct font. However, the “whiskers” on the nose lettering appear to be a considerable amount too thick, and the “Radio Equipped” lettering is missing from just in front of the cab. F7s: Circus Most of the issues seem to be present on the circus scheme examples of the F7s, aside from the red horn bells and the thick whiskers on the nose. The sill along the side where the fuel tank access is shouldn’t be red, furthermore, the placement of the number boxes appears to be undersized and in the wrong place. For what it’s worth noting too, the size of this box varies between the two and three digit number variations. Besides that, there’s the absence of the radio equipped text and the fact that the space above the pilot should be black, and the receptacle doors on the nose should be consistently white with the rest of the nose.
Continued from above: GP35s: Overall, I’m quite pleased with how the GP35s look so far! However, the persistent issue of the missing “radio equipped” logo is still at hand, along with the relevant “Safety First” lettering in yellow that belongs on the pilot of both examples. My only real complaint here is that the nose logo isn’t shaped correctly. I’m not entirely sure if it’s shown in the screenshot or not, but the top of the nose should be black as well. Based on what I can see, the speed lettering example looks good minus the safety first and radio equipped logos. Everything Else: Nothing to report here! I’m generally pleased with the GP9s, minus a few little things, but the real strength here is the rolling stock, which looks excellent. Someone on the team clearly did their homework for those. Nonetheless, I’m hoping these issues will be addressed, as I’m hoping to add this into my collection!
Wow! I've been thinking about getting the Hanover Sub for a little while now, but now that this is out I might just have to during the next sale!
Honestly, we need more packs like this for other routes. It really opens up the scenario possibilities when we're given a sufficient amount of locomotives and rolling stock to represent the same route in different eras. Obviously this can only be done so much depending on what has changed about the route over the years, but for a number of them one could conceivably run locomotives from 40 years ago and it won't be all that immersion-breaking. Hell, I don't think I'd even complain if I were to run first-generation diesels like these on a modern route. If this isn't enough of a hint, Dovetail, more of this please. Whether it be marketplace repaints or all-new packs like these, I'll buy.
OK, purchased and started the first scenario and it is a fun route if you like switching and with this WM pack coming will be even better.
Guessing we are looking at a November release, as this didn't release today, unless something else is holding its release back.
I'd rather wait a little while for some possible improvements instead of having another rushed product.