Hoo Junction Yard - Empty Yet Full Of Dispair

What happened to PTG Rail?

 

PTG Rail is a friend of mine, and I talked to him about trains just a few days ago, amongst other things. He said he got burnt out on train related stuff, and wanted to focus on other things for now. He's also big into both travel and photography, and getting very good at it too, if I may say so myself. I too loved his train videos, but as it stands now, it doesn't look like they are coming back anytime soon, if ever.

 

Yeah I can understand that, I hope he’s happy doing what he’s doing now.

 

If I had a better machine i would give it a go. Unfortunately it's a bit of a potato and I've got all sorts of work stuff on there so TSx drives very badly. Funny enough TSW runs much better

 

That's good to hear that he is still exploring his interests. Understandable, sometimes we need a break even from things we love.

 

I have the opposite on my machine - TS1 runs beutifully, but TSW I had to lock to 30fps because it was otherwise all over the place, and even then it's a bit hit and miss as to whether TSW runs at 30 or if it just decides to stay below 20.

 

I thought about it years ago but I can't stand hearing my voice, plus I don't think I would be able to not bite when I get the inevitable Youtube troll, I have had a couple of arguments on videos of me playing the organ. I notice that there have been the odd unpleasant comment on a couple of the PTG rail videos. Also, my machine was a hand me down from Noah!

Maybe you could do some TSW ones, although I suppose there isn't much variety yet?

 

I would do it different to PTG anyway, a train guide, route guide and scenario guide system so plenty to go over, but again it's all pipedreams
And I've been told I have a pretty good voice, but maybe not for commentary lol

 

I think our voices all sound different to how others hear them. I think I sound like Mr Bean but a bit more baritone!

 

Well we do hear our voice form the inside rather than the outside, but i have been told by a few people it's a good voice so who knows

 

This little love in is wonderful to see, but what's it got to do with Hoo Yard being empty?

 

It's called a branch topic. If you have anything to add on the main topic do continue

 

It naturally morphed, I am sure if someone in charge has a problem with it they will let us know!

 

Empty yards and depots are a major issue in this game. Empty yards that wouldn't be empty makes the route feel dead especially with not a big timetable. Like the Hillside Support Facilty on the lirr would be full of M7s M9 some M3s (the m3s that are there are planning on being scrapped since they don't run on the lirr anymore since their retirement in december 2020. There is only two more m3s in active service which will retire sometime in the winter since the m9s have arrived which are replacing the m3s) and the de30s instead it's empty. Hempstead Branch and Ronkonkoma Branch trains do go their for either storage or maintance so to see it empty is quite jarring. Not to mention dtg used the incorrect timetable for the Hempstead and Ronkonkoma Branches on the lirr. Hoo Yard for some being empty can be quite jarring but I think a compromise would be to add static trains at hoo yard. It would make the route a bit more lively instead of it feeling dead.

 

One difference is I can open up the scenario in the in game editor in TS1 and plop in any rolling stock I own just to sit there and look pretty in Hoo Junction Yard if I want, and it will only take a couple of minutes.

 

I think the reasons have been touched on as being 'commercial' in past streams, for instance with the Class 66 it's not found in any of the base routes of TSW2 (only in the additional preserved version of East Coastway that was available as a bundle at launch) so if a couple of actual functional 66's were stuck in at Hoo it would require people to own one or more items of DLC, something along those lines was mentioned previously ...

That said I think it would be good for immersion if maybe some 'dead' or static asset c66 & wagons could be placed in some of the Hoo sidings, even with generic wagons you'd have a feeling that something went on there. If it's about layers or the fact if you add static models you can't then use the track they're sat on then just be creative and make sure there's some occupied tracks and some through / open tracks available for scenario planner etc. I can't see a financial hit to DTG for throwing in even crippled static models to add to the immersion.

In TS Classic, doesn't the route come with a c66 ? Or maybe AP packs run a lot of frieght along the line ? Metals to Sheerness, aggregates bound for deeper in to Kent etc.

Mentioning Sheerness, I did wonder if the DTG class 465 offering might add us in a Sheerness branch the same as their previous offerings did, this was a great addition to TS Classic at the time, but the trackage doesn't appear to be on the TSW2 map as shown in the recent stream (yet). So I'm wondering just how much scope there'll actually be to use the 465 ? I thought their use as far as the released route goes would only be from just outside the Medway towns to the station where trains shuttle down to Sheerness ? Possibly to the depot (Gillingham ?) as per TS Classic ?

I'll be happy to consider buying both but those are my wonderings DTG do seem to listen more than they ever have ... Sam clears a lot up & has really turned around the closeted ways of old in that they wouldn't talk about anything at all ! But lately I've felt even Sam has been changing approach and closing up more on the details and tit-bits of future hints etc he used to give after what at first seemed a full on speak-easy !!! The transparancy we've come to enjoy seems to be more measured in dose than it used to be ...

 

I have noticed this as well, but I understand why: one bitten, twice shy. A lot less hard 'no's now, and a lot more 'not at the moment's. He has also had to apologise on several occasions for speaking in a manner that is semantically ambiguous, leading to unnecessary drama, so I understand his restraint as of late to say much at all. Every time he says anything public, he is being scrutinized by hundreds of pairs of eyes and overzealous railway fanatics.

Cheers

 

Interesting points, glad someone else has noticed a change ...

At first in early streams with Matt P it almost seemed like a brutal new broom was sweeping in for the customer facing side of DTG, there were moments of extreme awkwardness, but this has mellowed.

 

Yea, I get the DLC ownership explanation...but let's be honest. It's a cop out. They could plop in some static models as assets rather than dropping a fully functional DLC train to sit in a siding for window dressing.

 

Agree with this, it’s not like the 66 is a new super advanced model in TSW 2, we’ve already had it twice, some people may of even had to buy it twice in the 2 packs it’s been in, while on the other hand you’d probably see that a good bulk of players own the 66 anyway considering there was a time when GWE was free with TSW.

Static ‘scenery’ locos are definitely something that should be looked into.

 

The thing though is that everybody who got tsw or tsw2020 on console has the 66 since both versions came with gwe. So I assume most players have gwe so there really is no reason why they can't add the 66. That same ownership excuse is just a cop out and not justifiable with the 66. Sorta like route extensions as well. Sam says extensions would benefit those who have the route. But dtg could in theroy extend the tsw2 base routes like ska to frankfurt from Koln HBF which would be 94 miles since everybody who has tsw2 has ska and you would get the Koln-Frankfurt High Speed route in which you can do 300KPH which would be a standalone route as well and would interest those interested in high speed routes. GWE could be extended from Reading To Bristol Temple meads since players who bought tsw-tsw2020 would've gotten gwe for free and that in itself can be a standalone route. Although a gwe extension wouldn't I guess benefit those who didn't own tsw-tsw2020 since they would have to pay for gwe and the gwe extension if they want it that is

 

Rather than start a new thread, I'd just thought I'd post this question here is it's related to Hoo Yard.

Has anyone managed to drive the 66's to have a mess around shunt? I've tried moving the single loco and one attached to the wagons but I'm just unable to move them, I'm sure I'm doing everything correctly but when I apply throttle, nothing, engine doesn't even make the sound that I've moved the throttle. Must be something I'm doing wrong?

 

Got my sheds in a nice lineup at Hoo junction, just a shame you can't move the one beside the red signal

 

LIRR had static-only scenery rolling stock in the scenarios to fill up yards. I don't understand why they stopped using them. Wish they used them in other routes as well, and on the timetable version of LIRR as well, as currently they're only there in scenarios.

 

Id have thought adding both ecw and GWE would have given the junction that little extra. Plus anyone without ECW could have had atleast something in the yard.

 

Make sure the 4 white switches underneath the reverser on the center console in the cab are switched to "on". They are the ones like you'd find in American locos, engine run, gen field (I forget the other two).

 

I don't think you can move them until the patch comes out.