Well I do agree that the Preserved Collection part should be rewritten to reflect the change in the plans (maybe say "almost all" or "most"?), Plastic Pal is really going full Karen™ right now.
Well idk if that would be correct, if we count back all the way from OSD, that is a (semi)US route, then they released HRR, so far we have covered 2/3 countries, then, no British routes came out, so, the Bakerloo line is counted, as for a new US route maybe sand patch counts since it’s new for console, then DTG came with Köln Schnellfanstrecke (if that’s how u spell it), all in one bundle, so, I predict that a new UK route is coming after their 3 in 1 announcement, which kinda makes sense since the Acela in the US rarely runs at high speeds, apparently only like 60 of 430 miles have speed limits over 120 mph, anything under may not count since we’ve already seen these speeds in TSW 2020, and it all varies, so it’s not constant.
I think the first steam trains will either be on a DLC for an existing route (currently I'd go with the West Somerset Railway) or in their own route. DTG, for a while, were remaking original routes from Rail Simulator/RailWorks, those being the GWML and Hagen to Siegen (the latter having one preserved steam scenario). Currently ECML Newcastle to York (which had steam scenarios in Train Simulator), Cajon Pass and Bath to Templecombe, which was a steam route. Maybe we'll get Bath to Templecombe in the future?
I forgot about the Somerset and Dorset railway, but now that you mention it I would bet that will almost certainly come eventually. I'm not sure if it will be the first though, those old routes would likely require a bit more research than something newer like Riviera in the Fifties. The original TS Classic lines aren't particularly realistic, a lot of them are very basic even compared to routes made only a few years later like Marias Pass, let alone modern routes. There's also other issues, for example scenarios weren't particularly realistic, for example Cajon Pass having F7's running alongside GEVO's and SD40-2's. Certainly would still be easier than researching a new route from scratch, but I think going with something made later like the aforementioned Riviera in the Fifties is more likely as the first route, as they probably have more research to go off of.
Somerset & Dorset could be a really good railway to do, with a good mix of rolling stock with the LMS presence.
I would love to see the S&D. It is the one original RS route I still use, it has stood the test of time better than the others, it does look more basic but still looks okay. It is quite a challenge to drive and with so much suitable stock available you can make some realistic scenarios, I have a 1953 WTT and have been making some on it just yesterday. There is so much material available for it, I would say it is in the top three most loved lost railway lines in the UK. If they did release it I hope we would get some proper carriages, not just some green mark 1's but some Bullied sets for the local trains.
I'd quite like Cajon Pass as well. I think it's the best looking Rail Simulator route (with the Isle Of Wight in second place).
I'm certainly not able to assess how realistic it is - I live in the UK and have very little interest in US railways - so I was going off of scenery density and quality and lighting...
Euston to Watford Junction, it's gotta happen. The 313 is in production albeit in Southern colours at first. I can also see a North London Lines route eventually, I think a 710 will be the first of the new breed to make it into TSW. Possibly for the Euston to Watford Junction DLC or for NLL. All of which is in my imagination.
If you think the default Cajon pass looks good, you need to try the freeware Cajon Pass Alpha, also sometimes called Cajon Mojave. It expands the route and pretty much revamps most of it. As someone who had been to that area, it looks really, really good.
I suspect of the first bits of US steam content we're going to see is the Big Boy & Challenger. The reason why I think this is simple, the Big Boy's among the most famous US steam locomotives. so it would likely sell very well. The Challenger being so similar would be fairly easy to do afterwards, and being rather well known in its own right would also likely mean it would do well. TS Classic supports this notion given it got a Big Boy & Challenger early on as well. As for what form I think at least one would be included with a era appropriate Sherman Hill. The reason I think that over making it as a expansion for a modern day incarnation is because of steam facilities. Modern Sherman Hill doesn't have many steam era coal, oil, or water facilities, nor does it have functioning turntables, without those a full steam era timetable isn't doable. On top of that it wouldn't be a addon for a addon, so it would have higher potential sales. Not to mention I don't believe that area has changed a ton compared to many others, so backdating it wouldn't be as hard.
The Big Boy (or any articulated) will be very, very, very hard to do, certainly not suitable for a first loco. Moreover, the design team is going to want to study the original of what they model in great detail, up close and personal- do you really think they're going to send the research team off to the US for weeks, and during a pandemic? Far, far more likely they will choose a British loco which is kept within day-trip distance of Chatham. Besides, in case you hadn't noticed, the player preferences in TSW seem to be A) British passenger B) German passenger ... Z) US freight.
I said first bit of US content, not the first steam engine they'll do in general, if you want my guess at that read the following post I made a while back instead. That hasn't stopped Smokebox, he's just one person from the UK, and yet has gotten plenty of reference material and sound recordings for his TS Classic version. For example the UPHS has this store page with many drawings that you can use to help build a Big Boy part by part in a Train Sim, DTG could easily afford it if they wanted to. There's all sorts of videos of it operating too, I'm sure you could find someone willing to let you use their audio samples, again, Smokebox got some just fine. Also if you really wanted to be cheap and/or lazy they could always use those stock Somerset and Dorset engine sounds that we all know and "love" so much. If US freight is so unpopular than why base the first route of TSW around it? Or for that matter why have so many US freight routes in TS Classic? And keep in mind in terms of US content Dovetail themselves there's no clear slant for more US freight or US passenger content. Just because Big Boy is a freight engine doesn't make it less likely, if anything that could make it standout given that Britain leans more towards passenger ops. And again I'm not saying it will be the first thing they make period, I'm merely speculating it will be the first thing they make from the US. One final thing, the reason I made my post is that I like speculating and it was a topic I just happened to think about and wanted to share. Note that I'm arguing from the point that it's gonna be a decent seller and that they'll do fairly early on because of that. I never said that it's something they should tackle. I'm once again going to refer to my past self as I said something about it in another thread. I don't agree with a lot of the reasoning you brought up as to why, it would not be that hard for DTG to do if they put in the time and effort could easily make a solid incarnation of the engine. Smokebox is basically the only one doing work on his version of the engine, and he's done a great job with it. However I don't ever see DTG taking that time and effort to outdo Smokebox's version, maybe a third party, but not DTG.
Well we better hope the locos (when they release) are of good quality because if they live up to TSW’s current reputation then it’s not gonna be a good seller, and knowing current DTG and their lack of attention to detail (no hard criticism intended)...yea.
Very doubtful the first US steam would be the Big Boy. It is one of the most complex steam locomotives built near the end of the steam era. The TS versions are laughable with any respect to realism. It would be much wiser to perfect their skills on a simpler model rather than tackle one that was the pinnacle of steam development.
We can only dream, but when we do get an American steam locomotive, I would like it to be a K4 on a new version of Horseshoe Curve or a Mallet for the upcoming Clinchfield.
Initially it sounded as if the first steam loco might be for an existing route. But as Sam's made it clear that steam is many months off (perhaps this year, perhaps not), we could easily have a new route released before the steam loco, or at the same time. And with dual-timetable support now, maybe even a route released later in the year set in the 1960s that has a 1950s timetable option added later featuring steam trains (or 70s then 60s).
Although it's also pretty basic, any attempt by DTG to expand into SoCal be it Tehachapi or Cajon is trumped by what Run 8 have achieved. Run 8 also has the advantage of its very powerful car tagging and forwarding system which I must admit has got me totally hooked at present - whether it's working one of the Bakersfield locals, or sorting out the terminal complex at the end of the Trona branch. I doubt anything TSW(2) can do would compete in terms of operations, maybe eye candy but then there's still the BNSF issue to get round.
I personally think that when we finally get Steam, it definitely deserves its own route to accompany it. I also think, this is what's going to happen. Steam is going to be such a MAJOR new feature added to the game (the biggest one to date once released), so no way they are just going to make a Steam loco and slap it onto an existing route, and call it a day. Paul Jackson himself recently said, and I quote: "I've talked a lot in the past about what my perfect train experience would be. For me it would be standing on Crewe station in 1953/54 when most of the privations of the war were over. Services were reasonably back to normal but for all intents and purposes modern technology hadn't started to encroach on the steam trains that were running. Just being there and watching things happen naturally where an unexpected loco might come through the station is my idea of an perfect experience. For me, that would be the epitome: to see the train in its natural environment; perhaps it's dirty, perhaps they had to put a different engine on at the last minute. It pulls into the station and maybe the fire's run down and the crew might be tired but they set off again, heading north. When I think about steam trains there's preserved or heritage rail which are superb, but what I really want is steam in its natural environment." This vision I share with him, 100%. This of course is how I would want to see ANY loco/route. But I think, I HOPE, this is what we will see once steam is released. It would take some time to put together for sure, but it's certainly doable, and yeah...this, this would be awesome. Not just a steam loco, but in its natural habitat and time period. The route, the people, the cars, the whole shebang, all perfectly time authentically. Of course it would be even better if just so, but set in America instead, and maybe being a freight route. But that's not going to happen. It will be a UK loco and route, and I'm perfectly fine, very excited, and looking much forward to that too. It will be glorious!!
(Asking this in the spirit of Run8 and TSW2 being very different games from each other). Does Run8 have steam locos?
I have no doubt that's true. However I have a large investment into TS DLC and while neither sim looks amazing, Run8 seems to be even more behind the times than TS. With that in mind, the Freeware Cajon Mojave is really, really nice.
Something to keep in mind is that if you make a new steam era route anyone with TSW2 can get it. If you make it a add-on for a existing route than only people with the add-on can. For example if I wanted that WSR Steam Gala DLC I speculated earlier I wouldn't be able to get it, I don't have WSR, nor do I have any interest in doing so. For this reason I think a steam era route's gonna happen pretty quickly once they get the tech put in, and I wouldn't be surprised if that's what they're planning to debut it with. It's diesel only, and US only, and pretty much and from my understand it hasn't got friendly policies for third parties so it's probably not gonna change. If you're just interested in the those it's a excellent simulation of them and the routes (At least if you don't care so much visually, it's a tad lacking there, but things like signaling and the track plan are dead on.) from what I hear.
Thanks Mich. You'd have more interest in WSR if you could drive a steam loco on it though I think? I hope you're right though, it would be really good to get a decent route to drive it on. Yeah, I bought Run8 and a couple of DLC for it a few years ago. Its quite fun, the physics are interesting and the multiplayer aspect adds something to it (nice community as well). But I found the scenery to be a bit boring and repetitive, and as you say its US only, and there's only a few trains for it. If they had steam on there as well though I might have given that a look. Thanks.
A bit, but I don't think enough to buy it, West Somerset in TSW's too limited for me. And none of the stock on there interests me, too quote my past self to make things easy on me... There's also the Class 52 which I did find interesting, but now with it being in the upcoming 70's BR Blue pack that's another one which I don't see the point getting for it. So the only thing presently I find interesting is the 33, and hey TS Classic has it included, and two steam engines, and it's cheaper, and there's a few other add on locos I have a interest in, so I got that instead.