Hi all. I want to buy another dlc route for TSW 2020 but cannot decide between the following 2 routes The British route ECW or The Canadian route CN Oakville Division. I am from England so ECW is closer to home but I also like doing fright as you seem to do more. Any advice would be appreciated like the pros and cons of each route. Thanks in advance Dave
Oakville subdivision is only freight whereas ecw has passenger and freight but if you prefer freight without passenger then I’d say get oakville but if you like a mix of passenger and freight then get ecw . Ecw does also come with more locos than oakville so bear that in mind if you find that important
Oakville is not bad for freight, though you often go down a straight line either at high or at low speed when not shunting. I like it alot though, the American locos are impressive and a run on oakville is by far more timely manageable that doing a sandpatch climb or descent. East coastway is one of my personal favorite routes. It looks really nice, has a branch line and the 377 is awesome to drive. Be mindful though that freight runs here are very short, but you get to drive the wonderful class 66 and actually get to load you wagons interactively. Another bonus would be that east coastway is due to get some improvements shortly, with working passenger information screens ready in development and waiting for their turn to be released.
Thanks for that. I think I will definitely get ECW and add the Canadian route to my wish list and see if it goes in a sale at a later date
hold off buying either and use the cash to get tsw2,you will then be getting 3 routes for the price of one,then you can transfer your tsw 2020 routes over,then giving the acess to all new routes.
I agree with ross.duncan35 but if you want value, get ecw, i love it, lots of different things to do!
Afteroon Dave, as you are in the UK, I would personally recommend grabbing the Collector's Edition of TSW 2, as that includes East coastway as well as 3 other routes. So in theory you're paying just £6 for 3 extra routes plus all the benefits of TSW2. Amazon link
I think ECW is probably one of my favourite for best looking route, and I am a Canadian who lives in the CN Oakville vicinity, lol.
East coastway is a must have, I frequently drive it and is my ‘best route’. It has east coastway line and the seaford branch, to give you more routes to drive. Note that east coastway allows you to drive a class 66 from Lewes to new haven and back, with some shunting at new haven yard
A few pros I have noticed for both routes ECW Pros freight and passenger Seems to be one of the best rated routes Seaford branch line Unlock layers on SEHS Rail tours with NTP expected improvement to include working PIS (platform time screens) Canadian route Pros lots of freight Only Canadian route so far Shunting and moving freight up and down the line Scenario where you can fill up the oil tanker wagons (I personally own both routes but have put a lot more time into ECW) (I’m not too big on freight but do enjoy it every so often)
I live in Hamilton Ontario and can say the Oakville route is a pretty accurate rendition of the railways in the area I dont believe CN does a lot of the industrial switching in Hamilton anymore (Train Link has bought the routes) but the rest of the route is pretty accurate. For those wondering the two tracks that are shown at Bayview junction that are not in the route map and disappear under the MCQuesten (high Level) bridge are actually Canadian Pacific Lines that split with CN at Bayview junction and follow the 403 highway on the other side of the hill shown in the game opposite Lake Ontario before reaching the Aberdeen Yard in Hamilton (formerly of the Toronto Hamilton and Buffalo Ry or TH&B taken over by the CP system in the 1990's) Too bad there is not a route for the GO (Government of Ontario) Transit trains that frequent this subdivision. They would be virtually identical to the baby bullet trains on the Peninsula Corridor route except for colors (Green and White). For those that are wondering the station stops between West Harbour (James St Hamilton) and Oakville depicted in the game are stops for the GO trains that run between Hamilton (actually all the way to Niagara Falls) to Toronto and beyond to Pickering. The GO route itself would be fairly extensive, easily as big as the Peninsula Corridor Route. Mark
Oakville Sub if you like freight. It is the only line that allows you to do shunting in yards for scenario planner. All of Hamilton Yard is manual switches with only a few signals at the exits. Also scenario planner does allow passenger runs. I made myself some GO and VIA units for it.
You forgot Amtrak the Maple Leaf although it needs the southern Segment which is MTA Metro-North Hudson line Croton-Harmon to New York Penn Station and Grand Central terminal. Speaking of the Maple leaf it bypasses Hamilton for Burlington Station from the Niagara Falls Border Station NY State US Side and Province of Ontario Niagara Falls.
Yes I forgot the Maple Leaf. I think I read somewhere that Hamilton (537,000) is the largest city in Canada without passenger service as the Leaf indeed bypasses Hamilton for Aldershot (Burlington) In the game the large building to the right above the West Harbour complex is the former Hamilton CN Station on James Street which is now the Liuna Station Banquet Hall. The rear of the building and the stairs down to track level are depicted in the game. Up James Street at Hunter Street is the art deco former Toronto Hamilton and Buffalo (TH&B) Station built in the 1930's and now the main GO station in the City. It is not represented in the Oakville Sub game as the tracks (and the TH&B) are part of the Canadian Pacific System Until the West Harbour GO was completed it was the only GO station in Hamilton. It is an excellent example of 1930's art deco railway architecture. This is the local bus service ticket office in the GO station - the interior has been restored to its 1930's splendor