Another old route, another pleasant rediscovery. I never played NTP so much, so I decided to give it a try. After some serious training, I can finally drive that bloody Class 101... Not a perfect route (pitch black nights, bugged tunnels, some freezing issue near the biggest stations...), but definitely nice. I always wonder if british stations were so dilapidated in real life during the '80s... Ravensthorpe, in particular, looks like a The Walking Dead location. Love it
Yep, plenty of stations got pretty neglected and weren't the most pleasant of places. I recall going train spotting with my dad in the 90s. There was a station at Norton Bridge in Staffordshire which was great to visit to see trains blasting through at high speed from the island platform. It was run down, windows in the waiting room were all smashed and missing and the platform tarmac was full of holes. It's a good job the trains were exciting! Things have changed quite a bit since privatisation
Hum yep things certainly have. Fare prices are now so expensive I can’t afford to go on them! Bring back BR! it might not have been a bed of roses but at least you didn’t have to be a millionaire in order to be able to afford to buy a ticket. I love driving that 101 btw. Manual gears, you can’t beat them.
Totally agree, it’s always been my favourite. All the locomotives are a joy to drive, particularly the 101 and because I’ve played it so much it’s the one route where I can drive without the HUD. I haven’t got the heavy freight pack but I put the freight from TVL onto it via the scenario planner. Taking a 37 or a 31 over those hills is great fun. Granted there’s not much to do apart from go up and down the mainline but it really feels like you’ve done a full drive when you finish. The bleak atmosphere suits the Unreal Engine quite well.
NTP, TVL and WSR are my favorite british routes! Unfortunately, I haven't been to the UK yet, but they make me feel like I'm there and really want to go there! NTP in particular gives me a very dense atmosphere and the gameplay speaks for itself. It is always a pleasure for me to be here on the rail. As a German, I think the British routes in particular have a special flair for me. Need more UK stuff!!!
I gave up on the 101. Just too difficult and not enough patience. However I too have rediscovered this line thanks to the red light problem in scenario designer being resolved. I can now drive a class 43 on it.
The main visual problem with NTP is the complete lack of lightning. Driving at night is almost impossible because the only lights are station lamps... It's a shame. I love night shifts...
Stick with it because the 101 DMU is great to drive when you manage to crack it. The Manual gears make it for me. My favourite train so maybe I’m biased.
Also, it seems like the trains provide zero illumination on the outside. I struggle most of the time at night because the cabin lighing is hard to find in complete darkness and I cannot even turn the loco on
I've noticed that about the trains headlights on all the trains in the maps that go through tunnels that I’ve current tried up to now . NTP, IOW, London Tube, etc. Zero lighting up of the tunnels from the headlamps. Surely this isn’t the case in real life is it? Pretty scary if it is.
The NTP was actually my most recent route purchased and can't say enough good things. OP mentioned hasn't got heavy freight and let me say shout out to the class 40. Those head code disc things are pretty neat.
Locomotives not fitted with high intensity headlights are pretty rubbish. If you ever been in the cab of a BR diesel you’ll realise it does not light anything up and is purely for other people to see you. Modern engines fitted with high intensity lights are a different story however and light up tunnels very well and even the outside.
I just love the sound of the 45 when you open the throttle all the way. I used to commute to Liverpool on these things, and Dovetail have absolutely nailed the sound, it's exactly what a peak sounds like. The 101 and 47 are accurate too, but for me nothing beats the 45 revving up.
I’m loving Trans Pennine so much I’ve never even tried the Tees Valley line I bought in the recent sale yet. I’m loving the sounds of those big ole diesels when they are throttling hard up an incline, I mean you just have to drop both windows to listen don’t you.
