West Somerset: A Little Gem!

Discussion in 'TSW General Discussion' started by solicitr, Nov 3, 2021.

  1. solicitr

    solicitr Well-Known Member

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    I had never really thought about getting this route, since I have plenty of funky old British diesels already. But since it was about the only DLC I don't have that was seriously discounted in last week's Steam sale I got it- and I'm really glad I did!

    These are visually some of the best loco models DTG have ever done. Far from being just repaints of the NTP 47 and TVL 08, these have been lovingly redone with a far higher level of detail and attention to all the little things. Simply beautiful. And the stations are done to the same standard, including authentically old-school generic adverts. "Drink FIZZY Refreshment!"

    And since I'm a US freight fan, I really don't mind chugging along at 25 mph and watching the lovely landscape.
     
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  2. Callum B.

    Callum B. Well-Known Member

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    I do agree that they look nice, but since the WSR 47 and 09 came first, they are a little more rough around the edges, especially regarding sound on the 47. If you put both versions next to one another, you can tell one sounds like a diesel locomotive, the other one sounds more akin to a diesel pickup truck.

    Cheers
     
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  3. 59321747

    59321747 Well-Known Member

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    Is there only such a section of railway in Somerset West?
     
  4. nwp1

    nwp1 Well-Known Member

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    This is a fabulous route so accurately detailed.
     
  5. atpyatt

    atpyatt Well-Known Member

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    I also picked this route up because it was on sale (but that just meant I bought it with the 33 + 52 bundle) and because I read that the preservation crew had done a great job on it.

    I'm glad that I did, the attention to detail is great, I can't think of another route where so much effort has gone into all those little details.

    Yes it's shorter and slower than most routes but the trade off with that is that you can see a lot more time has been spent on the detail. Quality over quantity.

    The green class 47 is a great model but the audio is a little suspect, the NTP 47 is definitely better in that regard. However since the update the NTP and TVL locos can be substituted in anyway, just waiting for Raildriver support to be released now!

    I would also definitely recommend both the class 33 and class 52, they sound and look good.
     
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  6. Factor41

    Factor41 Well-Known Member

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    It's a heritage line. Somerset does have modern trains too :)

    https://www.west-somerset-railway.co.uk/

    I don't have the 33, but the view from the 52 is great with the big, wide windows. The polar opposite to the 314 and 377s!
     
  7. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    WSR is very good but it is hampered by the 25MPH speed limit and the numerous lower restrictions for crossings etc.
     
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  8. Lamplight

    Lamplight Well-Known Member

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    I can recommend the 33. Yes, the windows don't give you as much visibility, but the 33 feels right at home to me. My problem with the 52 (keeping both engines on) and 47 on WSR was always that they're too powerful. It's almost like the loco is angry with me for forcing it to stay below 25mph :D
    The 33 is not as overpowered and feels very appropriate for these slow runs along the WSR.
     
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  9. Factor41

    Factor41 Well-Known Member

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    Good to know, thanks. Definitely agree with the 52 feeling really penned in on the slow WSR so I might take a look at that. Seems like I won't be buying any of the newer loco DLC for a while so this will give the route a freshen up for me.
     
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  10. RobSkip

    RobSkip Well-Known Member

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    Most station assets directly lifted from the TS1 route, and overall it just doesn't capture the feel of the real line very well. Haven't touched the included locos since 4.26, but they were very poor compared to their NTP/TVL counterparts beforehand, for sounds, physics and general features. On the flipside, the 33 is one of the best locos for sounds and physics produced in house, it's just let down a little by the ridiculously flat texturing outside. Western is okay, but the horn is still a bit broken, and the model isn't quite right.
     
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  11. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    IMHO the Western is better sounding than its TS counterpart in the Hydraulic Pack (the Warship was the best loco in the latter). And yes to get the best out of it, you need to go "Off The Rails" on NTP, TVL or more recently BML.
     
  12. RobSkip

    RobSkip Well-Known Member

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    The TSW Western uses the AP soundset.
     
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  13. junior hornet

    junior hornet Well-Known Member

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    25mph is the maximum trains on heritage routes are allowed to run by law. If faster speeds were implemented in TSW2, the sticklers for accuracy would be up in arms.

    I say that if you want to go faster, go for it and forget the gold medals (or drive a service you have done before).
     
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  14. Crosstie

    Crosstie Well-Known Member

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    Back in August, Adam's team reinvigorated this route enormously and it's been my favorite go-to route for a relaxing drive after those big city routes that can make you crazy.
     
  15. TinTin_57

    TinTin_57 Well-Known Member

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    WSR has always been one of my favourite routes, but the low speed means I can't play it solid. I very much dip in and out.
    The recent updates to it though really did add a lot of additional interest and appeal.
     
  16. stujoy

    stujoy Well-Known Member

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    Yesterday, feeling a bit stressed by London Commuter crashing three times, I fired up WSR and spent a lovely couple of hours in the company of the Class 45. So many locos to drive on this route now and this was the first 45 run I’d done on it. It’s nice to get to use it with the vacuum brakes, and keeping to the speed limits going downhill is a slightly different task in each train you can drive on the route and that’s one of the things that makes the long slow journey keep its interest for me. I even had time to make my lunch during a seven minute wait at one of the crossover stations, due to how well I’d kept just below the speed limit up to that point. Very satisfying.
     
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  17. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    Yes I know that quite nicely thank you and is one of the reasons why I would prefer not to see a heritage route as the centrepiece when Steam comes to TSW. Actually I believe the Great Central preserved railway in Leicestershire does have permission to run at 40 MPH in certain circumstances.
     
  18. davidh0501

    davidh0501 Well-Known Member

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    It still needs static figures in the scenery.
    Too damned quiet. Reckon their plotting something.
     
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  19. Cael

    Cael Well-Known Member

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    Inspired by this thread, I jumped into West Somerset after a long time and wow, the preservation crew did a number on this one.

    The route now looks much better, there are so many services now that I was avoiding trains in pretty much every station, there are even some goods wagons parked around the place. And the best part - the loco substitution. I think pretty much every non-modern loco can substitute into WSR now.
     
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  20. Factor41

    Factor41 Well-Known Member

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    Yeah, I hadn't played it for a while so the jump from the old TSW2020 incarnation to TSW2 in 4K with the Preservation Crew's work was quite a transformation!
     
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  21. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    The only drawback with WSR is that it's probably still one of the more fragile routes in terms of the saved game not reloading properly, or the signalling logic flipping out.
    Off to have a little play now!
     
  22. Factor41

    Factor41 Well-Known Member

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    True. Those gates at Blue Anchor will get you!
     
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  23. chieflongshin

    chieflongshin Well-Known Member

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    I ended succumbing to this in sale, and before on Xbox and Jesus it's night and day. I was playing on a one x before and it looks dismal compared to pc. Found some really nice looking parts of route.

    (Incidentally all dlc on this game is knocking on for £800 and I disgusted myself realising I'm almost one of those that has them all :o)
     
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  24. Vograx

    Vograx Active Member

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    Picked this up on sale too. Mostly because I wanted to drive older loco's.
    Was a bit surprised the max speed was so low, but it was very pleasant to just chug along and enjoy the ride. Also very fun with the road/rail crossings (I had to look up what that white sign with a black plus on it was). And it has that nice W sign to remind you to hit the horn as you go past the crossing. Adds some nice flavor to it I think.
    And the stations are really cute and lovely. I had to jump out at each station for a stroll to simply enjoy it.
    It's definitely a route I'll hit whenever I want to just chill, relax and put life on pause for a little bit :)
     
  25. Factor41

    Factor41 Well-Known Member

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    Would be nice to get some Journey chapters for 33 and 52 if there's another Preservation pass at this.
     
  26. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    As noted above, this is a condition of the Light Railway Order that UK heritage railways operate under. The Up (eastbound) trip is slightly more uphill than running in the Down direction, if you want a bit of thrash. I also find myself doing a bit of preserved railway driver showmanship. Instead of trundling along with slight throttle, let the speed drop to 17 or 18 MPH, then give it some welly back up to 25. Rinse and repeat.
     
  27. orb

    orb Well-Known Member

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    I love playing on this route with scenario planner, generally adding a couple of fictional commuter services, usually class 166 going from Taunton to Minehead and back to Taunton (Norton Fitzwarren, as you can't go onto mainline), outside of the times something is happening in the timetable mode on the route, i.e. in early morning and late evening, despite no passengers on platforms appearing at those times. They're passing on stations AI freight trains going the opposite way with some cargo being carried at night and returning empty to Taunton in early morning.

    Once I have class 150, I'll definitely play with it in scenario planner on WSR, too.

    The signalling or dispatcher is working strange on the route, especially in scenario planner when putting AI trains going the opposite way to you set to pass you on stations. You may end up sometimes with 2 trains blocking themselves in the opposite directions, not receiving a clear aspect - neither of them, for example with you waiting indefinitely on red to enter a station where you can pass another train going your way which is currently waiting there for you on red to leave the station, though paths are set correctly (double and triple checked these) - one is going the up path and the other the down path. A way to fix this is to change stations or times of departure of the AI trains. I wish it was possible in 1-minute steps and not 5-minute.
     
  28. Rudolf

    Rudolf Well-Known Member

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    Not hampered, featured. It allows you to enjoy the ride.
     
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  29. pdxmark77

    pdxmark77 Active Member

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    I agree, WSR IMO is nice, relaxing route to drive. I feel that it is under appreciated because it's slow. I find it quite relaxing and is perfect when I just want something that's slower pace.
     
  30. TimTri

    TimTri Well-Known Member

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    This route is definitely on my “to buy” list! Just didn’t get it during the recent sale because I’m quite busy right now, still haven’t had a chance to fully enjoy BML. I generally often play open world games (like GTA, Watch Dogs etc.) and only got introduced to trains (& TSW) by my best friend at the beginning of the year, so I really appreciate these detailed, beautifully preserved stations you can walk around in. Having a route without timetable pressure where you’re just slowly cruising through the British countryside sounds amazing.
     
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  31. solicitr

    solicitr Well-Known Member

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    Well, there is some timetable pressure- there is a schedule, and a Class 09 ain't exactly hauling butt up those grades......
     
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  32. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    You’re right Bill, the “Gronk” is actually good fun, looks and sounds good - textbook example of the quality TSW should be delivering across the board.
     
  33. Curgenven

    Curgenven New Member

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    The AWS magnets always annoy me. I appreciate they probably have to be there for signalling in game, but they don't exist on the real route.

    My problems with WSR from its first release in TWS1 always came from being a local to the area and knowing the route. I appreciate that you'll never get something 100% accurate and I've had to always bring this to the forefront of my mind when feeling critical of the route.

    If I could make 1 change? The newly added road traffic in the most recent Preservation Crew update has cars merrily driving down a foot/cycle path next to Minehead station.
     
  34. meridian#2659

    meridian#2659 Well-Known Member

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    Aws does exist on the real wsr route. In the video below he talks about them before approaching dunster. Approaching blue anchore does have one too.

    Not sure when they built aws on the wsr. Its working but as far as i know the primary block signalling system is operated by tokens, since probably not all the heritage locos are equiped with aws.

     
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  35. atpyatt

    atpyatt Well-Known Member

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    In mechanically signalled areas you can only put AWS on the distant signals, if you were to put it on home signals it could confuse the driver as they could get a clear at one signal only to find the section signal at danger.

    Unusually for a heritage railway the WSR seems to have copied this practice at some point.
     
  36. Curgenven

    Curgenven New Member

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    I've lived here 21 years and been up and down many many times and I've never noticed them before!

    Every day's a school day. Thanks for that video link.
     
  37. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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    Thought I would bump this… After buying the TSC version as it’s needed for quite a few freeware route dependencies, I decided to spend a little time driving it. Now don’t get me wrong, it’s a nicely done route but by comparison the TSW version looks much more vibrant and colourful. The fields look better and more varied in pattern, the trees are hi res as are the stations and structures.

    The one thing that TSC does bring over though is that preserved routes with a 25 MPH speed restriction are much better with steam traction. Taking the Hall out of Bishops Lydeard up the 1 in 100 gradient required some fairly vigorous use of the regulator, unlike the 47 or 33 piddling along in Notch 3 or 4. So while things are possibly in a state of flux with the unexpected leak about TSW3, it would be nice to a steam loco or two as DLC to revive this route.
     
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  38. nwp1

    nwp1 Well-Known Member

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    OV, where have you seen this. Let’s get TSW2 right first before getting people to invest in another cxxk up.
     
  39. OldVern

    OldVern Well-Known Member

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  40. Redbus

    Redbus Well-Known Member

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    WSR is just aching for a GW pannier or prairie tank DLC, or even a Hall/Manor.
     
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  41. steveownzzz#6107

    steveownzzz#6107 Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for sharing, sounds like I need to load this route back up and give it another go.
    Btw, the upgrades the preservation team have done to these routes are making a bigger difference in the experience than what I originally expected. Great to see!
    Now I'm excited and hopeful to see what they do with routes like LIRR and Penn Corridor.
     
  42. Asyedan

    Asyedan Member

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    I think my experience with WSR was a victim of having found it before NTP/TVL and ages before SoS was released. I saw "biggest heritage route on Britain with classic diesels" and i fell on the trap.

    It is one of the most finely detailed routes of the game and it would be an S tier if i only cared about that, but sadly, the max speed of 25 mph is a complete deal breaker that i wish i had known beforehand. I am not against chill slow paced routes, but in my opinion WSR is an extremely long route to be driven its entire length at such slow speeds. To make things worse, the locos are very powerful, specially the Class 52 being a loco meant for high speed, so they reach the speed limit in half a second and it just feels like a boring slog from there.

    The best thing i have with WSR it its extremely low HDD size, which means it doesnt hurt me to just keep it collecting dust, and i can use its locos in other routes (ECW/SEHS/CCL) thanks to the railtours expansion mod, where i can properly drive them at a more reasonable speed.
     
  43. solicitr

    solicitr Well-Known Member

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    Then try running it with a Gronk.....
     

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