Long Route Suggestion For A New Player

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by chacal#2181, Nov 9, 2021.

  1. chacal#2181

    chacal#2181 Well-Known Member

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    Hello all,
    New to TS20XX (coming from TSW that i like but the short routes), i would like a route suggestion that would have such criteria :
    - UK based preferably , but why not a German or even more original.
    - no freight
    - Diesel era or newer...
    - Long, very long 200 or 300 miles if avaiable.
    - Scenic

    And a good loco that would fit with

    Thank you !
     
  2. SJA

    SJA Active Member

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    South Western Expressways to Reading from Just Trains is about 220 miles worth of actual track I believe, although I think the longest logical run available is Reading to Exeter (140-ish miles I think). Although if you create scenarios you can create whatever workings you like.
    This route is quite new with good foliage, bridges, buildings crossings, etc. Probably one of the more ideal routes for a player coming from TSW to get into. WCML over Shap is another popular choice at 90 miles, and still holds up decently despite being older, and Welsh Marches is a really nice route too at approx 98 miles.

    There are longer routes out there, but they are either rather dated and laggy (such as the Western Mainlines), are reliant upon owning multiple other routes that feed into route merges (big cost burden for new players who don't own any/many routes), or both.

    Others will likely remember something I've forgotten though.
     
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  3. chacal#2181

    chacal#2181 Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for this suggestion. Dated graphics are note so much of à pb for me. Lags are something else. But lot of dependencies are a minus. So SWE seems a great idea for start.
     
  4. Nick Y

    Nick Y Well-Known Member

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    ECML
    ECML South: KX - Peterborough
    ECML Modern: York - Peterborough (Modern)
    ECML North: Newcastle - Edinburgh (an older route but runs ok)
    ECML: York - Newcastle set in the 1970s (TS Classics)
    Scottish ECML: Edinburgh - Perth via Dundee (only available through the Just Trains website). It's an older route but not too bad

    WCML
    WCML over Shap: Preston - Carlisle (inc Morecombe, Heysham and Maxwelltown branches)
    WCML North: Carlisle - Glasgow
    These 2 are older but not bad
    WCML South: London - Birmingham
    WCML: Trent Valley

    Other routes
    Welsh Marches Line: Newport - Shrewsbury
    South Wales Coastal: Bristol - Swansea

    Personally I would also suggest these from Just Trains:
    Western Mainlines collection which covers the route from Paddington - Cardiff, Bristol, Exeter and Penzance (expensive but is 4 or 5 routes put together). This is older but does give you some 2 hour runs.
    Southwestern Expressway: Reading - Bristol
    Midland Mainline: Sheffield - Derby, Derby - Leicester/Nottingham, Erewash Valley, Derwent Valley and Lincoln - Newark (note that it is better to buy these direct from Just Trains as there are versions available which link together to provide longer drives).

    You could also buy Great British Railway Journeys (separate game but can merge with TS20xx) and this includes:
    ECML South: London - Peterborough
    GEML: London - Ipswich
    Portsmouth Direct Line: London - Portsmouth
    Settle - Carlisle (modern-ish)
    Chatham Main and Medway Valley Lines

    I've only been playing TS20xx properly since about March but I already have over 200 locos to play with (a lot are variations of the same units) and about 40 routes (several of which are freeware) and over 500 hours of play.
     
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  5. 749006

    749006 Well-Known Member

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    There are a lot of routes I could suggest but they have Freight and Passenger trains and you said "No Freight"
    Very few routes in the game don't have Freight services

    This is a good German route
    https://store.steampowered.com/app/222588/Train_Simulator_HamburgHanover_Route_AddOn/
    This is long at 95 miles/153km

    Apart from Western Mainlines there are very few routes over 100 miles to buy off the shelf

    Peter
     
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  6. chacal#2181

    chacal#2181 Well-Known Member

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    Sorry to havent be more clear but While im not into freight services conducting, its not à problem to have AI freight as long as there is somme passengers. Just I would like to avoid 100% freight routes..
     
  7. chacal#2181

    chacal#2181 Well-Known Member

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    I also dont mind to need to buy some extensions or route to make something bigger as long as the route is true and simulates a real route existant or from the past. For exemple i checked I can buy a ticket from London to Penzance with no change.
     
  8. heardturkey

    heardturkey Active Member

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    I bought Western Mainlines thru Steam and though not as 'pretty' as some of the more modern routes, is fully scenic from Paddington to Exeter (245 mls approx). It also goes from Paddington to Cardiff and links Cardiff to Bristol.
    I,ve not tried it but from Exeter to Penzance,but it looks like all of the track is laid, signalled and with platform markers. Unfortunately, the scenery is bare or non existent (looking at it in the route editor.)
    So, theoretically, a through run from London to Penzance ( 400 miles approx) is possible . I must run it some time:).
     
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  9. Veryfatbloke

    Veryfatbloke Member

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    I would suggest that you do run it before making assumptions as to the density of the scenery. I've just run a quick drive from Penzance to St Austell and here are 5 screenshots from that drive. 20211109203021_1.jpg 20211109204704_1.jpg 20211109205255_1.jpg 20211109211731_1.jpg 20211109212050_1.jpg
     
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  10. BigMountain555

    BigMountain555 Well-Known Member

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    WCML South: London Euston - Birmingham is a great route at 113 miles/182 kilometres covering 41 stations. It comes with 5 passenger locos and 1 freight. This is one of my favorite routes by far.

    South West China High Speed is 354 miles/570 kilometres but the scenery is not that great. My other long routes are freight.
     
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  11. Doomotron

    Doomotron Well-Known Member

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    There is a route merge on the workshop that mergers Hamburg to Hannover, Hamburg to Lubeck and Lubeck to Kiel. Lubeck to Kiel is a diesel route, and a full end-to-end run is about 200 miles long, including a reversal at Lubeck.
     
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  12. heardturkey

    heardturkey Active Member

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    Are you sure you are not confusing Cornish Main Line and Western Main lines. (unless you have the full extension bundle from Just Trains that seemingly allow a full run.)

    Top is CML
    Bottom is WML
    Burngullow CML.jpg Burngullow WML.jpg
     
    Last edited: Nov 10, 2021
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  13. 749006

    749006 Well-Known Member

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    Why would you reverse at Lubeck?
    Having Hanover - Hamburg and Hamburg - Lubeck as a combined is ok but as there are very few workings between the routes I don't see the point. There are a lot less scenarios for combined routes.
     
  14. Veryfatbloke

    Veryfatbloke Member

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    Yes, apologies. I do have the full extension bundle, it dawned on me this morning that you were probably talking about WML without the Cornish extension.
     
  15. Doomotron

    Doomotron Well-Known Member

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    It was just combined because it could be; it was done by the same guy (Danny) who did the many London route merges, like South London to Brighton and the route that combines London to Faversham and Chatham Main and Medway Valley Lines. I'd still love to do a full run though...
     
  16. chacal#2181

    chacal#2181 Well-Known Member

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    Thank you all for your answer. A great selection of nice and long routes. I will start with South Western Expressways to Reading for beginning. That should keep busy me for a while.

    By tha way as im really not specialist, what kind of loco should i use ? A HST ? Something else ? In which livrery ? And If i go for a AP 43 which one would be realistic on this route as there is 3 diffrerent ?

    Thanks again.
     
  17. Nick Y

    Nick Y Well-Known Member

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    For SWE reading - Bristol I think the correct HST (class 43) is the MTU one.
    If you buy SWE direct from Just Trains, you will also get scenarios using the correct AP unit in the correct livery. The Steam version has less scenarios and they just use default stock.
     
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  18. driverwoods#1787

    driverwoods#1787 Well-Known Member

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    You can also do Strasbourg Kehl Appenweier Karlsruhe Railway. There is also a merger version of that route made by Danny that combines Strasbourg Kehl Appenweier Karlsruhe with Frankfurt Am Main Koblenz & Frankfurt Am Main Mannheim
     
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  19. 749006

    749006 Well-Known Member

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    You have to think about the time period of when you are running your trains - if you wish to be accurate
    HSTs went from Blue/Grey to InterCity Swallow to Private liveries depending on the company operating them
     
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  20. SJA

    SJA Active Member

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    For accuracy in terms of HSTs as Peter says it depends on the time period. If you want the AP pack to run on it, the MTU pack gives you the more modern liveries (First Great Western and GWR green). For older services you could get the Valenta one for BR Blue and BR Intercity liveries.

    For other passenger stock, the further west you head on the route (such as Bristol), the more you might like to deploy FGW/GWR class 158s or class 150s on stopping passenger services set in recent decades. Again these have AP packs but obviously this is budget dependent.

    I'd obviously like to mention the class 166 but it's dated and not a good drive quality (okay for AI though), although in terms of stock accuracy they've moved westwards in recent years to run services out of Bristol and Taunton.
     
  21. chacal#2181

    chacal#2181 Well-Known Member

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    Thanks for all those explanations, very helpful. I will start by both HST then and 158 then :)
     
  22. Daytona

    Daytona Active Member

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  23. driverwoods#1787

    driverwoods#1787 Well-Known Member

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    Danny also did the Strasbourg Kehl Appenweier Karlsruhe Railway merger with Frankfurt Am Main Mannheim & Frankfurt Am Main Koblenz. Well you can run from koblenz all the way to Strasbourg
     
  24. atomicdanny

    atomicdanny Staff Member

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    Or Offenburg if you drive an ICE or IC train that can't go to France :)
     
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  25. JJTimothy

    JJTimothy Well-Known Member

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    I've seen mention of a merge of WCML North and WCML Over Shap both of which are good routes in their own right. They have a '70s/'80s setting as they come but newer stock wouldn't look too out of place.

    A quick Google turns up this: https://xcroute.com/extended/?page_id=5833
    It includes Edingurgh-Glasgow so may not be the version I read about.
     
  26. roysto25

    roysto25 Well-Known Member

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    Full coverage of HSTs on the Devon/Cornwall routes probably should include the Castle shortened versions (they have the advantage of fitting on the platforms, mostly) - TSTools can let you create those if there is no DLC of them. All 2nd class of course and limited to 100mph (not a problem on that route).
     
  27. driverwoods#1787

    driverwoods#1787 Well-Known Member

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    Thank you for telling me about this since I'm familiar with the international section
     
  28. 749006

    749006 Well-Known Member

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    Or just create them yourself using the built in consist creator
     

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