New British Routes Speculation

I get where you're coming from James. An express line would be fine by me as well - as long as there's stuff going on, occasional adverse signalling, occasional stops etc.
I've found the Ashford and Kassel routes a bit dull tbh, nothing to do with the scenery as they are v well constructed but I've found myself dozing off a bit. I've just been using the 465 on SEHS to drive the stopping patterns. I think I've only driven the Ashford and Kassel lines once and don't really have the urge to drive them again.

 

Trust me you have just chosen the wrong service. There are plenty of services that you seem to be chasing a service infront. I've just done one such service. Think it was 7.38 st Pancras to ebsfleet only 20mins give it a try

 

Bit disappointed both new routes are modern but will reserve judgement in the case that they may still offer something appealing.

Good to see another 3rd party on board.

I am wishing though at least one would specialise in retro BR era stuff as right now West Cornwall was the last offered and I still can't bring myself to buy it. Maybe I go bug the old making tracks team to start up again!!

 

Oh the stuff they did for MSTS was just superb, the GE route was my most favourite. Didn't one of their team sadly pass away during the creation of GE or just after release?

 

( I had originaly posted this in the suggestions tab so this is a copy and paste ) in this post i am suggesting the potential routes that could be coming in the near future. firstly it is important to note that the 2 new uk routes by Rivet and DTG are specualted to be post 2011 with alternating diesel and electric.
ATS announced their partnership in the october roadmap and im going to start by speculating what they could bring in the future. in TSC they were well known for their high quality WCML and ECML, Both have very high demand in TSW but i think the first route by ATS would be something on the ECML and would be London Kings cross - Peterborough. The route will be London Kings Cross to Peterborough. The route would be 75 miles and would see a good service variety and patterns. The base rolling stock would include. The class 43 HST in Virgin East Coast, Class 91 virgin trains east coast. Class 365 Great Northern and class 313 Great Northern.
The services the 43 and 91 would do are express services calling at mainly peterborough only with some making stops at Stevenage. The class 365 would run services mainly for Kings Lynn and Ely with some succeeding thurther to peterborough. and finally the class 313 would run northern city line services originating in the city from moorgate untill it joins up with the ECML at Finsbury Park and runs all the way along to Welwyn Garden City.
These may seem like alot of liscences to obtain but ATS have had a good history with alot of the UK TOCs which can bring hope for such a big timetable.

Rivet Games Upcoming UK route. as said before the route will be Diesel and Electric. and that route would most likely be Suburban Glasgow Springburn - Helensburgh. This route was created for TSC by rivet games. The reason why im choosing this route is because Rivet released a sneak peak which looks extremely like Partick station which is on the line. the image looks TSW 3 quality which is a good indication.
Route Info from the TSC route.

Explore the complexities of Glasgow with Rivet Partners Suburban Glasgow Northwest Route!

Formed in 1960 as an amalgamation of various Victorian - era railways in the Glasgow area, The current North Clyde Line runs from Edingburgh Waverly to Helensburgh Central, with branches to Springburn , Balloch and Milngavie. Originally home to the Venerable class 303 or "Blue Trains." the current iteration of the route showcases a wide variety of stock, including many specials - often steam hauled heading to the West Highland Line.

West of Glasgow the line splits just west of Partick, with one route taking taking a northerly course through the Glasgow suburbs of Anniesland and Knightswood, before merging with the southerly line in the Clydebank district of Dalmuir. The southerly course passed through the traditional industrial heartland of the Clyde Valley. After Clydebank the route becomes distinctly rural, before ending in the foothills of the Highlands at Helesnburgh.

Thanks to Rivet games and Partners, you can now delve into the historic network and take on passenger services on diesel and electric traction alike with Glasgow Northwest: Springburn - Helensburgh.

Key Features:
Highly detailed and authentic recreation of the real life route
43 Accurately recreated stations
Scotrail "Choo Choo" plant pots seen all over the network
The impresive area around Finnieston
Traverse the west of Glasgow using both routes via Singer or Yoker
Also included are the branches to Springburn, Milngavie and Balloch for a wide variety of workings
The West Highland Line can be driven from Glasgow Queen Street to Helensburgh Upper can be driven along with the full implementation of the Maryhill Line. (This may not be included)
BR Class 320 EMU in ScotRail Saltire livery
BR Class 158 DMU in ScotRail Saltire livery

This seems like a fitting route for post 2011 and will add a nice change to the TSW franchise.
Now lets move on to the DTG route specualtion.
Theres 2 options, 1. Birmingham Cross City Line. 2. Crewe to Hollyhead.
As much as id like to see the North Wales Coastal Crewe to Hollyhead i think DTG will choose the Birmingham Cross City Line.

Key Features:

37-mile (60km) Cross City Line from Lichfield Trent Valley to Bromsgrove and Redditch via Birmingham New Street
25 authentically detailed stations
Dense commuter services, linking important interchange hubs and local communities.
Tackle the fames Lickey Incline, the steepest sustained main-line railway incline in Great Britain; 1:37.7 for two miles between Bromsgrove and Barnt Green.
BR Class 323 (Aka the hyper networker) EMU in London Midland livery
BR Class 350/1 350/2 350/3 in London Midland livery
EWS Class 66

If you like my Suggestion and speculation the feel free to reply with your thoughts and opinions.

 

Agreed OldVern. I was thinking Birmingham Cross City Line or maybe the Chat Moss line from leeds to manchester via bradford interchange. Having been on the Chat Moss Line in real life id really like to see it recreated in the game. Beautiful scenery. however its more likely to be Cross City because of the Electrified route.

 

I really hope DTG's is ECML York-Newcastle, they've shown they can do that length now.

 

I know this would have a love hate situation but is an East Coastway extension in the books to Ashford International. Theyd have to rebuild the current route but it is quite short so thats a possibility. and if its between 2011 and 2015 then the class 171 used to run full length services from ashford all the way through to brighton. On the british ace roadmap video he said that people have figured with the codes that both routes are electric and diesel so and extension would make sense. we would still get the electrostars through to Ore but then its Turbostars through to Ashford on the single lines with great countryside views along the romney marshes.

 

To be honest we needed something modern again, especially in the north. there are no modern routes in the north apart from cathcart circle

 

I know it was in TSC, but Newcastle to York is quite dull irl. Peterborough to York is a much better choice if they aren't doing it out of King's Cross. Far more points of interest such as Stoke Bank and the flat crossing at Newark.

 

Dale Stewart was involved. He was also a well known character in the enthusiast scene down south involved in Specials and the like on the NSE area. He passed away during the Making Tracks active years iirc.

 

Two routes it is though, and quite possible like Cathcart they will have large stations with many empty platforms......

 

Hmm, was my suggestion right I wonder..?

 

Not surprised to be honest. I had a feeling Rivet would do something Scottish.

Of course there is a chance this is a red herring though.

 

I trust them to get an EMU right more than a DMU, they seem to be more experienced with them. I'm not as attached to 385s as 150s so I won't be as upset if they botch it although that's no excuse.

Question is which of the 4 or 5 routes between the two cities have they chosen? Assuming they're resusing Glasgow Central my guess is via Shotts although if anyone more familiar with the area has any theories I'd like to hear them.

 

Who knows, might not even be a train, could be a tram.

 

Cardiff - Didcot and a N. Ireland route would have all the UK represented in game and would be awesome imo but knowing DTG that will never happen. We will probably get an existing route extended again,

Not really excited for another Scottish route, still have to buy Cathcart. Why can't they add more trains? I'd also like DTG to move away from London and Chatham, midlands or further up North would be good and a closed route would be excellent. While I'm dreaming a career mode would be fantastic for TSW3 but coming back to Earth that would far too complicated for DTG to handle I think.

 

Seeing how dtg love to recycle, what about a modern Liverpool to crewe, maybe with a extension here an there.

 

Prefect english route for me would be The Wcml between the late 90’s and early 2000’s when we had the class 87s and hsts speeding up and down the line

 

We all know we’re getting a route where the 387 will come back.

With the recent work on the HST too I’m guessing we’re going to see ECML.

I just really hope we see a new train, it feels like DTG just don’t want to make anything that isn’t a relative of something we already have.

 

I'm hoping for a class 91. Love those locos. Especially on the ECML would be amazing

 

If that's the case, I'm definitely spending my money on NTP for TSC instead.

 

This "recycling" gives the variety of rolling stock we have now. A.i services, different trains etc.

But i agree, dtg has to introduce new regions at some point. A good opportunity would be adding an independent dlc to glasgow central with mainline traffic. Means cathcart and this new route could be purchaised separat, but plug them if you own both.
For variety 2 scottish loco dlcs + 1 wagon dlc.

I think the most important thing when going for a new region is also some additional rolling stock & dlcs for the variety. 2021/22 dtg came away from the empty stations and added static stock & a.i services. This was in my opinion the best feature for making the entire experience much better.

 

We do?

 

When is the estimated time of info release. Like route name, steam DB achievements being uploaded etc. I'm sire it's normally 2 weeks from roadmap ro Steam DB or am I wrong?

 

Recently we've seen Roadmap (I'm the case of IoW 2022)- release within the month

 

Anything 80+ miles with more than just 2 trains will do nicely. Not fussed about where and when.

 

Rivet have already worked with DTG on a Scottish route involving Glasgow station (as most people on here already know) so I think OP's suggestion is pretty logical. Honestly, they did solid work with IOW22 and CCL could use a layer to liven up Glasgow a bit.
As for the DTG route- not sure what to expect but I have a hunch they'd want to go with a long route since the new TSW3 routes have been trending in that direction.
Anyway, I'm pretty pumped.

 

But what is the actual problem with that? Obviously everyone is going to have their favourite types of rolling stock, however if it adds more playable services and AI traffic, plus gives a lot more variety to a route then it's surely a win? Most of the best routes that already exist on TSW are normally ones that use existing loco DLC - London Commuter = Class 166, 313, 375, 465, 66, 43 etc.

 

It’s not about favourite rolling stock it is about the electrostars being reused 4 times

 

Also we don't want another London centric route

 

But, for example, if there were ever a modern ECML route, the Class 387 in real life is a big part of that between Kings Cross and Peterborough - you can't simply not include it just because some don't like Electrostars! My original point was that new routes, where applicable, should use all available and existing DLC to improve the overall timetable if realistic to the real-life route.

 

I absolutely 100% agree that we should be seeing the rolling stock wherever it can be used.

I however do not want to see another route where we get a full roster of rolling stock we already have.

I just want to add that we obviously have no idea what the routes will be, however given the information we have and the recent history of DTG, we are in a prime position here to see ECML with a HST & 387.

Yes it’s an unavoidable fact that we will HAVE to see reused rolling stock & similar gameplay, however every time we get a modern UK route we’re back in the south with an electrostar, and frankly, it’s boring.

 

And Ecml 387 wouldn’t be THAT bad compared to BML, ECW and SEHS electrostar as we would be getting a break from the Disgusting 3rd rail and move onto ohle

 

Stoke bank should be reserved for a steam route so we can have a record breaking run behind an A4.

 

Mallard wasn't the only engine to set a record on Stoke Bank. 91s, HSTs and Deltics have all reached exceptional speeds down it.

And who's to say we couldn't get loco DLC of an A4 in preservation? Or any steam loco for that matter? I feel like this would be a great solution to satisfy fans of all classic traction. Steam era routes are clearly going to take substantially longer than modern routes to develop, and if SoS was anything to go by then the end result may not be that special. It would be the best of both worlds in my opinion.

I'm a huge steam fan, but routes in the steam era don't excite me that much.

 

Whilst I personally don't want to see stuff 'recycled' again, I have a feeling we may see an announcement of the ECML South: London to Peterborough route being announced soon.

Rolling stock we already have which can be used on it:
- Class 66
- MFA freight ballast wagon
- HST (interior design changes required)
- Class 313 (interior design and AC physics adjustment required)
- Class 465 shell (to be used for a new Class 365)
- Class 387 (Minor design changes required)

Future DLC for the route:
- Class 91
- Class 80x Azuma
- Class 700

 

There'd have to to change quite a bit of the 465 to turn it into a 365. The front end looks completely different (are the 365s what people nickname "happy trains" or is that the Pendolinos?), addition of a pantograph, and I'm assuming the physics would need an update as the 365s are 100mph capable.

Unlike other people on this forum, I'd gladly welcome a 387 on an ECML south route. Makes complete sense to populate the route and add more gameplay.

 

I don’t have many requests… but we‘ve had tons of commuter routes in and around London with generally similar scenery, stations and rolling stock. I‘d like to see something completely new in the north/east/west of England, with new trains and a unique experience. And I think it’s completely fair to expect that as we haven’t had a completely new modern UK route in a long time.

Regarding Rivet‘s add-on, I hope they stick to their high-quality and relatively short routes.

 

Yeah, that's true. The 365s are refereed to as 'Happy Trains' due to the look of their front end. Also, yes, it would require changes to the 465 model of course.

 

Personally speaking, although I'm sure others have the same mindset, I don't mind reused stock as long as there's still something new alongside it. For me the breaking point is when they only reuse and rework locos, without at least one built from scratch for the line. Especially in the case of a line like here, where there's major types that aren't currently depicted.

I think it would be worth it to include either the 225 or 800 as the new rolling stock for the route, with the other included stock being reworked EMU's and the HST. While the other that isn't made and the 700 be made as DLC later on for the route. That I think would be a decent compromise between new and reused stock in this case.

 

I think it will be KGX to PBO.
We see longer routes are possible, there’s a reasonable amount of stations, fast and slow lines, freight runs, a depot and repair yard and we already have SOS and the other WCML line recently updated.

DTG keep saying they listen to customer base, we have no ECML and it’s been top of requests for few years

 

I think dtg do listen to its customer base then dismiss everything that's said.

 

I would too but I think the two UK routes will be 2011 - 2019? Something like that.

Really like the HST but completely agree. DTG don't seem to understand the player base. New trains and busier routes would be a winner for them as would flushing out old routes.

Disgusting third rail? I'm an early steam and diesel fan really but I find the OHLE ugly, I want to see the train not wires but each to their own.

Same here but I don't see DTG doing my era of steam (late 1820's). Still find it bizarre DTG like to avoid some of the more iconic trains we have seen over the years like the Mallard, Deltic, etc and of course the mighty 121!

 

If it is ECML South, then I would prefer with the 365 and 313 even than the 387.
Just had to come off an Electrostar run on SEHS as I was losing the will to live. Pushing the shopping trolley round Aldi really is more exciting than driving those things.

Of course if it was up to me, I'd want it set in 1970, so you could have Deltics and 47's on the main lines with 31's/non corridor stock and various DMU's on the locals and of course the Widened Lines...

 

the 365 is a new train the sounds are little bit different the physics is not same

 

Actually that said and further to what I put above... Just fired up a run in the 365 in TSC ECML South and there is virtually no traction thrash audible at all in the cab. Might be authentic if the motored car is mid train but not very exciting.

 

I found it bizarre they choose to do Sherman Hill in modern day for that reason, I'd think they'd want to save that for the almost inevitable day when DTG or a third party decide to do a Union Pacific steam route. And even if they wanted to do Sherman Hill post-steam the 70's or 80's would've been so much better. Would've given them the perfect chance to do a DDA40X! As well as some more generic 80's types like the GP30 if they really wanted to.

 

I was not impressed by the Luzern route by Rivet, inaccurate sounds and a very bland route. So I hope that they do not take on anything significant for the UK.

 

My Raildriver is making a groaning sound. I think it senses another Electrostar coming on.

Can we assume steam and diesel are dead and gone from TSW UK?