IMHO.. the Guides section should have a link to the latest version of the spreadsheet. Agree this thread should stay in general discussion. I spent a few minutes trying to find it.
How I love ECS runs: Voralberg ÖBB 4024 Talent S1 (5655) Empty Stock from Bregenz Hafen to FeldKirch at 20:21 Spoiler: You get the usual ECS treatment. And follow a stopping service into FeldKirch with plenty of yellows and reds. It's a great chance to learn Austrian signalling!
I am currently running service 23270 from Röderau to Dresden Hbf on Nahverkehr Dresden with the Vectron. You get held up behind a late running RB31 at Niederau (+10 minutes) and you follow it until Coswig, stopping a few times in between. Run it through journey mode for a foggy run. Would recommend PZB U and 100 km/h max speed because stopping those 2000 tons won't be easy!
The spreadsheets are updated with the first of the TSW4 recommendations. I am spending almost all my time on Voralberg; what an excellent route! Google Published Documents: TSW3&4 Recommended Service Runs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...4lUuBrw-k2_y7FxuzH6mZ1m3Qu4YTfLViTfxQ/pubhtml TSW Compatible Recommended Service Runs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet..._wzt7qTCooxSTBW8pGAwYLs_ohsdDOcQOuZ4A/pubhtml Chaos Runs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...yCTbHVZrwBSBUUkPiiJGlTWfRXexfPn7kBVDw/pubhtml Excel Spreadsheets: TSW3&4 Recommended Service Runs https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...ouid=108028767534258522758&rtpof=true&sd=true TSW Compatible Recommended Service Runs https://drive.google.com/file/d/14YgilvnKZFc7TJXyqftRJ0I5yTMlMf81/view?usp=sharing Chaos Runs https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cMKrwNA2OmZz8tVEQo1_FZnRZXpNT463/view?usp=sharing
Well I didn't realize there were two services with the number 23270 the one I was referring to is the 11:59 Röderau-Dresden, not the 07:46. Sorry for the inconvenience!
Route: ECML DLC: 158 Headcode: 1L14 1L14 (1816 Grantham to Peterborough) I lost 2 minutes Grantham to Stoke Junction as I was driving to cautionary aspects, I used Realtime Trains for accurate schedule timings for passing points. As a result on approach to Peterborough I was held to let 1E20 into Platform 3, while I threaded my way after into Platform 6 over the ECML, I was due at Peterborough at 1844, with 1E20 booked there at 1847. But 1E20 got preference! Nice to see how clever the dispatcher can be and mimic real life with regulation decisions that would have applied by the signaller/Train Running Controller.
It's a good run! I had some adverse signals, but not in the same location you did. I suspect I was a little slow dragging around those 2000 tons. It took me 49 minutes to finish. DRA now has a neutral zone. Nice!
I've read a lot here passively but today I'd like to add this run: Voaralberg S-Bahn - Freight service 45854 Amstetten - Wolfort at 03:44 on the Vectron You'll be following the S1 (5614) all the time, continuously encountering adverse signals and PZB action. Set the PZB mode to U. The service will finish with a shunting run to the locomotive's parking space. Spoiler: The run depends a lot on your driving style. You'll catch up with the S1 quite early. Your light freight train and the downhill route will tempt you to accelerate rapidly. If you drive rather aggressively, you'll come to a full stop at several red signals. Accelerate carefully, and brake deliberately, and you will have a smoother ride. Set the date to July/August, and the light of the sunrise will make it difficult to identify the signal lights.
I think the signaling is bugged toward the end of this run. I got a clear advance signal with no activated magnet, followed by a red shunting signal with an active 2000hz magnet. Also, since they had me park in front of another unit, shouldn’t I have been required to stop at a hard red and get permission from dispatch to proceed?
Lol i came here to recommend the 07:46 version and now i'll have to try the 11:59! So... Dresden-Riesa 23270 Hamburg-Harburg to Decin (Roderau-Dresden Hbf 07:46 Vectron I ran this in PZB U. As mentioned above for the 11:59, it's a heavy train and i ran into increasingly poor weather (and a couple penalty breaks for being too slow to acknowledge oof). Restarting on even a 0.5% gradient in a downpour was a little challenging. Have to be on your toes with signals and PZB especially in the beginning of the run. The Vectron is just a great drive!
Is there something wrong with Hauptstrecke Rhein Ruhr? I did a service from the recommended list which was supposed to have a lot of ai traffic and I saw about 6 other trains in total. Or is that how it is supposed to be?
I don't know about anything being wrong with HRR. Do you have the BR101 DLC, plus the layers from MSB? If not, you can expect less AI traffic. If you do have these add-ons, the perhaps it would be more helpful if you listed the exact service you are referring to, so others might check.
Speaking of HRR, here's a service to try: BR101 IC2157 @1559. Lots of PZB activity. Adverse weather will of course increase your challenge and introduce SPAD potential.
I believe it was the DB87202. I have all the german content. Saw one br 101 and about five of the EMUs in total. The route felt quite empty considering the shear (hope thats how you spell it) amount of tracks.
I saw about the same level of AI traffic, but it was of an amount that I might expect from HRR at 0730. There is, however, a very cool overtake of your train on approach to Mulheim Hbf. My guess is that the overtake is why this service is on the awesome list. The overtake may only be possible if you are keeping to PZB U max speed of 105 km/h so if you didn't see it, that might be why. Otherwise, I'm not sure what is happening with your run, but HRR appears as normal to me.
Excellent run! I believe there is a typo and the correct number is 45854. This is my favorite run so far on a route that is rapidly becoming my favorite overall. Thank you for finding it. Edit: Speaking of typos, I think I finally got the Vorarlberg spelling correct on the spreadsheat.
Another nice Vectron run on VBRG: 41654 Wolfurt to Salzburg Part 2 at 12:51 Part 1 is also interesting where you couple to your train and dodge some incoming traffic. There is also a cab switch. The wait between parts 1 and 2 is about an hour, so I ran them separately. Spoiler: Run if first! You get an occasional adverse signal behind a regional and also get a complete stop at Feldkirch due to oncoming freight traffic headed into the yard. The red is preceded by double greens which indicates a 60km/h limit. I am not sure if that is the proper signal sequence into the stop, though.
Absolutely, I've corrected in my previous post. Bye the way, have you considered to add links to the posts here in the forum where the runs have initially been described? This would be very helpful.
I feel like that would make the spreadsheets cumbersome. You can always search the thread for the run number. For the “chaos runs” I added a post number, but that got messed up when some posts got taken down.
Another great ECS run if you really want to learn the handling characteristics of the Talent 1: VBRG R5 (28853) Empty Stock move Feldkirch to Lindau Hbf at 16:05 with the ÖBB 4024 Talent No real spoiler, just the usual ECS shenanigans. Depending on your arrival at Lindau, you may run into some traffic there as well. Run it in spring for a nice sunset. I am really enjoying both the Vectron and the Talent 1 on VBRG. I can't get enough of this route. With that, the spreadsheets should be updated. As always, let me know of any errors or omissions. Google Published Documents: TSW3&4 Recommended Service Runs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...4lUuBrw-k2_y7FxuzH6mZ1m3Qu4YTfLViTfxQ/pubhtml TSW Compatible Recommended Service Runs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet..._wzt7qTCooxSTBW8pGAwYLs_ohsdDOcQOuZ4A/pubhtml Chaos Runs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...yCTbHVZrwBSBUUkPiiJGlTWfRXexfPn7kBVDw/pubhtml Excel Spreadsheets: TSW3&4 Recommended Service Runs https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...ouid=108028767534258522758&rtpof=true&sd=true TSW Compatible Recommended Service Runs https://drive.google.com/file/d/14YgilvnKZFc7TJXyqftRJ0I5yTMlMf81/view?usp=sharing Chaos Runs https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cMKrwNA2OmZz8tVEQo1_FZnRZXpNT463/view?usp=sharing
More Vorarlberg action with the ÖBB 4024 Talent; an amazing string of 4 runs. Start with R5 (25853) Empty Stock move Lustanau to Dornbirn 16:39 At Dornbirn return to free roam, change ends and run R1 (25874) Dornbing to Bregenz at 17:04 At Bregenz, return to free roam, change ends, and run R1 (25877) Bregenz to Feldkirch at 17:19 and finish the set with returning to free roam at Feldkirch, once more changing ends, and driving R5 (25853) Empty Stock move Feldkirch to Lindau Hbf at 18:06. All of these runs are excellent with adverse signals, but the third one is my personal favorite. Being able to string them together makes for quite a challenge to avoid a SPAD or a PZB error and stay on time. Highly recommended! GOAT nominee material for me.
If switching is your preference and you've bought the Santa Fe F7 add-on, you owe it to yourself to operate the UP DOWN LEFT RIGHT job. That title tells you all you need to know!
Wow, those are wonderful! I got nearly to the end of the second one before I got PZB'd -- will need to try again tomorrow. Thanks for the great recommendation!
For me, 1 and 2 were awesome-ish but not GOAT, but 3 and 4 were superb. I think 4 is my personal favourite of the set. It's particularly fun applying the 'don't release on green unless it's an AS signal' rule in the dark!
Enjoyed this one as well. I like being able to string along consecutive timetable runs in an interesting way. curious: for the ECS runs, should I be trying to lower my speed to match the average speed of the train in front of me? Or rush ahead to the reds in order to clear the line?
It seems that adverse signals are not rare on Vorarlberg. Love it! Here are some other interesting services I found: EN (40467) Zurich HB to Budapest Keleti @ 23:02 with the MRCE 182 Experience some late night intercity PZB action on your way to Bludenz with a doubleheaded 182 train that handles a bit differently than the 4024. R5 (25853) Empty Stock move Dornbirn to Feldkirch at 16:09 with the ÖBB 4024 Talent A typical ECS run following an active service, but you also deal with some opposing traffic. S3 (5734) St Margrethen to Bregenz at 06:37 with the ÖBB 4024 Talent Serious SPAD potential here. Once you arrive at Bregenz, you can't drive the service the other way, but you can walk to the other end for a cab view of your AI driver deftly handling traffic in front. The service does not stop at Lustenau on the way back so you pass the station and ride off into end of map oblivion.
Mainz Koblenz, the 628, SE (14409) Bad Kreuznach to Mainz Hbf waiting for trains to pass at the beginning and a lot of PZB overall
A really nice freight run on Vorarlberg: 71416 Wolfurt to Amstetten with the Vectron at 16:47 Run it in March for a nice sunset. Take the light loco out to the consist, couple up, switch ends, and let the adventure begin on your way to Bludenz. The run will take longer than advertised! Spoiler: Spoiler You aren't released to leave the yard until a southbound passenger service clears and then you deal with adverse signals as you chase it. There is a bit of a logjam at Bludenz where you and the passenger service wait on opposing traffic.
An excellent 158 run on ECML: 1R80 Norwich to Liverpool Lime Street at17:22 Some really nice AI and other issues as well; you will not be on time! Edit: Run it in May or June. Spoiler: Just do it! You get some nice parallel running with the Scotsman as it passes you and then you chase yellows to Stoke Junction where you then have to wait for an Azuma service
Good question! I ran it in May. I did not realize that the Scotsman services were seasonal. It looks like Service 1Z22 spawns as AI in May and June.
I have another one for the vintage fans: (72494) Mainz Bischofsheim to Cologne - Part 2 at 14:46 using the Br 110 on LFR. Train set-up for anyone interested should be P/P for the brakes in PZB mode M with Vmax of 120km/h. I ran it in a November rainstorm which provided a nice atmosphere. Spoiler Not long after Niederheimbach, you begin catching up to a local service, which you follow all the way to Koblenz. So you’ll be riding the yellows and/or constantly stopping/starting for most of the run. Very annoying in the most realistic of ways
Yes, this was a good run. (Once I'd remembered the PZB and Brake Mode switches were in the other cab, that is!)
Here is a good Class 801/1 LNER service on ECML: 1H01 London Kings Cross to Hull at 08:26. Spoiler: Spoiler You catch up to a York bound 801/2 service and have a platform wait at Retford. I don't think the month matters. I ran it in May.
Great run and the best description ever: "Very annoying in the most realistic of ways " It is never disappointing to tap change my way along the Rhein. The spreadsheets are up to date in anticipation of BPO; I am excited to explore this timetable! When we find services to recommend for the new route, the month should probably be specified. Here is my understanding of the seasonal services on BPO: 8f Railtour: January, February, and March Preston Docker Class 20 Railtour: April and May Summer Season Services: June, July, August, and September Blackpool Illumination Specials: October, November, and December Update: Google Published Documents: TSW3&4 Recommended Service Runs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...4lUuBrw-k2_y7FxuzH6mZ1m3Qu4YTfLViTfxQ/pubhtml TSW Compatible Recommended Service Runs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet..._wzt7qTCooxSTBW8pGAwYLs_ohsdDOcQOuZ4A/pubhtml Chaos Runs: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...yCTbHVZrwBSBUUkPiiJGlTWfRXexfPn7kBVDw/pubhtml Excel Spreadsheets: TSW3&4 Recommended Service Runs https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...ouid=108028767534258522758&rtpof=true&sd=true TSW Compatible Recommended Service Runs https://drive.google.com/file/d/14YgilvnKZFc7TJXyqftRJ0I5yTMlMf81/view?usp=sharing Chaos Runs https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cMKrwNA2OmZz8tVEQo1_FZnRZXpNT463/view?usp=sharing Please let me know of any errors or omissions.
Good one, and I had the extra displeasure, while running through a dynamic weather induced November rainstorm, to have my driver side wiper bugging away leaving me with only the backup manual control to clear the windshield. How's that for annoying? For those interested, part 1 is a complete opposite, greens all the way, except for a lone Sh-1 at the end when you reach the siding. Depending how you drive part 1, there's time for anything from a coffee and a cig to a three course meal between the two halves.
I completely agree with this, particularly the point about this thread being not just a guide, but a meeting place to post and share good experiences on TSW. This thread keeps the game alive for me and encourages me to try new routes and services. More importantly, it provides a place where the community can share part of what makes this game so enjoyable. I am but a caretaker here and will continue to maintain the lists as long as I enjoy TSW and people keep posting runs. By my calculations views and posts have diminished since it was moved, despite the release of multiple new routes. I took a data point on September 9, shortly after it was moved, and calculated approximately 190 views per day and 1.3 posts per day since the start in December 2020. Since being moved, even with what I presume to be an influx of new players and the release of multiple new routes, posts are somewhat lower at about 1.1/day and views are down to about 140/day. I understand DTG's decision to move it with the TSW4 release and the forum restructuring. However, we are out of the pre-release and release windows for TSW 4 and I would much prefer it back in the General Discussion section. I say this not as the creator, but rather an enthusiastic participant in sharing and discussing awesome TSW runs with the community. This is not about me or "my thread." This thread is not mine. It belongs to a community of players gathering to discuss and enjoy the wonders of a TSW and a 24 hour timetable. I personally want our community achievement in the best place for it to continue to thrive.
Fully agree with the above. That thread (and your work keeping the spreadsheets up to date) are an integral part of my (and many others, I'd expect) enjoyment of TSW. It doesn't belong in this section and your statistics on views/day is a clear indication that many, most likely newcomers, aren't profiting from it. Thankfully they can enjoy the angry name-calling and ravenous fanboying unleashed by every patch or DLC announcement since TSW4 reveal in peace in TSW general discussions without that pearl of a thread taking space on the front page. Sigh.
Absolutely. Even if it may appear otherwise to the uninitiated, this thread is so much more than a guide. It's where we can come together to share some of our favourite memories with TSW. The fact that the thread has been alive now for three years and will hopefully continue to thrive (knock on wood) is amazing and a testament to our community and your dedication to taking good care of it, JustWentSouth - many thanks. While I didn't check any data, I had the impression that the thread has been less lively since the move. It doesn't really belong in the guides section and should be restored to its proper place. DTG JD, you said the decision to move the thread could be reviewed in the future. The pre-release and release window of TSW4 has come and gone. There are merely three stickied threads in the General Discussion now. Among them, a seemingly similar thread about free roam ideas. Any chance this thread could be returned to its proper place - stickied in the General Discussion?
Hey folks. I've moved this back into General Discussion, after the TSW4 launch threads have quietened down a little bit. Thanks for the nudge, and keep sharing your favourite runs!
2F08 Blackpool South to Ormskirk This is part of journey mode on Blackpool Branches and on this run in the Pacer, you will get held up at a red signal outside of Preston station. The AI traffic will make the wait worthwhile when you waiting for the other Pacer in front of you to move out of the station.
