Route Blackpool Branches - Feedback Thread

They weren't able to get the licensing sadly, was stated in the stream earlier today.

 

Excellent, well done Just Trains, takes me back to my youth and trainspotting days.
Things that would make it better would be announcements at Preston Station, even echoey muffled sounds would be better than nothing.
Other things are most probably limited by TSW engine like better passenger behaviour, I drove a pacer from Preston to Blackpool North and dont think anyone got on or off.
It would be good if the guard actually open/closed the doors on the pacer.
More BR 80's era stuff please.

 

It's a one off per route until your driver gets updated. Then you have to do it again.

 

what’s the driver update ?

 

Fantastic so far. Lots of little details and it's obvious that a ton of research and love went into crafting the route.

Only driven the 142 tutorial and one service from Preston to Blackpool N, but really impressed so far!

 

Pressing the DSD Pedal on the Pacer seems to activate the emergency brake.

Apart from that its a great route so far

 

quite normal, it’s not meant to be grabbed but stood on until your train isn’t moving. (Done automatically in TSW)

 

Is anyone else having an issue with the Pacer where even if you only go into step 1 on the brakes the brakes apply fully? It was working fine until I got to Preston and after that even just going into step 1 would result in a full brake application.

 

Excellent work.

One bit of constructive feedback regarding the Ormskirk branch working. You are given an instruction to run via Signal RD14 which is in the middle of a 70 MPH section. Almost immediately followed by the token stop at Midge Hall a couple of hundred yards further on. Luckily I had slowed down thnking there might be a "trap" with this but really, just make the next instruction after departing Preston to make the token stop. Not sure if the situation repeats similarly running from Ormskirk to Preston.

Oh and the TL11 sounds on the 142. They're not bad, but you can clearly hear a bit of the MetCam DMU sound in there. Not really as I recall the early Pacers sounded. Think they need a bit of work and revision - there was a YT clip of an extensive audio session on a TL11 142 in one of the other threads, which ought to be used as a reference.

Anyhow, onward I go.

 

Your graphics card driver. For me (on PC) every time Nvidia push a new graphic card driver, my shader cache got deleted. Not sure how consoles handle shaders.

 

It does, it was going to be something I recommend changing in a later review, to the same way you suggest.

 

All pre-compiled before we see the game, perk of being a fixed hardware spec.

For me on PS5 the final 3 miles between Poulton-le-Fylde and Blackpool North are juddery, but no worse than the trouble spots found in other routes. Ideally could do with more optimisation here but the level of scenery detail is outstanding and I would rather a small stretch that judders than lose any level of detail across the route.

 

Is this route likely to be bundled with TSW4? Just wondered if I’d missed that. This is the only route I want atm and really great to see so much positive feedback. Shows the value, love and time given to the production.

 

Thoroughly enjoyed my first run on this route.
I think I have spotted an error. The clock hands are incorrect (the minute hand is showing the hour). This picture was taken at 10:15 am. I noticed the problem in the Blackpool North Signal box initially, so I'm assuming it will apply through out.

 

It does the same with the class 47, if you drive with AWS and your DSD on whenever you need to acknowledge the AWS your also pressing the DSD as the game as them as the same button/key, this normally isn't an issue but seeing as it is putting the emergency brakes on when you press the DSD.
Has this always been the case with the 47 on other routes? It's been a long time since I've driven the 47 and I've not got time to go and test at the moment.

 

I haven’t used the 47 yet, but DSD was another issue with a class 47 on previous route, best to leave it isolated

 

Same here.

 

how are the amusement park rides? animated? do you hear people screaming?
they are close to the track and are an unmistakable feature of Blackpool?

 

Absolutely one of the best DLCs released for the entirety of the TSW series. This has a feel of quality and polish as soon as you start moving. The Pacer models are fantastic.

JT guys - if you're reading, you already have the starting point of your next route... Ormskirk. Just going south this time

 

Enjoying the route but have experienced some issues on Blackpool Illuminations:
Poulton-le-Fylde it rains through the bridge
In photo mode the driver disappears but the driver's mate remains (understandable if the driver jumps out at 70mph to take a photo )

 

Roller coaster runs and screams are audible

 

Completed my first drive from Preston to Ormskirk. Wow!
Who needed Blackpool Pleasure Beach when you had the Pacer bounding around like a kangaroo at 70mph across the Fylde? Did they issue sick bags (for the drivers, never mind passengers!)? First time on TSW I have felt that speeding up was a bit "brave".
That was quite an experience.
The only downside is that if you sneak in with the passengers the bounce is no-where near as obvious as it is for the driver.
In addition - despite Galloping Gerty making you look for the seat belts - keeping to time is a bit of a challenge. You really cannot hold back, despite everything.
Truly amazing. Just Trains... Just Wow!

 

i believe it’s called the space ranger the one that runs and has the JT team riding it

 

Seems like the same issue the LIRR M3 or M7 used to have in early TSW2 or TSW3. If you pressed Q to acknowledge the ATC, then the pedal got released and the train put the brakes on.

 

Given that this is BR in the 1980s, how do we know it didn't?

 

It’s a long term class 47 issue, I think it was isolated to either the NTP 47 (i think most it’s this one) or the west Somerset 47

you have keep DSD isolated, it doesn’t change much gameplay on the plus side, as DSD doesn’t do much.

 

Just done my first trip and I have to say WOW.. just WOW. One of the best TSW routes I have ever seen. I had not paid much attention to the pre release cycle for this one but decided to give it a shot and I'm very glad I did. amazing job by the JT team.

The scenery is superb throughout and really captures the run down feel of the branch lines, The animated rollercoaster at Blackpool was not something I was expecting. Pulling into Preston for the first time was a real treat. The station looks fantastic and (at least with all the layers) is buzzing with activity. I'm not sure if the guards whistle followed by a toot on the horn from the departing train is a TSW 4 feature or new to this route but it was a pleasant surprise.

As for the Pacer it is a blast to drive. Bouncing along listening to it go up through the gears really completes the immersive feel of the route.

I cannot wait for my next trip, and indeed for whatever the JT team next have in store for us.

 

Not sure what more i can add other than just WOW. So many little details everywhere you look that just add so much to the experience. As someone who has lived in Preston since 1986 just the little detail of Tom Benson Way being under construction still blew my mind. It’s a straight 10/10 for me after a few hours of play.

 

Just echoing what everyone else has said really (running out of superlatives) - a superb route, which perfectly captures the feel of the railway in the North of England in that era. Plenty of traffic, with lots of variety, a proper timetable (real, input times - not calculated by AI) - a really great route.

There's one peculiarity which I've found - the sectional running time from Preston to Croston does not appear to be achievable. On the stream the train arrived at Croston 2 minutes late, and I did the same on my first run. I couldn't see any way in which more than a few seconds of that could be made up, and it means you're late all the way to Ormskirk.

I've checked a few schedules in the game and Preston - Croston appears to be consistently timed at 9.5 minutes. In reality it takes just over 11 minutes, even if you run hard. I've checked the current (2023) timetable and 12.5 minutes is the scheduled time.

I'm not sure whether this is an input error, or whether the timetable in the 1980s really did allow much less time (I'll hunt a timetable out later and have a look). Potentially at that time the train wouldn't actually stop at Midge Hall box, with tokens exchanged on the move instead. That would only save 15-20 seconds though, given that the train would still need to slow to a crawl. I'm not sure what could account for the rest of the time.

It's not a huge issue, but it's slightly annoying, having stood at Preston for 3 minutes awaiting time, to be unavoidably 2 minutes late at Croston.

 

Track bug

 

One small but really useful thing is the passenger loading time is less than the time you are expected to be parked at the station, so you can arrive a few seconds late but still leave on time.

 

A big thank you to everyone involved. This route is lovely to look at and drive around. Now having the possibility to set our own paths and explore the furthest parts of the map is just awesome. Congrats guys The only weird thing i noticed so far is the DSD in the Class 47 that activates way to quickly. As soon as i lift my foot of the pedal the brake pipe dumps and full braking is engaged. There is no gradual brake application with the familiar “DSD hiss”. No biggy but wiuld be cool if it can be fixed later on Cheers

 

I don't have 1980s timetables, but the 1994 WTT times Preston to Croston for 12 minutes (3 minutes between Preston and Farington Curve and 9 minutes between Farington Curve and Croston).
It was also timed for Sprinters rather than Pacers, and I presume the former had better acceleration.

 

Going out of Blackpool North and entering it around the area where the class 47 is in the sidings with the BR carriages, that's where its very choppy, its like that all the way up to the first station past Blackpool North, but seems worse on the orange class 142. I have the ps4 pro, is the class 31 layer enabled for this, cos I have seen everything else except a class 31, and I have been playing it for 4 hours.

 

Love to see a happy Stujoy glad you’re enjoying it bud.
What is really nice is JT listened and gave back almost instantly. When people mentioned a few things pre-release, they jumped to it to get them changed. Fab route, shame I’m working nights otherwise I’d be still playing haha. Oh well, play with real trains to substitute for the false ones at home haha.

 

I bought the route since it looked good and i want to support more vintage content in all shapes and sizes. Only played a bit since I didn’t have much time but the route looks and feels really good. The detail in the stations is amazing. Very solid first product from Just Trains as far as I can tell for now.

I’m not gonna comment on how I found out about this, but very interesting to see that you can fail a station stop now and move on with the service.

 

Just did a run from Preston to BPN with the 31 - good stuff. Though a bit odd that the Mark Two rake seems to be set up for vacuum brake rather than air.
And of course this route is crying out for some Blue/Grey Mark Ones as well as some additional types adding.

 

Definitely think the mastery reward level 2 was great idea, I haven’t got it unlocked yet (won’t be long) I didn’t think it would be that, but it’s great idea for it.

 

Really fantastic route, the pacer has lots of character like I remember how the real things were, and the TL11 sounds with the self-changing gearbox are better than I expected. Only real niggle so far would be having to close the doors when finishing a service (for the AI to then open them up again a few seconds later especially when ending at Preston). Pretty sure on some other routes you can finish a service with the doors left open (and the AI will take over more seamlessly).

 

Everything about this route is superb one small hitch I have thought is if you attempt to couple pacers in free roam from what I’ve tried you can’t move them nor uncouple them again

 

I agree about having to close doors when finishing, hope this can be changed. Also the passenger system needs looking at, I had an 8 coach loco hauled train and arrived Blackpool North almost empty. Other times with a full train nearly all the passengers get off at the next stop.

 

I Bought this route Direct from JT site and received 145 reward points (which translates to £1.45). This added towards my existing 105 points means I now have 250 reward points for a total of £2.50 discount towards any future Just trains purchase. So I would like to thank Just Trains not only for the quality of this route but also for the generosity of the rewards scheme in operation for direct customers. Well Done Just Trains!

 

Did you press and hold the couple button for a minimum of 2 seconds once you'd connected the units together?
If you don't do this, the units will not act as one and the brakes will not release.

 

Blackpool Route is Pure Nostalgia... and I have enjoyed every moment of playing the route!! Love the 142 and other JT updates to the NTP stock. I also used the Pacer on NTP and set Camera judder to 200%!! The Pacer loved it... kept Nodding Approval up and down the Hills!! All the way to Leeds!!

 

Just put this in my Tees Valley Line timetable I'm building, and can confirm the announcements work for all the TVL stations flawlessly! Also tried them on West Cornwall Local.

 

PS5 user:

Echoing the many comments above, the route is fantastic. My favourite so far was a trip from Blackpool south to Preston around 6-7pm when it was just starting to lose daylight, it was stunning.

I like to start with the ‘journeys’ and after the training module, the first run took a few goes to get going. First load in left the buzzer running after leaving Preston (mentioned somewhere above too) then on my 2nd attempt I paused to take a photo on the bridge just south of Preston and the game crashed once I’d taken the photo. On the 3rd attempt it spawned in a 101 instead of a pacer??!! 4th attempt was fine, and I’ve done 4 other journeys so far on the Ormskirk and Blackpool south lines without issue.

One Major issue I’ve had is with frame rate once getting to Poulton in a pacer. The run from there to Blackpool north was pretty jolty and not fun at all. I then ran the illumination scenario in the 47, and although it still wasn’t great, it was better compared to the pacer. As someone else also mentioned above, I was also using the orange Pacer.

Overall great experience so far, and for their first route in the game, it’s the best English route DLC I’ve had.

 

hopefully one day myself and others will see it on console or as a layer for TVL

it’s great to have it on WCL, trouble is pulling myself away from the Blackpool route to try it out properly

 

Yep, I have to agree any concerns about the Pacers acceleration is unfounded, exactly what I expected in terms of realism.

Only played one service so far, (Ormskirk to Blackpool South) but I’m very very impressed.

The route, scenery, stations are absolutely beautiful.

And the Pacer what an addition for TSW!

We really have been spoilt!

 

I ran a service on WCL from St Austell to Penzance. The announcements were fine until I pressed it to announce the next station which was Penzance, and it said the next station was St Austell

 

Really enjoyed the route today/yesterday now, very much lives up to the expectations I had for this route, I’m working on writing up full feedback (going to take sometime and more playing) but yea massive appreciation to JT for this.

already looking forward to and wish JT luck with future projects.

Going to throw in a few shots I took yesterday (do note pics were taken using photo mode and may have had photo settings moved about), to complete this post, I think they help show the enjoyment of the route and back up the positive words with examples of what’s being said.