Can I be allowed to tell you that you are my favourite personright now? Allow me to explain. Over a year ago I started to contemplate my own route ideas and suggestions for TSW, not going purely fantasy but actually basing it in what TSW and its devs are actually capable of doing. Since then in fact the idea I came up with has only grown even more possible because every single train I had in the suggestion has now been added to the game elsewhere (thank you Just Trains). This was the routemap I edited up for that very suggestion. Still been meaning to publish it in some form somewhere, but my contemplation was making it a mid-privatisation setting at around 2010, featuring the older Arriva livery on a 150 Sprinter and a 142 Pacer, and an EWS Class 37 making quarry runs to and from Tower Goitre. (Also, I too am a native of East Anglia.)
As a resident of Merthyr Tydfil I'd love to see the valley lines. However I think they'd have to either wait until the new 398s are in service or backdate the route a few years, as at present the lines are in a weird state of transition. Most if not all of the wires are up and have been live for a while, yet 150s still reign supreme and the 398s have barely started testing. I'm surprised people from East Anglia are more enthusiastic about it than me, an actual local though! I'd personally prefer the South Wales Coast to be honest, but I'd never turn down DTG doing my home route.
I love the railways of East Anglia, but I also like discovering new places. I also really want the next TSW route to be an interesting network or an extension and upgrade to an existing route rather than an unrealistic middle slice of a route. ECML for example, drove it a couple of times and haven't been back. Extend it to York or Kings Cross with a Class 91 and it'll become a favourite.
I'm a medium in a way. I was born and in my early years bred in Suffolk, yet I actually spent six years living in Merthyr like yourself. A good chunk of my childhood was spent there, and it was there that my love of railways came into being. I have fond memories of catching a rattling old Pacer from what remained of the Merthyr station beside the Tesco (both before and after the second car park layer was constructed) to head to Barry Island for a day, changing trains at Pontypridd because it took us multiple years before we actually realised that it was simpler and cheaper to change to the dedicated Barry Island service from Cardiff Central instead. I also remember several days where Pontypridd was our actual destination and not just a change, as we'd go there to visit the large indoor marketplace. I haven't been back since years before the lockdowns but I imagine places like that are all but dead now.
If we are going to Wales I'd love to see the use of the 67 along with MK4 coaches and the DVT. I quite like how the MJW one handles in TSC. Quite fun. I guess if they do that, they should sort out the 91 and the MK4s beforehand as the coaches would be a simple copy and paste of the coaches and maybe modifying the livery. Then they only need to worry about making the 67, so saves them time and money (which I think they wouldn't mind)!!!!
Alot of routes being worked on are popular TSC routes. So my guess would be anyone of the "TSC classic" range. Like Kings x to Peterborough or Liverpool to Manchester etc
It could be Doncaster - Leeds. It's only 30 miles so would be easier to make with high detail, and could reuse rolling stock already in the game (the Class 801 from ECML). It would also bring in the Class 331, which would be useful for any other Northern electric routes in the future, plus I think it was said by Matt at some point that modern EMUs were more popular.
West Coast would be great, but I honestly think that it would be more the kind of route that would come with a TSW Upgrade Release than a regular DLC
Have to disagree there I’m afraid. As much as I love seeing & hearing BR Blue / Intercity as an enthusiast, I really don’t enjoy driving them on TSW. I would prefer the VT era.
86s and 87s would be completely different to anything in game though. 390s and 350s would just feel samey. Also if we see VT in the game I will drink water from the fish tank in my room. That licence would be like getting blood out of a stone.
Virgin Trains would be unlikely. Much more likely to be Avanti West Coast if set during the more recent era. Driving older classes always seems more challenging, fun and educational than the modern single hand operated stock, of which we already have plenty of examples.
Remember that "fun" is very subjective. I love steam engines but don't particularly enjoy driving them any more than the one handle EMUs everyone on this forum loves to moan about. The WCML is actually a route I wouldn't mind seeing in BR era with 87s (provided it's IC Swallow and not another dreary Blue era route), but I'd still want Pendolinos much more. I dispute them being samey. For one thing they tilt, and they're also fantastic looking trains that are actually enjoyable to ride unlike the 800s.
We could incorporate the tilt on the Pendos a lot of people seem to want with a train from the 80s and add this beauty;
Yes, I would like to see some swallow as well and I do think it looks great on the 86s and 87s. From a driving perspective they are very samey though, and you can't see the outside (which I think is ugly anyway, especially in AWC) and you can't feel the ride in TSW anyway, but fair enough if you'd prefer them. Having it come with 86s and 87s would bring a new experience, 390s and 350s would be building on one we have. Yes, I wouldn't imagine that would change the driving experience much from being a modern IC EMU and a modern outer suburban EMU (the 350 doesn't tilt anyway). There are no trains currently in game which would give the same driving experience as 86s and 87s or any other earlier electric loco for that matter.
No I am not. I am on about the when 87s were the WC's flagship locos with MK3s in BR Blue/IC Swallow era.
Well we have a class 380 teased, so it's possible that the route could be something along the lines of the ayrshire/Inverclyde lines. Though more likely it'll be a loco dlc
And who told you this is the new locomotive DLC? It could be the new route! Like you said Ayrshire/Inverclyde.
I would say it's is more likely to be a loco dlc rather than a new route since it was showcased on Cathcart.
Remember that Alex just wrote this, this morning: "Be sure to keep a close eye over our various social channels for any April 1st fooling we may get up to! We've been known to be fans of tricks, teasers and those interested in the exceptionally r̶a̶r̶e̶.. pink?" April 1st? I'd say yes. No two Scotsrail contents will ever be released so close to each other. Especially after the announcement of Skyhook 158. Think carefully before getting carried away by your emotions! EDIT - Link, please.
That's a good point, to have a second Scotrail route so close after Fife would be unusual, and even a rework/ extension of Cathcart would be odd, as it wasn't a flagship route. Although the 380 reference is bizzare if they're just throwing curveballs, because it could backfire just as much as hype up.
I’d much rather have another Scotrail route with the 380, as opposed to having a 380 loco DLC. The Loco DLC’s are far too rare for them to be including more EMU’s, especially when the UK is in dire need of locos.
Now that we have a (not perfect but serviceable) 170 in the game I wonder if we could see something CrossCountry related to inject a bit of life into Birmingham New Street. I think a route like Birmingham to Derby would be obvious. About the right length, not a huge amount of stations, and it could link up with MML for through services from New Street to Nottingham. The Voyager would be the main train for the route. I don't know whether they'd go with the 220 or 221 but it doesn't really matter, however I'd assume the 221 just in case they decide to do an Avanti route in the future (even though their days are numbered with that operator). This line is actually 125mph for most of way so they'd have a good chance to stretch their legs. I'm not sure how DTG would go about including the 170. It could either just come with the route along with the Voyager (best outcome), layer onto the route if you own Fife Circle, or they could do their own paid DLC for it like Skyhook's ScotRail 158. Ideally they'd also create a two car variant as not all of XC's 170 are three cars however I suppose that's not essential. Between the two trains the timetable would be quite busy, and the services would have varied calling patterns. I believe there would be two Voyagers in each direction per hour, along with two 170s in each direction per hour. The Voyager services would be shorter with either no stops or just one, while the 170s would have the longer services with 2 or 3 stops. As I said, ideally it would link up with MML so you could drive the Birmingham to Nottingham services right through to their destination, presumably this would only work if you already own MML. Even if they didn't decide to do this though, I still think this route has enough merit for DTG to do.
It's a tricky one, for sure, but I think the loco packs should be reserved for classes/ units, that don't have their own unique routes, like the RHTT while units come with routes. I guess uncommon operators or trains could fall into this catagory too, like the Grand Central 180s, Hull trains 802 or just obscure units like the 153 highland explorers.
Yup, I’d go one further and say that a route like Cathcart should get layers from other routes, making DLC’s for something so small seems like wasted potential IMO. Cathcart is hardly a route you go to for trying out a new train, it just doesn’t show it off well enough. Especially when it would be the only realistic route we would get to use the 380 on. Now if the 380 is a DLC & Cathcart gets a route expansion alongside it, I’d be more inclined to look forward to a 380 standalone DLC, however as just a run of the mill loco DLC, it really doesn’t do much for me & id go so far as to say it takes away, in the sense that the upcoming loco DLC could add something much better.
If you want one that is in the game and goes to Wales how about South Wales Coastal featuring TFW and GWR. To add extra GWR trains own GWML London Paddington to Reading.
Both GWR and TfW seem to be causing licencing issues, well we certainly know GWR is. Only way that would work is a pre privatisation era iteration using HST's in BR Inter City livery and if set after 1990, Class 158's in Regional Railways/Alphaline livery (150/2 only if given a major rework). You would need Class 56 and Class 60's for the heavy freight particularly iron ore and steel trafic out of Port Talbot/Margam and Llanwern plus Class 47's on Speedlink working and 37's doing local trip freight.
The Wherry Lines in Norfolk were always one of my favourites in TSC. Lots of rivers, lakes, boats, windmills and a swing bridge too. Otherwise for me they have to use their TFL license the way they are getting value for the ScotRail license I'd like to see more London Overground/Underground/TFL. I mean a mere 13 miles of the Overground is nothing.
Ngl we don’t need another Scottish route. If we do get a Welsh route I would love the Swindon to Cardiff central part of the great western
Not anymore. I think all of theirs have gone to the East Midlands now. Even if they still had them they didn't run on the line to Derby.
As someone from Wales I have to admit if they announced another Scottish route I'd feel a tad scorned. I get licensing may be an issue but I'd take a BR route over not having one at all.
You are correct on that one I wonder what version of class 56 should be added here there are two of them communist Romania 001-030 or the ones that were manufactured up in Yorkshire 031 and up. If it's the Communist Romania version where to be added then it can open the following routes Nahverkehr Dresden Tharandter Rampe Dresden Chemnitz Werdau Rapid Transit a Deutsche Reichsbahn Baureihe 119 U-Boot which is also made in communist Romania like Class 56 001-030. Were there Class 150/2s here is yes then make them compatible with the following Rolling Stock Class 158 and Pacers from Blackpool to Ormskirk via Preston route.
Erm, the purpose of a forum is to engage in discussion. Not up to you to decide who can post where and when.
