Just thought I'd throw this idea out there. Seeing as we have now had both SEHS and LIRR rebuilt with more track mileage added to both as well as additional rolling stock dlc to both, perhaps it is high time for the severely lacking GWE to get the same full rebuild treatment. Here are some caveats for such a suggestion. 1. ALL freight and passenger branch lines between Paddington and Reading must be included this time around and these are... NORTHOLT LINE (POSSIBLE) GREENFORD BRANCH BRENTFORD FREIGHT COLNBROOK FREIGHT WINDSOR BRANCH BOURNE END/MARLOW BRANCH HENLEY BRANCH BASINGSTOKE BRANCH (POSSIBLE) EXTENSION TO OXFORD (POSSIBLE) Heathrow Airport has been omitted for reasons discussed many times. 2. Scenery upgrades to better reflect various locations and landmarks which are not currently very accurate or missing altogether. These include... RED ANTI COLLISION BEACONS ON SOUTHALL GASOMETER. EALING HOSPITAL. PLATFORM 1A AT PADDINGTON. EALING BROADWAY DISTRICT LINE STATION. HEATHROW CONTROL TOWER AND HILLINGDON HOSPITAL ON HORIZON. HAYES STATION ERRORS. HAYES RECORD FACTORY BUILDINGS. WINDSOR CASTLE ON HORIZON. 3. New locomotive dlc, candidates include... CLASS 57 AND SLEEPER STOCK CLASS 165/1 CLASS 180 CLASS 332 CLASS 360/2 This is assuming that a new version would remain set in 2015, however if licensing is a problem, any new dlc would need to be from the correct period. I hope this idea is a popular one and I'd love to hear other members thoughts.
Don't quote me but I think there is a rumour that GWE is the next TSW to be upgraded thanks to the positive reception from the WSR Upgrade
I genuinely hope so. So deserving of such treatment. But I do state again, that this is for a full rebuild in the same manner as SEHS and LIRR have had with extra track mileage added in the form of the Thames Valley Branches which are notable in their absence.
I do think that GWE would need a complete overhaul with new stock and some of the branches included aswell as a better timetable. I would like DTG (or most likely a 3rd Party Dev) do re-do GWE set in the steam era when steam is back. I would love to see some GWR Steam in TSW
A steam era version would have a vastly more complex track layout than modern era. Also to note would be the following... Westbourne Park Station (closed 1992) Brentford Docks and stations en route Uxbridge Vine Street branch Staines West branch Langley Oil depot Larger Windsor and Eton Central Station High Wycombe branch Larger Henley on Thames Station More complex Reading Station Old Oak Common to Northolt line
and honestly the GWR Class 43 and MK3s along the route itself really could use a good update. Giving the interior of the guards/bike compartment in the front of Coach A. Adding open and closeable gangway door in the Mk3s (in the first class carriage of the MK3, theres a solid door at one end of the first class carriage, you can couple the first class coach with another but you cannot walk through between 2 coaches in both ends of the first class carriage. And other MK3 carriages on the GWR set doesnt have those doors on each end the gangway) just like the ones on SkyHooks' EMT HST. The below picture is the end gangway door of the first class carriage on GWR MK3. As well as allowing us to be able to use these button to be able to turn on and off lights on the MK3 itself without a need of using a MK1 BG or MK2 coach to turn on the lights. Also I hope they can let us uncouple the MK3 and HST power. The current coupling they use for some reason, they dont allow us to uncouple them at all. In terms of the base route itself. I pretty much agree with what elarthur have said in terms of what should be upgraded with the route. I just really hope they could do some update with the GWR HSTs too.
Personally I would prefer it downgraded to the 1970s so we can have an accurate route for diesel legends - preferably with a Class 50 and Hymek too. Or do people really prefer EMUs?
I'm one of those who want the modern era specially for class 800 whit large engine that can go up to 160 kph in diesel mode, but i will also purchase the 1970 version
A few railfan images of locations in need of alteration. Platform 1 at London Paddington showing the lack of Platform 1A. Skyline of London from above Royal Oak without the BT Tower. London skyline from above Westbourne Subway with BT Tower visible. BT Tower.
Ealing Broadway District Line station incorrectly presented. Platform gateline at Ealing Broadway with no staircase to booking hall. Ealing Hospital and Uxbridge Road as viewed from Wharncliffe Viaduct. Hospital bears little resemblance to the real building and Uxbridge Road is far too quiet.
Platform 4 at Hayes and Harlington without stairwell to booking hall. Hayes and Harlington station frontage blocked by a wall not present in reality. Record Factory buildings incorrectly presented as viewed from Hayes and Harlington station.
Looking South from Stockley Road towards Heathrow with obvious omission of Heathrow Control Tower. Looking North from Stockley Road and the absence of Hillingdon Hospital. Incorrect station approach road at West Drayton. The road has more of a teardrop layout for buses to turn as well as the booking hall actually being a floor lower in reality, the platforms themself being upstairs. Looking South from just West of Slough and the obvious lack of Windsor Castle on the horizon.
I personally think its best to save the class 800/802 maybe somewhere outside london and layer in on GWE. So maybe a contrast could be done something like, a modern train in a green field kind of a route instead of it being within a modern city.
I would say unlikely. Didcot, Newbury, Swindon or Oxford would be my guess for upper limit in terms of distance.
A couple more images of Hayes and Harlington changes required. Google Street View of Platform 1 staircase as seen from Station Road to the right (South) of station frontage and currently not included. Platform 1 on extreme left with staircase to Station Road at far end (apologies for poor quality). Access to Station Road from Platform 1 is currently not represented. This staircase has a ramp into the car park at its foot.
West Drayton Station forecourt at West Drayton showing bus turning loop and the fact that the entrance is a floor lower than the platforms. Second entrance to West Drayton from Warwick Road on the South side of the station.
Reading to Westbury could be quite interesting too, though set pre Hitachi and electrification. We could get a Class 59 to haul the jumbo stone trains up the B&H line!
Both Foster Yeoman and ARC (/0 & /1 respectively) are a absolute must. Surprised that they haven't been made yet as they are so similar to the later Class 66. Little work but surely a big payoff? .
Matt said on another thread that the current GWE would not be getting any changes or extensions (which he has said numerous times before) and if DTG were to ever make another GWE route it would be set in the present day because that’s what is most requested and only if licenses can be sorted of course. The current GWE isn’t a candidate for a revamp.
But it should be. Why is it not as worthy as LIRR and SEHS. Both of these have been reworked to feature more mileage and additional rolling stock yet GWE is somehow not eligible for such attention even though this is probably the only way we will ever get the Thames Valley branches or additional stock. The fact that the branch lines were not included is bizarre as they are very much a part of the current route. As for new stock, there are several appropriate candidates to bring the timetable to life as the current timetable is very spartan at best with long and unrealistic headways between services on this rather busy mainline.
An upgrade even if still based in 2015 would be brilliant. I think my biggest gripe is the timetable mode, while I'm not an expert on the GWR it doesn't seem busy enough. In a perfect world, an electrified version with 387s and IETs would be brilliant but I don't think that's going to happen. If an extension to Oxford or Swindon isn't on the cards then I agree that adding some branch lines would make it a far more interesting route.
I love to see this, I have been pushing for a while to get this route upgraded as it's very underwhelming. I appreciate that Matt has answered my question before about the overhead cables and that there was no plan to change it... In terms of new stock, all the layers for modern stock is there, for example: Class 57 and sleeper coaches, the 57 is derived from the 47 so only a few changes would be needed, audio, headlights and cab details. The sleeper stock is MK3 coaching stock, re-model the inside and add some night riviera stickers inside, even maybe some guard capabilities in doorways and the guard van. Class 165 2 and 3 car, A three car 165 is slightly different to a 166... The 165 has more hopper windows and can come in a 2 car formation also to have guard panels etc would be awsome 387, We already have the 387 in the game, just got to change the livery and the inside colours. Also have another version for Heathrow express, but I would imagine this would be harder to get as of the ongoing issues with licencing... IET, I have put this loosely as we have a 801 in the game, obviously adding engines and making the configurations of first class and standard match with the GWR setup. Even possibly with some of the special liveries on them, like the train now and the ww2 memorial rose train. Class 345 We just managed to get the overground units in the game which are all part of the aventra family of trains. Again, adding correct coaches and new livery, that would be ace. I know it's not as easy as what I make it seem but it's doable and with the extended lengths more and more dlc's are coming in, it could be useful to send it to Newbury and Didcot. Plus all the branch lines.
It’s the way it was made apparently. To add similar things that the updates added to other routes would require so much work that it would be easier to start again. DTG have learnt much better ways of doing things since GWE was made and I guess it’s just not compatible with how content is made now. LIRR needed new signalling which was a huge task but I gather GWE would need many more things changing to be able to increase traffic on it or add extensions. It really doesn’t matter if there are things that some players want adding, it just isn’t going to happen because it isn’t possible with the way the route was made. That’s what I get from the numerous times Matt has talked about it. It also makes sense that if the route was actually made again from scratch then it would be in the time period that is most requested, which is present day unfortunately.
Am i the only one here who wishes the if rework GWE does going to be plan on doing, it should be something treated like the WSR with extensions to a lot of places like it was mentioned before? While understandable how it would be great to drive modern traction (I personally dont, i despise the IETs and 387s for how utterly uncomfortable they are. I may be bias on the HST here, not counting how you can simply spawn in the HSTs. From the base routes they come from (Including MML route), we cant drive the HST for a long distance or a long time at all and the GWE HST as i mention before could really use an update too. And I personally think the more prime days on the GWML wouldve been during the days before the IETs came in. And hey, if DTG or other 3rd parties can create BR era things why cant they do the same for time era routes that takes places before now other than licencing problems. Hence I would suggest and prefer the GWE route if it ever gets updated should remain a time period where HSTs are still around. This could be either taken in a time period where electrification is nearly or full completely and or its during the time period where the trains are getting transitioned into modern stock, so both HST and IETs etc can co-exist in the route while also being able to drive on a extended part of the line. As well as. 1. Drive the HST at a longer distance without needing to spawn it in elsewhere. 2. Have experience and contrast between a modern and older train. From how I view this i think people purely just wanted the Class 800 or Class 802 IET and drive them on more other routes. And or because at the moment people think if we ever get an extension only modern era can be done due to the fact that older time period's information or details arent available anymore.
Whilst driving this route from the external camera view, I have noticed that a few key roads across or near the line are unrealistically quite in comparison to reality. These include... A40 Westway between Royal Oak and Westbourne Park (a few large vehicles needed). Uxbridge Road from Wharncliffe Viaduct to Iron Bridge between Hanwell and Southall. A312 Hayes Bypass east of Hayes and Harlington station. M25 orbital motorway beside Iver station. Increased traffic (by a factor of at least 20) would improve realism.
Southall depot could do with some alterations including an older style of locomotive shed and more fencing around the perimeter of the sheds to match reality. Today these are leased from Network Rail by Locomotive Services and West Coast Railways.
Another missing object on GWE is the bronze statue of Ismbard Kingdom Brunel. This statue, commissioned in around 1982, spent many years at the top of the London Underground stairs to the main concourse at Paddington. It was moved in 2014 and is now on platform 8 and 9 looking towards the platform 1 directors gallery.
Please please please can we get more attention to this post: its about time to upgrade the route: with the license or not and with the inclusion of the Elizabeth line