Hi. I was looking at the JT Hope Valley route but then see there is also the option to buy it as an extension which would be cheaper in the long run if I add other JT routes. Which route should I buy first to make use of the extensions? I’m not sure which is the “base route”. Any recommendations for the best extensions? Thanks.
The Base Route is Sheffield - Derby and everything else is an add-on. Nottingham - Leicester and the Hope Valley line are good add-ons to the Base Route
If you are considering this set of DLCs you might want to consider the JT versions (direct from Justtrains) as it will provide the opportunity to run scenarios across the various routes rather than insular routes (the DTG versions). Also another piece of info (maybe a sore point) - I bought my JT versions via ATS which gave me a 10% discount on these DLC. It does require an ATS subscription though (the contentious discussion). JT Midland Main Line: Barrow Hill Roundhouse Extension JT Midland Main Line: Buxton Peak Forrest JT Midland Main Line: Derby-Nottingham-Leicester JT Midland Main Line: Derwent Valley Line JT Midland Main Line: Erewash Valley JT Midland Main Line: Hope Valley Extension JT Midland Main Line: Nottingham-Lincoln Extension JT Midland Main Line: Sheffield-Derby Respectfully
No...more Irish due to a relationship with a lady from the Emerald Isle, but it is a word we'd use in Yorkshire too.
Let me express this very clearly. If you want to simulate play from London to Manchester, you will want to come through Leicester, or even through routes via Derby. To do this, you will need to have the base MML route from Just Trains directly (not Steam, which BTW has the exact same route ID) and then buy the Hope Valley extension again from JT directly as the one from Steam is a standalone route and cannot merge into the JT Sheffield-Derby, not can you merge the JT Hope Valley into the Steam Sheffield-Derby. Both must be purchased directly as the extension option is only available from JT. Leicester-Nottingham-Derby can also be picked up for that segment direct from JT. To clarify how it works; when you buy Sheffield-Derby from JT, you get THE ENTIRE ROUTE including Leicester, Nottingham, Lincoln, Manchester, Matlock (exclusive to JT), Erewash (also exclusive), Barrow Hill (repeating), and Peak Forest/Buxton (yup...). The trick is that the scenery for all extensions is missing. The track and markers are there. You could literally make a scenario for the entire route with all of its extensions if you can handle not having scenery. The packs add the scenery and make for a more enjoyable drive at a lower cost for the track work being done already in the main route.
Thanks for the advice! I’ve gone for the base Sheffield to Derby and have added Hope Valley. I have an ATS subscription so kicking myself that I didn’t go through them but managed to cash in a few JT points to save some money. I really like the JT routes. Good quality. Would like to add the EMR 158 but of course I’d then need to purchase the 159 off Steam and the AP 158 enhancement pack which is money on top. So almost £100 to drive from Manchester Piccadilly to Sheffield in the EMR Class 158. I think I’ll be waiting for sales before I expand further.
Watch for the 159 to drop during the Summer Sale, if not sooner. Most seem to have been 50% off lately, but it has in the past been around 70% off, with 80% as the historical low. If you can find 60% or better, that might be a good time to pick it up, but SteamDB history suggests it will be possibly at best half off. There is a twin pack with Riviera, so keep an eye on that too if you want that route (possibly the most popular route for users, and the most scenarios in the Steam Workshop since proper tagging began in September 2013).. If you have Riviera already, you might be able to get an even better price on the 159 in that pack. AP has sales every four months in general, with an exception being during the Queen's Jubilee, which skipped Easter and had a sale in June instead that year. Therefore, look for 40% off the EP possibly in late August. Also, I forgot to note services from Norwich to Liverpool enter at Lincoln and exit at the through platforms at Manchester, so that's a great way to run horizontally across the map of the entire route. I think the journey gives you some of the Erewash but skips most of the default route from Derby (which you join at Clay Cross Junction). So I advise the Lincoln extension as well as the one to Nottingham to get all scenery. JT has sales on the MML periodically, so watch for those as well!
I have all but the Barrow Hill Roundhouse part and I recommend getting it from JustTrains. You can play the default scenarios right out of the box without the need to worry about too many required trains. I just bought the other parts this week although I had the Derby-Sheffield and the Leicester-Derby and Derby to Nottingham parts I bought together, I got the rest this week and I am glad I did. It is such a lovely add-on.
Agreed. Not a route to try and purchase in it's entirety in one go, but spreading it out over a number of months eases the financial pain. Mark, Thomas, and whoever else was involved in it's creation deserve all the praise we could give. The "DTG" versions have nothing to do with DTG, they are stand alone versions released by JT on Steam. A pedantic point maybe, but calling them "DTG versions" does imply that they are NOT of the JT standard.
I missed that post when replying. This is a correct statement. DTG had nothing to do with the route other than play-testing it for release on the Steam platform. The exact same product exists in the JT store otherwise, but with additional scenarios requiring, in some cases, exclusive JT stock not sold on Steam or upgrades created by AP. None of those scenarios would go to Steam, so while the route and the ID for it are the same, the product has scenario differences.
I’ve only got the 158 which comes with the Huddersfield route. I understand it’s a bit of a hash of the AP version.
Not a hash of the AP enhanced version, just a single variant of what AP offer. If you can find EMT/EMR reskins you'd probably be able to use the textures from those, all you'd need to do is create new .bin files.
Thanks I’ll have a look. Everything I’ve found so far is for the AP 158. I’ll keep looking until the sales roll around at least.
JT Hope Valley is also on Steam. It may be cheaper. I'm forced to buy in US dollars from JT so don't purchase from them much. I think my last purchase was in 2021. Hope Valley from JT for me after converting to NZ $ is $74.85 NZ plus a conversion fee. From Steam it is $56.99 NZ. I don't know whether there is any difference in the route between JT and Steam. I have the Steam version.
The version of the route on Steam is no different graphically but only uses default stock available from the loco assets pack and other stock sold on Steam. Steam versions cannot be merged into the larger network. The version from the JT site includes duplicated scenarios utilising AP and JT items and with the correct versions can be merged together to form a network.
JT routes in general have additional scenarios on their site. .The extension version to add to the Sheffield-Derby big map - the only Sheffield-Derby sold on their site, and using the same route ID - fills in the map in the Hope Valley section so you can have a nice scenic drive from, say, Derby to Manchester. Add the Leicester-Nottingham areas and you can also drive a nice scenic drive from both of those. Lincoln connects to Nottingham, and I've seen journeys at RealTimeTrains from Lincoln through Manchester. You can run it in one trip. I recommend having the Erewash for this purpose as they often detour that way. Oh, and Matlock is exclusive to JT - you can't get it on Steam. Same with Peak Forest. Steam versions, which are also available at JT as individual routes but with extra scenarios, don't let you do that. Those extra scenarios, though, also show up with the merged route. You might even get some longer ones.
