Does Anyone Think Us Freight May End Up Being Dropped Like Steam Hasin Tsw

Indeed. Then DTG could have gone down the same path as Run 8, progressively expanding to give the sort of 300 or 400 mile run long distance passenger or freight in the US would shine. Admittedly that would have to come with a better save game and more slots, but might be more appealing than the current 30 or 40 mile dioramas.

 

While Chicago is ideal, the uncertainty with Metra licensing thats currently in limbo.

The only realistic shot of LD stuff to come with a route right now is Los Angeles, even though most of the services will be yard work, and shuttling moves between the Amtrak LA yard, and LAUPT.

 

Or NY to be fair- lots of LD trains run down the NEC for at least part of their run. I think most of them are even in the game on NYT, just need to sub in the proper equipment.

The truth is there probably isn't ever going to be a "perfect" route for them- Amtrak just isn't that busy- but they are glaringly missing on just about every US route.

With Amtrak being such a good partner, i'd think DTG would do right by their US fanbase, who have otherwise suffered greatly in recent years, and FINALLY make this happen.

 

Thing is the LD equipment that goes to NYC isn't the same used as most of the other long distance routes on the rest of the Amtrak System.

Most routes outside the NEC area uses the Superliner I's and II's, while anything that gets anywhere close to the NEC uses the Viewliner and Amfleet equipment (Due to clearance reasons)

The only equipment common across both is the Viewliner Baggage Car, which makes DTG's job more complicated.

 

But diesels aren't allowed to NY Penn station. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Amtrak trains to Penn station goes leading by ACS-64 or P32AC-DM

 

I just played through all the different scenarios and timetables in the journey mode and finished them all on Clinchfield I don’t remember any game stopping bugs… there was one F7 run where I had to back down off the grade to get traction but once I got a grip was able to finish that particular set. On another one, you had to be on time to a certain check point, if you were late you would encounter a red light that would never clear, but worked fine jf on time.

 

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Amtrak engineers run them into penn on diesel mod anyway

 

IIRC there still isn't any "Banking Comm" options for the Clinchfield stock, so the helpers on the route were not useful, not sure if thats ever been fixed.

 

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I havent completed all of scenarios in clinchfield yet 3 more left tried 2 but they still boss battle for me that hardest on with the 5 red stars is the one nut i havent cracked have a hard time keeping the train speed slow enough on down grade to 100% load all the cars ..had some issues with the sand patch csx sd40 scenarios brakes would work at all and the one they wouldn't release all the way ,couldn't get the powering up america pt 1 to work got pace setter to work loaded train fine but after it told me to turn it off no throttle engine

 

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also did the cw40 8 scenario that teaches you how do perform a hill start that was helpful it how to start a train movin when stopped on steep up grade so train dont roll back on you

 

Would be great if it could be done Matt. I mean it's not so much of an issue on UK or even German passenger routes where you tend to know where you are, but on Clinchfield in particular there are not many features or POI's en route as a reference.

 

I know it's not a confirmation, but i really hope a Clinchfield remaster sees the light of day.

As others have already said, it really nails US Freight operations more than any other route- i'd play it much more often if i could actually see what i was doing in that horrid old lighting lol!

 

Yes, the absence of banking com and the awful night lighting are the reasons I rarely play Clinchfield, even though it has great gameplay and the best scenario in the game.

Given the environment, I don't know whether the night lighting can be fixed without " inventing " some artificial ambient lighting or moonlight, unless a solution to the headlight problem is suddenly found.

But if banking com is finally added, it will make at least the daylight services much more playable. I look forward to it.

 

An upgrade to TOD-4 could well help

 

A renewed Clinchfield is banner-headline stuff, for me.

If you really are delving into it, could you look into the routing? Currently the dispatcher treats sections with sidings like double-track, and always routes trains to the right. This results in many runs being pointlessly slowed down to 15 mph for a mile and half plus the length of the train; in reality, trains always use the mainline unless there is a meeting situation (in which case, per rulebook, southbounds of equal rank have priority and the northbound uses the siding).

 

Seeing that there is people who love the Clinchfield route , Hopefully we all can get behind Matt on this endeavor with continued suggestion s and backing , That s the key to making things happen

 

Another thing ive noticed is being TSC is PC only ,it has some good classic US routes and TSW is PC and console i wish more of the classic US routes could be ported to TSW since there is a large group that plays on console only and with Gen 9 and comming successors that could handle longer routes or at least re worked shortend routes to fit on consoles..Then people wouldnt miss out on good stuff

 

Clinchfield was that rare oddity route where DTG actually added quite of bit of stock when the route released.

-The F7A.
-The F7B.
-The CRR Double Door Boxcar
-The FGE Reefer Car
-The 3 Bay Beth Coal Hopper
-The 4 Bay Beth Coal Hopper
-The "Santa Fe" Style CRR Caboose.

The SD40 was reworked from the CSX SD40-2 so it really was the only piece of stock to be reused. Its a shame Clinchfield did so poorly in sales plus the bugs and stuff, cause its really one of the few highlights of a decent TSW route as a whole, it just needed that extra work here and there, at least 2 loco DLC to add more period accurate stock and it would of been a banger 70's route.....

I keep saying it, but Clinchfield had so much potential to be great........

 

Here is another few points i was thinking on..IAs far as people wanting modern US freight not much more modern US freight locos that can be done other than the ET44ah the ES44 SD70ace are represented the SD70aceT4s while neat locos only UP runs some CSX tested leased 10 but they no longer operate on CSX they on lease in Mexico last i heard.Most US RRs have shifted to rebuilding older ge and EMD power CP UP CSX NS CN BNSF all getting various models rebuilt AC44s from GE called AC44CWM CSX re doing SD70macs or SD70macace etc ..i love both modern and classic be great to get more of both for those who not want classic US you dont know what your missing lots of great older stuff is where its at..

 

Hopfully if remasterd Clinchfield arrives at the station it will set the standard for more classic routes locos etc..

 

I don’t understand why this can’t be done, just needs a logic similar to “Otto” uses in Run 8. Although he can get confused sometimes, I have also seen it do magnificent work sorting out a tangle on Tehachapi or Donner.

 

Sounds great Matt and like the WSR rework will be very much appreciated.

 

Ideally with more reasonable stopping zones where you don't have to precisely nail where the locomotive ends up to the precise inch, slowly moving at 0.01mph with gentle releases of the brakes if you stop short, and constantly having to reload the save if you overshoot it by a single foot because without those banking comms you have no hope of backing up the descending train full of coal behind you!

 

Well, at a time when US freight appears to have run aground, a Clinchfield reboot at least offers us a straw to clutch. Pity these schemes can't be mainstream projects, but there it is.

 

Prototypicly pretty sure the Clinchfield did nt use ditch lights back in that era US rr didnt start using them till 1990s unless there will be a CSX layer added to it they operate the Clinchfield route today

 

Who cares?

It's too ***** dark they can add fictional lights IMO.

Ffs I can understand why they're hestitant to discuss anything until the moment it ships

 

Actually, ditch lights on North American locos date back at least to the 1960's. The FRA made them mandatory for mainline locos sometime in the late 90's.

The F7 was likely exempt because of its age, but they and the other locos could have had them retrofitted.

So not entirely inappropriate for Clinchfield.

 

And even the SD40 had a completely new cab and different controls

 

I don't think I have ever seen an F-unit (not counting present-day heritage locos) with ditch lights. Even in modern times, CRR No 800 is exempt, having been built before 1949. I don't recall having seen a picture of any CRR loco with them; it really wouldn't make sense for such a rural line to have them. The express purpose of the FRA requirement in 1996 was to increase visibility to motorists at grade crossings. On the CRR there were very few crossings, and those very, very low volume.

 

Source?

 

Was just trying to say something factual ahead i have books on the clinchfield they did not use ditch lights its a fact..againg trying to put something i know early as much as people on here complain about stuff not having things it should or stuff missing that should be there etc ...Canadian rr s had ditch lights before most US rr s..

 

Canada required ditch lights beginning in 1975

 

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The first train i ever saw with ditch lights was in canada ,I was on a family vacation in mid 80s we stopped in Brockville Ontario saw a few CN VIA trains ..

 

Unless you've been living under a rock or your rose tinted spectacles have misted over, you must be aware of this thread:

https://forums.dovetailgames.com/threads/so-dtg-have-you-abandoned-steam-in-tsw.77537/

 

Too bad the headlight controls on it are completely fluffed, why isn't there an off switch and why is there a control for dim on both sides of the loco?

 

Steam hasn't been dropped, as the WSR remaster with Steam railtours has been released recently.

 

Yes it has, for any new stuff or further fixes. The work done on WSR used existing steam locos in the game and was done by a DTG employee in their spare time. No new content was added and no change to the core physics has made, nor seems likely it ever will it be.

 

Tbf I hardly visit these forums due to some content on it, this thread isn’t from DTG themselves so is it officially dead….. no

 

DTG themselves replied to the thread if you would even read it....

 

it was in the stream not just thread, they said they ain’t working on anything more steam related at current time.

when or if that changes is of course months/years/decades or not etc

 

Why I referred Mr Bradley to the thread! It would have been better if Matt or someone in authority at DTG had made a proper official statement or response, but the writing is on the wall for all to see. Only the most blinkered denialist would pretend otherwise.

 

That sounds fantastic, Matt! Very much looking forward to this and please, take your time with it

 

Do the Amtrak trains heading to Los Angeles and San Francisco stop in Kansas City? Or just LA one?

Something a hundred miles out of Kansas City and run high speed freight and Amtrak trains on 70mph track. I think Amtrak is 90MPH?

 

The Southwest Chief is the only long Distance Amtrak train to head to Kansas City, the California Zephyr runs further north thru Omaha.

However given Matts comments on a route that I was assumed was the Grainger Heartland route on TSC, that part of Kansas is probably off limits.

 

The Southwest Chief can go to 90 mph for some stretches. Last I remember, it's the only one of Amtrak's cross-country trains that goes that fast.

Having been through Kansas on the Chief many times, we're not missing anything. The Wizard of Oz is pretty accurate.

Though Kansas City is a pretty big freight hub, so it would be a great location for the sim. If, well, you know...

 

I feel like given the limits of TSW and how disappointing DTG has been with US freight, KC would be a big ghost town, and places like Santa Fe Junction wouldn't live up to its IRL counterpart.

 

I'm hoping that now thanks to the editor being publicly available it has convinced someone US 3rd parties to come onboard and start developing content but so far the only developers who have have brought up learning UE have been Digital Train Modal and High Iron Simulations have possibly teased at learning the tools and Reppo maybe but besides that there haven't been any of the US 3rd parties who have mentioned anything and the bridge between Searchlight and DTG has been burned