Glossop Line - Feedback Thread

My only feedback is that I don't consider this worth buying except in a sale.

As stated previously, it is a sawn off short route that should have either been part of a larger Manchester suburban network DLC, or the Woodhead Line across to Sheffield Victoria with Class 76 electric loco and Class 506 EMU.

Of all the routes DTG could have built to woo the UK market, this was not one of them.

 

For 20 bucks, I’m in. Sometimes great things do come in small sizes. Ran a 30 min timetable service earlier and I like the experience thus far. Scenery is enjoyable, stations look great.

But really, I like having something short that I can run the 323 on. BCC is good but it can be exhausting.

I will say, if we’re someday ever able to fill up some of these busier stations with foot traffic, it’ll take the experience to the next level. I know it’s a core thing but I’d love to see stations like Manchester Piccadilly buzzing a bit more.

 

Along similar lines of OldVern, my feedback is that this sort of scope is silly. You have to stop doing major termini and coupling them with tiny routes & no rolling stock.

This should have been a Manchester themed mini network OR something bigger which would have allowed use of more rolling stock.

I wouldn’t mind this sort of logic, for getting bigger stations in the game, but they are hardly ever used again.

 

Just released now (18:00 BST)

 

discount only until Saturday July 1st is that right?

 

hopefully, there will be more northern trains routes when they do take suggestions and are free

 

One thing, we want MORE guard action!

 

I’m not that interested in the route but I really love the layers that have been added.
It’s clear that they have tried to pick it with as much variety as possible and I hope to see that continued.

A northern branded 150 or 158 would have fit in very well if only as Ai.

 

I must say DTG I am in absolute awe of the guard scenario you guys have included in this route!! This is definitely something I would love to see implemented in the game as a whole. The only slightly tedious thing I think is physically going up to passengers to tell them to move. I think this is a bit arduous as normally the guard/driver would just shout to move them back. I would also love to see an increased number of ticket checks and maybe some sort of system to allow you to sell tickets to passengers etc would be a nice addition. I appreciate it would be alot of work though. Great work DTG!

 

the texture of the road next to the line on the left behind the fence outside manchester piccadilly is far to bright can it be toned down as it almost looks whitewashed, the other thing of note is i find the framerate is poor looking at the sky (ive only tried it on the 3 point turn scenario) i lose about 15fps if i look above the horizon, but i love the attention to detail.

Couple of bugs...signal aspects not appearing on the HUD, and also the master key appears in the wrong when setting the safety systems to normal

 

Nothing will be free.

 

Just picked up the route and the price make's it worth getting. Looking forward to playing for a bit tonight.

 

Just been amended on Steam to 31st July.

 

Some minor Northern 323 improvements:
1. Great that you’ve included the transformer clunk in when applying power, but an unfortunate consequence of this is now the tractor motor hum is pretty much non existent. In reality, after the clunk the traction motor hum and transformer buzz occur at the same time before the train actually moves.
To remedy this, keep the clunk but have the motor hum activate at the same time as the buzz and have it last for the same amount of time as it did on the West Midlands version (approximately 2 seconds).

2. As per reality and the West Midlands version in-game the transformer buzz also activates when you apply power on the move. But in the northern version it is no longer the case from what I’ve heard.

General route:
Overall I think it’s pretty good, but there are a few things that could be improved upon.
1. I’m not too familiar the line belong Ardwick but what I can say there are a few missing buildings that make the Manchester skyline. The City tower is located not too far north of the station in Piccadilly gardens but it can still be seen just above the train shed. Secondly, the Deansgate towers are the tallest buildings in the city and are located in the north western direction when looking down towards the station concourse. Also Beathem tower (Hilton hotel) should also be visible around the same area as it used to be the tallest building in the city.
2. My question from the preview thread wasn’t answered on stream but I still want to express my disappointment in that fact that the level of detail in the OHLE has gone down from previous British routes, especially when it’s a point you guys have drawn attention to in the past. I’m not sure what the dev was doing at the time of this routes development but I hope this route took a downgrade because they were working on another project.

Secondly, I think the OHLE could do with much more wheathering considering how mold the route it, not too worried about the stations since I imagine they were rebuild quite a few times.

Thirdly, the over bridge to platforms 13 & 14 from the main station has light coming through them even though they're supposed to be covered.

 

Just to add to this, you can see Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium from this line between Ardwick & Ashbury’s but it’s missing in game.

 

I like this route and it looks good, DTG Alex I think this idea of building slightly cheaper routes that utilise existing rolling stock is a good idea and I hope it grows legs, more routes with the 158 would be good and ideally going from existing terminuses, I've found one minor bug earlier but other than that it seems to run well , ok it's a bit short but sometimes if you've only got limited time to play then it's ok I guess. As for guard mode it's an extra feature that hopefully can develop although I have little interest personally.

 

I like this, as I can do smaller runs without spending hours on it, but:

Two annoying things:

1) The ballast looks like a mad lava lamp coming at me. Who signed that off?
2) The "pop in" trees look like Outrun on the C64. Awful

 

After a few runs I think the route is ok for its price. Especially the -10% from Birmingham is nice for those who own it. Maybe DTG should consider "loyalty discounts" more often? I think scenery is pretty well made but Manchester area might need some more polishing. Also I think gameplay wise the route might get a bit boring after playing some time because the services are pretty similar for the 323. Although nice to have some drivable/ai layers from other routes aswell.

 

My initial impression is that the route is quite enjoyable. The Class 323 is a good drive and the scenery is more interesting than I thought. Manchester Piccadilly is definitely more busy than expected although mostly populated by one train type. Only real downsides being a general lack of lineside clutter and a few missing landmarks on the Manchester skyline.

One thing that bugs me still is the platform PIS displaying services significantly later in the day. This is particularly noticeable at Manchester Piccadilly where multiple platforms indicate trains departing at 2100 - 2300 despite the current time being 0900. It needs only to show trains departing in the next <2 hours and otherwise remaining blank.

Also I encountered a strange problem when switching cabs at both Glossop and Hadfield; the AI took over and began closing the doors and accelerating off despite it not being the scheduled departure time. Has anyone else experienced this?

 

Actually in a rain storm, towards tea-time this looks really atmospheric. The signals are bright and look great.

9/10. Just sort the pop in trees that plague this game.

 

I really question why the services to and from Hadfield are split into two parts in the timetable, feels very clunky and immersion breaking if you want to do a full run of the line.

 

Here's my take on the Glossop DLC -

If you want a nice, easy run with a relatively easy train to handle on not a too long of a journey, then this is the perfect route for you. Think of it as a nice, relaxing drive you can play in your free time.

On to the route itself, the smaller Northern stations are nicely modelled, with unique station assets and buildings included. Manchester Piccadilly definitely needs some TLC given to it though. There are quite a few areas of the station which are just straight up missing, such as the entire concourse, with there also being no direct access to platforms 13 & 14 via the escalators.

Vegetation along the route which is immediately in sight of the player has been done nicely. There are no obvious 'bald/empty' nearside parts of the line which I can see personally. It's only when you look into the distance where things look a bit sparse. Partially parts of the Pennines, this looks pretty plain with it just looking like bare hills. Although this is admittedly a wider TSW issue rather than a specific route issues.

Onto lineside clutter (or lack of it), this could definitely be improved. The line looks way too clean in terms of both infrastructure clutter, such as lineside cables/trunking, as well as rubbish thrown lineside. The route goes through quite deprived areas of Manchester (Gorton and Hyde areas in particular have a lot of fly tipping issues) so it would have been nice to see this represented in game. The OLE is quite basic and the wiring is wrong, which is a shame as it plays quite an important role in regards to the history of the route, as well as the visuals.

The night lighting is okay. Most roads and villages are lit up from what I can see, although the approach to Manchester Piccadilly unfortunately has the same issue as Birmingham New Street. Most buildings are pitch black at night. There's also a distinct lack of skyline viewed from Manchester Piccadilly. Most of it is just generic building assets placed randomly in the background.

The services themselves represent what you'd expect in real life for the route, although splitting them up for separate Glossop - Hadfield services is quite an immersion breaker. I'd prefer if it was just one through service, selectable from the main menu.

Finally, I think one of the biggest missed opportunity was to not include the Rose Hill Marple line, along with a re-worked Class 150. This would have made a nice little network and would have provided quite a bit more opportunity in services available to drive. You could either choose an electric Class 323 EMU to Hadfield or a Class 150 DMU to Rose Hill Marple, depending on what you feel like driving.

Overall, I'm going to give this route a 7 out of 10. It's by no means bad, however, quite a lot more could have been done for it, offering more variety and value for money (even if it meant a price increase for the extra content)

 

I probably posted my feedback on the wrong thread really. Slightly confusing that we have two threads with virtually identical titles. I'll re-post here:

I bought the route as it's a line I know very well. My thoughts so far:

Positives
- Generally the stations and surrounding scenery are very well done. It's all highly recognisable. The scenery at the East end of the route is very attractive.
- The nature of the route, with fairly low line speed and a unit with powerful brakes, makes it very easy to learn in order to drive HUDless (for those who like to do that). I found one return trip with a couple of HUD elements was enough to tell me enough to enable me to drive it HUDless from there on. The fact I know the route in real life probably helped a bit, but I think anyone will find it quite easy.
- The real timings are used and that gives it a realistic feel. It means that - just like in real life - some of the sectional running times are very tight, but there's recovery time in elsewhere.
- I'm quite happy with the length of the route. For me 30-40 mins is often as long as I've got, so to have some routes that length is useful. Also I don't think another 30 mins of repeated stops would have added much. It's good that the length of route was reflected in the price. I think the £17.99 'loyalty' price is fair.
- The 323 is a well made train - a very realistic recreation of the real thing, with the sounds being particularly good, as is the sound and reaction of the regen brake. I also think the delay in taking power is about right.
- There are a few other trains around at Man Picc. It's not deserted like Glasgow Central. None of their paths conflict with the train you're driving unfortunately, so they're purely eye-candy, but it's better than the station being empty.

Negatives
- The signal aspects barely have any 'glow' which means in daylight they just get lost in the scenery. When the background is poor you have to know precisely where the signal aspect is and even then you can only pick it out when you're really close to it. It's like trying to spot a semaphore. In real life, even in daylight, colour light signals have enough of a glow to really jump out at you.
- This is not helped by the fact that quite a lot of the signals have no AWS magnets. I'm not certain how realistic that is. On the signals near Dinting I have a feeling it may be correct (the fixed distants have AWS magnets) but I'm less convinced about a couple of the others.
- The absence of the Rose Hill services removes the opportunity to see some other trains and for a few signal checks which would have livened up the West end of the route considerably. In real life between Hyde and Manchester it's a really lively route with a high likelihood of some signal checks. On TSW it's greens all the way. I'm guessing the well-documented issues with the 150 caused DTG to shy away from putting them on the Rose Hill services. However, if the route had been moved a few years earlier they could have had 101s on those services and 158 AI services between Man Picc and Guide Bridge (on transpennine services) which would have made that section really busy and interesting. An opportunity missed.
- The 323 still doesn't really work with RailDriver. Like certain other units, the full range of brake steps is within a couple of milimetres of movement of the lever, and no amount of re-calibration helps. This is odd because some other units/locos don't suffer from that problem and the brake steps are well spread along the movement of the lever. For me RailDriver isn't really useable with the 323 so I drive it with the keyboard, but that does take away some of the enjoyment. I now drive Cross City entirely with the 101 partly for that reason, but the 101 wouldn't be appropriate on the Hadfield line so it's 323 with keyboard, or nothing.

Overall, I think it's an OK route with some excellent features but with some annoying issues - annoying because they wouldn't be difficult to fix. With the signal glow and RailDriver issues addressed, and more trains added to create some visual interest and signal checks at the West end of the route, it could be a really good route. Fingers crossed this feedback is taken on board for an update. Skyhook have set the standard now for listening to feedback, taking it on board, and bringing about prompt fixes. Let's hope DTG learn from that and do the same.

 

Hi folks well i dont now alot about trains so reading some dont like this or that ive payed more for rubbish games in the past.
I've just brought the new DLC and right away that first Scenario Water works id started to record my doing it so i could up load it to my Youtube later but got to were there was a bit of water dont wanna spill it for others that have not done it and i was blowed away.
I stream & record many games in a week plus hold down a full time job but theses Train sims this and classic one i just love to chill out at night with after a hard day plus learn new stuff along the way about trains & get a better understanding so i give this new DLC 10 out of 10 well done well worth the money in my eyes

 

A few bugs:

If you shut down a cab at Hadfield and walk to the other end the AI takes over, releases the brakes and the train rolls away with the doors open. Exactly the same at Bromsgrove on BCC

0mph speed board at Manchester end of Guide Bridge up & down loop (see screenshot)

The freights that goes into Guide Bridge loop don't get approach control, so there's no warning of the 20mph reduction. Also the exit signal at the Flower Fields end of the loop doesn't show a route indicator for moves towards Hyde North.

And that eye adaption is really annoying still. Especially apparent with the 323 in cuttings where lighting blows out (see screenshot). There's also that weird fake sky reflection in the windscreen. It was fixed on the 158 but still remains here.

 

I find it inexcusable that these 2 things have not been fixed, how is that possible

 

Passed the introductory chapter 3 of the first route scenarios last night. The route left pleasant impressions! Train class 323 is one of my favorites in a very nice livery. The route, although short, looks complete. I caught myself thinking that I really want to continue my journey along the branches to Crewe, Chinley and Stalybridge. It’s hard to imagine how much everything can be here and what exciting gameplay can be if this route gets its development. I am satisfied with the purchase and enjoy the gameplay.

 

Well, I for one am pleasantly surprised! Took the route for a few hours of gameplay last night and really enjoyed the shorter distance, manageable scenario lengths and work that had been done on the Northern livery, it looks great.

the guard mode scenario is GREAT, more of these please DTG! My 9 year old son loved it and said he wished there were loads more chances to be guard!

I’d echo other folk who are disappointed in the lack of Manchester skyline. Custom assets would’ve been good and inevitably could be used in future releases, let’s hope DTG do a skyhook and bring an upgrade.

For the money, I think this is a well priced route and I’m generally pretty happy with it all!

8/10

 

Appreciate the balanced reviews. Still think it more likely one I’ll pick up in the Xmas sale when hopefully some of the issues raised have been addressed.

Just think it’s a crying shame this is already destined to be another one shot, one off project rather than the first step in creating a Manchester urban network. I would have bought in to that Day One and continued to add the sections as they released. Time for the project leadership to start showing some vision.

 

I put it Glossop Line on my ignore list. It's another short one-trick pony like Cathcart and Isle of Wight. I don't need another. Looking forward to longer routes with a multitude of trains to use.

 

The immersivness is much improved by the range of background sounds and depth scenery. Driving along the stations add to the atmosphere and sense that this is an old Victorian route which has managed to cling on and survive. Routes are getting better.

A drawback to this route is that freight is very constrained due to the tight passenger timetable and route length. If there was a throw route added via Piccadilly or a Manchester to Liverpool add-on it would provide an opportunity to overcome this issue.

Guard mode is basic and about the right length of scenario for how it operates. In its current state I think it is something you could play a little of now and again but I wouldn’t want to play it, as is, on a longer route. To improve it I would like the ability to issue tickets, determine the correct change and pick passengers at random. If a route allowed passengers to use travel cards, similar to the Oyster card, guards could check passengers had tagged using a smart phone.

Overall, this is a good route and worth the asking price, 8/10.

 

I like this route a lot. As others have said, I think there's a place for short routes you can play in half an hour or so, as I don't always have the time to do a long inter-city route when I've just done a day's actual work.

I really like the guard scenario (and I really thought I wouldn't). One question though - some passengers have tickets which start and end at the same station. I've been rejecting these: is that right? Can such a ticket actually exist?

 

I’m not aware of it being normal to receive a green aspect as the last signal into Piccadilly shed. Assume this is a glitch on the “to mend” list?

 

I think approach control should definitely be a must have/standard feature on all British routes where it is supposed to be present.

 

Could the "Water Works" be revisited after the devs check the Rulebook or Google. Those temporary speed restriction signs are just nonsensical. All it needs is a warning indicator placed at braking distance. Then the 20 TSR sign. A Terminating indicator at the end of the restriction. No idea why there are reminder and SPATE indicators mixed in there!

 

Route has a good look and a good feel. It's not going to deliver everything that everybody wants; no Route does. I have not done a lot of services yet but am not noting any glaring bugs; it's better than many previous Routes at the time of release. The ballast looks a little weird is the only negative thing I have noticed (similar to Sherman Hill when it was released). I don't have the "popping trees" that some are reporting because I've put improved settings for foliage and distance in Engine.ini.

PC - Ryzen 7 - RTX 3060

 

This should have been a bread and butter day 1 purchase for me as I route I've been on in real life many times. But I can't look past the fact that they've put more effort in to gimmicks rather than making the route look and feel authentic. For me it's far too clean and modern looking when the reality I remember is an overgrown, unkempt rusty mismatch of old and new OHLE which just just seems (from the preview streams and online) to have not been captured.

Maybe I'll buy at a later date, but for now it's a no from me.

 

You would only SPATE if the restriction had been lifted earlier than published in the Notices. If it's a TSR as opposed to an ESR you don't even need a "Dalek".

 

Had my first proper run this morning. I say "proper" because I attempted one last night after getting home from work slightly sleep deprived and got a SPAD. This is why I'm not a real driver.

Overall I feel it's pretty good, although by no means something to write home about. I agree with others that are tired of routes into major stations with just short branches serving them. What's next? York to Scarborough?

That being said I do appreciate a route that's good for short bursts while also depicting a driver's full shift. I also like the "feel" of the route. It getting gradually rural and scenic.

I noticed that when accelerating from a stand the 323 doesn't have the usual hum just before moving. Assuming that's an error? And as I've said in a previous post, the lighting at Piccadilly simply doesn't feel right. It's much more light and airy in real life.

 

Yep! They have put down, in this order

1, Warning indicator (20+White reflectors)
2, 20mph TSR start - note that there's not anywhere near enough braking distance
3, Repeater Warning indicator [20+R] - note that these should never be placed like that - they should go between Warning indicator and TSR start AND ONLY if there is a reason, eg. a station stop in between. NOT REQUIRED
4, A terminating indicator
5, A spate indicator. why? NOT REQUIRED

I think Pway dept. was drunk.

 

The hum is there but they've shortened it

 

I bought it to give it a go but I'm afraid this one will be refunded. I've spent a lot of time already driving the 323 on BCC and this is a less interesting and much quieter version of the same thing. It really needed to be a £30 route including a 150 and the Rose Hill Marple branch to be worthwhile - as it is, it commits the grave offence of simply being a bit boring (more than any other route in the TSW3 era in my opinion).

I appreciate that Manchester (and the route generally) has been made as busy as feasible with the existing rolling stock but the route scoping has again been poor which has left us with a quiet railway and some stations that are hardly ever serviced.

This is by far the most irritating bug I've seen so far and I can't believe it wasn't fixed after it was repeatedly pointed out on BCC. The fact that you have to switch ends at least once during every service to complete it fully means that you're almost certain to bump into it too.

Additionally I've noticed that the 323 that spends most of the day stabled near Piccadilly still has passengers trapped onboard, and I saw a 0 speed sign looking westbound near Guide Bridge too.

 

What I'm reading so far indicates a well- modeled if rather mundane route and decent 323. Short but sweet.

But then I read about a series of irritating and inexplicable errors which surely were captured during Beta and QA testing but nonchalantly ignored before the route was pushed out the door. Why??

And what of the night lighting? Not mentioned so far. That would likely be a tipping point for me.

Well, that leaves me stuck on the fence until I see a patch, I think.

 

Dadrail uploaded a video of glossop during the night that you can watch.

 

Is it supposed to sound like this now?

 

I share your view, especially as not owning BCC I don't even get the little discount. Part of me wants to give it a go but then so doing gives tacit approval to the decision to put such a short route in the first place and even with only 13 miles of route to detail still can't get it right.

I think I will sit it out and see what if any fixes are applied to the issues being reported, or whether it's quickly shuffled off the flywheel to the post release dumpster as seems to happen all too frequently.

 

I think the video he made was for twilight shift which I don't think got dark enough to judge the night lighting. I did look great

 

It's a fun little route. Was able to bring a unit into service at Ardwick and make a few full runs back and forth. The reversing moves at Glossop and Hadfield certainly made me learn my changing-ends procedures! Keeping to time is challenging but not impossible.

The 323 remains a great model and fun to drive. The scenery is nicely detailed at least for me who doesn't know about all the local details. Ambient sounds stuck out to me as a positive as well, which i don't usually notice tbh.

My only complaint is that it seems a bit quiet on AI traffic.

Someone mentioned above that the Class 150 would be an appropriate AI layer- did DTG mention WHY it wasn't included?

I'd give it a solid 8/10

 

150 is in Regional Railways livery which vanished 25 years ago. Also the 150 is not a well received model so don't know if that's a factor.