Now I shall start by saying that this is less of a suggestion but more of a fantasy perfect what-if scenario in my head. I appreciate the scope of what I am suggesting is likely far beyond reasonable consideration and I hold no expectation for anything beyond a cursory glance from anyone deciding on the future content for Train Sim World 2. But yes, the plan. First I must clarify, that although this is a '3 stage' route upgrade, it would be ludicrous to suggest this could ever encompass a mere 3 DLC's, the scope is simply too big. That being said, these three stages could easily apply to almost any other route in the game, bar some specific ones. TSW2's Northern Trans-Pennine route is set in the early to mid-1980s (1983 has been suggested as the specific year) and follows the Huddersfield Line from Manchester Victoria to Leeds and currently features the Class 08, Class 40, Class 45, Class 47 locomotives and the Class 101 Diesel Mechanical Multiple Unit and a number of coaches and wagons. No additional layers are as yet available, though I am hoping the preservation crew will introduce the Class 31s from Tees Valley as an additional layer on the line when they eventually get around to the NTP. Stage 1: Diversification The Northern Trans-Pennine route has one of the more diverse traction rosters of the British routes of TSW2, the large number of locomotives alone makes for a decent diversity. However, this can always be improved. First and foremost, the Class 31 belongs on NTP, by the mid-1980s these were stalwarts on the route hauling short sets of coaches as replacements for the Class 124 DMUs which had reached the end of their service. I am not going to go into too much detail as a number of other users have suggested new locos and units for the NTP. These include the Classes 25/3, 122, 123, 124, 128, and a number of new coaches which can be seen in the following threads: https://forums.dovetailgames.com/threads/ntp-class-122-bubble-cars.45054/#post-370402 https://forums.dovetailgames.com/threads/light-passenger-pack-a-ntp-suggestion.37342/ https://forums.dovetailgames.com/threads/british-rail-class-25-3-for-tsw-2.37428/ New rolling stock is not the only part of diversifying the route. Smaller branches can offer new destinations and rolling stock. A few examples: The Bury Line. A much-suggested add-on for NTP, the Bury Line was a 10-mile 12kv third rail route from Manchester Victoria to Bury Bolton Street which used Class 504 Electric Multiple Units until 1991. One unit is preserved. As you may have noticed there is an additional set of tracks at Stalybridge. These head to Manchester Piccadilly, just 7.5 miles down the line. A line also exists for services between Stalybridge and Stockport though services between these stations fell out of use after 1989. The 8.5-mile line becoming largely redundant as services began to run directly to Manchester Piccadilly. New traction and rolling stock alongside new small branches will open up a lot of diversity within the route and create a small network that will add a lot of replayability no no longer will the route involve the same stretches of track every time. Stage 2: Extension This is probably the most simple stage to consider, extension. Effectively this is simply looking at the ends of the lines and asking 'can we go further?'. To the East, York is naturally the obvious choice with the line from Leeds to York stretching approximately 22 miles today (I assume roughly the same in the 1980s). To the West are a number of possibilities, Liverpool Lime St, Southport and Blackburn are all reasonable candidates, Liverpool as the largest of the three makes the most sense as a pure extension with an added 31 miles approximately (again I'm unsure of the exact period figures). With the extension phase alone the route's total length is more than doubled and the route effectively becomes an end to end route (York although not a terminus is still the endpoint for many services along the line). Stage 3: Expansion Here is where I go really off the deep end, expansion. Now the previous stages are simply about improving the route itself, expansion meanwhile is about creating a wholly new experience, creating a true expanded network across the region. Here is where we consider adding whole new routes to the Trans-Pennine network. First of all, the Calder Valley Line. This route can either be completed partially or fully. The partial route would see the line to Bradford and Halifax introduced. This line would introduce a whole new route from Manchester to Leeds, passing by Newton Heath for a whole new experience. The line would also see the connection between Halifax to Huddersfield be added, for added variety. The full Calder Valley Line would see the line branching off to head all the way to Blackpool, heading via Preston on the West Coast Mainline. As an added bonus, the line from Blackburn to Manchester could be introduced alongside the route expansion from stage 2. Speaking of stage 3. There is an alternative route from Leeds to York, the 39 Mile Harrogate Line, which takes a longer route between the cities via Harrogate, again offering diversification. Another addition could be the Hope Valley Line to Sheffield from Piccadilly, which would add extra relevance to the extra branches from Stalybridge. The Penistone Line from Huddersfield to Sheffield would also be a nice addition here too. Conclusions Right well, that's about it, I'm sure it's not much of an ask and GTG can have it done by Christmas (yes I'm absolutely joking here). But yes, that is my wildest fantasy for a truly massive scale Trans-Pennine network spanning Blackpool, Liverpool, Manchester, Bury, Bradford, Sheffield, Harrogate and York. A network that would span from the West Coast Mainline to the East Coast Mainline. In all do I think this is feasible, absolutely not, it is the fanciful ravings of some muppet who was bored in the evening. So why do I even suggest it? Well, aside from just being a bit of fun, there is seriousness behind it. Almost any single suggestion here would make a fantastic addition to NTP if not a great standalone route in itself, in almost any era, not just the one represented in NTP. In my view even just joining one or two of these routes to build a proper network would be a dream, a proper massive network to sink your teeth into that will truly be unique among train simulators (at least on an official capacity). In my opinion, this is what TSW2 lacks, networks. Almost all of the routes are simply A to B with maybe a single branch line. Whenever I finish service is to usually go pick a different route for my next service because there's only so much interest that can be had from going back and forth the same bit of track can provide. As it stands, we have barely scratched the surface of what the region has to offer and for the last few years, I have called that region home. It can be breathtakingly beautiful and downright depressing at times. It is a fantastic region to explore and a vast network spanning it would probably provide me with hundreds of hours of entertainment in itself. In all, I have no belief this will happen, it's simply too much effort for what will likely be a dwindling return. I mean heck, it could be an entirely standalone game. But let's be honest, it would be very cool.
Sure is and by the way did you check it on the forums on how it's going to work. That line uses Newton Heath Depot meaning NTP Depot trips Newton Heath Manchester Victoria to Leeds City via Huddersfield Line must be held for an inbound or outbound Calder Valley Line train
Oh yes, I hadn't considered that, it would certainly make the depot runs feel a bit more alive. I think it's one of the greatest failings of TSW at the moment, the routes currently feel isolated and entirely self-contained, you never really see evidence of the wider world beyond the route itself being used. Naturally of course, for many routes this is simply a result of TSW2 lacking in content suitable for mixing with our existing routes. Perhaps the only notable exception to this at the moment is the East Coastway, but that is in part due to the lack of 'numbers' being available. I am hoping that between the release of the Brighton Mainline and later the Class 313, we will finally see a route that is truly populated with a number of AI services. It is my hope that the BML will truly pave the way for the future of British routes in TSW2, with the potential of content from the Great Western, Southeastern and East Coastway all providing the potential to populate stations and sections of track in various parts of the route. My other big complaint, if you haven't guessed already is the lack of 'networks' within the routes, simply running exactly the same sections of track from A to B gets old very quickly. I would certainly be very interested in seeing future routes making use of additional branch lines wherever possible. I for one would certainly find having more branch lines present in the game far more interesting than simply making longer A to B routes. I love the game, and there are some real gems such as the Northern Trans-Pennine, which is, in my opinion, the best UK route there is but I do find that sometimes DTG's routes lack a certain sense of ambition, especially in comparison to their TS2020 counterparts. At the moment I think the Brighton Mainline represents their most ambitious project yet. I would say the Reisa-Dresden route would have been, but it would appear the developer's ambitions were a little too much, unfortunately. I don't play German routes so it doesn't really affect me, but there's a reason why I refuse to take things for granted until I am sat playing them. Game development is a fickle beast and things don't always turn out how we would like. In all, I think what the Reisa-Dresden situation proved is the very strong desire for large diverse networks with lots of different rolling stock options and destinations to travel to. The desire is there for a true Train Sim World and not just simple routes. I honestly believe that if/when they deliver that it will easily become one of TSW's best sellers, a true must-have experience for fans. Huh, I didn't mean to talk that much, I must be in a rambly mood again
