Today it was leaked that work is underway on a new Preston - Blackpool route for TSW, possibly developed by third-party Alan Thomson Simulation (ATS) as their first route for Train Sim World. The leak (a screenshot from the Epic Games store) also showed mentioning of a Class 700/0 which presumably will be coming to BML. Screenshot attached.
Given that Just trains have a year on ATS I'd wager that Preston Blackpool would be theirs personally.
I would tend to agree- BML's timetable seems to be straining the limits of what the Dispatcher can handle as it is; additional services might break it.
A 700 getting added to TSW means two things, either an ECML or MML south is in the pipeline, because the 700 getting added to BML would be so problematic for last gen players as that’s another 1000 services added. I think there might be another dedicated route for the 700
I don't think it's worth speculating with such predictions - the 700/0 does actually serve the Brighton Mainline in reality (Brighton to Bedford services etc), albeit obviously a whole lot less than the 700/1 but still does nonetheless. But with SEHS getting a loco DLC with the Class 37 imminently, plus the RHTT 66 not long previously, that would mean three separate and exclusive loco DLC for one route in quite a short bit of time? I think the number one priority for DTG is the 700 for London Commuter if able, otherwise what's the actual the point of it if just for SEHS - a 700/0 for all Thameslink services on London Commuter even if unrealistic would suffice.
I am aware that the 700/0 operates on bml as well as sehs (I live in the south east of England) but dtg have themselves recently said the bml will need several more optimisation passes before it could have a loco add on, why would they already have a 700 in development for bml if it needed that much work just to stop the route from using to much memory, that combined with the the fact the the dlc is listed as class 700/0 specifically is why I think this dlc is only for sehs.
I cant see l2b as the home route for a class 700 neither. But i certainly can immagine the layer a l2b for new gen & pc. Not having a gen8, so cant judge if the hardware can run a 700 in addition.
no i know that, i’m just saying that after the class 700 gets added there’s a possibility that dtg would be looking at one of those routes, especially MML south because they have both licenses to do it and we are getting a EMT hst, it wouldn’t really take much to make an EMT 222, and have 700s do london - bedford
DTG may give BML an optimisation pass and a TSW3 upgrade in preparation for the 700 given how popular the route is. They did the same for Sherman before releasing the UP pack and that’s nowhere near as popular.
I hope to not get bashed but ... what's so fascinating about the Class 700? I try to understand the hype
I don’t recall Sherman getting anything to do with optimization, only TODv4 upgrade. BrightonMainline may even run worse with TODv4 tbh.
didnt know it before, just checked the specs of this train and not very excited...another emu, but at least with big windscreen.
For me at least, it’s sorely missing from BML. Thameslink is everywhere on that route (pardon the hyperbole). Three Bridges is a major depot for them, all of the empty tracks there are usually filled with 700s. In fact, I’ve been on more 700s to get from Brighton to London than any Electrostars. Their sounds are quite unique as well with a distinctive brake release hissing and the sirens at slow speeds.
Not much tbh. Its defining features are that it comes in long fixed sets that have walkthrough carriages. So unlike the electrostars which come as four car fixed sets, and need to be coupled to another unit to become 8 or 12 cars (which leads to having a door in the cabin and therefore tiny windscreens), the 700/0 is a fixed 8 car set, and the 700/1 a fixed 12 car set, in both cases having a large unobstructed windscreen as they do not need to couple to any other trains. In terms of gameplay it wouldn't be revolutionary, but it would add more realistic variety to BML and SEHS. Personally I don't think either of those routes are really in desperate need of an add-on, but we'll see how it turns out, if it is actually coming.
You may be right, but I do recall it got a TSW3 upgrade + some scenery touch ups. BML will definitely need significant TLC to run optimally, but we live in hope!
Lol ouch, those comment reminding me the day i uninstalled tsc and put all of it into the trash. No lazyness supported by me..
This is the best case scenario for me. I love BML but having SEHS at my fingertips has made all the TSW2 routes look slightly less impressive in comparison… A class 700 and the right optimisation might send me back to BML for the first time in a good while (plus if they finally fix the awful platform bug at Streatham!)
I remember just before the release of BML Matt was talking about the timetable and how joe had left spaces for a 700 if it were to come in the future, so it is entirely possible that that will be the case
I am not a fan of the 700s, but they would have the following depending on the routes we get to work them on They're electrically bi-modal in that they have 3rd rail and pantograph. I think some of the electrostars have this also, but we don't have those versions in game They're fully walk through, so as a passenger you would be able to walk from one end to the other with no doors, I think that would be a first for TSW (definitely for a TSW UK DLC) They do have distinctive motor sounds, similar to the networkers but higher pitched The view from them is probably impressive as they have a full width semi wrap around windscreen. Compared to an electrostar or the class 385 it would be a boon Downsides as it stands: If they did put them on BML they would get up to 90 They would be limited to Dartford to Rainham P0 on SEHS so 75mph tops? I doubt we'd ever get a "full run" given they all go through the Thameslink core between Blackfriars and just north of St Pancras. IRL this is an Automated Train Operation section with the overhead being a bar rather than strung wires so I'd imagine all of them in game would either end at London Bridge or Blackfriars (I'd hope Blackfriars so we can get the convergence from the Sutton loop and the Kent and Sussex lines, but I think that's a pipe dream)
Unless mergers are a/become a thing, we won’t really be able to enjoy the thameslink core. Best use for a 700 is a BML extension to London Bridge or we get a AC route to use it to its full potential but i doubt we would get a merger to use it fully and drive full thameslink services
Dtg can buy the 700 sounds from ap. And they certainly would take their time making sure physics and simugraph is set up correctly. It's tsw now, not tsc, so trains are taken more seriously now
That's assuming AP want to sell the sounds to DTG of course... Best use would be a Luton / Bedford to STP route or Kings X to Cambridge Both routes are about 50 miles long so definitely within the remit of TSW, but I would say more likely to be STP a few years back so that the MMR HST set could be used, now they use 222s and 360s
BML is already a busy route but there are a large number of services missing and some stations on the route don't have anything stopping there. If this was another (smaler or less busy) route with a large amount of services missing there would be many complaints. I think a class 700 (and I don't particularly like them) would really make BML the best route by far, although a class 455 for some of the Victoria end more local services would be lovely too.
Londonto Bedford might actually be a thing because we have this “leaked” 700 along with the MML route coming, maybe a london - Bedford, with the MML coming up, although i’d rather have it in the modern day with the electrification currently going on around leicester
The MML we're getting is further north than the 700s run so not sure they're tied together as yet, but it would make some sense for line population for there to be some units other than 700s available, and there was a few years overlap between the 700s coming in and EMT being superceded by EMR
I believe JD has already addressed this in another thread. They're just names for the files and don't indicate for certain that they're coming. Looking at the created date and last updated it won't be anytime soon. I'd rather stick to the roadmap
Ok, but so far they've all released at some point- i don't think the Class 700 is a mirage. I don't really care about the Class 700 in itself, but i REALLY want TOD4 on BML, so whatever DLC needs to happen for that, I'm supportive of lol.
I mean of course it has value in itself, i was being hyperbolic. I just want to go back to playing BML without my eyes bleeding lol
The reason regarding the fascination of the Class 700 includes: - Would provide a whole new variety to the London Commuter timetable and service type, plus adds freshness too thanks to stopping at four 'new' stations (Balcombe, Horley, Salfords and Earlswood) - thus making London Commuter go from an already epic route to legendary. - Provides a 24/7 passenger timetable. - It's dual-voltage, so apart from being applicable for London Commuter and SEHS, can also have the potential to be used on a lot of routes elsewhere, the most popular being ECML and MML South - thus imagine how epic it would be to go most of the way from Brighton to Bedford or Three Bridges to Peterborough etc on TSW! - If the 700 came to TSW, I'd really like to see some of the special liveries, although these are from the /1s though: All pictures taken by myself
Fair enough. However, if using speculative logic, one other thing to consider though is the 700/0 does make sense for both routes as per reality. But, conversely, if it were just the /1, it would make sense for London Commuter but not really for SEHS as the latter is exclusively the 8-car /0.
Just as they did with Boston, when they added the Acela and improved the route itself, I imagine the same could happen with the London Commuter with the 700, who knows... I also think that ATS may be developing ECML, since it has vast experience with this route, and the 700 would fit like a glove in it...
i don’t think ATS would make a route that long for their first route in TSW, but if they do that is a very very big cash cow under their noses
Actually we do have a bi mode Electrostar in game… the 387 Gatwick Express has both third rail as well as pantographs… it just never uses the pantograph in BML…. But apparently if you put it on SEHS or BCC in scenario planner it works on overhead wire.
