Just finished my first run in the 158. Derby to Nottingham. On the surface it may seem like it's just a diesel engine and air brakes, but there's far more going on. I like how much attention was put into the underlying mechanics. It really shows. The harder step 1 brake when you come down from step 2 is very useful. It sounds great too. Love the idle while you're sitting in a station. The best trains in TSW make me feel connected to the machine. This is definitely on that list already. Up there with the German 101 and the 465 on Southeastern. I like the scenery a lot too. I'm an American and I've never been to the East Midlands (only London) so I don't have that local hyper scrutiny, but I do believe I am where they say I am. The town underneath Long Eaton really caught my eye. They said in the stream that they were going for an honest representation of the area, and they achieved that. Couple bits of constructive feedback and I'm sure these have been noted. -The font on the speed signs is very small. They look atypical and they're tough to see from the cab. One of the 70 triangles was almost microscopic. -The 10 mph turnout toward Nottingham from Derby is signed as 15 mph -There's a 30 mph turnout after this with no sign at all. Could be realistic, though worth noting. -I had a weird AWS warning while approaching a green signal on the Nottingham branch. Don't remember exactly which signal. -There was also a signal on this run that had no AWS ramp at all. But this could be intentional as I know not every signal in the UK is protected by AWS. One question: On the go via Line C section you approach a 25 mph speed restriction right before Nottingham. I got a brake demand just before it. I was slightly over 25 but I was on a good braking trajectory to make the 25 on time. Are there active speed traps there? Could have easily been operator error so I'm curious how that area is set up. Overall a great first impression. I love the late stage BR traction and I'm always glad to have another modern(ish) UK route on the list.
