Midland Mainline - Leicester To Derby & Nottingham

I’m super excited that my local mainline and station is soon to be featured in TSW 3!

Trains:
- East Midlands Trains Class 43 VP185 engine variant.
- Easr Midlands Trains Class 158 Cummins engine variant.

Some basic info of the route:

Leicester to Derby - 29 miles
Leicester to Nottingham - 27 miles

The route joins/splits for Derby and Nottingham just north of East Midlands Parkway Station, at Sheets Store Junction. This is quite an interesting junction as it is a ‘Y’ shape, with one way going to Derby and one way going to Nottingham. You also have a middle flyover line going to the large DB owned freight depot location of Toton.

Services from Leicester:
- 2 tph to Derby. One express and the other semi-fast.
- 3 tph to Nottingham. One fast, one semi-fast and one local stopping service (Class 158)

Noticeable locations:

Leicester station:


Loughborough Brush:


East Midlands Parkway:


Derby Etches Park Depot:


Nottingham Eastcroft Depot:

 

Extremely excited for this one.

Please please please don’t let the 158 turn out like the 150.

 

You should have some great opportunities for 'polishing', LM! Looking forward to it.

 

I’m going to have A LOT of fun modding this route!

 

Not sure about this one for purely personal reasons. If it was extended to Sheffield, it would be a guaranteed purchase from me. It also seems a missed opportunity to link Derby with Ambergate (albeit in different timezones). We could drive to Derby in the present day then swap routes to continue to Buxton via Ambergate in the Steam era.

 

Great to have my local route in TSW. Trent Sheet Shores junction is always fun to go over.

 

Like I've asked in other threads for different routes, what makes this particular route interesting. There seemed to be a lot of hype around it.

 

I think it’s more the traction itself - a brand new variant of HST (different engine compared to the GWR one we have) as well as a brand new DMU - something which us British fans have been lacking.

The route itself is relatively short but it has some nice twists and bends on the way. There’s some nice landmarks too.

 

So excited! God I hope it's good.

 

Not so sure about this one. Leicester through to Sheffield via Derby or Nottingham would have been a more appealing and rounded project. Or set back in the 1970's/80's to run Peaks maybe bring in a Class 56 on the freight and a Class 108 DMU for the local trains.
158 much requested but will Skyhook do it justice and avoid the pitfalls of both the Rivet TSW 150/2 and some of the Sprinter stock in TSC with their flawed physics?

 

Agreed, this route has a very northern vibe to it, not quite TVL, but it has a very industrial aesthetic in places. Plus it’s modern diesels which are sorely needed for the UK.

I agree that the terminus points are slightly strange, but given that we have 3 of them, 2 pieces of rolling stock & stopper, semi fast & express services, I think this route will have a lot to offer in terms of gameplay.

The only question is weather Skyhook can break the trend of third party routes being much more rough than the DTG releases.

 

One thing I'm very excited about (apart from literally everything else about it) is that this is the first route with a defunct privatised operator. I'm glad as well, the Stagecoach livery is gorgeous, arguably the best Britain has had, and EMR's current maroon/ purple livery is awfully dreary by comparison.

This means my dream of having an early 2000s WCML with Virgin Trains COULD still come true.

 

As I said in the other thread looking forward to this as I use the line between Leicester and Nottingham about once a month as part of my route to watch the football. Although I am rather pleased with the 158 and HST I was going to add how much better it could have been with Peaks and 108s but Vern got there first so I decided to delete all that and leave it like this!

 

Interesting that EMT has been used rather than the current operator EMR. If the EMT license is available, then does this also mean that the related South West Trains license would be available for a potential route in the future?

(Also the livery between EMT and SWT 158s is essentially identical apart from the lettering, so I'd very happily see EMT 158s playing the part of SWT 158 or 159s layered into Clapham Junction on BML to add a a bit more traffic on that side of the tracks)

 

Really excited and looking forward to this one; hopefully not too far off and we get to take it for a spin April / May time

 

The Stagecoach livery has always been my favourite look for the 158, something about it just suits it so well. The new EMR livery doesn’t look quite as good on them, however I do prefer it on their 156’s.

 

This route will be the same as GWE as far as driving the HST is concerned although the scenery will be nicer. It feels far too short.

 

Hot take- for me, this is the perfect route length. I very rarely play TSW for longer than an hour. My poor attention span means I could never be a real train driver! It's about the right length, and it's still between three major hubs. I think it's brilliant personally, I'm not too bothered that it doesn't go on to Sheffield.

And what do you mean by the HST feeling the same? What would you expect for it's return? It won't be anything like GWE, it'll have a different engine, so completely different sounds, and this line isn't a racetrack like Paddington to Reading. 100mph is likely the maximum, maybe 110 at most.

 

I was just hoping for a longer run.

 

I don’t get it.

Is this putting Just Train’s nose out of joint before they’re even on the starting line?

What chance this will have the custom assets and attention to detail of the TSC version? It also can’t go without mention that it’s significantly shorter than the TSC version too.

 

With third parties - smaller = better, I always get concerned when I see a long route coming from a third party, and no matter how much hope I hold out, I’m always let down.

The start and ends here are abit weird, but they at least offer variety - besides, with Rivets Scotrail DLC, there were numerous complaints of it being A-B with only one train, this DLC is opposite of that so let’s see those complaints die off now. As I’ve previously said, If you don’t want A-B, this is exactly what you get.

For me the general locale of the route, the ToC & the rolling stock will be good enough, it’s just down to Skyhook to put the effort it in. I will not be happy with another butchered sprinter.

 

Let's just hope it's not another route full of the Edinburgh errors and no passengers hardly

 

I'm looking forward to MML it's a mainline that I've been wanting to see in TSW and the 158 and VP 185 HST are going to make for good additions to that route I'm just hoping that Skyhook get good sounds for both trains other wise there are going to be alot of angry people

 

The EMT license is from the DfT and the same could happen with SWT in the future if they decide to do a modern version of the Southwestern Mainline

 

I'm hoping that for the VP185 HST, they've been able to source and mix the sounds from AP correctly.
MML northern and the associated add-ons from JT have been my most played routes on TSC so far.

 

I'm really hoping Just trains have helped with it. If JT are on board it should be really good, however if it is a solo skyhook product I'm a little worried. As we know JT have a lot of experience in this area and it would be a shame to waste it.

 

JT is probably working on a completely different section of mml.

 

Yup, I don’t see JT not bringing a section to TSW, with the Skyhook DLC we will have layers ready to go too.

 

I wonder if Toton tmd will be included were any of the units ever kept there I don't know the area? Or the sidings could be good for freight services

 

Not really. You have more intermediate stops so lots more thrash!

Sorry but nothing beats an HST. The pinnacle of British railway engineering. So glad Skyhook have gone for this era.

 

Is there no chance they could be collaborating and Skyhook just happens to get top billing on this particular project?

I know very little about the TSC dev scene, so some context would be helpful.

 

The HSTs were good (especially when they had they had valentas) and I did enjoy the rather long amount of time I had on them but there is something about the peaks which just edges them into the lead as the best for me.

 

In any case i'm excited about MML because i really like three termini- it adds variety to the service patterns.

Also i've ridden on it IRL (I think)- it was 20 years ago but i know i got off in Loughborough because my cousins live there!

 

I hope that the leasing depot outside Leicester station is filled with locos. It will feel wrong if it was empty…

 

Very excited for this as I have been begging for it in the surveys for years! Being from Nottinghamshire it is exciting to finally have trains and places I can identify with.

My only disappointment is that the line does not go all the way to Sheffield as I lived next to Dore Junction for 10 years where the MML and Hope Valley Line line merge on the way into Sheffield. Hopefully in future there will be an extension. Class 222's were very common too so maybe an opportunity for a future DLC there.

I just hope they do a good job of it. Can't wait.

 

Thats my biggest concern about the dlc. Im sure skyhook manages to create a nice route as they have proofen with cane creek and the curve. But most of their rolling stock had major issues. Visually superb, but buged / simplified implementation of systems. Many players including me will remember the 187 debakel and skyhooks lack of interest in fix their stuff.

Here to say, this is a good chance for them to convince players, so i really hope the dont screw it up with a huge list discovered by players in the preview stream.

 

Basically, for the last couple of years JT have been building the MML for TSC and releasing it section by section which merges together. It is now a pretty comprehensive network hitting Sheffield, Derby, Leicester, Nottingham, Newark, Lincoln, Manchester, the Hope Valley, the Erewash Valley and some branch lines like Matlock. Their attention to detail has been amazing and they have built literally hundreds of custom assets for the route, all of which could be brought into TSW. Many of those custom assets feature in the area that this release is going to cover.

We‘re told they’re involved in TSW3, it’s obvious from their guys that they’re already developing for it and given their experience of the MML it’s almost inconceivable that they wouldn’t start here. Instead, here we are with Skyhook doing it which makes absolutely no sense to me whatsoever. In one marketing release I think any hope of that same joined up network we see in TSC has been dashed. Given the rolling stock included with the route it doesn’t make much sense where they’ve picked to model either. Derby - Sheffield would have been far more logical to me.

As all we’ve got to go on is speculation as to exactly who is involved with this I fear it will be another massive let down. I’m hoping against hope it won’t be, and the proof will be in the pudding, but you’d be a fool to get carried away with this one until we see for sure we’re not in for another E2G debacle. Setting and era yes, implementation, jury very much out.

We’re still very much in phase 1 of the now predictable forum cycle. DTG announce stuff in their usual flashy way, everyone forgets their previous experiences and starts salivating at the mouth getting wholly carried away again. I wonder how many times in the last 72hrs the word ‘hype’ and phrase ‘day 1 purchase’ (a phrase I detest) has been used on this forum compared to the preceding 3 days?

 

I'm so happy to see a route I've suggested previously now been made. It'll be nice to see how good they capture Barrow-Upon-Soar station and the Brush factory, I've a family member who lives in Barrow and worked at Brush.

I hope this route will one day let Just Trains extend the route up to Sheffield via Chesterfield or south to Market Harborough or Kettering with a Class 222 Meridian.

I wonder if we'll get the DB Toton yard? Not holding my breath but it would be a great addition.

Overall I'm really happy we've got EMT in TSW. I just hope Skyhook do the route justice.

 

If they’re not involved in, or have any control over, the level of quality on this part of the route I’d be surprised if JT started extending off it. Maybe I’m wrong but I’d be very surprised indeed.

It would be nice if someone from DTG could at least give some context to the rationale behind this choice of route and developer. Are JT involved in this?

 

Surely it's not beyond the realms of possibility that JT can't one day join up as suggested? Also, from what I've read in the past regarding 3rd party developers, DTG themselves have no say in what they want to make. I'm not suggesting or expecting JT to extend the MML right away but I see no reason whatsoever why they can't, or even extend it alongside Skyhook. Rivet and DTG worked together on Cathcart Circle after all..

 

Not excited at all. Just another UK route for me, not being British.

 

In a nutshell, each developer has their own style. JT’s has become, thankfully, attention to detail and realism. Just say for arguments sake that this is a dogs dinner, with generic assets and full of issues. I find it hard to believe JT would want to start building on someone else’s iffy foundation. That’s without mentioning the rolling stock. Who knows how that will turn out? There’s no AP to save the day here. On that note, I know you can’t read too much into it, but when Matt talked of the VP185 variant he mentioned the different cab and passenger areas. He also mentioned that rather than this being a new model, the Skyhook VP185 is an adaptation of the GWE HST and sounds weren’t mentioned once. Given how distinctive the VP185 sounds I would have thought this would have been front and centre of the differences. Again, really hope I’m wrong but as speculation seems to be the order of the day, there’s enough there to give cause for concern.

I hope this hasn’t put JT’s nose out of joint causing them to reassess. When I saw ‘MML’ I thought great, finally a developer hell bent on accuracy who has proved already what a cracking route they’re going to build here. But no, it’s not them, and I don’t get it!

 

I would say the emt hst could layer on to Sehs extension at St Pancras as ai but depends on year and third party laying

 

I have to disagree with everyone saying it should have been Derby- Sheffield, for the simple reason that Nottingham wouldn't have been included then. I have family and friends living there, and it's like a second home to me. I'm so excited to see it in the game.

Also, if it was just Derby to Sheffield I guarantee people would be moaning about it being "just another A to B route". People will always find something to complain about.

 

I genuinely wish someone and I have a feeling it'll be rivet will create the first modular route

 

Way to short a route for a HST in all fairness. I like the idea of another mainline but it needs to be a decent length for the 43s

 

For me personally Sheffield is a logical end point, from an immersion point of view it is the beginning or end of a journey whereas Leicester and Derby are both stations in the middle of the journey.

The class 158 and its services will be the decider as to whether I purchase it or not, I am sure it will be a nice looking route. I think out of this and the new Peak district route, this actually seems more interesting to me as that has an even more bizarre starting point.

 

Or they could be doing the Met. Apart from the performance issues and the wretched approach/speed signalling it's a cracking route in TSC.

 

It might be that JT have no intention and have never had any intention of making the MML for TSW, we don't know. Maybe they want to model other parts of the UK.

 

Oh god I'd love that. I've always advocated for the Met to be the next Underground route. If done right I think it could be amazing.

Nottingham is just as logical an endpoint as Sheffield. As many trains go there as go to Sheffield. And as I mentioned in a different thread, EMT put their HSTs almost exclusively on the Nottingham services, they only really put HSTs on Sheffield services during peak hours, at least during the late 2010s, which is when I assume the route is set.