Midland Mainline - Leicester To Derby & Nottingham

I think Cross City is one of the best routes despite some early issues not sure why it seems to be unpopular. The route and train are well modelled and there are a good number of different services available. It feels quite busy as the service is quite frequent. The night lighting is the main issue.

This route will certainly give a bit more variety as a single piece of DLC.

 

I agree with CrossCity, overall it’s nice and well modelled - I think the big decider on that DLC though is the gameplay, if you don’t like frequent stopping commuter services then there’s not much in that DLC for you.

MML will offer quite abit more in terms of gameplay.

 

That is true, sometimes I don't want an hours drive stopping at every station. I suppose that is the beauty of having different DLC as you have many different routes. Obviously this DLC will give you express and stopping passenger and presumably freight in one route.

 

Yeah, I think one of the issues though is how little content we have for the era in that area, so another Midlands Line with different gameplay is good to see.

If you fancy a dabble in the south you can pretty much do any type of service across a fleet of rolling stock - good to see we’re starting to get that in other parts of the UK now.

Really looking forward to seeing more details on this DLC, and very much anxious to hearing the rolling stock sounds.

 

Yes and presumably with JT and ATS there will be more variety come. I hope the likes of Steam Sounds Supreme get involved with TSW one day.

 

I definitely think we’re about to get a huge thrash increase.

Clag Factor to 10!

 

I'd like this to be just a little bit longer. I am not familiar with the route, but how busy is it likely to be. Sometimes it is nice to be able to jump on the next service in timetable mode, not wait around for 45 minutes.

 

My thoughts exactly. This is, in my opinion the perfect time to set this route. You’ve got those stupendous stagecoach liveries, plus the knowledge that Dovetail obtaining the rights to TOCs no longer with us. I’d love a Virgin Trains route but I have heard they’re rather hard to license… I’d personally be up for a GNER or Silverlink branded route (side note: am I the only person to find Sea Containers Ltd., GNER’s parent company, to be an extremely odd name? Even though they did sell sea containers, it’s like if Tate & Lyle were called SugarCorp, or if B&M were called Old Tat Nobody Would Want Ltd.)

 

It’s no Brighton Mainline but it isn’t what you’d call quiet - there are 5 trains per hour which leave Leicester, 3 going up one spur to Derby & 2 along the other to Nottingham.

London Midland has laid out an overview of the route on the first post of this thread.

 

Oh I'd love a GNER route. It would be a great way to pay homage to what is often regarded as the greatest operator in the privatisation era. The East Coast franchise has been going downhill ever since they left.

 

LNER not any good then? Living in Cornwall means I don’t have all that much experience on trains other than GWR and XC so I’m not all that up to date on the standard of those elsewhere in the UK (unless of course they’re doing so poorly it’s a major news item ie Avanti West Coast)

 

To be fair LNER didn't start it. There just seems to be inherent problems with the East Coast franchise, and GNER seemed to be the only ones who could manage it competently. Their successors, National Express, were truly awful and only lasted a couple of years before the government had to step in and run it themselves for around five years. Then Virgin had a go, which also didn't last long, which led to LNER, another government "operator of last resort".

There's also the fact that GNER had a genuine reputation for great, charismatic and reliable service, something which is severely lacking in 2023. People were genuinely sad to see GNER go in 2007, which doesn't tend to happen these days. I certainly shed no tears when my former local operator, Arriva Trains Wales, came to an end.

 

They also had one of the most stylish post privitisation liveries in my opinion and a good marketing campaign if I recall.

 

is this the route we are talking about

 

Which train rolling stock and engine is this coming with?

 

43 vp185 variant, 158 dmu

 

THIS

 

Or you mean this

 

Are we going to see the new 331 emu as well?

 

This route isn't even electrified so no. The only two trains coming with this route are the HST (with VP 185 engines) and the BR Class 158 DMU.

 

you mean this?
920 × 490

 

That class of train yes but it will be in this livery:

 

Oh wow then this can also be a livery for the Scottish train as well

 

I personally hope they Derby RTC aka the Network Rail Depot.

 

Lowkey hoping it gets layered into Scotrail as an A.I. to bolster Edinburgh and Glasgow.

 

Not gonna happen I'm afraid. EMT liveried 158s have never gone anywhere near Scotland.

 

-__-
No, but scotrail ones have.
Hence the lowkey hope that a 158 will layer onto Scotrail to bolster A.I. services.

Also hence why it was a direct reply to a message regarding a scotrail liveried one.....

 

Rivet could release it as an enhancement pack. The base model is already there so I don't think it would require a full rebuild to release it as loco dlc.

 

They could, but I don't think many run the E-G route, frankly, I'd just be happy with it sat in a platform doing nothing.

 

Then release it with another Scottish route with the 158 and layer in as ai. Possibilities are endless lol

 

That too!
*fingers crossed for an E-G extension to Tweedbank

 

I’d prob go fife circle, but like you said even a few of them at Waverley, haymarket and the haymarket depot would make it seem a bit more real

 

Living just 20 mins from eastcroft traincare and maintenance depot im buzzing for this route two locos 3 major stations sooo pleased its EMT as well.

 

Roadmap says MML is being done by TSG?!

 

No, must be a typo. I don't even know where this is

 

Clarified it with DTG_Alex, it is

 

Do you reckon that the route at night will have no ambient lighting from stations and line side industries near the line? I really don’t know what skyhook routes are really like because, I’ve never bought anything from them since the damn DB BR 187 release a while back.

 

Well, as is default with the majority of TSW routes, I’d say yes. None of the devs have cracked light pollution yet.

 

Well I wish my council would take a leaf out of DTG's book. Light pollution here in Birmingham is terrible, and plays havoc with my astronomy!

 

So, can anyone tell me what the difference is between the Class 43 we have on GWR compared to the Class 43 we'll see on the Midland Main Line? I understand it'll sound different, but will the cab interior look different too, and what about performance, does it run the same or better/worse?

 

I believe the interior does look different. No idea about performance though.

 

I was playing the TSC version by Just Trains, you forget how stunning the route is, it looks fantastic in TSC, so we are in for a treat if so in TSW!

The highlights for me are the Derby/Nottingham-East Mids Parkway sections, the area around Trent Junctions/Sheet Stores Junction is beautiful, there’s loads of open water with the River Trent, and then you have the lovely tunnel portals at Red hill tunnels.

Visually I think if Skyhook get it right it will be on the best looking UK routes for TSW.

 

I really hope the Lincoln branch line is added at some point. That would be amazing to see in TSW2

 

Really?! I'm very familiar with the line. I love Lincoln and have family there, it's one of my favourite places in the entire country.

However, the line from Nottingham to Lincoln is one of the most boring routes in the entire country. It's literally just a straight line through fields, and you can't even go that fast. The only point of interest is the flat crossing at Newark, and that would be better seen in TSW as part of an ECML route.

Also it's not at all a branch line. It's a double track mainline that continues beyond Lincoln to Peterborough and Cleethorpes.

 

Wouldn't it complete the Leicester to Nottingham service though?

I think it would be nice to have some of the branches, shame the Matlock line isn't added at the Derby end.

 

Agreed, if there was an extension - Matlock would be a no-brainer! Absolutely spectacular line!

 

I guess, but I still wouldn't be that enthusiastic about driving that route.

 

The approach into Lincoln crosses the University campus, the high street and all along the way you get to see the amazing landscapes of the ever-prominent Cathedral & Castle, the Brayford as well as some other notable points of interest along the way including Newark & Newark Castle.

It may not be the most interesting, but in terms of possible extensions that can be done from this route I think its up there with a nice mix of fairly easy to do whilst also being appealing. The TSC JustTrains version is really well done imo.

 

Yeah the approach into Lincoln is beautiful, but that's like two minutes out of an hour long journey. I think more time and resources would be better used on more interesting routes.

If they're going to add an extension to the route, it has to be either the Matlock branch or an extension of the mainline to Sheffield (ideally both from Derby as well as from Nottingham via Alfreton).

 

Maybe we can settle on all of them? haha