As many of you know, I'm a freight fan, and not even all freight: switching/shunting preferred. Thus, over the years, I have shown no respect for activities related to passenger trains. Now that I've run a few of GWE's scenarios and services, I'm beginning to see new possibilities. Without giving away anything specific, I will just say that some of these activities for the Class 43 and Class 166 go way beyond trying to stick to a tight schedule while stopping at station after station. My humble thanks to those responsible for involving me in hitherto unexplored aspects of passenger service.
Whoops -- I lost track of this thread after starting it. Jay --> My favorite freight operation is (and always has been) switching and I'd really like to see some add-ons devoted strictly switching operations. Yes, I realize that I'm in a minority here, but I refuse to believe that I'm alone. Switching fans of the TrainSimWorld, please chime in here!
I love switching/shunting too but I find it frustrating in TSW with the way point system. In real life, shunting is always done in as few moves as possible and over the shortest distance possible. In TSW you usually have to pull the cut of wagons well beyond the points/switch in order to trigger the checkpoint, only to have to travel all the way back again. An element of free roam in shunting scenarios so you can do it how you see fit would be a more satisfying challenge. As long as the right wagons are in the right siding at the end it should be happy.
I'm also a big fan of switching, but with a twist. I most enjoy switching operations that begin with or end with a shortish road- freight movement. This means that I don't care for switching services that have no obvious purpose. And I especially like switching which includes branchline pick- up freight operations.
I'd love it if they were to bring out a typical mid Western USA shortline railroad where you delivered to customers and businesses along the route with their own sidings, that would be so cool. Lots of cutting wagons and shunting.
I feel the exact same way. I use to only like American freight back when TSW2 came out and would always avoid the passenger routes because I didn’t like them that much. But as the time went on I started loosing interest in freight because it got boring. So when TSW3 rolled around I picked up Boston Sprinter and I haven’t gone back.. i absolutely love the feel of rushing in a passenger route between cities and towns. At this point it’s the only thing I play anymore.
I've always wondered about the realism of running a cut of cars way beyond what strikes me as the distance necessary for carrying out the next switching maneuver, so I appreciate knowing that I'm not alone in thinking this way. Train Simulator has long offered routes that offer exactly the kind of switching that locobilly describes -- too bad this rarely appears in TSW!
pER Personally although I enjoy driving passenger too I really enjoy shunting puzzles around a yard where you have to cut and switch cars about a lot, Trainz 22 has a lot of this sort of work. I don't understand why Matt says that because it's proved very popular in TSC and Trainz so why shouldn't it also with TSW?
I've read from other people that freight switching doesn't really have a purpose in tsw. You just do it and that's it. Probably also because it's not done correctly but idk.
I'll find it hard to enjoy switching in TSW in any matter after playing Railroader and how serving industries and carloads are presenting in that game.