Tees Valley Is Good

As the titles says, Tees Valley is good. Oldie, but goodie.

It’s got soul, it’s got VARIETY.

Where else do you get to see cool stuff like a Class 31 roll by while pulling a 101 at 14:23 on service (6M03 Redcar -Tyne Yard) while you’re sitting at a red in a Class 37 that’s pulling mad wagons?

So who else has some solid Tees Valley runs/stories/etc to share?

 

https://forums.dovetailgames.com/threads/awesome-tsw-service-mode-runs.32010/

 

Great thread. Just not specific to Tees Valley.

 

Nope its a bit of every route that has good runs in there lol

 

It's worth it just to get the Class 31 and 20 DLC. It's criminal that the 31 and 20 don't have any passenger formations in the scenario planner and don't layer into NTP.

In an update I'd love to see a 31 on passenger runs with a set of mk1's or 20's pulling Saturday specials to Saltburn.
I know the 31 pulls the 101 dmu but it wasn't a regular occurrence and doesn't really give it a workout.

 

You got west somerset for passenger runs lol

 

Best thread on the forum tbh, I live by it

 

Did the 31 run much on NTP in real life? Not that 100% authenticity always matters… would love another route to be able to stretch out the 31 at least. It’s one of DTG’s best loco’s imo

 

31 also does passenger runs on Diesel Legends of the Great Western.

 

Yes Thornaby had an allocation of them but they would not have been used on passenger trains on the line except for emergencies, which the 31 hauling the 101 is supposed to represent. However in that situation if a loco had rescued a DMU it might have completed the journey but I doubt it would have spend the rest of the day hauling the unit around. A replacement unit or a spare rake of mark 1's would have more likely been used.

The route is very good, for me the biggest shame is that most of the passenger runs don't complete their journey. The Saltburn trains all went to Bishop Auckland, it is shame that, that very historic and not exactly lengthy branch wasn't modelled.

 

It is good on there but I'd prefer to take it above 25mph.

 

One of my fave routes in TSW.

I'd love to see it get the 2.0 treatment like they did with SEHS.

 

I guess one can dream that, eventually, in TSW27, we’ll get a TVL version that runs to Bishop Auckland.

Yes please- either this or NTP. NTP would look especially stunning with the upgrades. Although I suppose I’d settle for a new old diesel route if it’s made well enough.

 

For me its NTP and then TVL but they are both brilliant routes and I have racked up thousands of miles on them. They really are golden oldies!

 

I've been playing a lot of TVL and do love the route especially the 101 and the class 20s (haven't quite got to the 31 journey). Its nice to see the occasional 31 on the route though whether passenger or otherwise and I do love driving the 101. Definitely a favourite!

I've had NTP on the wishlist (xbox unfortunately so no sales) for ages now. I hear a lot of people regard it very highly. I was wondering how the route stands up today and if its a route thats worth its full price tag? are timings and medals achievable? (Sorry for the slight hijack OP)

 

Yes I do love a good thrash with a 31.

NTP is a brilliant route and is my favourite in the game so yes I would say it is worth buying at full price and the heavy freight pack is also worth it too as that adds a buch more services and variation. Timings are achievable and in all honesty I don't take notice of the medals but I can check tomorrow for you mate.

 

NTP is easily my favourite route. Mostly because of the era but it’s a very nice drive too.

It’s from that golden age of quality routes like GWE, Ruhr Seig Nord, Sandpatch Grade etc

 

Absolutely love Tees Valley! Did a freight run this evening, which is very unusual for me as a passenger player, but they’re very entertaining on TVL because of all the cool yards, stations and junctions you pass through. NTP is also a favorite of mine, I really appreciate just how different both of these BR Blue routes are from each other. Just Trains has been doing some teasing, I hope their upcoming route can scratch that same itch!

 

Tees Valley is indeed good, but the more you play it, the more you realise the missed potential. As a freight orientated DLC it should have continued on to the potash mine at Boulby, very scenic single line section. Passenger wise it should have gone to Bishop Auckland.

 

I don’t like the 101, well I say don’t like it but what I mean is I struggle to drive it ! I’m also not a great fan of freight, I prefer passenger services. So, imagine my surprise when I bought it, tried it and loved it ! Loving the freight runs and the big yard areas. Building up the courage to get back to the 101 and nail it once and for all lol

 

I'd absolutely encourage you to give the 101 another go - it's incredibly satisfying when you get it right.

If you'll allow me to try to help - is it the braking or the use of the gears which you find difficult? And are you using RailDriver, keyboard or a console controller?

 

Changing up/down of the gears. Console controller. Any help much appreciated.

 

I had a look at the medals and most of mine are gold with a couple of silvers mixed in, so yes the medals are achievable.

 

OK, so apologies if this is all stuff you know already but hopefully there's something useful.

In my experience, where people struggle with the gears is believing that they have to do things quickly, when actually you have plenty of time, (and in fact, in real life doing things slowly puts less wear on the equipment).

• From a standing start, put the brake into release, then select first gear. You don't need to rush now to get across to the power handle, because even when the power handle is in the off position, just being in 1st gear will actually give you some power, and the train will slowly move forward. You won't roll backwards.
• When you're ready, open up the power handle. Using full power in 1st gear can make everything a bit rushed (and in low adhesion causes wheelslip) so just go for power notch 3.
• On the dial marked 'Engine RPM' watch the needle climb through the yellow sector until it reaches the arrow marked 'Up'. Then move the power handle back to 'off'.
• Again, there's no need to rush. You're supposed to let the revs drop before changing gear, so take your time. When you're ready, move up to second gear, and this time take full power (notch 4).
• Repeat this process, until you reach 4th (top) gear.
• When you want to slow down, move the power handle to 'off' and then put the gear handle into 4th gear (if it's not there already). You always brake in 4th gear.
• Brake as you normally do, until you reach the speed you want, then release the brake.
• The next bit's slightly tricky. If you now want to take power again while on the move (maybe you slowed for a speed restriction), how do you know which gear to go for? As a rough rule of thumb, the gear change speeds are 15, 25 and 40 mph, so by checking the speedometer, you know which of the 4 gears you need.
• Once you've put it in gear, you can take power. If you do that and the RPM needle goes above the yellow zone, no problem. Take power off, and move up a gear. If the RPM needle goes below the yellow zone, take power off and move down a gear.
• Finally - stopping. Leave it in 4th gear until you're almost at a stand, then move it to neutral. You'll find that the train slows down more rapidly when you move it to neutral, so it can actually be quite handy in getting the train to stop in the right place. i.e. leave the brake applied, when you're nearly at the point you want to stop, move into neutral and the train will dutifully stop.

If all of that is stuff you already knew, tell me what aspect is proving difficult, and I'll see if I can offer any more advice.

Edit: as this seems to be proving useful for some people, I’ve put a guide on Steam. The bit about gears is pretty much what it says above, but I’ve added a section about braking. It’s here:

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2989281079

 

This is great. I didn’t know about the braking in fourth gear and I do struggle when slowing but then need to get back on the power. I’m going to give it a go tomorrow and follow your guide. It would be nice to give it a good run out and actually enjoy it. Thank you so much, I appreciate you taking the time to do this.

 

Nice summary

 

So much detail in these older routes. Love was put in to them.

 

Well, I took your advice and after a whole morning of getting one thing right only to get something else wrong, I finally got it! Not perfect yet, but definitely satisfying. I also never noticed before how good the cab view is on the 101. Scenery’s looking even better than before. Thank you.

 

No problem, I’m glad it was useful. Yes, the views are great from a 101, and of course, the wonderful thing about the real thing was that the passengers got to enjoy those forward views too. Many happy hours of my childhood were spent doing just that!

 

Not by the time I was travelling on them on the Hope Valley line in the 90's! It was a rare and exciting treat when a driver showed to leave them up (or more likely there was a hole we could peer through!).

 

Yes, sadly in the later years it became unusual for the blinds to be left up, but in the 80s it was normal, except at night when they had to be lowered to keep light glare from the saloon lights off the Driver’s windscreen.

I remember some Drivers would lower the blind directly behind them but leave the one on the second-man’s side up, so that was the better side to opt for.

 

I would have closed the blinds (both sides) if I was the driver whether it was common to ir not. I can just imagine the people sat directly you can see everything that you do judging your actions, or even worse, tapping on the window distracting me. Would freak me out either way, though.

 

I think it was rare for that to happen. I used to travel on first generation DMU's a lot in the 80's and early 90's mostly as a child and never saw anything like that happen.

 

I think that was why a lot of Drivers did it to be honest - they preferred the privacy. There was also a degree of fear in the industry about the consequences if a unit with the blinds up was involved in a fatality. It’s horrific enough for the Driver, without inflicting it on the passengers as well! As far as I’m aware, though, there was never an instruction that the blinds had to be lowered, and some Drivers raised them, right to the end.

 

I guess it could be off putting. The class 139's (I try and avoid travelling on) are like the old DMU's as you can see the cab at both ends. Although the Stourbridge Town branch isn't a particularly interesting route to watch!

 

I can definitely say I used to judge the actions of the Drivers - but only in a positive way! The skill they showed with the vacuum brake was just incredible, they’d put on a few inches of vacuum at 60-70mph, then need only the tiniest of adjustments to bring the train to a stand dead on the marker board.

Having said that, there was the time when a Driver lowered the blinds, but there was a tiny gap making a view of the Driver still possible. I peered through it, and saw him reading the paper while driving. No wonder he lowered the blinds. He saw me looking and chucked the paper back into the gap between the desk and the windscreen (the traditional place for a newspaper in those days - you rarely saw a unit without one!)

Edit - I suppose you could say that dealing with the gears, and the vacuum brake, on a route with frequent stops, all while reading a newspaper, was it’s own kind of skill!

 

Thank you for sharing all this lcyrrjp

 

Due to where I lived and where we travelled most of my journeys were on rakes of mk1s or 2s (or mk3s later on) though I remember travelling to Leicester on the way to somewhere from I believe Stamford, though possibly Peterborough (we lived closer to Stamford but sometimes Peterborough was the better option so can't be sure which) in a cravens set I think it was. It was a wonderful journey and the driver was one of my fathers mates so I got to ride in the cab and although I'd been in loco cabs before this was completely different as I'd never been in a DMU cab. I still find it staggering the amount of skill he had from the gear changes to the perfect braking, though it wasn't the comfiest trip in the world. I travelled on 108s now and then too but can't think of anything very interesting happening on one.

 

With regard to cab blinds, it was common for these to be lowered on the DMUs out of Marylebone and St Pancras, mainly due to the “expert witness” factor of 9 to 5 railway managers and directors, as most of the Regional HQs plus the BRB were based in London at that time. Not to mention nosy stockbrokers keeping an eye on the working class man. Elsewhere around the country I rarely encountered the blinds lowered except, obviously, in darkness.

 

This is my biggest problem, comparing with heartly made TVL, NTP, CRR, SPG, BML or DRA and some other oldies, the new DLCs are not impressive at all...

 

I always think of Spiny Norman in the Monty Python sketch - DINSDALE! honestly I love the Route especially around the Redcar area, and it was my introduction to the 37s

 

One of my favorite things about Tees Valley is being able to select single or double loco services specifically. Also has good variety with passenger and freight services along with a good size yard to do shunting work in.

Edit: single or double loco services for the class 37 freight

 

Up on the D-pad will take you up the gears and down will go down. Same choosing direction. Once direction is chosen press the same direction again to select 1st gear. The 101 is a fantastic unit to drive that at first makes you feel like a drunken octopus but is great fun once you get used to it. I'm going to take a run on the training centre using lcyrrjp's guide because I didn't know about the braking in 4th

 

Thanks buddy. I did discover the d-pad by accident the other day. I’m getting better and loving the views from the cab, although I get distracted by them and then panic brake lol
It is quite addictive once you get it all together. Thoroughly enjoying it. Enjoy your ride.

 

I don't recall seeing a single 31 pulling trans-pennine express services here when I was growing up in the 1970s/80s (the Liverpool-Manchester line is right at the back of my house) it was almost always 40's, peaks and 47s. The few 31s we did see were pulling freight, usually coal from the South Lancashire collieries to the various power stations at Bold, Fiddler's Ferry etc.

Might have been different on the east side of the pennines of course.

 

Yeah I read that last night and blew my mind. Never knew I should be braking in 4th. TIL

 

In all honesty while there are some visual issues with TVL ( there is no crossing into Tees Yard as the mainline is a good 25 ft higher than the road alongside it) the only thing that's really wrong with the route is limiting the 31 to only hauling the 101 for passenger duties. TVL is my localish route (I live in Billingham) and remember watching them come down from Newcastle hauling short rakes of mk1's or 2's so think DTG could have included them with the 31 DLC to goive a bit more reality to the route. It's also a shame that most if not all of the industry between Cargo Fleet and Redcar is now gone

 

It was done at a time when timetables were not always padded out as per some other DLCs. A lot of the freight used the goods loops round the back of Middlesborough not through the platforms. There's no AI from Sunderland, no AI from Whitby, no AI from Boulby, multiple freight flows missing from Tees, no AI around Darlington. Thornaby and Tees yard would be far fuller. Despite all that it's still really good considering what's come with it compared to say Cathcart or Birmingham.

 

Hands down, my favorite route,

 

Definitely always enjoyed the freight services this route has, theirs a very fair amount of variety to them also with different stock, directions and tasks.

It being my most local line in game currently also give it more of a charm and having a little first person knowledge of the areas on the route is always great. A few times as I was travelling over what’s there of the line nowadays, regularly between 2019-2022, I was seeing parts of it from the bus window and then going back home later or so and seeing how well they were recreated in game was quite some fun, I didn’t really see anything in reality what I couldn’t find the point in game, so thumbs up on details for that.

I have noticed the big green bridge is like a red or something nowadays, so I do wonder if it got painted at some point.



edit: yep just looked it was changed from the original green.

“In July 2014, work started to paint the bridge red and silver to mark its 80th anniversary”