Both are good but if you have no loyalty to a particular region I would say Shap wins out as the more scenic and interesting with the Class 87 to drive.
Agree with the above, both are great & are really 2 of 3 standout routes for TSW from this year. WCML has some more variety though & the overall route has more interesting geography. Either way, you won’t be disappointed with both of them.
I would say get both but that would be really expensive, although I think Over Shap has more replayability and as others have said it has more variety.
2 decent routes which need quite a bit of comparison to come to a conclusion. Scenery: WCMLOS- 9/10, absolutely stunning, only drawback is that it does impact performance ZWG- 7/10, pretty basic and repetitive but done to a good standard nonetheless and relatively little impact on performance Rolling stock: WCMLOS- 10/10- 87 is amazing, sounds perfect. Also included is the excellent 142 from Blackpool branches ZWG- 8/10- the iconic koploper has been recreated to perfection, the SNG sprinter is also included. Only issue is a lack of subclasses but that matters more to some people than others Variety WCMLOS- 7/10 main section from Preston to Carlisle but also includes the branch from Lancaster to Morcambe for something different to the high speed dominance of the route ZWG- 5/10- despite the good rolling stock, services for the koploper all follow the same pattern, as do the services for the sng Rolling stock in other routes WCMLOS- 3/10- the 142 is a layer from Blackpool but nothing else does any layering. Class 86 coming soon which will add some variety ZWG- 2/10- only scores 2 because there’s no layering at the moment but the potential is there for sure Total: WCMLOS- 29 ZWG- 22 As I say, two quality routes but my opinion is that wcmlos is slightly better.
WCMLOS has the edge for me personally, because it's not just detail, it's fine detail. And the locomotive is a masterpiece to keep you on your toes and learn the ropes... But, saying all of that I'm biased, I am English so it does appeal to me for that reason too. If your a Dutch native I'm sure the Dutch route will tick all of your boxes in exactly the same way. It's very much a horses for courses subject. Although, the neutral side of me recognises the scenery and detail on WCMLOS is finely detailed.
Both excellent routes but I think Shap is still miles better. More variety in rolling stock and services, and its not only passenger focused… there’s a lot of fun freight services
