We are absolutely certain that WCMLOS will be a smashing hit for TSW's sales, partly due to being the longest route ever in TSW whilst still having various branches as the route accompanies freight, local, mail and express passenger trains alike. So following the release, what do you expect out of JT in the near future? The Loco DLC Many have been speculating the train that will feature alongside the route, but what could it be? Some speculate the 370, the famous tilting train that despite its political and mechanical issues, still holds as an Icon of the West Coast Main Line. Others may say it could be an 86, which personally I see could happen: the locomotive shares similarities with the 87 both in structural design and operational capabilities, which i assume makes it easier to recreate in TSW whilst still holding important presence in the route. Next route I think it's safe to say that Just Trains will do an annual release that covers the Northern regions of the UK. Based on their current tendency to make routes that can be hopped on from their previous routes, we could safely say it would probably be a route that begins from Preston - Carlisle. My predictions are: -Tyne Valley line: Carlisle - Newcastle -Settle & Carlisle line: Hellifield - Carlisle and Lancaster? -Cumbrian Coast line: Carlisle - Barrow (+maybe Lancaster) -Manchester - Preston via Bolton -Preston to Crewe
I wouldn't like to specify where exactly the next route would be located, but JT seem to aim at markets DTG don't bother with and show us it can be successful and make it look nothing short of amazing! They might surprise us and do a modern era route in future. But I'm very happy with the period they are focusing on as it ticks all the boxes for me... *cough* please do a Southern Region slamdoor themed route to add to their magnificent catalogue *cough*
JT said something about a “rolling stock plan” or something on those lines so i suspect it could be Preston-Crewe or even if we dare to dream, Carlisle-Glasgow.
I think JT should launch a takeover bid for TSW and set the bar for the future. I can see their routes being the only ones I really trust.
Yeah a yearly release is sure. Maybe they stick with nw England who knows.. I hope they do modern also. I also think ATS could do great as well. And I think they have plans already for next route and are maybe in start of development stage for next route
I feel like the way everything works now is fine. Each dev a seems to have a main area of focus meaning we get a pretty good coverage of what most people want. DTG: Mix TSG: Mix Skyhook: Gameplay packs Rivet: Scottish & Swiss JT: 80s Britain ATS: Modern Britain The only downside is that JT seem to only produce 1 - 2 DLCs per TSW release, same with TSG but I suppose limited releases is a good trade off since we know they’re constantly good.
My only desire really is that they don’t switch to modern stuff. There are lots of developers focussed wholly on modern routes and trains (including DTG themselves) and for the one developer who are making older routes to switch to making the same stuff as all the others would be a real shame. So long as they stay in an earlier era (and in the UK) I’m going to be buying pretty much whatever JT put out. If it were to be another section of the WCML I’d personally prefer Preston-Crewe to Carlisle-Glasgow. I find it a more interesting section of line to drive, with more going on. Preston-Manchester would be superb (assuming the era stayed the same it would be into Victoria of course - before the opening of the ‘Windsor Link’ giving access to Piccadilly). I’d also love to see a slam door Southern route (London Victoria - Faversham for me, but that’s just personal preference) but it would require starting from scratch with rolling stock, with little available already to layer in, so it would be a huge task. The other one in my mind is the sea wall and South Devon Banks - Exeter-Plymouth with 45s, 47s, Westerns (depending on the year) and with a 50 as the new loco would be spectacular. There are so many options in that era though (haven’t even mentioned North Wales Coast yet) that it’s hard to know where to begin.
this is something that i really wish they could've done but this route i dont think its done by JT. Its the York to Newcastle route. (Which is also on TSC). Its a route taken place in during the sectorisation era of BR. And the route includes mainly the HST (unsure is it still having Paxman Valenta engine) and class 91 and mk4. If we cant get license for the 91 and Mk4 from LNER (and its has been suggested a lot on the fourms yet DTG still cant bring the 91 in) then we might as well have in to be ran during the sectorisation era. Which even the TSC route has this to. But all of this might be wishful thinking.
Personally I think a period North Wales Coast could be near the top of the list. Most of the locos and stock already exist in one form or another, just need some B/G Mark Ones and some Mark 2 Coffins. The loco could be a Class 25 if set towards the early end of the eighties. With their route building expertise, the full line from Chester to Holyhead and Llandudno should be more than feasible. There's also the possibility they could do something from the Western in the 80's. They already have the lines covered and ergo a lot of information from their comprehensive TSC coverage, so give us Reading to Exeter via the B&H with a Class 50 and I'll be in hog heaven. It really depends if the TSW team want to emerge from their apparent NW comfort zone and try something different.
NW coast could be class 25 and class 40 heaven, but for Western region I would suggest the late 60s or early 70s pre-HST era, when it was dominated by the hydraulics.
I'm probably not the first one to say that whatever JT have in motion next, will likely already be on the whiteboard in the office. Don't mind what it's going to be. More proper locomotive's would be lovely. Another decent length route would be good. A lot of locomotive and rolling stock are not owned by the companies using them. Electra is leased to lner. Got a question; Doesn't this make it easier for Just Trains to enable 70's to 90's era rolling stock with defunked or BR branding?
Preston to Manchester Victoria (along with a remaster by DTG of NTP) would go nicely together - yes I know one is 1986 and one 1982 but they are both 80s routes in the same region. It'd also allow a complete run (with route hop at Preston) of Manchester to Blackpool. Add in a 108 DMU too. If we move elsewhere, slam door Southern with NSE / BR Blue/Grey mixed stock or a route with the Class 50.
Agreed, as you say they are pretty much the only development team working on older British Content which is lacking. As of now I do hope it stays that way OR a new developer with standards similar to JT comes along. One thing I notice about older locos like the 47 or 08 or 87 is that they have individual features like the nameplates or slight variations in liveries (08) or ploughs or what-not that differentiate each one, even though they are part of the same family - compare that to a lot of the modern trains that would be lucky to get a vinyl slapped on the side and even then it may be only a very small percentage of the whole fleet (I.e. the 700 only having 2 special liveries out of the 115 units in operations). I dont think many developers would go through the effort of modelling those small details as it doesn't really subtract from the overall experience but it's great JT keep the standards very high and include them. One thing I do hope for is that they do potentially cover the old slammers, the AP 411 is a lot of fun to drive on TSC (although saying that I do hope they would cover somewhere like Soton to Bournemouth, I'd quite like Waterloo to Guildford via the fast and commuter lines to be set in the modern times mainly to have the contrast of the old 455s and maybe 456s as well as the newer Desiros )
I wonder what other developers could potentially come along. Like I said ats seems to be another one to look out for in terms of quality.
One thing i've sorta learned from TSW is that nobody makes a train for only one route so I highly suspect whatever their next route is will feature the Class 87 in some capacity. I think we can rule out Settle to Carlisle since the route was on the brink of extinction in the 80s and didn't see much traffic so might not be as fun from a gameplay perspective. I also don't think it will be WCML north to Glasgow from Carlisle as it's not a particularly interesting section at least in my opinion. Maybe something further south? It's way too early to guess accurately at this stage.
Fully in agreement with this, but ironically that's what makes me want to see them do a modern route - I have nothing against the BR stuff, and I'm glad that fans of it are being catered for so well, but I'd love to see that JT level of care and attention applied to modern stock. e.g. multiple variations on liveries when going through a TOC period of transition, or more subclasses represented (off the top of my head like electrostar light clusters and carriage count) included at the same time on one route without the need for further DLC. Again, for the avoidance of doubt, I want to make it clear I don't think they should stop the current production plan for the benefit of BR-enjoyers, just that I'd like to see that approach adopted for modern content too.
I'd like to see Just trains make a southern route but I feel that their expertise lies in the north, maybe Darlington to Berwick on Tweed to take in the best scenery of the North East?
Personally, I'd love if they made a modern route that included a brand new freight locomotive so we aren't stuck with the class 66... While I love the look of the WCML expansion route, even when set in the past. I find that the older trains of that era on the other hand are... "aesthetically unfortunate", let's just say that.
Let's get Preston to Carlisle out of the way first. First few weeks after a DLC release should be dedicated to patching and bug fixing, before rushing into making a new DLC... Which is the mistake that DTG always makes.
I think it will be something that will connect Carlisle to Glasgow (fingers crossed... ). I also heard, a few days ago, talking of a possible West Highland Line (Crianlarich to Oban). I don't know what era they'll choose... I think they'll continue with BR Blue or post-sectorisation (early 90s). A West Highland with 37s would be wonderful (with RETB, of course).
As long as it has big blue diesels on it somewhere I do not mind one bit. I would be tempted for something in the 70s, or York to Newcastle with a 55: plenty of layering opportunities there.
I’m down with whatever they do next but would love Preston to Crewe (or even Birmingham since they’re doing longer routes), but with Fiddlers Ferry included.
Preston-Crewe would get my vote! Or Cumbrian Coast to Workington... or something including Bristol-Bath-Westbury in the hydraulic era TBH I don't mind as long as it's BR and blue
i also like a class 56. man they sound like a cruise ship that is setting sail when they depart. They sound POWERFUL.
Theyed be my most trusted dev to make the Riviera, a route Id be very happy to see. That said, given we’re going to have Preston - Blackpool - Morecambe and Carlisle. Something that links in the same era would be too good to miss. Carlisle - Glasgow? Preston - Crewe? Maybe too much of an ask for the next dlc. How about Preston-Hellifield Matching up to the DMU services as layers (some going through portals at Blackburn) Detail Farington curve, so to get Diesel Railtours and diversions. The Primary stock would be a new class 37 with Castle Cement tanks. Fully detailed works with all the shunting. That train could then layer onto the Shap route. If JT felt they wanted to go further and add another wagon. The TTAs were often pulled in and out of Preston docks by 37s. That could involve a run in and out of the tunnel portal at Preston Station to Blackburn, where the ai would take the train south east through a portal.
If JT do anything beyond BR Blue I'd rather see them either tackle things directly adjacent to it, like 90's or 70's BR. Or tackle something entirely different, they sell a bunch of Chinese stock on their website, would be neat to see a Chinese route out of them. Granted I don't think they necessarily do the Chinese content, I think they're just publishers for most of it, but still.
I suspect the Chinese stuff is simply published by JT rather than directly developed but nevertheless an interesting thought.
*cough* Kyle of Lochalsh *cough* Just give me anything with stone-built houses and lush green nature in their level of detail and I'm happy. Anything from 1920s to 1980s really. I just want to drive through some Poirot movie.
I see they've done 'South Devon Main Line' for TSC. That route would be my number 1 wish that they do next.
I think it's one of the most interesting routes in UK, but I am not sure if there would be enough audience for that. But hey, it exists for TSC! But TSW is all about timetables, and how many services did it have during the various eras? I suppose not much.
I’m hoping the 1980s BR era will be their focus to build and expand on what they have been doing. I’m not too fussed about what part of the country their routes are as long as there is an interesting timetable with varied services to drive. If they stick to the north west of England then that’s grand as it’s where I live and where I know best but it’s how interesting the routes are that matters more to me. They have said they have a plan so I look forward to what that plan brings us.
Mentioned before, but Carlisle - Glasgow or Carlisle - Stranraer would be logical followers. I think JT can afford these development times, still selling a lot of TSC DLC and probably having financial backup from JustFlight. One DLC per year, but a real banger then.
If you play Carlisle simsig, it's already a nightmare to signal the trains in the 80s era to the point you have to memorise individual trains. Aside from the logical routes that JT might do, what would YOU want them to do? Personally for me I'd be intrigued on a Cornish Main Line route, or a route in the south-east region bustling with commuters
I’m up to about 1600 on a Friday 1979 playthrough and already had to delete some trains as I was getting dogknotted with the various van and portion moves in the station area. Very compelling and rewarding but I will struggle to get a score of 60%. At least I finally worked out how to use the ground frames at Dalston to get the oil empties back out, run round the loco and head back to Carlisle. It’s almost a shame JT didn’t set the route a few years earlier when the avoiding lines and Dentonholme Yard etc were still open.
How about the Stourbridge branch? Not only a busy timetable but top-notch rolling stock too The Stourbridge shuttle | On the last day of 1983…
If speaking from what I'd want I would really like to see them do a portion of the ECML, with the Deltic as the star attraction for it. And just to add a little twist set it right after the end of steam, with BR Green versions of stock include alongside the BR Blue versions. This would also mean that if DTG ever fix steam you could sell a transition era addon with a new timetable and something like the A4 and backdated A3 as a addon for it.
Manchester to Southport via Wigan Wallgate. Include both Bolton and Atherton lines for a bit of variety.
That the English Riviera hasn't been done yet is criminal lol, so my heart wants a Plymouth/Bristol DLC set in a similar era (With the Paignton branch included), But I've a feeling it'll be Carlisle to Glasgow.
I would like to see them make Exeter to Plymouth/Paignton next. Maybe set in the mid 70's utilising the Western and having the 45 and 47 backdated to match. I would certainly be happy with one of the Highland routes set in the loco hauled days with Sulzers or 37's. Any route I would be happy with set in the period they are currently modelling or a few years before or after.
Another classic diesel route they could pick up would be Bristol to Birmingham. Obviously couldn’t use existing Cross City as the top end as it’s a different era, but that would be a tremendous line to have set in the early 80’s. Class 45 and 47 heaven. Pair of 37’s at Bromsgrove to do the Lickey banking. Set before Cross City electrification and you would have less to worry about as regards local services, though a Class 116 DMU could also sub in at the Bristol and Gloucester end. Another route where you could see Class 50’s from time to time and again just needs a decent set of blue/grey Mark Ones (with catering vehicles!) and we would be set. Or continuing the “Cross Country” theme, Oxford to Coventry and Birmingham, with maybe the alternate route via Solihull too. Again, most of the needed stock already exists in game but another route which also saw Class 50’s fairly regularly.
