Set in the 1980s, WCML: Crewe–Preston features the Class 86/4 Electric Locomotive in BR blue livery, which was designed to pull both passenger and freight services, the passenger consists featuring classic Mk2E Tourist Standard coaches. With its powerful engine and brakes, and 38-notch power controller the Class 86/4 is easy to drive and cruises at 100mph.
Also included are the familiar BR Class 47/3, the BR Class 20 diesel (usually in pairs) and the evergreen BR Class 08 diesel shunter. This impressive selection of locomotives means you can expect to drive Passenger, Freight and Parcel services, as well as doing some shunting. Coal trains may run between collieries or delivering to Fiddlers Ferry power station with long trains of new HAA hoppers or the older HEAs.
The TSW community asked for longer routes and longer, more complex services and they certainly get both with Crewe–Preston, at 60 miles long (96km) and with 746(!) timetable services and 5 scenarios.
3Us lot at GameCell like collectibles and so do most TSW players, and we get 100 more on Crewe‐Preston with Missing Route Maps, Uncle Joe's Mint Balls, Pie Bombs (looks like a pie sandwich to me!), Rugby Balls and Broken Circuit Cabinets.
We've loaded a lot of coal in previous TSW routes so weren't too phased by the mind numbing nature of a few of the scenarios, but if loading coal at 3mph sounds slow, then you'd best stay away from unloading at 0.5mph with 2 Class 20s! I'm all for realism but when reality is this tedious maybe speed things up a bit? –Y'know, for "gameplay purposes" or "quality of life" or some other games industry word salad phrase of the week. Watching paint dry is only marginally more soporific.
Coming from Just Trains, the quality of this route unexpectedly lurches from the sublime trains, rolling stock, scenery and spot effects (like the exhaust smoke) to annoying crackling sounds when driving the Class 20s (like a scratched record), some ridiculous instructions (like telling you to take a seat from where you can't actually see the next lever you're instructed to use!) and a couple of other minor bugs which we've reported to Dovetail Player Support who have acknowledged our video and responded to our report.
I also feel the need to mention the passengers and railway worker character models. They’re terrible and don’t seem to be getting any better since they were first introduced on TSW2. We have them carrying luggage and opening umbrellas now, but good lord they look like they were drawn on an Amiga art package. I know they have to all be the same height and they have limited memory to work with after the amazing trains and scenery are drawn… But come on! (see pics)
As usual we point out the flaws and grumble about everything but at the end of the day, TSW6 is the best train sim out there (until TSW7 that is, which will be arriving at a platform near you soon.)
On the lighter side, the passenger announcements bell ding dong sounds a lot like our RING doorbell, which caused some confusion and hilarity.
Just Trains, Dovetail Games and Indigo Pearl