Page 1 of 1
| First payware 02/02/2025 at 16:23 #160061 | |
ydh652
2 posts |
Hey guys, I'm looking for a new challenge after playing multiple sims like carlisle. I like a challenge as I'm a real life signaller although in Belgium so I'm used to bi-di signalling 😂. I was looking at doncaster station but open for suggestions. Log in to reply |
| First payware 02/02/2025 at 17:10 #160062 | |
bugsy
1832 posts |
ydh652 in post 160061 said:Hey guys, I'm looking for a new challenge after playing multiple sims like carlisle.I think that Doncaster Station would be a good option, especially the 1981 timetable. Plenty to do. Also have a look at Central Scotland and Kings Cross. No doubt you'll get different suggestions from other players, maybe some that I haven't got. Everything that you make will be useful - providing it's made of chocolate. Log in to reply The following user said thank you: ydh652 |
| First payware 03/02/2025 at 09:05 #160071 | |
|
slatteryc
284 posts |
many of the newer sims - not all - come with automatic route setting - doncaster station does not which makes it a bit more "trad" . However you can turn it off if you want. Tyneside with the 2024 timetable is a hoot One sim I keep on going back to is Birmingham New Street with *that* timetable, someday I'll do a perfect run Log in to reply |
| First payware 06/02/2025 at 14:29 #160105 | |
|
RabidRabbit
17 posts |
If you are keen to try an Australian one, Sydney Box is extremely busy and Sydney North I'm finding has quite good balance so far
Log in to reply |
| First payware 14/03/2025 at 07:29 #160520 | |
|
TylerE
156 posts 
|
I haven't played Doncaster yet. Probably my favorite sim overall is Derby, especially the 80s era. Just a really nice mix of everything from high speed passenger trains to slow coal trains, and a varied layout. Other favorites include Exeter and Bristol. Some of the Wales sims can be really interesting a different too (Very rural, lots of single track, etc) If I'm being totally honest a number of my favorite sims were pre-loader and no longer available. The new Hope Valley has a lot to like too. Very quirky, in a good way. (Although currently the timetables are a bit buggy). Generally what I like in a good sim can be summed up as follows. (NB: I'm American and have never visited any of the areas covered so I have no "local" interest - I'm purely looking at operational interest). 1. Varied traffic. Prefer freight to passenger, and local hauled over MU. 2. A complex layout with options. (The old, dearly departed North London Line was a favorite here... the bulk of the layout included a full loop so you could literally take about a 3rd of the layout (in both directions!) and still run like 80% of the trains. Some of the routes would be...inconvenient though. 3. Decision making. Again, give me options. I like playing with failures. I like to have at least the possibility of doing stuff even when things go wrong. Some layouts are largely linear and there isn't much to do but wait. 4. NO ARS. Basically the sweet spot for me (which I don't think ever *really* existed anywhere) is full manual routing, but some of the newer workload reducing options like ACI, auto routes, ands TORR. 5. Quirks. Anything that's not normal modern signalling. Give me lever frames. Give me absolute block layouts. Give me token systems. Log in to reply |
| First payware 14/03/2025 at 08:34 #160522 | |
postal
5330 posts |
Looking at what you enjoy the sim is to an extent irrelevant. It is more about the era. The modern UK railway is passenger led with lots of chunks of the timetable which repeat on an hourly pattern and little in the way of shunts, freight and trip workings or loco changes. The heritage timetables available would seem to tick most of your boxes. Very few of these TTs come as part of the package with the sim but are instead available as user-produced timetables in the Downloads section of this site. As a first indicator, anything written by 58050 (Pascal) or bill_gensheet (Bill Wilson) will probably be to your taste. Tie these to the more complex sims like maybe Kings Cross or West Hampstead and off you go. Central Scotland keeps you busy because of the multitude of manual boxes without TORR so manual cancellation after each train. If you have already tackled the 1979 Carlisle TT you unlikely to find anything more challenging. “In life, there is always someone out there, who won’t like you, for whatever reason, don’t let the insecurities in their lives affect yours.” – Rashida Rowe Last edited: 14/03/2025 at 11:21 by postal Reason: None given Log in to reply |
| First payware 14/03/2025 at 16:14 #160524 | |
Bonan
62 posts |
Also a former IRL signaller here (in Sweden). I prefer the 1980s timetables myself, for the more varied workings etc. My favourite sims when I want something really busy are Carlisle (freeware), Motherwell, Edinburgh and Sydney NSW. There are well made 80s timetables for all of them.
Swedish driver and part-time signaller Log in to reply The following users said thank you: bill_gensheet, flabberdacks, postal |
| First payware 15/03/2025 at 17:33 #160538 | |
|
slatteryc
284 posts |
recommend Birmingham New Street it still drives me mad in the peak, no ARS , many ways to solve a problem but knock-on effects no matter what you do, 12 platforms of fun , freight to hide, depot workings. Saltley right next door can also cause a lot of fun trying to work a lot of freight into crowded passenger lines Log in to reply |