A new route is coming to Train Sim World 2 in the soon to be released Island Line. The island they are talking about is the Isle of Wight in the UK. The route is set in modern times and will feature the new Class 484 trains that were first put into service on the line in 2021. The line runs form Ryde Pier Head to Shanklin a distance of about 8 miles. If like me you are a bit confused by the beginning of this post because you have already got this line for TSW then you are not alone. Dovetail Games released a version of this line in 2020 and are still selling it on steam as of this post. This route is completely separate from the original version. When the Island Line replaced the Class 483 with the Class 484 they also overhauled the line. Stations received station upgrades like digital displays telling when the next train is and the platform height was raised to meet the higher floor height of the new cars. The passing loop at Brading Station was also reactivated. All of the real world updates should be in the new route as well as scenery and textures updates. DTG says that if you own the old route you will get a free update with "various updates and improvements including updated water textures" that are in the new route. In the same post as they announce that you will get the free water update they spend the rest of the time talking about how the original route is shit compared to the new one. The original route is still for sale in the steam store for $24.00 but I can't see a reason to buy it now. If you have the 1938 stock for the Bakerloo Line thanks to the "Off the Rails" feature of the scenario creator you can run the route with the 1938 stock.
Above we see a comparison at Ryde St Johns Road station of the new (Left) and Old (Right) routes. I notice that most of the textures look sharper and more detailed than before. Looking at the pedestrian bridge, the framework is much more pronounced than before and the car park is actually modeled like a car park with lines and cars.
Now we are at Shanklin station again the new route is on the left and the old is on the right. This really gives a feel for how much they updated the scenery on the route. The Carpark is not only has more cars in it but the lines are more detailed and there are even details in the pavement. They have also made the scenery extend farther away so that its not just tree lines everywhere.
As at this point we only have the few photos that have been released I am hoping that the entire line has bee up dated to match these pictures. I understand that the IRL line was modernized for the new trains and that if they fully modernized the old route it would no longer be correct to the 1938 stock trains but I feel like they should at least offer a discount if you already own the old route or be updating all the scenery to the new level. We will have to wait to fond out what they mean by "various updates and improvements including updated water textures".
for all of the issues I have looked at in this post, I am definitely looking forward to running on this route and have already preordered the route on steam. There is currently a discount of 10% or about $2.40 if you buy it before July 19th.
The screenshots in this post are pulled form the Dovetail Live Post and are owned by Dovetail Games.
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