Giant plumes of smoke, the clanking of moving pistons, and the blast of a whistle can mean only one thing. Spirit of Steam: Liverpool Lime Street- Crewe has arrived for Train Sim World 2!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1490119/Train_Sim_World_2_Spirit_of_Steam_Liverpool_Lime_Street__Crewe_Route_AddOn/
Arriving at your nearest platform is Spirit of Steam, transporting you back in time into the hustle and bustle of 1950’s Northeast England. So, climb aboard the footplate of a steam locomotive for the first time in Train Sim World 2, raise some steam, and feel the power of these incredible machines in your hands.
The majesty of a steam locomotive has captured the imagination of people of all ages for hundreds of years, many dream of getting to grips with the controls and becoming a train driver, Spirit of Steam allows you to realise that dream from the comfort of your own living room. Lovingly recreated to immerse you in the amazing experience of driving some of the most well-known locomotives to be used across the British Railways network.
Depending on your preference of freight or passenger services there are two icon locomotives for you to master that excel at these tasks. The famous LMS Jubilee Class locomotive, resplendent in nostalgic BR Brunswick Green livery, adorned with BR’s late crest it will be at the head of both express and local services, giving you the chance to really open it up across the Cheshire countryside and explore each of the 15 stations along the route.
Players with a preference for freight will not be disappointed. Though they appear similar to the jubilee when you are standing in the cab, the LMS Stanier 8F Class locomotive couldn’t be more different to drive, featured in its rugged BR Late Black guise this hard-working 2-8-0 loco is better suited to hauling lower speed, heavy freight trains. You will be able to enjoy everything from shunting duties to long mixed freight.
Explore the 36-mile (58 km) route between Liverpool Lime Street and Crewe stations as they were in 1958, the twilight years of steam traction in the UK. Experience a snapshot of history as each station, signal box, yard, engine shed, and more have been carefully recreated to simulate that era. You will notice key details such as new era-appropriate passenger clothing, road vehicles from the 1950s, and historic signage.
With 135 services, a 24-hour timetable, and 5 premade scenarios there are plenty of ways to explore this amazing route. Each loco drives differently, offering you unique experiences each time you play, and several sections of the route present an interesting challenge to master, so we recommend you get as much practice as you can to stay on time. Additionally, we have included an accessible training module to get you started in learning to drive steam locomotives, and if you would like a recap, or you would like some additional tips, check out our driver training video here.
Adding the Jubilee and 8f to your collection also gives you the opportunity to simulate one of the many Railtours that travel the UK throughout the year. Using the “Off the rails” features you have the freedom to add a historic train to the route of your choice, as you can see from the image below we have added it to Southeastern Highspeed and enjoyed the route in a totally new way.
Spirit of Steam also features full compatibility of the scenario planner and Livery Designer, so you can craft and personalise scenarios and liveries freely. With the plethora of Wagons at your disposal, we are sure you’ll come up with so fantastic designs, if you want a bit more help on using the designer or some ideas on how to create privately owned wagon liveries check out Cats RTFV broadcast here.
To celebrate the launch of Spirit of Steam coinciding with The Queens Jubilee celebrations we thought it only fitting to include a unique Jubilee design in Creators Club, its striking colour will be familiar to many Railfans. You can also enjoy the jubilee logo as an individual decal in Livery Designer, meaning you can create your own jubilee-themed liveries.
Join us, Tuesday, May 31st at 19:00 UTC, on Twitch, YouTube, or Facebook. RFTV’s Matt, and JD as they celebrate the arrival of Spirit of Steam: Liverpool Lime Street to Crewe in Train Sim World 2.
Spirit of Steam: Liverpool Lime Street to Crewe is available now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Epic Games Store, and Steam!
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