Reviews

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  Artful

  Mar 23, 2022

  I own almost all the 'pro' steam engines and this is my favorite one. Though there isn't all that much to set them apart, (I love them all !) this one is special because there are so many small little things that are really well simulated and makes the experience better than all the rest. For a start the AWS system is in front of you so its easy to acknowledge and even if you miss the dreaded 2.5 seconds deadline to acknowledge, you can simply acknowledge afterwards and push the regulator forward to resume operations. Another thing I like is the exceptional realism of the steam (the most beautiful and accurate out of all the PRO engines I own). The locomotive is a nice challenge to drive, but its not the frustrating kind of 'challenge' Its just little quirks that make it fun. The best part however, is that the regulator and brake is positioned in such a way that you can drive the train with your HEAD OUT OF THE WINDOW, so you can see and drive at the same time. If you use the Active Fireman (CTRL-F) and you close the HUD and open the live information feed (Not sure if its F5 or F4) its really easy to keep an eye on the loco state, drive the thing, and look at the scenery... all at the same time. Its the only loco that allows me to this. Also for more realism - IGNORE the speed restrictions. They were not strict about these things in those days - in fact most locos did not even have speedometers. Just prepare a flask of coffee, place a sandwich in your favorite lunch tin, and you are good to go for a lovely drive somewhere in rain drenched Scotland. Ah just love it ! One last thing = someone mentioned the rolling stock not loading - this happened to me as well - to fix it - check the E:\STEAM\steamapps\common\RailWorks\Assets\Steamdevs\ and rename the Steamdevs folder to - JustTrains (If you already have a Justrains folder - just move the BRStandardMT folder into the JustTrains folder. )
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  fnc1a

  Jan 23, 2020

  Will not load correctly. Not impressed at all. Second one to disapoint.
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  Delfino

  Jan 29, 2020

  This is an amazing loco. First of all it can be driven hudless (even without F5) because coal inside firebox is modelled so one can see how much there is and how well it burns. Second of all it is pretty advanced - maybe not as advanced as Smokebox products but still quite complex. Driving this loco is really fun and challenging. The pressure rises and drops pretty quickly so it's hard do maintain it in limits if the driver is not planning ahead. About 10 minutes before station we already have to start reducing the steam if we don't want to waste it while stopped. But can't do it too eatly either. It's really fun. The brake is also nicely modelled, we have two compressors to chose from (slower and faster one) and the longer the train the longer it takes for the brake to react. We can heat the wagons with steam and even random holes in the pipes are modelled and we can see the steam flowing out. Third of all we can do some maintenance things like filling sandboxes or emptying the smokebox. And finally the model is really beatiful with several options to chose from like clean, lightely weathered or heavy weathered. We can also chose among from three versions and plenty of nameplates. I think this is my favorite steam engine so far.
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  dwhiting77

  Mar 24, 2020

  I really like the Britannia. Good sounds, solid performance, raw power, and pretty good acceleration with a great top speed (90+ even with an 10-11 coach load on level track). You do need to be careful when setting off, however, as even on dry track this loco will SLIP if you're not careful with your regulator and cutoff settings. Don't be afraid to apply sand during your first few runs with this loco to get used to it. The loco steams very well (I'd be pulling out of Carlisle on the WLoS route on a snowy night with a 12-coach load at near 80mph with the exhaust injector open and shoving steam into the heating lines for the coaches, full reg and somewhere about 33% cutoff on the F5 HUD and STILL have the safety valves lift!). So long as you stay on top of the firing situation, open your dampers, and pay attention to your cutoff you'll be fine. One quick tip: if you're planning on leaving soon after the beginning of the scenario (such as in a QD) start shoveling coal right away to insure high steam production as the ideal firemass is about 100lbs under the starting coal mass otherwise the loco will seem sluggish when building up steam. You will need to drive a bit conservatively when accelerating because it will take a bit to reach max steam production but once you've hit max steam production (35000lbs/hr) you can thrash this loco all day and the loco will gladly be thrashed. For you scenario writers, the best places to show off these locos "in period" would be Riviera Line in the 50's with the Western Region Brits, the Western Lines of Scotland (set approx. between 1963 and June 1965, when a large chunk of the Brits would have been allocated to Kingmoor), and probably Woodhead as the first Brits were employed on the former Great Central Railway which ran to Sheffield and Manchester. You could probably also get away with making scenarios for the Wearsdale & Teesdale Network for diverted expresses on the ECML operating via Darlington. Of course Britannia and Oliver Cromwell could show up on most modern mainline routes on railtours and preserved railways for steam galas with no problem. The only complaint I have with the pack is that the trucks on the BR1D tender are missing. That's a sticking point for me because all of the Scottish Region locos were paired with BR1D tenders, and I mostly drive up in the Scottish Region because I'm such a big fan of the WLoS route so naturally I'd be driving Scottish Region Britannias. The BR1 and BR1A tenders, though, load just fine. Besides that one complaint, the pack is a good one and well worth it for British steam fans. Would recommend.
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  eileen29172

  Oct 8, 2020

  If your looking for a steam engine that gives you a challenge then this seems perfect for you as it is quite the challenge. If your looking for a new and tough challenge then the Britannia is quite possibly your best bet. I will tell you a little story of how I came to buy this engine. First of all I had Just Trains' BR 6MT Clan Class my first engine I got from Just Trains as I had had standard steam locomotives with easy to get round controls. I should state I drove with automatic fireman on as I was more concerned with the driving aspect rather than the stoking and watering part of driving a steam locomotive. When I had the Clan Class out for the first time I struggled and started losing pressure once I got a few miles out of Dumfries on the WLOS. I eventually came to a stop and I struggled for days on end trying to figure it out. I then saw how to do it properly and I had to do the firing myself which was a new challenge and in doing so I fell in love with that engine. When I heard another Just Trains steam locomotive came out and it was the Britannia I was excited for it and I put it in my basket and started driving. With my experience from the Clan Class I thought I knew what I was doing but no it was a different challenge and I loved it. My firing of the engine was fine. my issue was injecting water into the boiler. I struggled for days trying to inject water into the boiler. I thought I wasn't using the right controls at first, but as it was of very similar design to the Clan Class I knew that wasn't what was wrong. The valves you need to inject water into the boiler I found needed to be put into a certain position to work and this changes when your picking up or losing speed, once I got round that I was running my Britannia like a dream and has quite quickly become one of my favourite along with the Clan Class. I can put on 13 coaches and I feel I can do everything and anything with it, pulled heavy freight work you'd expect with the 9F and it handled it pretty good may not be going at express speed but it does the job surprisingly well. I usually play on steam engine routes like the WLOS or Riviera Line in the 50's etc. So the Britannia's weathering comes in handy if you want to simulate those times. If your a steam locomotive fan, especially BR Standards then this one I would seriously consider for your collection.