Train Sim World 6: Just Trains Crewe to Preston MGR Operations Update

MGR Coal Operations Focus

• 💡 The latest update for Train Sim World 6: Crewe to Preston highlights the Merry-Go-Round (MGR) coal operations, emphasizing the industrial 1980s character of the route.
• 🎯 The MGR system involves a continuous loop for coal supply, where trains load at the pit, unload without stopping at power stations like Fiddler's Ferry, and return efficiently.
• 🔑 This update goes beyond generic coal services, focusing on detailed operational mechanics that bring the route to life.

Detailed Colliery Workings

• 🚂 The route includes through trains entering from the Yorkshire coalfield via Newton-le-Willows, creating a sense of a larger network beyond the playable area.
• ⚙️ Bickershaw Colliery operations in 1986 involved a single line with no runaround loop, necessitating top-and-tail Class 20 workings and reversals at Wigan Springs Branch.
• 🛤️ Parkside Colliery offered a different setup with runaround loops off the Chat Moss line, though pairs of Class 20s were still common, providing operational variety.

Complex Marshalling and Unloading

• 🧩 Warrington is depicted as a busy hub with reversals in marshalling sidings, sometimes requiring a pilot locomotive to move trains towards Latchford.
• 🚂 Even Class 08 shunting locomotives are tasked with hauling fully loaded HAA hoppers, adding to the realistic timetable.
• ⚡ The slow speed control system on the Class 47/3 is highlighted as a key feature for precisely managing the 0.5 mph unloading process at Fiddler's Ferry power station.

Authentic 1980s Industrial Atmosphere

• ✅ This update is not just about adding freight; it's about building a properly functioning coal network with authentic branch line character and operational quirks.
• 🏭 The visual presentation, with HAA hoppers stretching into the distance and specific locomotive classes at work, creates a heavy, gritty, and purposeful 1980s atmosphere.
• 📈 The level of attention to freight operations suggests Crewe to Preston could be one of the most operationally interesting UK routes in Train Sim World.