[DPS] Portsmouth Direct Line - Released

I am pleased to announce that [DPS] Portsmouth Direct Line is now available to download from the Steam Workshop. This route requires both the original Portsmouth Direct Line and London Faversham High Speed. The link to the workshop page is here and after subscribing, the route will be listed near the bottom with a [DPS] prefix.

To make something clear from the outset, this upgrade of the Portsmouth Direct Line is not intended to extend or place any scenery in areas that people regard as 'missing'. The aim of the project was to simply use the tools available in order to bring the route up to the higher standard we see in routes released today. Although PDL has always been one of my favourite Train Simulator routes, certain aspects had started to remove the enjoyment when placed alongside newer routes. The following changes have been implemented:

• Full track swap for the Kent High Speed variant.
• Removal of light ballast texture throughout the route.
• Full bridge and tunnel occlusions.
• Full swap of near tree and bramble variants.
• Super-elevation implemented where possible. Only restrictions are where curves contained junctions/pointwork.
• Replacement fencing, where possible at stations.
• Addition of clutter and safety signage at stations.
• Addition of missing platform numbers at stations.
• Addition of stop boards, where possible at stations.

Because the route has specifically been modified without touching any of the track network, scenarios from the original route, both freeware and payware can potentially be moved over to this updated version. However, early tests have shown this doesn't seem to work for everyone, with some achieving success and some not. As this route will be made final at the earliest opportunity, it is hoped that a new batch of scenarios will be uploaded to the Workshop by myself and other users.