Route Swml | London Waterloo - Basingstoke, Alton, Guildford & Hampton Court

Discussion in 'Suggestions' started by lung281, Jul 11, 2025.

  1. lung281

    lung281 Active Member

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    View attachment 198084
    I am proposing for the South Western Mainline (London Waterloo - Basingstoke, Alton, Guildford, & Hampton Court) To be a future DLC for TSW 5/6.


    ROUTE MAP (Highlighted Areas ONLY)
    Screenshot 2025-07-11 170614.png

    This route would run from London Waterloo in South London down to Basingstoke in Hampshire and Guildford in Surrey on the SWML. With the smaller Alton & Hampton Court branches also added.

    "Why Have you not chosen for the route to go to Portsmouth?"

    I haven't chosen for the proposed route to go down to Portsmouth as that has already been featured in TS classic and its time for something NEW!

    I believe that this routes length is totally reasonable for the amount of passenger and freight services which would be able to be run on it.
    I also believe that the SWML has been a very heavily requested route since TSW released and the route proposed will certainly be able to relieve all of the TSW fans who really want to see this route in game!

    TRACTION
    The one and only...Class 455
    4558655b391001wimbldonbournesotoncentral130318.jpg

    The Class 455 EMU has been the backbone of the South West London & Surrey commuter network since their entry in 1985. Now that the 455's service life is coming to an end, a fantastic way to remember their reliability, love among fans and classic(ness) would be to have them feature in Train Sim World!

    The 455s would run on the following lines:
    • London Waterloo - Hampton Court (Stopping) 30 minute journey time
    • London Waterloo - Guildford (Semi-Fast) 1 hour journey time
    • London Waterloo - Woking (Semi-Fast) 50 minute journey time
    Class 450
    52013957683_f436716d28_b.jpg

    The Class 450 EMU entered service in 2003 with South West Trains, replacing the old slam door stock used on the SWML
    Ever since, the Desiro has been a huge part of SWR's operations.

    The Class 450 would run on the following lines:

    • London Waterloo - Hampton Court (Stopping) 30 minute journey time
    • London Waterloo - Guildford (Semi-Fast) 1 hour journey time
    • London Waterloo - Woking (Semi-Fast) 50 minute journey time
    • London Waterloo - Basingstoke (Fast) 45 minute journey time
    • London Waterloo - Basingstoke (Semi-Fast) 1 hour journey time
    • London Waterloo - Alton (Fast) 1 hour 10 minute journey time

    Class 444
    maxresdefault.jpg


    The Class 444 entered service in 2004, also replacing the slam door stock on the SWML. The Class 444 has a different layout to the class 450. With 5, longer coaches accommodating more passengers, single-leaf doors located at each end of each coach resembling a more 'Express' type train.

    The Class 444 mainly runs on routes down to Bournemouth, Poole, Weymouth and Portsmouth Harbour but occasionally run down to Basingstoke and Alton coupled up to a 450 making a 9 coach set.

    The Class 444 would run on the following lines:
    • London Waterloo - Basingstoke (Fast) 45 minute journey time
    • London Waterloo - Alton (Fast) 1 hour 10 minute journey time

    Add-On:

    Class 701
    701009basingstoke100823.jpg

    The Class 701 is the next generation of commuter travel for South Western Railway. Featuring: toilets, Air Conditioning, larger doors, longer carriages and consists, and driver operated doors (basically everything the 455 didn't have)
    The 701s entered service last January on the Windsor route and have now began to spread out on the network.

    The 701s would run on the following lines:
    • London Waterloo - Hampton Court (Stopping) 30 minute journey time
    • London Waterloo - Guildford (Semi-Fast) 1 hour journey time
    • London Waterloo - Woking (Semi-Fast) 50 minute journey time
    • London Waterloo - Farnham (Fast) 1 hour, 5 minutes journey time.
    I think that the 701 should be sold as a separate, optional add-on for the route instead of coming with it. Like how the 390 was sold separate to the WCML South route. Purely because, the 444,450 and 455 are crucial to capture the realism and busyness of the real SWML and the 701 would not impact heavily, but would be nice to have a '2026' timetable with 701s completely replacing Class 455s

    AI LAYERS
    Southern Class 377 around Clapham Junction
    GX 378 around Clapham Junction
    Thameslink 707 around Wimbledon

    Features
    Guard Mode on 444, 450, 455 and 701.

    Conclusion
    It's time for an exciting, new, busy English route for TSW and the SWML Is a great option
    There would be so much to do in this route, so many scenario possibilities and freight timetables as well*.
    With stopping services, semi fast and express, guard mode too! You would not get bored on this route.


    *I have not included any freight timetables as I am unsure where to find information about these. But I know they exist!

    Please don't be afraid to get your opinion heard!
    If you don't agree with something I've said or have any extra information, or if there's anything I've missed, don't hesitate to comment in the thread!

    And that brings us to the end of my suggestion!
    Thank you for reading! :)
     
    Last edited: Jul 13, 2025 at 5:09 PM
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  2. Concorde9289

    Concorde9289 Well-Known Member

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    Very good suggestion. Definitely my top route to feature in the game, but the class 444 and 450 would be crucial since the 455 only runs as far as Woking.
    The 450 isn't just a 350 without a pantograph, it would have a slightly different cab and a completely different soundest; one feature that distinguishes the 450 (and the 444) is that they have cooling fans which can be heard when pulling into a station, however the 350s don't.
     
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  3. lung281

    lung281 Active Member

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    I haven't actually ridden on a 350 so I don't have first hand experience with the cooling fans but I certainly do know that the 444 and 450's are loud!
    Yes, I agree that the 450 would be crucial but possibly to switch it up we could have the 444 instead? I know that they sometimes run a 9 car down to Basingstoke with a 450+444 but do they ever do 10 car with two 444s?
     
  4. thomas#9589

    thomas#9589 Active Member

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    Unless there was a addon for the class 701 and in the base route is the class 450,444 and 455.
     
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  5. lung281

    lung281 Active Member

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    That's an Idea, the 450, 444 and 455 as the base trains and the 701 as an addon, just like you had the 390 for WCML South.
     
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  6. Concorde9289

    Concorde9289 Well-Known Member

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    I think you really would need both - while 444s can be seen on the Basingstoke stoppers occasionally, it is dominated by 450s, as is the Alton service. 450s would also make up most of the AI traffic at Clapham representing Windsor lines suburban services.
     
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  7. lung281

    lung281 Active Member

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    I agree. The mainline would be quite empty without them. I might even edit the post to include them.
     
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  8. jokesta#4671

    jokesta#4671 New Member

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    I totally agree south western needs to be in tsw6
     
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  9. Concorde9289

    Concorde9289 Well-Known Member

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    Here's a cab ride from Waterloo to Southampton Central, it reaches Basingstoke at about 43 minutes.
     
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  10. DeejayDragon

    DeejayDragon New Member

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    Would love to see the SWML added, but actually going to, you know, the South West. It'd be nice to actually have Southampton to Weymouth included for once. I live in Poole and it's a real shame that the actual South West of the UK gets so neglected, considering how varied and picturesque the landscape is.
     
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  11. lung281

    lung281 Active Member

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    I agree, Having a route from Southampton - Weymouth and possibly the Lymington Branch from Brockenhurst as well would be very nice in TSW. But I think that the Busyness of SW London has to be in-game and having a route from Waterloo all the way to the SW of England might be a bit too long for DTG. But you never know, one day we may be blessed with a developer who has the motivation to build a route of such length!
     
    Last edited: Jul 14, 2025 at 3:48 PM
  12. Concorde9289

    Concorde9289 Well-Known Member

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    Southampton to Weymouth is local to me and would be an amazing route, definitely one they should consider if they're not up to doing Waterloo. I must admit however, the section beyond Bournemouth might get a bit boring as there are quite a lot of stations.
     
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  13. lung281

    lung281 Active Member

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    If there are stations then it wont be boring! That LNER route from TSW 4 was an example of a boring route (in my opinion).
     
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  14. Concorde9289

    Concorde9289 Well-Known Member

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    I guess we all share different opinions, but the section between Bournemouth and Poole can be a bit of a drag. That said, you would still be able to get up to a decent speed between stations beyond Poole so it isn't a complete "bus service"
     
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  15. 85hertz

    85hertz Well-Known Member

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    Include the commuter lines to Guildford and we have a winner!!!
     

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