The line from Sudbury to Marks Tey is a branch of the Great Eastern Main Line. The line is 11 1/2 miles long and has 4 stations. During the late 1990s, the line was operated by displaced 1st gen DMUs due to the lack of an additional sprinter to perform the branch's service. The line had an hourly service during the middle of the day, with this increasing to a 45 minute frequency during the morning Proposed Rolling Stock Class 121 in Network SouthEast livery 3 class 121s were retained for 1 year on the Sudbury Branch after being replaced by 165/166s on trains out of Paddington, with the units often working in pairs on the branch due to reliability issues. The 3 class 121s were eventually transferred to Silverlink for operating the Bedford - Bletchley line until they were replaced by 150s and withdrawn in 2001. Landmarks along the route Chappel viaduct, 1060 feet long (320m) The viaduct took 2 years to build and is one of the largest brick built infrastructure in the UK. East Anglia Railway Museum @ Chappel & Wakes Colne station The East Anglia Rail Museum was set up in 1968, and whilst the majority of stock based there hasn't been made in TSW, there are a handful of Mk1s, Mk2s, goods wagons and a Class 101 based there.
That was nice to learn about some history, but the distance is small. It doesn’t quite seem like it’s enough for a total TSW experience
If you added a stretch of GEML from like Ipswich - Chelmsford or Liverpool Street, with push-pull 86s and DBSO’s, now we’re talking!
This would make an excellent branch for any GEML mainline DLC, a peaceful and scenic change of pace from life on and around the mainline. There's also a Class 309 (albeit with 3 cars), a carriage from a Class 317 and a Class 306 at the museum. I can recommend it for a trip out, the late summer beer festival there is a wonderful event.
