I think we should have a route that goes from York-Newcastle along the ECML. the stops would be: York, Thirsk, Northallerton, Darlington, Durham, Chester-le-Street and Newcastle with a branch to shildon via North Road (Darlington), Heighington and Shildon. locos: LNER azuma class 801, Grand Central class 180, Lumo class 803, Cross Country class 220, TransPennine Express class 802, Northen rail class 158, A4 Mallard, A3 flying scotman, A1 tornado, Stevenson's rocket, locomotion no1, class 47, class 08, class 66, class 37 and 40, class 20. muesums: we should be able to explore the national railway museum at york and locomotion museum at shildon. Timetable: LNER Azuma Expresses, Lumo & Grand Central Dashes, CrossCountry Regional Services, Northern Rail Shildon Shuttle Mainline Heritage Railtours: Steam railtours scheduled during off-peak hours. Scenarios: The Great Gathering: Drive Mallard and Flying Scotsman out of the York NRM Great Hall at night, navigating tight museum point-work into York Station for a special exhibition display, Cradle to Grave: Take control of the Locomotion No. 1 replica along the Shildon branch line at a historic 15 mph, simulating the original 1825 path while managing a completely manual, non-HUD vintage control layout, Storming the Viaduct: Take charge of an LNER Azuma heading north out of Darlington during an autumn storm. The overhead wires are down; switch to diesel power on the fly and manage wheel slip up the steep gradient over Durham Viaduct. Collectibles & Mastery Rewards: Museum Guidebooks: 20 hidden guidebooks to place back on the shelves of the NRM and Shildon gift shops, Vintage LNER Posters: 20 classic 1930s travel advertisements to put up around station platforms, Interactive Toolboxes: 15 modern safety equipment kits to place around the Hopetown engineering sheds. Mastery Reward (Tier 1): Unlocks a 1930s sepia visual filter for the in-game Photo Mode. Mastery Reward (Tier 2): Places a static line-up of historical LNER steam giants on the Darlington Bank Top center lines, visible during modern-day 2026 runs. all locos listed above are fully operation and not just static.
Just a slight insight, not that it matters too much, but wouldn't you want it linked to Doncaster? We know that we don't get many routes that link together mainly WCML Modern around Milton Keynes. It would be a lost section like Wivelsfield to Lewes which people eyed up, Crewe to Alderley Edge, Willesden Junction to Clapham Junction. I know Brighton is linked but different setup in Station.
