Hello all, TrainGeek08 here, and today I am suggesting the line from Peterborough to Cambridge in the modern day and I think this would be a great route in the game following its popularity in the sister title Train Simulator Classic (TSC). Route Information: Peterborough to Ely: The Ely–Peterborough line is a railway line in England, linking East Anglia to the Midlands. It is a part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 5, SRS 05.07 and is classified as a secondary line. It is used by a variety of inter-regional and local passenger services from East Anglia to the West Midlands and North West, as well as freight and infrastructure traffic; it also links with the busy East Coast Main Line at its western end. Fenland District council (the area's primary local authority) put forward their Rail Development Strategy for the route in 2012, which includes infrastructure upgrades for the intermediate stations, improved frequencies for the services using it (e.g. doubling the Birmingham New Street to Stansted Airport service to half-hourly and the Ipswich to Peterborough service to hourly) and establishing a Community Rail Partnership for the line in 2013–14. Ely to Cambridge: The Fen Line is a railway line in the east of England that links Cambridge in the south to King's Lynn in the north. The line runs through Cambridgeshire and Norfolk and the name of the line refers to the Fens which cover parts of Cambridgeshire, Norfolk and Lincolnshire. It is 41 miles 47 chains (66.9 km) in length and has eight stations. The line is part of the Network Rail Strategic Route 5 and comprises SRS 05.06 and part of 05.05. It is classified as a secondary line except between Cambridge and Ely where it is classified as a London and South East commuter line. Route Map(s): Stock included in base route: The British Rail Class 170 'Turbostar' in CrossCountry livery The British Rail Class 755 'FLIRT' in Greater Anglia livery Training (In Training Center): Class 170 Introduction Class 755 Introduction Scenarios: Cambridgeshire Turbo: (Difficulty - 1) Drive this CrossCountry service from Cambridge to Peterborough whilst the sun goes down Anglian Bi-Mode: (Difficulty - 2) Drive this Class 755 from Peterborough to Ely on diesel power, where you will change to electric and drive to Cambridge The Diesel Way to Cambridge: (Difficulty - 2) Your pantograph has failed at Ely, you are going to drive your 755 on diesel power to Cambridge, where a replacement unit is waiting for you to head back to Ely CrossCountry Rescue: (Difficulty - 3) A Turbostar has broken down approaching March, drive this replacement Class 170 from Peterborough to rescue the other unit and drag it back to Peterborough where a fitter will attend to the failed unit Timetable: Here is the May 2019 Working Timetable for this route: (You are interested in section LB03 for this route) 2019-05 WTT LB | Network Rail Corporate Archive Potential DLC, Layers, Stations, POI & Mastery Rewards coming up on Pages 2 & 3...
Page 2: Potential DLC: The British Rail Class 66 'Shed' in GBRF livery with associated wagons for sand trains to/from Middleton Towers Training (In Training Center): Class 66/7 Introduction Scenarios: Light Engine: (Difficulty - 1) Drive this route learning trip from Cambridge to Peterborough in preparation for ECML diverts in a couple of months time Failed Sander: (Difficulty - 3) A Class 66 has failed working a sand train to Goole, so you have been requested to rescue it, drive this Class 66 from Peterborough Yard to Ely, where the train has been looped until you arrive Empty Towers: (Difficulty - 2) Drive this empty sand train from Peterborough and Ely West Jn, where another driver will drive it up to Middleton Towers Timetable: Incorporated into base routes' timetable Layers: The British Rail Class 801 'Azuma' (ECML) for ECML traffic The British Rail Class 158 'Express Sprinter' (MML) for services to/from Norwich that run via this route The British Rail Class 700 'Desiro City' (C700) for ECML Thameslink traffic A3 Pacific 'Flying Scotsman' (FSCP) for ECML railtours The British Rail Class 66 'Shed' (SEHS/RHTT/GWE/ECW/ECML/EDN/MML) for freight + RHTT operations on the route Stations, POI & Mastery Rewards coming up on Page 3...
Page 3: (Principal) Stations: Peterborough: Peterborough railway station serves the cathedral city of Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, England. It is sited 76 miles 29 chains (122.9 km) north of London King's Cross. The station is a major interchange serving both the north–south East Coast Main Line, as well as long-distance and local east–west services. The station is managed by London North Eastern Railway. Ticket gates came into use at the station in 2012. March: March railway station is on the Ely–Peterborough line in the east of England and serves the market town of March, Cambridgeshire. It is 85 miles 76 chains (138.3 km) measured from London Liverpool Street via Ely and is situated between Manea and Whittlesea stations. The station, which was opened in 1847, was once a major junction with a number of lines radiating from the town. The station has been the scene of a number of accidents including a double train crash in 1896. The station has since reduced in importance, with several lines being dismantled or mothballed. The regional route between Ely and Peterborough still runs through the station and an increasing number of freight trains pass through. Ely: Ely railway station is on the Fen line in the east of England, serving the cathedral city of Ely, Cambridgeshire. It is 70 miles 30 chains (113.3 km) from London Liverpool Street and is situated between Waterbeach and Littleport stations on the Fen line to King's Lynn. It is an important junction for three other lines: the Ely to Peterborough Line, the Ipswich to Ely Line and the Norwich to Ely line. Ely is a busy station with trains running to a variety of destinations including London, Cambridge, King's Lynn, Birmingham, Nottingham, Sheffield, Manchester and Liverpool. It is managed by Greater Anglia, which is also one of four train operators that serve the station the others are Great Northern, CrossCountry and East Midlands Railway. Cambridge: Cambridge railway station is the principal station serving the city of Cambridge in the east of England. It stands at the end of Station Road, 1 mile (1.6 km) south-east of the city centre. It is the northern terminus of the West Anglia Main Line, 55 miles 52 chains (89.6 km) down the line from London Liverpool Street, the southern terminus. Points of Interest (POI): River Nene: The River Nene is a river in the east of England that rises from three sources in Northamptonshire. The river is about 105 miles (169 km) long, about 3.7 miles (6.0 km) of which forms the border between Cambridgeshire and Norfolk. It is the tenth-longest river in the United Kingdom, and is navigable for 88 miles (142 km), from Northampton to The Wash. Whitemoor Yard: Whitemoor Yard is a freight yard located in March, Cambridgeshire, England and is accessible by rail from March East Junction on the Ely-Peterborough line and is often used by the freight operator GBRf (Great British Railfreight) Ely Papworth Sidings: Ely Papworth Sidings is a storage site located just north of Ely railway station near Ely North Jn. It has been used in recent times for storage of Class 43 'HST' power cars, Class 317 electric multiple units and Class 465/Class 466 'Networker Express' electric multiple units after they were retired by their respective operators. River Great Ouse: The River Great Ouse is a river in England, the longest of several British rivers called "Ouse". From Syresham in Northamptonshire, the Great Ouse flows through Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk to drain into the Wash and the North Sea near Kings Lynn. Authorities disagree both on the river's source and its length with one quoting 160 mi (260 km) and another 143 mi (230 km). Mostly flowing north and east, it is the fifth longest river in the United Kingdom. The Great Ouse has been historically important for commercial navigation, and for draining the low-lying region through which it flows; its best-known tributary is the Cam, which runs through Cambridge. Its lower course passes through drained wetlands and fens and has been extensively modified, or channelised, to relieve flooding and provide a better route for barge traffic. The unmodified river would have changed course regularly after floods. Chisholm Trail Bridge: The Chisholm Trail is a walking and cycling route in Cambridge, England. It will link Addenbrooke's Hospital and the Biomedical Campus in the south to Cambridge North railway station and the business and science parks. It will also connect with the Guided Busway and the National Cycle Network. Once completed, the trail will provide a 26 kilometre route from Trumpington to St Ives. The route follows current and former rail infrastructure and largely avoids conflicts with car traffic. It includes the new Abbey Chesterton bridge for bicycles and pedestrians across the River Cam, installed in November 2020. Cambridge Coldham Lane: Coldham Lane Depot is a traction maintenance depot located in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England. The depot is situated on the eastern side of the Fen Line and is to the north of Cambridge Station. The depot code was CA. Mastery Rewards: Stage 1: 12 Countryside Themed Decals for use in the Livery Editor Stage 2: You will see some stored HSTs in Ely Papworth Sidings as you drive past I hope you have enjoyed this suggestion, if you have, put your thoughts below as always, I've been TG08 as usual, enjoy the rest of your day and goodbye
Fantastic idea and awesome detailed description this looks epic definitely a day 1 smash and awesome turbostar as well superb idea
Thanks, I agree, the Turbostar is still yet to come into the TSW franchise but hopefully it comes soon enough as it is needed in game
As always an excellent suggestion mate, on a route which would fit well into TSW. Not a fan of the GA things but the Turbostars would be excellent additions to the game.
Thanks as always mate, yeah I think people have mixed opinions on the FLIRTs however having the Turbostar included would make people buy this route if it is done to a high standard like in TSC
I have been very inactive on the forums very recently and coming back and seeing this is brilliant. I would love this route especially with the 755's, amazing suggestion as always, this is one of the routes I would love DTG to invest into.
Bring it on to the game and this can be given to ATS the makers of the Fen Line and Class 755 in TSC. Cannot be DTG because you will be left with a route that has 50/50 chance of good scenery or Worse scenery.
Yep, I think ATS would do a stellar job with this route as they made this route in TSC as well as the Fen Line so I know that they would give it a really good go
Me too and it needs the capability to combine with 150/2 158 and Pacer due to BSI coupler except for 171 which has a Dellner coupler to combine with 377/1 377/4 387/2
I like the idea of this route. Also could be used as a "bolt on" expansion for ECML and possibly add the Cambridge to Hitching portion of the ECML section as well which would allow the Class 700's to stretch their wheels further south?
It could be considered an extension to ECML however if you wanted Cambridge to Hitchin, that would be better off as a part of a ECML South route
So long as I can get a vintage layer with 31’s on the long distance trains, Cravens, Class 104 and Class 120 DMU’s on the rest.
There is that option if DTG want to do a backdated Peterborough instead of repeating the modern day layout from ECML
Yes, love this idea. Greater Anglia trains won't be involved due to licensing issues, but XC's 170s, Thameslink 700s and Great Northern 387s (though they also have the similar 379s joining their ranks next year). I'd also be a fan of a backdated diesel only one with 101s on the locals and a mix of 31s and 47s on WAML and cross-country routes. In the middle would be March Traction Depot (RIP) which was an important hub during British Rail days. We've not had the workings of a traction depot in TSW yet, it would present an excellent new game-play opportunity.
Thanks, the GA problem is a big one but at least you have operators that are willing to give a license if this route was to be developed Backdating it like I said above isn't a bad idea at all, if a modern day variant does not work out, then that could become a viable solution to that issue
The Cambridge-Ipswich section would be another extension. Some undulating gradients on that route. I would prefer the 1980/90s era as that is what I remember having loco hauled trains with 37s 31s and some semaphores. The early 50s would be a good era. A couple of years ago the 37s were on the RHTT, and 57s. I haven't heard any this year. I saw the RHTT by chance and it was 66s this season. 0T I Heard a 37 at 2am last night on the yellow test train.
Thanks, Cambridge to Ipswich or even Norwich (Breckland Line) would be nice to have as a route as well Regardless of era, I think the most important thing is to get this section of the UK covered towards Cambridge
Is Harwich accessible directly from Cambridge? I would do a fictional Class 60 scenario from Lindsey to Harwich with an oil train when/if they make a DB Class 60 pack.
Not directly, you would have to include the line to Ipswich, then the Great Eastern Mainline to Manningtree and then the Mayflower Line to Harwich
