Today I am proposing the section of the GEML from Liverpool street to Ipswich set in modern day. About the route: The GEML is an 114.5 miles route which connects central London and the east of London and England. Some of these stations include Colchester and Ipswich for example. The route also contains numerous branches of which connect to Southminster, Braintree, sudbury, Harwich and a number of coastal towns including lowestoft and Clacton on sea. The section I propose from London Liverpool street to Ipswich is circa 67 miles and takes approximately 1 hour 20 to travel. Route map: The rolling stock and stations: I propose the route to be set in 2020s with 2021 being the ideal year. There are approximately 13 stations in this route including Ipswich and London Liverpool lime street. The stations include: Ipswich Manningtree Colchester Marks Tey Kelvedon Witham Hatfield Peverel Chelmsford Ingatestone Shenfield Romford Stafford London Liverpool street The rolling stock for this route will be primarily the BR class 745 FLIRT in Greater Anglia livery. These units are built by Stadler as part of the FLIRT family of trains. These units are also used on the Stansted Express services. The units first entered service in 2020 and 20 were built. They are also formed of 12 cars with a maximum speed of 100 MPH. Additionally, these units' main power source is from an overhead pantograph. The train is also accompanied with the usual safety systems on British railways today alongside ETCS. Picture of the unit: I really believe this would be an excellent addition to train sim world and sincerely hope this suggestion is considered for future use.
Could we maybe include the Felixstowe branch? It's only a short stretch from Ipswich, and would give more freight opportunity.
Would also be ideal to add the 345 for the stops between Liverpool Street and Shenfield. The 720 also being another train being added and the 710 as AI.
My 2nd favourite suggestion for TSW after "C2C" (Or The LTS as it used to be known). Currently DTG don't have a license with Greater Anglia so a modern version is unlikely until Great British Railways takes over in 2026. Until then, you're only likely to get a pre-2012 route (so 315s, 321s, 360s and Class 90 DVT MK3 sets.) or an NSE/early 2000s era one (312s, 315s, 321s and Class 86 DBSO Mk2 D-F sets). I'd take any era personally. As for the length of the route, I doubt we'd get London - Norwich. The TSC one only goes as far as Ipswich/Felixstowe. Personally, London to Ipswich, branches to Felixstowe and Harwich (mostly for freight) and Clacton (commuter branch) would offer a huge amount of realistic gameplay when you factor in Intercity, freight, semi-fast and metro services.
Don't See the possibility of any greater anglia branded stock coming to the game so the route would need to be set in a different era, preferably the NXEA era and when route suggesting you can't just say the stations that only the main TOC serve you forget to mention all the TFL/Elizabeth Line stations on the Liverpool Street to Shenfield section
He ideally wants it in 2021, the Elizabeth Line opened in 2022. Although I'd imagine there'd be construction of that route that could be added.
MSTS Classic got around this back in the day as the legendary Making Tracks developer created the early 90s Network SouthEast era route for MSTS that went as far Ipswich from London Liverpool Steet and then later started patching with missing areas. Dovetail could easily go by this route but I doubt it!!
Then it isn't possible unfortunately, there's just certain TOC's out there that don't like giving out licence's
I'm pretty sure there's been no new stations between Liverpool Street and Shenfield. There's new stations In the core section and else where. So your statement is false regarding what cam7629 was talking about
In regards to the Elizabeth Line itself new stations were built. Also services from Liverpool Street started in 2022.
Yes all of them existed from Shenfield to Liverpool street... are you saying those stations and the ones in between them didn't?
No, the guy is saying there was new stations built on the section between Liverpool Street and Shenfield which is not true
Look at Great Eastern from MSTS and learn from that in regards to content and how good this route can be as not everything has to be modern as that part can wait for some years.
I was so happy when they added the Norwich part. Making Tracks were the best developer in MSTS. One of their routes would have more stock than every route in TSW combined. And that's the truth.
Some of us were very privileged to see the MSTS era as there was more passion put into the route expansions with lots of content as extensions were released to them too with no real engine limitations, as I still have still Great Eastern and East Coast Express parts with even some of the train sounds are far superior to DTG dlc trains it is crazy. All what DTG need to do is put more time and effort in the dlc content and keep on releasing patches etc for the core game and release them when they're ready instead of a quick money grab.
I think the releases for TSW1-5 show that DTG have no interest in Eastern Counties content or units that are not currently in service. It's a bitter pill to swallow, spending thousands building a collection in the hope that a route that's actually of interest to me gets released and that my area of the UK will get a TSW route. Back to the buggy TSC for me.
All we can hope is JT can force their hand by creating these great routes as them doing WCML over Shap for TSW is amazing which is what I am looking forward to the most.
AP have done recordings from the remaining and now thankfully preserved Class 309 unit so it should be able to create a fairly realistic sounds. AP have also recorded the compressors on the Class 508 "Because they're the same as those on the Class 312". So AP may one day surprise us in the East once they've finished making their various HST enhancement packs. JT are stuck in the North West. Rivet only do Scotland ATS also gravitating towards the North West. DTG - Focusing on modern day routes with modern day TOCS routes so only working with companies they have licenses with. AP- Sticking with TSC even though playing it feels like I'm stuck in 2012 graphics wise. DTG will probably do a slam-door EMU at some point but like in TSC it'll be a Southern Region one. Essex only got GEML in TSC because of the Olympics. Otherwise they've got no interest in their neighbouring county. They can see Essex across the estuary from their offices, they probably stick two fingers up at us every morning.
Maybe a future AP route for TSW then, they are the missing piece of the puzzle. I would be ecstatic if we had a London Liverpool Street To Clacton on sea route with the 309s in Jaffa cake and NSE they can take my money at that point
I wasn't thinking of the whole way up to Norwich as that's a bit far for a TSW route, but maybe? Defiitely think Felixstowe should be included for the huge port terminal.
both route and train look super interesting... anyway, my usual question - what is the speed of this route? like, average one and highest one
There are comparisons with WCML South and the GEML in that you have a metro service (in the modern era run by TfL), suburban trains and intercity trains on the fast lines and lots of freightliner workings from the ports at Felixstowe and Harwich. Though only a top speed of 100mph and it's just two tracks beyond Shenfield (unfortunately for us commuters). Now that JT have announced they'll use the 86 and 87s in future releases, I'm even more confident we'll see a late eighties or nineties version of the GEML. Hopefully including the Saturday night "Clubbers' Express" Class 150 working all way down to Liverpool Street. 2 cars full of people "buoyed-up" in anticipation of a long night ahead in the capital, it was bedlam but friendly. I should point out that 87s never run in normal passenger service on the GEML, they did do stock moves and the occasional railtour up into East Anglia, I'm pretty sure I saw one at Colchester on a Freightliner service some years ago.
They did run there since 2017 under TFL Rail between Liverpool Street and Shenfield. Then when the Elizabeth Line opened they just continued under it.
If a GEML was dated in the NSE era then the newest EMU you'll get is the Class 321s. If set in the First Great Eastern/Anglia era (1997-2004) then the newest multiple units you'll get are the 170s and 360s. I doubt it'll be set beyond 2004 personally. Although obviously if it's a modern version 345s, 720s and 745s would suffice. All nice trains to drive but none are a particular challenge, the trains do all the work. The older units would certainly make for a more involved, interesting drive and would require you to "get to know how they drive" before you can feel like you've mastered them. Anyone who's driven the Class 411 in TSC will know that a little skill is needed to control the beast.
That's true. I perhaps deliberately underplayed my feelings about a totally modern version because of my love of the traction I miss from days gone by. I would actually be over the moon with any era including modern. I've got the TSC Stadler set by ATS and love driving them as much as the Class 411, but for very different reasons. Plus, I love nothing more than getting a 745 home from London to Colchester. I quite like the 720s too. 345s less so.
