Route: This route forms part of the South Western Mainline from Weymouth to London Waterloo, it is 63 Miles and 45 Chains long and includes a total of 24 stations. The entire line is powered by DC Third-Rail and is served primarily by South Western Railway (SWR) Rolling Stock: Class 444 Electric Multiple Unit The Class 444 Desiro is the primary train used on this route as of 2025, built by Siemens in 2002; 45 of these third rail units were built to serve as the primary express train on the south western mainline. They run as 5 car units heading out of Weymouth but can couple up to a separate unit to form a 10 car train towards London Waterloo if extra capacity is needed. Average journey time between Southampton and Weymouth is 1 Hour 30 Minutes and they have a top speed of 100mph. Class 450 Electric Multiple Unit While they may look identical the Class 450's are slightly different with the main difference being they run in 4 car formations instead of 5 and have 2+3 seating instead of 2+2 on the 444. They also have slightly shorter carriages then the 444 and note the different door placements which means it's not just a simple reskin. The Class 450's are used on suburban services across the SWML and rarely go to Weymouth, usually ending at Poole before returning to Waterloo. Average service length from Southampton to Poole is 1 hour and also have a top speed of 100mph. Both the 444 and 450 are essential for this route to work. Why This Route? (LAMP) Licensing: This route brings in SWR which is a brand new operator. Anticipation: The SWML is a popular commuter line with railfans with passengers travelling to Weymouth or Bournemouth for their holidays. Players can expect a wide variety of operators on parts of the line. Mix: This route features both express and commuter services out of the box with more gameplay opportunities added with layers (more on layering further on) to provide an ample variety of gameplay. Prominence: Southampton is the location of a massive cargo hub for freight trains and the station itself is a landmark in it's own right. Bournemouth and Weymouth are two very popular seaside destinations in Dorset (it would also be the first TSW route in Dorset) Layers: Great Western Railway Class 166 (Great Western Express): Networker trains operate from Weymouth to Gloucester and Bristol, leaving the route after Upwey. While short, players would be able to drive between Weymouth and Upwey while the AI takes it through the portal to Dorchester West and beyond. It does however make Weymouth feel busier with Platforms 1 & 2 being used. These trains also appear at Southampton Central as AI Cross Country Class 220 Voyager: The voyagers operate between Southampton and Bournemouth, where they terminate which gives them a decent 28 mile playable run and another vital AI layer. Most of these are non stop express runs but some occasionally stop at Brockenhurst. Class 66 Freight: RHTT workings from Weymouth to Southampton in the Autumn and loads of sheds visible at Southampton Freightliner Terminal. This could provide some interesting gameplay if included. Most of the freight is Intermodal so Cargo Line 3 could be utilized. Class 08 Shunter: Also visible at Southampton Freightliner Terminal Class 158: (Midland Main Line) These run services between Salisbury and Romsey in reality and in-game would appear as AI only at Southampton Southern Class 377: (Brighton Main Line) AI only services to Brighton that appear at Southampton Gatwick Express Class 387: (Brighton Main Line) These units were actually operated by Southern for use on the Southampton to Brighton services but appeared in full GX branding so it would actually be realistic to see them at Southampton as AI. Railtours: The Dorset Coast Express could be pulled by the LMS Jubilee on the entire route, there's also The Wessex Wanderer which is operated by two Class 33's. Unique Features of the route: At Southampton and Bournemouth the Class 444's can sometimes couple up to form a 10 car unit on busier services towards London, and in the opposite direction they split with one unit heading to Poole and the other to Weymouth. This provides some interesting gameplay as you would be able to drive a 5 car unit from Weymouth to Bournemouth, couple up to form a 10 car then hop in the cab of the leading unit to carry on to Southampton. The line is mostly double track except for the sections between Southampton and Millbrook which is 4 tracks and Moreton and Dorchester South which is single track, which can create a bottleneck if there's a delay. The route provides great coastal views as you get closer to Weymouth and the journey also takes you over the river Wey Probably the most impressive feature of all is the Southampton Container Terminal which serves as a hub for Freightliner. You can imagine how cool it would be seeing all that freight there. With Free Roam you could drive around it to your hearts content. So that's my proposal, this one took a long time to research so i'd greatly appreciate any comments or likes. Thank you for reading and hopefully this route makes it into TSW someday
Purely personal preference but I would like to see it in the 70's or early 80's with the 4 REP and 4TC units and Class 33/1 locos push pull between Bournemouth and Weymouth. It would also allow inclusion of the Weymouth Quay Line which, to me, would light the LAMPOIL white hot!
My local route One thing that I would also include is the Lymington Pier Branch since it's just 4 miles and another 2 stations. My preferred era would be any part of the South West Trains era, I'd have the route set in 2017 with the desiros and the class 442 coming in as an addon with a pre-2007 timetable. I'd love this route to be set in the era where there was slam-doors (both in South West Trains and South Central liveries), 170s, 442s, desiros and Virgin Voyagers, but there's no way DTG would make all of that stock .
