Hi folks, as future DLCs roll out, will Thomas’s branch eventually get an authentic timetable? A gentleman youtuber created an interesting video about the Rev W Awdry’s notes on the subject for his Ffarquhar-based model railway layout. Cheers
Watched that yesterday, it was interesting. Now, what I think is we're going to see one more inspired by both RWS and TV. The Ffarquhar branch (though I don't know and doubt if any layouts will be changed) lacks a few areas from the RWS: Engine and rolling stock sheds. Most of the engines don't sleep at Ffarquhar anymore in the show, but we could have still used the sheds for storing rolling stock. Ffarquhar Tramway. This one is odd as it's the reason for Toby coming to Sodor in the first place. On the TV series side, we have Diesel running shunts up the quarry and down the harbour. I don't know if that might change with more characters added. Wonders of Sodor feels like its own adaptation take on Sodor and its services, but Toby, Daisy and Mavis will most likely keep to their usual service runs. Daisy might be a blend of the Ffarquhar branch all the way to Harwick and then back.
I think that's a fair assessment. The timetable shown in The Unlucky Tug's video is fantastic from an immersion standpoint because it makes the railway feel alive and purposeful. Every engine has a job, every train has a reason to exist, and the railway functions as an interconnected system rather than a collection of disconnected routes. What makes it difficult for Wonders of Sodor is that the timetable isn't something you can just drop into the current map and call it a day. A lot of the infrastructure simply isn't there. Tidmouth/Knapford would need a major overhaul. If you're following the Railway Series layout, Tidmouth becomes the railway's primary terminus while Knapford is reduced to a junction. That's not a small adjustment—it's essentially redesigning one of the most important locations in the game. Ffarquhar needs far more operational depth. The station yard is extremely limited right now. More sidings, a proper shed, fueling facilities for diesels, additional goods traffic, and generally more reasons to spend time there would make the branch line feel much more authentic. The quarry line is probably the biggest issue operationally. In the Railway Series it's a tramway, which fundamentally changes how it works. Toby's role suddenly becomes much more important, and the line starts having unique operating rules instead of just being another stretch of track. Without Toby, a Railway Series-style timetable for that area feels incomplete. And that's before getting into the character roster itself. A timetable based on Railway Series operations really highlights how much the game is missing engines like Toby, Daisy, and Mavis. Once you start assigning realistic duties, you quickly realize there aren't enough engines to cover everything convincingly. So yes, I absolutely think the timetable concept is excellent and would make Wonders of Sodor significantly more engaging. But I also think implementing it properly would require far more than just adding schedules. It would mean new characters, redesigned stations, expanded yards, revised track layouts, and probably reworking large sections of the map.
