Wcml Preston To Crewe Discussion

My worry is it gets done in today's era. Anytime up to 2000 would be ok for loco and stock fans and plenty of Sprinter and pacers too mid 80s onwards.

 

Weirdly, I'd prefer modern era for North Wales. I'm a bit meh with greasy, claggy old diesel lines unless it's a high speed route and I'm driving a Deltic or a Class 50.

I think this comes from living in Barking as a child. Electric trains ruled and the Kentish Town (later Gospel Oak) to Barking DMU service was always looked upon with disdain even when I worked at the station. We were Eastern Region and Network South East. We had no time for the smelly old diesels running infrequently from London Midland Region's heritage line on platform 1 and rarely recommended it to customers.

 

I'm definitely with you on that one! Used to be up that way for university so it'd be awesome to see a dated representation of how it used to run back then!

The modern era isn't as interesting for me personally (we don't need another IET route IMO lol) but it'd be a nice route scenery wise whatever era it's in! I think JT would do it justice as well!

 

I would love a backdated north London network with a 416 and 105 and 104 but I'm sure it's far too niche. I wish they would produce an air freshener "New Street circa 1990"!

I am very interested to see where JT does go next. I wonder if NWC might be a possibility. Now they have made a 108 maybe they will want to use that again. Liverpool to Manchester maybe.

Whatever it is, it will be great.

I certainly wouldn't mind your suggestion of an East Anglian BR route.

 

IMHO North Wales Coast absolutely must be done early 80's which to all intents and purposed means JT. The NWC 2.0 for MSTS/Open Rails was my go to, back in the day. However given we are only getting half the Cumbrian Coast, I fear we might just end up with Chester to Llandudno rather than going all the way to Holyhead. And I still hope they will extend CC in the same way as WCML with Whitehaven on down to Barrow then Carnforth and Lancaster.

 

Could be done as Crewe to Llandudno as one route and Blaenau Ffestiniog to Holyhead as another? The Crewe to Llanduno could start at Warrington Bank Quay as well as Crewe giving more options.

 

It'd be a real shame to miss out Anglesey if they did it that way. Just looking at Journey times though I don't think splitting it into two Half's would be a bad idea? These days It's about 50 minutes or so from Chester to Llandudno Junction and then another hour or so Junction to Holyhead? Unsure of what that is in the BR era?

Would be a nice touch to get the Llandudno branch though! Really beautiful little branch line and not that long either!

 

Essex? Surely you mean Crewe, Chester and North Wales?

I would absolutely kill for this route, maybe set in the late 80s or early 90s so we can make the most of all the sprinter units whilst still playing with 101s and loco-hauled stock old and new.

 

I would be pretty surprised if this or the Settle and Carlisle or on the list. North Wales has far more variety than the S C which was very quiet and for once would suggest that was done in the modern day as it was very busy for a period.

 

Yes in the 70's and early 80's the S&C was down to two or maybe three through passenger services a day and a handful of freight. BR wanted shot of it.

 

I’d say a modern Settle Carlisle would definitely be preferable, once the Northern 158 launches then basically all relevant stock is in the game. Including the 805 redirects earlier this year - has the pleasure of doing the line with one and would be excellent to recreate this in the game.

 

That route is railtour central so anyone having a yearning to drive old diesels or steam locos over the route will be catered for.
I think weekday and weekend timetables would be needed though. It's a bit weird seeing a steam railtour rumble past during the peak at 07:30 on a Monday morning.

 

I've heard Tom from JT talk about S&C and there's just not much traffic and the timetable would be pretty dead.

He said if it was steam era then it would be much busier and have a lot of variety. However that would require a steam reassurection first!

 

A lot riding on Neckartalbahn then!

 

I really think Hope Valley Sheffield to Manchester would be a cracking route for JT to do in the same mid to late 80s period.

Busy passenger stations each end with AI traffic handled easily by existing stock, Fast through, and stopping local, passenger services, Through freight services, Freight services branching off to Peak Forest, Freight services to/from Earles Sidings yard on the route, Stunning scenery and also the 3.5 mile long Totley Tunnel.

Services could be handled by the 101, 108 and 142, through passenger services by the 40, 45 and 47 and freight by the 20, 31, 37, 40, 45 & 47. New stock items included with the route could be a 25 and a remodelled 31 as a 31/4 with a couple of new mk2a/b/c BSO and BFK coaches and new freight could be 4 wheel tipplers for stone workings and maybe some VAA/VBA and OBA railfreight wagons.


Now that would have my money 6 months before release never mind day 1!!!!!

 

One of my favourites in TSC, though the longest part of the trip funnily enough is Manchester out to Chinley. I read somewhere Totley Tunnel, there is supposed to be a passage spur off somewhere in the middle into a cave system, but that might just be an Urbex legend.

 

Manchester to Sheffield in the 1980s would be incredible. If anyone could do that justice, it would be JT.

The Provincial liveried 150 would be a good addition.

 

Having walked through the full length of the tunnel numerous times (37 years on the railway so as part of my job over the years), there is no passageway off to a cave system.

What you might be thinking of is what we call the cathedral which is a large air vent around halfway through which was sunk off to the side of the bore and the water falling from it can be heard from around a mile away as you walk through.

The reason for the large vent was that construction of the tunnel was behind schedule and the Duke of Devonshire wanted to shoot so would not allow construction work on the moors. This means there are only vents for the Sheffield half of the tunnel with this probably twice normal size vent around halfway then nothing till the portal at Grindleford.

The water from the tunnel also runs as its own small river alongside the track out of the Totley portal for around a mile or so till it flows into the River Sheaf near Dore West Jcn.

There’s also an old p-way cabin/messroom around halfway through the tunnel which is weird to go in too.

 

Thanks for the information. It was probably the air vent I was thinking of. Catesby Tunnel on the old GC (now a car test track) also had a PW bothy built into the side of the structure about half way through.

 

Back in 71 me and my friends went to Doncaster from Manchester to see Deltics in action. The first part of our journey was to Sheffield on a train pulled by two class 25s. I'll never forget the racket they made going through Totley tunnel. I'll never forget the Bowyers pork pies and shandy from the buffet either. Happy days.

 

Skinhead 31 anyone?