Introduction Now im sure im not the only one here who A. Wants the SWML or some other kind of SWT/SWR lines in TS and B. Thinks that Dovetail don't really care about the South Western Network. Lets all be honest, Dovetail have made a lot of routes in and out of London (and I credit them for that), but only 1 of those is to do with the South Western Network... The Updated PDL, now don't get me wrong, its a fantastic route, but there is only so much you can do. We need something to expand out. SWML Lets start off with the SWML, the line that runs from London Waterloo (Greater London) to Weymouth (Dorset) with several branch lines coming off and going to various places. Such as the Alton branch, which branches off just after Brookwood, Then there is the line that branches off to Exeter via Sailsbury which branches off just after Basingstoke, and even further up the line, just after Eastleigh is the Portsmouth branch that goes via Cosham. Not to mention all of the even smaller branch lines such as the line via Romsey that connects up Eastleigh, Southampton Central and Sailsbury, the line between Ascot and Guildford via Aldershot, and the tiny line that branches off at Brockenhurst and goes to Lymington Pier via Lymington Town. The list of Trains that I think could come with this is the Class 450, 444, 455/8 or /9, 456, 221, 70, 158 + Maybe a Class 442 aswell. If this route ever did get made and released they could do it in a way like JT do with the Western Mainlines. They could release a whole new route from Waterloo to Weymouth, and release it again as an extension for the owners of the updated PDL for less money. We have seen them do this before such as the North & South Wales Coastal Extensions and the TGV route extension, so its been proved that they can do it. Or even if they do release them a separate routes then hopefully they have the same origin so the community can merge them together at least. Waterloo - Reading + Windsor & Hounslow Next, the line from London Waterloo (Greater London) to Reading (Berkshire) + Windsor & Eton Riverside (Berkshire) and Hounslow (Greater London). The are a few Branch Lines on this line, such as from Virginia Water to Weybridge, from Ascot to Guildford via Aldershot, from Wokingham to Guildford via North Camp and a few others. Again, this could get made and released in the same way I mentioned in the SWML proposal just above this one. The trains that could come with this are the Class 458/5, 458/8, 707, 450, 455/8 or /9, 456 + Maybe a Class 444 just for AI in the Waterloo and Clapham areas. Suburban Lines And that's not to mention all of the suburban lines going in and out of London Waterloo, such as Dorking, Chessington South, Shepperton, line to Guildford via Effingham Junction and the line between New Malden and Twickenham via Teddington and Strawberry Hill! Conclusion So as you may of guessed there is a lot of the South Western Network yet to be in Train Sim, and im obviously not expecting all of this to happen over night, but with a bit of luck maybe Dovetail will see this or any other proposals about the South Western Network and maybe start to get their hands dirty, but for now, the big question is... Will Dovetail even consider making it? Lets Hope So! PS: Sorry for any Typos, I was in a rush :P
The SW Mainline is pretty much out of the question due to its length and development time, especially if you include the West of England Line and the 8 trains you suggested. The Twickenham lines has been suggested quite a bit and I’d love to see it done. When you say the class 458/5 and the 458/8 I assume you are referring to the class 458/0 and 458/5. Overall I like the idea though.
Yes, I agree, maybe Dovetail could release the SWML in stages (that's if they ever do decide to make it) Maybe, for a start, they could have it go as far as Basingstoke or Winchester for example. And second of all, I didn't mean all of those EMUs and DMUs should come with the routes, they were just suggestions and possibilities. And one more thing about the 458s (of which I did mean /0 and /5, thanks for pointing that out) Maybe Master Key could do them. I mean look at it this way, Master Key did some of the work for the updated Desiros + Their Class 460 Juniper which was amazing. The Class 458s are Junipers so Master Key could have some fun making them. But to be honest you do have a good point, the chances of seeing anything to do with the South Western Network anytime soon are low Thanks for you Comment
I agree in principle though here's what I think is more likely. DTG to do the line to Weymouth and/or A SW London Network based off of the new PDL. Third party freeware will eventually fill in the gaps down towards Dorset. Don't forget Just Trains have a South Western add-on for the Great Western which covers more of the territory you mention, but I must admit the thought of driving a 158/159 from Waterloo to Exeter appeals.
Yes, I see what your saying, it would be great to be able to drive all the way to Exeter. TBH I just want something to do with the SWML further that Woking, its abount time xD Thanks for your Comment
I would love the SWML to go beyond Woking. As far as Basingstoke, Winchester or even Southampton to fill the gap between the two SWML routes. It's one of the biggest lines in the UK, yet we have so little of it in game. We have the full GWML courtesy of JT who have also given us the whole of the ECML. I'm not sure about the WCML, but I know a lot of it has been created. The SWML is the only major of the 4 missing!
I know you're after modern routes but why not get this British Railways era Waterloo Suburban freeware route from. https://www.wotawallysbits.co.uk/trevor-wood-routes Or steam era Southampton-Weymouth from here, scroll down the page. https://steamsoundssupreme.com/page_fwrp01.html
You think South Western gets a bad rap, try SouthEastern. We've got one terminus (Victoria) and one mainline (Chatham) with two extensions (Medway Valley and Sheerness) unless you also count the High Speed which adds Gravesend (old), Sittingbourne and Faversham... So no Charing Cross, no Cannon Street, no North Kent lines, no Kent mainline, Hayes... Thanet, Folkestone, Dover, Canterbury? There's 300 miles of track waiting to be driven, but the main problem seems to be they're all the same consists in Networkers, Electrostars and Javelins.
I've noticed that there is a fairly decent number of people wanting the completion of the SWML (Woking to Southampton and then from Bournemouth to Weymouth) but it's just lot's of people in different forum thread. If enough of these people can get in one pace, then maybe it can be shown how much people want this SWML to be complete.
FWIW the original PDL, on which the Waterloo-Portsmouth is based, has a network of track and basic geography that radiates from Woking and Guildford as far as Reading, Redhill and down towards Alton. Could be future extensions there.
Would love to see more SWML, especially around the historical railway town of Eastleigh with its Works and rail freight yard. Could create great scenarios around that.
I can vouch for this route. A modern version of this route would be good, although I don't think DTG would want to do the Hampton Court branch again. I'd be happy with Waterloo to Reading and Windsor, along with Hounslow Loop (and connection with NLL for scenario creation purposes) and Kingston Loop, Shepperton Branch and SWML from New Malden to Waterloo. Realistically speaking DTG could do Woking to Southampton. The whole route would be too much.
The Reading to Guilford Line should really be built to Gatwick Airport since that is where the majority of the services go and also you would need the British Rail Class 165.
I have created a thread specifically focused on the Waterloo to Reading Line. I thought I did one on the SEML, but I am already guessing this is an upcoming route. I have edited out what followed this, I read SWML as "SEML". But my Waterloo to Reading post is relevant here, so feel free to chime in there.
