Suggestion: fill in the gap around South-East London by releasing a route with the lines out of Cannon Street, Charing Cross, London Bridge out to Rochester and Chatham via Dartford, and produce some Class 415/416 units to run on it.
Yup, I think I made a suggestion on this before with slam doors running from Dartford into Charing Cross and Cannon Street via all 3 possible routes ( sidcup, bexleyheath and woolwich)
If it's a route that could possibily connect to other existing routes, doesn't it make more sense if it's set in the same period as its neighbouring routes?
We have many modern third rail routes though, something from the past would make a change. Slam door EMU's are much more fun to drive too and sound great.
Not objecting that, but isn't there any other route available? Building this route in particular in the modern era so that it could connect to SEHS in the future seems a smarter idea to me, if it were done in the slam door era it would be in its bubble until other routes are modified to be set in the past as well.
What is everyones fixation with 3rd rail? It accounts for a small part of the UK rail scene but accounts for 4/11 TSW routes. If you exclude historical & preserved routes then 3rd rail accounts for 50% of all UK DLC routes. Theres a whole country outside the SE, cant we have a modern northern route and loco please for the grace of God.
Well yes there are plenty more routes. Waterloo to Reading/Windsor with the Hounslow loop maybe or the west coastway or one of the mainlines out of any of the Southern region termini. Personally I would rather third rail got left for a while as we have had a lot of it so far proportionately. But if we do have another third rail route soon it would be nice if it was set in the past.
I would love to see a selection of slam door third rail stock, but agree at this point we don't need yet another southern England route to run them on.
If we can't get an era-appropriate route, then the best option would be for a Class 421 or 423 add-on for East Coastway set in 2003-2004, including potentially the ex-NSE liveries and the short lived Southern and Connex liveries. A mixed timetable alongside the then new Class 377 would be possible and the route (as far as I'm aware) hasn't changed significantly since that time, so it wouldn't look too out of place.
Sorry my reply above was short as typing on the phone from the hospital. Back home now so... I temper the comment about not another third rail electric route, depending on what route it might be and when set. For example part of the LSWR main line set in the 1970's could give us 4 REPs and 4TC's on the Weymouth services with CIG's on the semi fasts and VEP's on the stoppers. I would pay Day 1 money for Southampton to Weymouth in 1976 or thereabouts, before the third rail went beyond Bournemouth (and the line was partly singled) , which would also allow push pull operation between there and Weymouth with 33/1's. Also bring the Weymouth Quay Line to TSW2. You could layer in Class 47's on early Mark 2 stock for the inter regional services that ran to/from Poole (except Summer Saturdays when some extended to Weymouth). Closer to the capital, the Waterloo - Whitton/Hounslow Loops would give somewhere to run SUB and EPB units, not dis-similar to Cathcart Circle.
Oh yes, maybe having an 80s pack like the GWE? Maybe have a VEP, 73, 33 plus services with the 47s and an 09 for Lovers Walk. Would definitely give the route a nice addition considering
Really excellent idea and if that were to happen a scenario will be made that requires class 33/1 to mu with class 73 due to electrical failure. Because both use SR EMU System. WSR Version is a Blue Star Code mu capable with Tees Valley Line locomotives NTP Class 40 & 45 WCL Class 37/5
Possibly, I can't say I'm too familiar with the line though. Compared to the Brighton Main Line there's probably been fewer changes however. Either way there would need to be compromises to historical accuracy in some way or another.
