Good Afternoon Everybody, One route that's always stuck out to me as a prime candidate for inclusion in TSW is the Severn Valley Railway. JustTrains Severn Valley Railway add-on for Microsoft Train Simulator was one of my favorite MSTS routes growing up, and planted the seeds for my interest in railroading in the UK. With Train Simulator and Train Sim World both having heritage UK routes in their library, the SVR would make an excellent addition, especially with the steam locomotives making their eventual debut. ________________________________________________________________________________________ The Route The heritage railway serves eight stations over a length of sixteen miles through the beautiful Severn Valley. Known for having a collection of beautiful GWR steam locomotives (as well as from other roads), trains take passengers north from Kidderminster, along and over the River Severn, through to the northern terminus of Bridgnorth. Full size stations are present at Bewdley, Arley, Highley, and Hampton Loade, along with several "halt" stops. Track speeds are similar to the existing West Somerset Railway, with the max being 25MPH and several lower limits along the way. The main stations are all preserved and decorated in GWR-style, with flower baskets and classic signage. Here are examples of the main station stops, photos courtesy of Wikipedia Commons... GWR_inspection_saloon_on_Severn_Valley_Railway by R3DWolf91 posted Mar 16, 2022 at 3:18 PM 1024px-Highley_Station_Severn_Valley_Railway by R3DWolf91 posted Mar 16, 2022 at 3:18 PM BewdleyRailwayStation(AndyAndHilary)Sep2004 by R3DWolf91 posted Mar 16, 2022 at 3:18 PM 1024px-SVR-Hampton_Loade_Station_01 by R3DWolf91 posted Mar 16, 2022 at 3:24 PM Bridgnorth_railway_station_MMB_09 by R3DWolf91 posted Mar 16, 2022 at 3:18 PM Locomotive shops exist at both Kidderminster (also the location of the carriage sheds) and Bridgnorth, and locomotive storage and display is present in Highley. Similar to the WSR, the SVR also has a convenient connection to the mainline in Kidderminster. The route also includes fascinating infrastructure, including the much-photographed Victoria Bridge and the many GWR-style semaphore signals. 1024px-57xx_Pannier_tank_5764_crossing_the_Victoria_Bridge_on_the_SVR by R3DWolf91 posted Mar 16, 2022 at 3:36 PM 800px-Bridgnorth_Up_Home by R3DWolf91 posted Mar 16, 2022 at 3:36 PM Photos Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons ________________________________________________________________________________________ Locomotives While operating an impressive collection of beautifully restored steam locomotives, a dedicated diesel preservation crew exists on the SVR as well. Diesels are primarily cared for and serviced at the Kidderminster TMD, just north of the station there. Because steam locomotives are not yet present in TSW, I believe the following diesel units would be a perfect fit... Class 14, D9551 "Angus" 1024px-D9551_enters_Bewdley by R3DWolf91 posted Mar 16, 2022 at 3:18 PM Class 42, D821 "Greyhound" D821_Greyhound_1_(7690443038) by R3DWolf91 posted Mar 16, 2022 at 3:18 PM Class 50, 50031 "Hood" 18.05.17_Kidderminster_Town_50031_(34659794491) by R3DWolf91 posted Mar 16, 2022 at 3:18 PM These locomotives, currently never before seen in TSW, would provide an interesting variety in operations, and provide a splash of color to the vibrant green landscape of the route. In addition, owners of the West Somerset Railway and Class 52 DLCs should have access to the Class 52 and 09 units as added layers to the SVR. D1015_Western_Champion_at_Etches_Park_open_day_01 by R3DWolf91 posted Mar 16, 2022 at 3:18 PM D400_Dick_Hardy_shunting by R3DWolf91 posted Mar 16, 2022 at 3:18 PM The SVR Class 108 DMU in its attractive BR Green "Speed Whiskers" livery would make for excellent future DLC for the route as well. Highley_-_DMU_51941_59250_52064 by R3DWolf91 posted Mar 16, 2022 at 3:18 PM Photos Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons ________________________________________________________________________________________ Rolling Stock Coaching stock should include Mark 1 coaches, and possibly examples of the SVRs various preserved GWR, LMS, and LNER coaches (including the beautiful teak cars). 1024px-LNER_Gresley_616'_'TO'_(Vestibuled_Open_Third)_No.43612_(6905073464) by R3DWolf91 posted Mar 16, 2022 at 4:11 PM A variety of goods wagons including a "Pillbox" brake van should be included as well for demonstration freights and siding visuals. Highley_-_43106_with_down_goods_train_in_loop by R3DWolf91 posted Mar 16, 2022 at 4:09 PM Photos Courtesy of Wikipedia Commons ________________________________________________________________________________________ Conclusion The SVR is a beautiful route with a variety of operations. Current diesel DLC and future steam DLC has a potential future on it, and the route has enough operational diversity and scenic running conditions to keep it fresh for players for years to come. The West Somerset Railway is a great DLC, and the SVR would be a great second entry for UK tourist routes. Thank you for your consideration!
I'd love to see this route on TSW however not in it's preserved state. I think this route would be better if it was made in the game when the line was under GWR or BR ownership. Rather than Bridgnorth to Kidderminster, it would run from Shrewsbury (including the world's largest mechanical signal box and the old Coleham locomotive depot) through small rural stations eventually arriving at Ironbridge (it's namesake is iconic) and then eventually going through the now disused Bridgnorth tunnel into Bridgnorth station where it would then follow the current route to Kidderminster. Set in this time, you'd get a 40 mile route! More information on it can be found here: The Severn Valley Railway under GWR/BR ownership - SVR Wiki
Historic would be better, SVR is good in MSTS even better in reality but trundling along at 24.95MPH with numerous lower restrictions and little or no chance of getting some decent thrash, is not that entertaining.
I'm local to the SVR and have visited quite a bit, love the scenery and the trains (particularly when you pass the Safari Park and can see the hippos), but I'm not sure TSW needs another 25mph route.
Thanks for the link! I'll give it a read later today. Understandable, I'm going through all of the WSR scenarios now and they can get a bit tedious. That 5MPH restriction for the grade crossing at Dunster is pretty vicious in particular. I think a second heritage route with different diesels would allow for more variety though, despite the slow speed limits. Sometimes I need a break from busy commuter services and high speed running, and just want to sort of trundle along for an hour with some older equipment. The other upside would be introducing two diesels that could be used for higher speed running on other DLC, the 42 and the 50. I can't believe I forgot about the Safari Park! The SVR is one of the routes on my railroad bucket list. I finally got my passport during lock down, so the next step is coming up with a plan. Luckily I have a girlfriend that likes to travel and has been to Europe a couple of times, so I'll have a fighting chance of not seeming like a total moron on my first overseas trip lol. As far as the slow running, I do understand the apprehension. The WSR DLC can feel like a screensaver at times, but as I said above sometimes that's a nice way to relax after a long day at work. The other upside to a slower heritage line, aside from having new diesel traction that can be used on faster paced routes like Great Western and West Cornwall, is that once steam is released it can give people who may be intimidated by steam locomotives (like myself) an opportunity to grasp the nuances and running principles in a smaller, more comfortable environment.
I have been extremely critical of Rivets West Cornwall route and quite rightly so, as it is grossly incorrect with their scenery design, with so many important landmarks completely left out. I would not be at all bothered if Rivet never produced another route. However Rivets work on locomotives and Stations is as good as their scenery designing is poor. This is one route that Rivet could do really well, as there is not a lot of important scenery, apart from a Football Ground adjoining the Main Station. The Severn Valley Railway which runs for 16 miles from Kidderminster to Bridgnorth. There are a few stations and halts and would be a really good and easy TSW2 route for Rivet to produce. Now with the release of Steam locomotives it would be great to see how Rivet create a steam locomotive.
Excellent idea but the catch is that if made by Rivet Games or Skyhook Games it will be shoddy work and then at one point neglected. This better be done by another third party that can do a better job than both Rivet and Skyhook Games. At Kidderminster SVR has a network rail connection meaning if the route is merged with Birmingham New Street to Worcester Line via Kidderminster there can be Class 66 59 60 172 220 221 diesel trains running as specials. The connection to the network rail system is at Kidderminster
This is a great route to add since TSW 2 needs more tourist/ heritage railways represented in the game.