Birmingham to Sheffield is 90 miles. Just Trains have been working on a route and maybe have they recaptured MML to Sheffield from TSC? Possibility? There are many routes that long, but I personally would love Crewe to Manchester via Airport and Stockport. Much shorter by comparison. Also the Swiss Route Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn is also 90 miles in length.
That route is Rack Railway Abt System not compatible with Riggenbach System. For Riggenbach Rack System trains equipped with it can run on Strub Rack System. 90 miles might mean ÖBB Westbahn Wien Linz. Freight Wien Kledering to Linz Vbf Which is actually located East of Linz Hbf. Spoiler: Interesting feature Schnellfahrstrecke Wien Linz allows all Deutsche Bahn Trains to run there since ÖBB uses PZB 90 like the Deutsche Bahn Route. Meaning There is a chance of spawning inside a DB Baureihe 363 650 G6 204 instead of ÖBB Baureihe1064 Wien Kledering Linz ÖBB Baureihe 2070. On Schnellfahrstrecke Köln Aachen Main Spessart Bahn you can now run the Nightjet HRR EC119/118 HMA RRO EC112/113 the Blauer Enzian Dortmund
90 miles just about gets you from Crewe to Holyhead, too. Or Craven Arms to Llanelli on the Central Wales Line!
Crewe to Holyhead is 105 miles. Maybe cut down the length to Chester - Holyhead or Crewe - Llandudno/Bangor, and it could be possible.
SHAP!!! There's a Music Festival called Kendal Calling there which I go to, so I'd love to be able to drive a train through it, the lakes are a beautiful part of the country
I remember one of the DTG people saying that in terms of requests for routes, WCML and ECML were miles ahead of anything else. The difficulty, of course, is that you need too long a section of route (compared to the route lengths they’ve traditionally chosen) to have natural start/finish points. If they’re now going to do a longer route (as it seems they are), I’d be amazed if they didn’t go for WCML or ECML. Combine that with the fact that Preston-Carlisle is exactly 90 miles, which no other sensible section of the WCML or ECML is, it feels to me as if that is odds-on that the UK route will be Preston - Carlisle. If so, I think it’s a good choice. An interesting drive, steep gradients and a constantly changing speed profile. The question is what era they go for. For me, it’ll only really be of interest if it includes ‘tap-changer’ electrics (class 81-87) with their interesting and challenging control characteristics. Others will be keen for a Pendolino. It’s perfectly possible for them to do both - the Pendolinos ran alongside 87s for years - but that’s two completely new trains, on top of 90 miles of route. Will they stretch to that? [This post’s going to look really stupid when they announce Island Line v3]
I think there is a good chance that it is going to be that stretch of line. I suspect they will set it in modern times with Avanti Pendolino's, they have the licence for TSC and I can't see Avanti objecting to their trains being in TSW. Also there hasn't been a modern period UK route for some time. However you don't just want Pendolino's, what about the NTP services which use that stretch of line, plus the services to Morecombe and Windermere, plus the Cross Country services which run along that stretch. Also freight, you can be almost certain a class 66 would feature but what about the Freightliner services. There is a danger the route could feel dead if it comes with a Pendolino and a class 66!
It might not even be ECML but really hope so as I’m based in Newcastle. Getting ahead of myself mentioning Newcastle.
I’d be very happy with some 87 tap changer action alongside a Pendolino. I would hope that DTG could stretch to that.
Electric Legends DLC already pencilled in? Assuming it is the WCML of course. Another interesting speculation, saw “drag” referenced earlier so how far does 90 miles get you via the Settle & Carlisle? Skipton for sure, if not all the way to Leeds.
It doesn’t quite fit. Carlisle - Skipton is 86 miles, so they wouldn’t be able to claim 90 miles if it was that. Once beyond Skipton the next logical place is Leeds, which is much too far.
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