Personally, ever since the release of TSW on PS4 As I am local to Swansea, I was always looking forward to driving the Full route down to Swansea and passing my local Mainline station, Bridgend, and I remember the first time playing it, I was rather let down by the fact we can only drive as far as reading, quite gutted actually, and recently, upon the release of TSW3, All of You over at DTG Have Proved yourself with Length, time and The ability to Add extensions to Pre-existing routes, and this understandably got the community thinking that this has opened up quite a few opportunities, and even if the extension cost something like £5.99/£4.99 but it's quite a scenic journey, Having done it myself before, and it also uses the magnificent 129 year old Severn Tunnel, which is a marvel of engineering, personally, I would like it in the 2022 era, like a Island line 2022 sort of thing, where if you pay £14.99 You get a more modern version of the route with Class 800/2's Class 387, Class 166 Between BPW-CDF perhaps, and also some TfW Trains, such as Class 175, Class 170, Class 158, Class 150 maybe even a 769 as a layer, and as you have Margam T.C depot just before Port Talbot Parkway, so lots of freight movements along that route, there could even be a move from Acton Yard to Margam T.C, and there a a few locos that do the Margam Runs, Such as Class 60, Class 66, Class 37 And Class 56 on some rare occasions, so personally I think it would be an epic route and definitely a crowd pleaser! Well, I've said my piece! So all we can do now is Hope, Come on DTG, we know it's doable!
So you want the route to be 4½ times as long, but only pay an additional £15 for it? And have 6 new trains (and presumably all new timetables covering the 186 miles of track with all the connections at Reading, Didcot, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff...) I understand the want to have a longer drive, but at least be realistic in your desires! The reason the German route could be that long is most of it runs through country or in a tunnel. The reason the Ashford extension works is there's nothing in Kent worth seeing (I live there, the place is basically boring for scenery unless you like gentle rolling hills) All the american routes seem to be up mountains or plains, so again not much to see The routes where you have lots of scenery and towns are much shorter because they take time to develop and make them look like the towns they're supposed to represent
Swansea to Bristol Temple Meads as well as Parkway would probably be more realistic, and set in the modern era, or that transition period with the HST and the 800, that could work really well. Not sure what stock TfW use on that part of their network, but they can recycle/update the 166 for local trips around Bristol and HST, as well as an 800.
As we have discussed previously if, and it’s a big if, DTG did decide to build on the existing GWE, most likely they would extend to Oxford and Swindon or add the Thames Valley branches. However in terms of extensions generally we don’t really know how they did SEHS, whether it really was rebuilt from the ground up or maybe it already existed in its longer form from the earlier release and just needed polishing.
I haven't seen any evidence either way on this. Certainly there have been people asking for the branches, but then there've been many asking for the WCML or anything new outside of the Southeast... Suddenly the phrase "you can't polish a poo but you can roll it in glitter" springs to mind
Matt has said that if The GWE route was to have an extension say to Oxford via Didcot then the whole route would have to be rebuilt from scratch as the route was made differently to how SPG and the other routes were originally made. Also the fact that so much has changed along the route between Reading and Paddington. Personally speaking I feel two of the best looking areas on the route will never never get used in TSW. This is the main flyover as you leave Reading heading West towards Didcot. This would also include the lines underneath that take freight and other trains from the Basingstoke direction west to Didcot as well as traffic from the South West. Also The Heathrow Jcn as well. I have been only able to walk lup parts of the flyovers. But yeah such a shame we cant get AI or drive to a Heathrow. Still we can dream. lol It really does need a #Joetabel lol Hentis
Which is why I have mused in the past that something like Basingstoke to Oxford or Banbury, including Reading station, would make a good route in its own right, though preferably pre electrification and Hitachi era.
Way too long and the way to do it is great Western mainline reading to Cardiff 109 mi (180 km) Existing Class 43 HST runs Cardiff Reading trips Layers BML 387/2 GWR Reading to Bristol Parkway or Newport. New trains Class 231 Newport Cardiff 800/802 IET Reading to Cardiff Freight Class 88 & 70
