The Class 222 Meridians were produced by Bombardier Transportation in Belgium, with 27 sets being produced between 2003 & 2005. The units have seen several operators, including Hull Trains (As named ‘Pioneers’, Midland Mainline, East Midlands Trains and presently, East Midlands Railway. They have a maximum permitted speed of 125MPH. Why? The class 222 meridian would be a great addition to the Derby to Nottingham and Leicester route - as it would provide extra variety for service mode. As the Midland Mainline route is set in the East Midlands Trains era, the class 222 would provide the opportunity to drive 4, 5 & 7 coach formations, also with the possibility of adding 2x4 car formations or 1x4 + 1x5 formations. Whilst the Class 43 High Speed Train is a great sight on the Midland Mainline, realistically these sets only operated between Nottingham and London, with a few to/from Sheffield and Leeds. As previously mentioned, the class 222 would add variety, operating services between both Derby and Leicester, Nottingham and Leicester, and even Derby to Nottingham. This proposal (As expected) proposes the unit in the East Midlands Trains White, Blue & Red livery, fitting right in with the existing era & stock. There also is the potential to add ‘Special’ Vinyls and Stickers to units that carried them, these being: *222003 ‘Tornado’ 222011 ‘Sheffield City Batallion’ 222017 ‘1917 - 2017 Lions Centenary’ 222003 was named ‘Tornado’ after the LNER A1 Steam Locomotive, 60163 Tornado. 222003 is a 7 coach set, with one coach number being 60163. This vehicle carries the sticker naming it ‘Tornado’ However, there is also potential for the future to include the older Midland Mainline’ livery, should Dovetail, Skyhook or any other third party developer create a gameplay pack. Below are some pictures: 222007 Sits at Nottingham awaiting departure for London. Whilst the branding in this image is incorrect for this proposal, the livery is correct. (My photo) 222003 at Sheffield. The vehicle/coach number being 60163, hence the name. (Not my photo) 222011, named ‘Sheffield City Battalion’ carrying its special commemorative vinyl (Not my photo)
Love this suggestion! I suggested it myself a while back! I love those trains! Great idea and well thought out suggestion! Well done!
