Good Morning Everyone and Merry Christmas, I wanted to share a new way of playing TSW which I tried out last night which really added an extra dimension to the game. I'm not talking about the 1863 iteration of the game which should be due with us in 2185/2186 (however by this point I hope DTG have fixed the passenger problems and that we finally have a workable DB 187, we can hope!) but about going back in history using a copy of Bradshaw's 1863 Handbook. For those who don't know Bradshaw's 1863 Handbook was basically a travel guide of all the rail stations in the UK at the time - it provides a real glimpse into this era of the railways and the romanticism that came with travel. I recently picked up a reproduction for a few quid and decided I would try to retrace the WCML South from Euston to Milton Keynes using the guide. I won't go into too much detail as I'd be here all day but I'm happy to report that on the whole, I was able to trace the line all the way up from the terminus to Bletchley recognising the sights as they would have been in 1863. Credit where credit's due, I have to say WCML South was quite reflective of the 1863 account - leaving Euston I was able to pass through "the pretty village of Kilburn... and then enter another tunnel called the Kensal Green Tunnel, the celebrated cemetery - the Pere La Chaise of London - being on the left side, which is worthy of a visit, from the number of eminent individuals who are entombed within its limits". Moving up towards Bushey I was also able to spot the following as well "Just beyond Bushey, a handsome viaduct conducts us over the river Colne, and shortly after, we arrive at the Watford Station, which is about a mile from the town'. As reflected in the handbook, the route certainly follows the route of the Grand Junction Canal (previously I just thought this was just a generic looking river) and as we approach Kings Langley... "beautifully situated on the distant rising ground is the ancient village of King's Langley, so much frequented by King John. The Grand Junction Canal here runs close to the line, on the south of the embankment, and while the traveller looks with a smile of compassion upon the rival route (which like a wounded snake, drags its slow length along, we arrive at the station of Kings Langley" (the railways throwing shade even back then!). Further up the line past the stations of "Boxmoor (Hemel Hempstead)" and "Berkhampstead" we reach Tring which, faithful to the route "at this station the railway reaches its greatest elevation, being 420 feet above the level of the sea, and 300 above that of the Camden Town depot. This elevation is attained by a series of gradients never exceeding 1 in 300". At Leighton Buzzard, another highlight was the modelling of a church on the right side which according to Bradshaw "several pretty villages are scattered over the valley and slopes; and after crossing the Horton Viaduct we catch a glimpse of the spire of Leighton Buzzard Church and the country beyond, and shortly after of that town itself. We proceed by alternate embankment and cutting past several beautiful views and then reach Leighton Junction". Describing the church in more detail .. "Leighton Church is a good Gothic cross with stalls (for the priests of one or two priory cells, that were here) and a tall spire, 193 feet high before about 25 feet was struck down by lightning 16th July 1852".. Before reaching Bletchley, we also pass under the Linslade tunnel (as per the route map) and the following account is given "upon leaving Leighton, the line passes over a level country for nearly fifteen miles, but has occasionally to go through a tunnel or cutting in its coarse. At this distance it makes a curve, and on reaching the open country Linslade Wood is seen on both sides, and Linslade Hall and Church to the right. A short distance beyond it the town of Great Bickhill"... After Bletchley, the route seems to peter out as Milton Keynes wouldn't exist for a good while yet, however one more detail which I noticed before reaching the end of the line was the following "upon leaving Bletchley, we pass through a cutting and cross the London Road by an iron bridge, and proceeding onwards we arrive in view of the churches of Loughton and Shewston".. I possibly thinking I saw this rendered in the game by means of a small red iron bridge but wasn't sure if this was the correct spot. The next stop would have been Wolverton which is where this adventure comes to an end (I may fire up TSC and continue the line on WCML South to continue this journey...!) So rather than just playing the route and typically counting down the distance markers until the next station, using Bradshaw's, a bit of Google Maps and a keen eye really turned this typical timetable service into something else. For an area of the UK that I'm not really familiar with, it really brought an extra dimension and an intimacy to the surroundings. I'm looking forward to trying out similiar routes using Bradshaw's to see if their depictions are similiar but I was pleasantly surprised by this exercise and would urge others to try the same to add an extra level of depth to the game! Thanks for reading and Merry Christmas!
Does Bradshaw mention about the ruins of Berkhamsted Castle which is just before the station? That's always a landmark I look out for when driving this route having visited there once and seing 390s and 350s go by. Great post, although I can't read anything from Bradshaw without having Portillo's voice in my head Of course DTG did the official game for Great British Railways using TSC! https://live.dovetailgames.com/live/gbrj-game
Yeah I quite enjoyed the great British railway journeys with Michael portillo. Never really thought of doing it on tsw or tsc. Great idea. Just picked up a copy of Bradshaw on amazon for pennies.
He does indeed! I missed it on my route up to Milton Keynes so need to keep an eye out for this myself (which again makes it worth playing the route again!). Bradshaw mention the following.. 'On reaching Bank Mill Bridge a landscape of a very great beauty bursts upon our view, including a view of the tower of Berkhampstead Church, the town itself and the ruins of its ancient castle. Thence the line proceeds through a cutting, along a embankment and arrives at the station of Berkhampstead.....Berkhampstead Castle in ruins was built soon after the Conquest by Robert Montaigne'. For extra points, Bradshaw also makes note of hotels, fairs, mails and bankers. I didn't have time to investigate this fully however at Tring, Google informs me that The King's Arms still exists and The Rose and Crown was turned into flats in 2013. I also find it amusing to think if Bradshaw was alive today, people would be using his guide to explore a reproduction of the line on a computer - none of which was possibly ever conceived or dreamt possible back then. ididntdoit I picked mine up in a bookshop in Hay On Wye, it's a really great resource, there is also a reproduction of continental rail journeys which might come in helpful for German/Swiss routes but I think the UK guide has plenty to get going with.
