Welcome all to another suggestion by TrainGeek08, today I am suggesting the Berks & Hants Line for TSW4 as it would provide enough of a contrast to GWE because of the time period I am setting this in Licensing: Hopefully DTG can re-acquire a license from GWR (if they haven't already done so) before a route like this is developed. Route Information: The Reading–Taunton line is a major branch of the Great Western Main Line from which it diverges at Reading railway station. It runs to Cogload Junction (east of Taunton) where it joins the Bristol to Exeter and Penzance line. Since 1906 it has served as the principal route from London Paddington to Devon and Cornwall, having been built by the Great Western Railway (GWR) joining up several earlier railway lines. These included the Berks and Hants Railway from Reading to Hungerford and part of the Wilts, Somerset and Weymouth Railway from Westbury to Castle Cary. The section from Reading to Westbury is sometimes called the Berks and Hants Line. Route Map: Stock included in base route: The British Rail Class 800 'IET' in GWR livery The British Rail Class 387 'Electrostar' in GWR livery Training (In Training Center): Class 387/1 Introduction Class 800 Introduction Scenarios: Newbury Star: (Difficulty - 2) Drive this Class 387 duo from Reading to Newbury where they will reverse and head back to London Paddington Western Express: (Difficulty - 3) Drive this Class 800 from Taunton to Westbury in a thunderstorm, but because of this, your pantograph fails... you have to swap units at Westbury so you can get to Reading Winter Castle: (Difficulty - 3) Drive this Class 800 from Reading to Taunton but due to the recent snow, you have to terminate the service at Castle Cary Reading by Night: (Difficulty - 2) Drive this Class 387 from Newbury to Reading then drive empty to Reading Traincare Depot Keeping Care of Trains: (Difficulty - 1) Shunt Class 387s between different sidings at Reading Traincare Depot Timetable: Here's the May 2019 Working Timetable for this route: (You are interested in sections PA03, PC02 & PC03 for the Berks & Hants Line) 2019-05 WTT PA | Network Rail Corporate Archive 2019-05 WTT PC | Network Rail Corporate Archive Potential DLC, Layers, Stations, POI & Mastery Rewards coming up on Pages 2 & 3...
Page 2: Potential DLC: The British Rail Class 59 in Freightliner livery Training (In Training Center): Class 59 Introduction Scenarios: Heavy Haul: (Difficulty - 2) Drive this Class 59 from Westbury to Reading where another driver will take it to Acton Yard Route Refresher: (Difficulty - 1) Drive this route learning trip from Reading to Reading via Theale in the Class 59 Mendip Rescue: (Difficulty - 2) An aggregates train has failed at Newbury, rescue it and drag it back to Westbury where the replacement loco is waiting to take it to Acton Yard Timetable: Incorporated into base routes' timetable Layers: The British Rail Class 166 'Networker Turbo' (GWE) for local services around the Westbury and Taunton areas The British Rail Class 43 'HST' (GWE) for Castle Class operated services (modifications will need to be made prior to this being layered) The British Rail Class 66 'Shed' (GWE/ECW/SEHS/RHTT/ECML/EDN) for freight & RHTT operations along the route Stations, POI & Mastery Rewards coming up on Page 3...
This seems like a good route to me. Sounds good and interesting, I think GWR deserves a better route and especially an updated one since I cannot see GWE getting any upgrade ever. But a good suggestion, I like it
Page 3: (Principal) Stations: Reading: Reading railway station is a major transport hub in Reading, Berkshire, England; it is 36 miles (58 km) west of London Paddington. It is sited on the northern edge of the town centre, near to the main retail and commercial areas and the River Thames. Reading is the ninth-busiest station in Great Britain outside of London and the second busiest interchange station outside London. The station is managed by Network Rail and is served by four train operating companies: Great Western Railway, CrossCountry, South Western Railway and the Elizabeth line. Newbury: Newbury railway station is located in the centre of the market town of Newbury, in the English county of Berkshire. The station is 53 miles 6 chains (53.08 mi; 85.4 km) from the zero point at London Paddington. It is served by stopping services between Reading and Newbury and Bedwyn, and by faster services between London Paddington and Exeter St Davids and other parts of Devon and Cornwall. All train services at the station are operated by the Great Western Railway. The station was once a junction with the now-defunct north–south Didcot, Newbury and Southampton Railway. It was also the junction for the also defunct Lambourn Valley Railway. Westbury: Westbury railway station serves the market town of Westbury in Wiltshire, England. The station is managed by Great Western Railway. The station is a major junction, serving the Reading to Taunton line with services to and from Penzance and London Paddington; the Wessex Main Line with services to and from Cardiff and Portsmouth, also Swindon; the Heart of Wessex Line with local services from Bristol Temple Meads to Weymouth; and services to London Waterloo. The buffet at Westbury appeared in a list of "highly commended" station cafes published in The Guardian in 2009. Taunton: Taunton railway station is a junction station on the route from London to Penzance, 163 miles 12 chains (263 km) west of London Paddington station, measured via Box. It is situated in Taunton, Somerset, and is operated by Great Western Railway. The station is also served by CrossCountry trains and by the West Somerset Railway on special event days and by mainline steam excursions. Points of Interest (POI): Reading Traincare Depot: Reading TCD is a railway motive power depot situated in Reading, England, and operated by Great Western Railway. The depot code is RG. River Kennet: The Kennet is a tributary of the River Thames in Southern England. Most of the river is straddled by the North Wessex Downs AONB (Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty). The lower reaches have been made navigable as the Kennet Navigation, which – together with the Avon Navigation, the Kennet and Avon Canal and the Thames – links the cities of Bristol and London. The length from near its sources west of Marlborough, Wiltshire down to Woolhampton, Berkshire is a 111.1-hectare (275-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). This is primarily from an array of rare plants and animals completely endemic to chalky watercourses. When Wiltshire had second-tier local authorities, one, Kennet District, took the name of the river. Newbury Racecourse: Newbury Racecourse is a racecourse and events venue in the civil parish of Greenham, adjoining the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England. It has courses for flat races and over jumps. It hosts one of Great Britain's 36 annual Group 1 flat races, the Lockinge Stakes. The Racecourse is noted for its proximity to the Lambourn training centre, which means that the course is often home to locally-grown talent as well as attracting horses from further afield. Newbury's major races include the Lockinge Stakes, one of Great Britain's 36 annual Group 1 flat races, and its most famous race, the Coral Gold Cup (formerly known as the Hennessy Gold Cup). Uffington White Horse: The Uffington White Horse is a prehistoric hill figure, 110 m (360 ft) long, formed from deep trenches filled with crushed white chalk. The figure is situated on the upper slopes of Whitehorse Hill in the English civil parish of Uffington (in the ceremonial county of Oxfordshire and historic county of Berkshire), some 16 km (10 mi) east of Swindon, 8 km (5.0 mi) south of the town of Faringdon and a similar distance west of the town of Wantage; or 2.5 km (1.6 mi) south of Uffington. The hill forms a part of the scarp of the Berkshire Downs and overlooks the Vale of White Horse to the north. The best views of the figure are obtained from the air, or from directly across the Vale, particularly around the villages of Great Coxwell, Longcot, and Fernham. The Uffington White Horse was created some time between 1380 and 550 bc, during the late Bronze Age or early Iron Age. The site is owned and managed by the National Trust and is a scheduled monument. The Guardian stated in 2003 that "for more than 3,000 years, the Uffington White Horse has been jealously guarded as a masterpiece of minimalist art." The Uffington Horse is by far the oldest of the white horse figures in Britain; the others inspired by it have an entirely different design. Mastery Rewards: Stage 1: 12 Landscape-Themed Decals for use in the Livery Editor Stage 2: You will see a horse race as you pass Newbury Racecourse station I hope you have enjoyed this suggestion, put your thoughts below if you have, I've been TrainGeek08 as always, enjoy the rest of your day, and goodbye
Thanks, I really agree with that, GWR deserves a better chance and this would be a great route if you wanted to avoid developing a route through Bristol (for whatever reason)
Brilliant suggestion, this would be a good section of line to bring some modern western content with. Absolutely brilliant!
Yeah of course, I didn't include them in the 'Layers' section but if they are developed for another route in XC livery then it would layer onto this route as AI
It's a bit of a tedious run, apart from the commuter stuff at the Newbury end it's generally an hourly Reading - Taunton non stop - with a 2 hourly SemiFast and 2 hourly heart of wessex (Westbury-Castle Cary)
Also stuff put up on the weekend is probably looked at only after a while as they probably only work Mon-Fri.
Good suggestion, offers a lot of variety with the intercity services to the south west operated by the IETs, the class 158 and 166 doing regional, and the reading to Newbury section for 387s
Thanks, it does have a nice varied mix in services which is a positive aspect of the gameplay on this route
