Route Colchester Commuter: Colchester To Colchester Town, Clacton, Walton-on-the-naze, Harwich And Ipswich

Discussion in 'Suggestions' started by blibbles#5319, May 28, 2026 at 8:04 PM.

  1. blibbles#5319

    blibbles#5319 Member

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    This is a route suggestion inspired by Blackpool Branches with 51 miles of track going from Colchester to Clacton-on-sea, Walton-on-the-Naze, Harwich Town, Colchester Town and Ipswich. 5 lines in just 51 miles of track.
    I can't get a route map with all the lines together so I'll leave a link to the OpenTrainTimes map and just explore that:
    https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=aa68ab0dea8fc8c666d3f6c6a87b3e97fff41ae3af5d96d915aae5cec89413a7JmltdHM9MTc3OTkyNjQwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=010ada6f-9e07-6db7-1b88-ccbd9fc96cc6&psq=OpenTrainTimes:+Live+map+of+Marks+Tey+(exc.)+to+Clacton,+Walton,+Harwich+and+Mistley&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cub3BlbnRyYWludGltZXMuY29tL21hcHMvc2lnbmFsbGluZy9nZW1sNA

    I'll give motive power options 3 time periods: 2025, 2015 and 1995. I'm not asking for this route to be set in all three, I just don't know which one I'd prefer.
    2025:
    - Greater Anglia Class 720, 745 and 755/3 and /4
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG] [​IMG]
    2015:
    - Greater Anglia Class 360, 321, 90 + DVT (if ATS can release some much needed fixes for the 90)
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    1990:
    - Anglia Railways Class 86/2, Class 312, Class 309
    [​IMG]

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    Stations on this line (at least in the modern day) are as follows:
    - Colchester
    - Colchester Town
    - Hythe
    - Wivenhoe
    - Alresford
    - Great Bentley
    - Weeley
    - Thorpe-le-Soken
    - Clacton-on-sea
    - Kirby cross
    - Frinton-on-sea
    - Walton-on-the-Naze
    - Manningtree
    - Mistley
    - Wrabness
    - Harwich International
    - Dovercourt
    - Harwich Town
    - Ipswich

    There are also some emu sidings at Colchester, Clacton-on-sea, Ipswich and in between Wrabness and Harwich International. You can drive shuttles like Colchester to Colchester Town, fast services between Colchester and Ipswich, long-ish services between Colchester and Clacton-on-sea and Walton-on-the-Naze and ECS moves at Colchester, Clacton, Ipswich, and Harwich.

    Timetable layers in the 2025 and 2015 time periods would only be the class 66 on a few freight services from Felixstowe or a few RHTT services. For the 1990 period, whatever existing BR era motive power that's appropriate for the region would be viable for timetable layers.

    I think this route would offer the too rare change from a to b routes with a decent amount of service variation, varying more on the time period.
     
    Last edited: May 28, 2026 at 8:10 PM
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  2. blibbles#5319

    blibbles#5319 Member

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    Not trying to sound greedy, but I'd appreciate some feedback :)
     
  3. kanamechidori#8728

    kanamechidori#8728 Member

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    2025 would be preferable im not a huge fan of routes being in the 1990's
    The route sounds great though. Id love to see a GEML from Ipswich to Liverpool Street and have this route be linked to it via route hopping
     
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