Route Overview: ECML Edinburgh – Berwick (2013) Key Facts: Total Mileage: ~75 miles (57 miles Mainline + 18 miles in branches) Era: 2013 (East Coast Era). Maximum Speed: 125 mph (Mainline) The Station List Stations are listed in geographical order from North to South. Major stations are listed in bold, minor station are listed in italics. Mainline Stations Edinburgh Waverley: The second-largest station in the UK. In 2013, the station is characterized by its massive roof refurbishment project and a high density of passenger operations, during the time period the station is called at by First ScotRail, East Coast, CrossCountry, Virgin Trains West Coast, First Transpennine Express and First Caledonian Sleeper. Musselburgh: A busy suburban station serving Queen Margaret University. Wallyford: A major park-and-ride commuter stop for East Lothian. Prestonpans: Located near the site of the 1745 battle; a frequent stop for local services. Longniddry: A scenic village station and a prime spot for observing 125 mph non-stop services. Drem: A rural junction station where the North Berwick branch diverges from the main line. Dunbar: A single-platform station in 2013. It is located on a loop, requiring all calling services to turn off the high-speed main line. Berwick-upon-Tweed: The southern terminus. Built within the castle walls, it sits at the northern end of the iconic 28-arch Royal Border Bridge. Branch Passenger Stations North Berwick: The coastal terminus of the branch from Drem, featuring a single platform and frequent Class 380 electric services. Brunstane: A suburban stop on the Borders Railway branch. Newcraighall: The 2013 passenger terminus for the Edinburgh CrossRail. Beyond the turnback siding, the Borders Railway is under construction, featuring active earthworks and bridge-building scenery. Freight Branches Leith South Docks Branch: A corridor diverging at Portobello. In 2013, it serves sporadic steel and oil-industry pipe traffic through the Seafield industrial area. Powderhall Branch: The home of the "Binliner." A daily waste-transfer operation running from the city center to the landfill near Dunbar. Millerhill Yard: The primary freight hub. In 2013, it is a traditional flat yard used for stabling cement, coal, and engineering trains. Cockenzie Branch: Serving the Cockenzie Power Station. Before its closure in March 2013, drivers must haul MGR wagons into the yard, uncouple, and run the locomotive around the rake to the opposite end before exiting the site. After March 2013, the yard is used for storage. Rolling Stock & Service Patterns Class 91 + Mk4 & DVT Developed for Route Role: Hourly stops at Berwick; frequent limited-stop services to the South. Class 66 Included with route, however seen in previous routes. Role: The Powderhall Binliner, Cockenzie Coal (shunting required), and Oxwellmains Cement. Class 43 HST Included with route, remodeled and re-liveried. Role: East Coast's unelectrified services to Aberdeen and Inverness Class 380 Layers from: Class 380 commuter pack Role: The North Berwick Flyer and Dunbar services in Saltire livery. Class 158 Layers from: Saltire Class 158 pack Role: Newcraighall shuttles; includes the First ScotRail "Barbie" livery. Class 170 Layers from: Fife Circle Role: Peak-hour AI; includes the First ScotRail "Barbie" livery. Timetable & Frequency InterCity 225: Hourly stops at Berwick-upon-Tweed. However, non-stop services between Edinburgh and London operated up to every 30 mins. Class 380: Half-hourly North Berwick services and 2-hourly Dunbar express services. Class 158/170: High-frequency shuttle between Waverley and Newcraighall, passing the Borders Railway construction site. Class 66: Fixed-path Binliners and the technical Cockenzie Coal runs. The Cockenzie run-around takes significant time, requiring the player to wait for a clear path back onto the ECML. LAMPOIL Route Analysis L - Licensing: The Publicly Operated "Silver" and First ScotRail "Barbie/Saltire" liveries are historically accurate for 2013 and manageable through existing partner agreements. A - Anticipation: High demand for the Class 91 and Class 380, alongside the technical shunting required at Cockenzie. M - Mix: Combines 125 mph racing with technical yard work, including the run-around maneuvers at Cockenzie and Millerhill. P - Prominence: The route features global landmarks like Edinburgh Waverley and the Royal Border Bridge. O - Opportunity: The Borders Railway construction and the manual shunting at Cockenzie provide a level of operational variety unique to this era. I - Intelligence: Previous Scottish releases demonstrate that "Hub" environments with high-speed mainline and industrial branches are the strongest performers. L - Limitation: Technical modeling must account for the segregated Leith corridor and the extensive Waverley roof scaffolding active in 2013. Thank you for reading! Please like this thread and discuss.
While it would be nice to see this route, I think it'd have to go all the way to NCL really. That's a better end point than BWK, as (AFAIK) all EC services will have stopped at NCL in that time period. All LNER services that route through NCL certainly do now.
TBF, that stretch does have the more striking scenery compared to Berwick-Newcastle. Coastal cliffs and wooded valleys. Though you do miss out on the Morpeth Curve.
You know, I don't think I ever got one of those trains during that period. I was always getting First TPE ones on the ECML, heading west at York. Don't think I ever had a run to London or similar after GNER until the Virgin days
I was looking at it from a branch standpoint and DTG's current capabilities, I was also going to create another suggestion in the modern day for Newcastle to Berwick and the Northumberland line.
The inherent issue with the ECML is that the remaining bits are just too long to do in manageable chunks between key locations. So Edinburgh to Newcastle probably needs to be done as two halves with Berwick in the middle. Throw in a Deltic and instant Day One from me.
Maybe the TS2013 York - Newcastle could become Darlington - Newcastle in TSW and that would left Doncaster - Darlington to do (without much scenery except for York itself) ?
Excellent but the route should easily be able to be extended down to Newcastle. It's not a route that goes through too much urban sprawl so it should be kinder on memory than Milton Keynes to Crewe and probably not too much more work than Preston to Carlisle.
I just wouldn't want it to come to a case of ditching the local lines, in favour of the Newcastle extension, although I would be buying day one if both could accommodated.
I'd rather sacrifice the branches rather than the run to Newcastle. With LNER being the main operator it seems silly to cut it short.
