Hi! This is going to be my final suggestion post in this forum, and I wanted to use this opportunity to suggest what is probably my number one wish for Train Sim World. It may seem like an obscure suggestion, but I am suggesting the Far North Line in north-eastern Scotland, covering the final portion of the mammoth route from Brora to both outer termini of Thurso and Wick. The entire Far North Line, stretching from Inverness all the way to the northern-most railway station in the entire United Kingdom at Thurso, it a massive 153 miles. It should be obvious by this point why I'm not even remotely suggesting the entire Far North Line be brought into Train Sim World! 153 miles is way too long, and the entire journey would take around 4 hours, which again is not remotely a viable option. So I'm instead suggesting the most scenic, most engaging, and perhaps the most enchanting section, between Brora on the Scottish coastline and Thurso, alongside the 6 mile branch from Georgemas Junction to the final stop of the line, Wick. ROUTE: Brora - Thurso: approx. 63 miles Georgemas Junction - Wick: approx. 6 miles STATIONS: Brora Helmsdale Kildonan Kinbrace Forsinard Altnabreac Scotscalder Georgemas Junction Thurso *** MOST NORTHERLY STATION IN THE ENTIRE UK *** Wick TRACTION: Class 158 Scotrail - ALREADY EXISTS IN-GAME Class 158 Scotrail Leven Branch Livery - ALEADY EXISTS IN-GAME (& used in real life on this route) Class 66 RHTT - ALREADY EXISTS IN-GAME Class 37 - NUCLEAR FREIGHT FROM GEORGEMAS JCT TO BRORA - ALREADY EXISTS IN-GAME Cargo Line Nuclear - NUCLEAR FREIGHT FROM GEORGEMAS JCT TO BRORA - ALREADY EXISTS IN-GAME WHY START AT BRORA? Brora is my choice of starting point, as it is the station where the route really opens up. The route hugs the Scottish coast from Brora to the next stop, Helmsdale. From there it cuts inland through 'Flow Country', which is some of the most remote and untouched areas in the whole of Europe. By starting at Brora, you can experience the very best of the Far North Line in terms of scenery, while it still being a manageable distance for TSW. JOURNEY TIME AND OPERATIONS: This would be an interesting drive from an operations perspective, as you would have to change ends TWICE to complete a full run from Brora to Wick. From Brora, you would drive as far as Georgemas Junction, change ends to drive to Thurso, then change ends again to drive back via Georgemas Junction to end at Wick station. The journey time from Brora to Georgemas Junction is just over 1 hour, whereas the journey from Georgemas Junction to Thurso is around 10 minutes, and the final leg from Thurso to Wick is around 30 minutes. The way TSW works in breaking up journey's into parts whenever you need to change ends, works perfectly for this route, as it gives the varying gameplay of driving for 10 minutes, 30 minutes, 1 hour, or combining all three and driving for over 1 hour 30 minutes, depending how you feel on the day if you fancy a long or a short drive. SERVICES: That brings me nicely to the number of services. On paper, this route is very sparse, as it only has 8 scheduled passenger services each day, 4 in either direction. This is partly because of the single line nature of the majority of this route, but more significantly due to the remote and sparsely populated part of the country being served. As anyone who has travelled on this route in real life will know, very few people live out this way. 8 passenger services sounds like too few for TSW, right? Well, this is where changing ends TWICE EVERY JOURNEY really comes into it's own, as every journey will essentially be split into three: Northbound trips would consist of 1) Brora - Georgemas Junction; 2) Georgemas Junction - Thurso; 3) Thurso - Wick.. and every Southbound journey would be the reverse of that. So overall, there would actually be 24 PASSENGER SERVICES TO OPERATE, of varying lengths of distance and time, as well as the option for Nuclear Cargo from the Cargo Line series, and an optional RHTT Class 66 also. CRITICAL POINT ON SERVICES: I know that even with 24 passenger services, 2 nuclear cargo services and 6 RHTT services combining to give 32 SERVICES OVERALL.. I would like to point out that on release WEST SOMERSET RAILWAY only had 33 services, yet the sheer detail and immersion of the scenery of that route is what made it so special. That's why Brora - Thurso and Wick ABSOLUTELY WORKS in this respect, and in my opinion passes the LAMPOIL test. Also, the benefit of choosing the Far North Line over the more well-known West Highland Line, is the Class 158 Scotrail ALREADY EXISTS IN GAME. There's no need to create a single new piece of traction for this route, everything already exists ready to go from day one. To add to this, and why I think there is a massive gap in the market for the Far North Line: Brora - Thurso and Wick, is that we constantly and consistently get commuter routes, high speed routes, with busy and huge timetables. That's great! But let me ask you this, do you ever get tired of that? Do you ever get tired of running the same busy routes, between similar cities and landscapes? This is an escape from that. This is a change to unwind and relax for an hour or so, in what is probably the most beautiful, yet least known, part of the UK. Very few people who aren't local get to experience the sheer majesty of what the Far North Line has to offer, and it would be a massively welcome addition to the game, and would fill a gap in the market no other UK route currently does. If you enjoyed NIDDERTAHLBAHN, this could very, VERY easily become the United Kingdom's Niddertahlbahn! I love the busy timetables we get on WCML, ECML, CCN, you name it it's all good.. but can you honestly say it wouldn't be great to have the option to take a step back, step into a world less chaotic and more peaceful, just you and a Class 158 and the incredible Far North of Scotland all to yourself? Everyone talks about how great the West Highland Line is, or even the Kyle of Lochalsh line is, and make no mistake they are special in their own right.. but Far North Line: Brora - Thurso and Wick is the absolute perfect choice for TSW in particular, for all the reasons i've highlighted above. I'm finding I'm getting tired of running on busy timetable routes now. Life itself is so busy and chaotic right now, I want a route in TSW where i can escape the madness and the chaos for an hour or so, immerse myself in the best kept secret in the UK with the amazing scenery of the Far North Line. If any route deserves to be recreated for our game, surely it has to be this one... Katia PICTURES: - Brora station, with the Class 158 Scotrail Leven Livery (ALREADY EXISTS IN GAME) - Helmsdale station - Kildonan station - Kinbrace station - Altnabreac station - Scotscalder station with Scotrail Class 158 (ALREADY EXISTS IN GAME) - Forsinard station - Georgemas Junction station (with freight terminal on the left) - Thurso station (most NORTHERLY STATION in the ENTIRE UNITED KINGDOM) - Wick Station - Railtour service between Brora and Helmsdale - Far North Line map, with the blue section showing Brora - Thurso and Wick - Class 37 running Nuclear freight to/from Georgemas Junction - Coastal running after departing Brora - Flow Country - Scotland's most remote railway journey TSW Far North Line: Brora - Thurso and Wick.. an escape from a chaotic world and an immersion into the remotest parts of the United Kingdom... - DTG Matt DTG Alex DTG Harry DTG JD Thank you, Katia
Considering the Rolling stock is being reused, the route could maybe go as far as Lairg? It's only extra 20 miles or so and should be doable as there's no train to model.
