Here I want to suggest another potential steam route for TSW 4 (or 5 or 6 or...), namely a section the old Great Western Railway mainline between Paddington and Birkenhead Woodside. The section in question runs from Banbury to Wolverhampton Low Level via Birmingham Snow Hill. Origininally I was going to suggest the route as far as Leamington Spa, but in the modern day Chiltern Mainline suggestion (Route - London Marylebone To Birmingham Snow Hill (chiltern Mainline) | Dovetail Games Forums) it was proposed by certain commenters for the route to go only as far as Banbury, since it would be too long for TSW otherwise. That made me decide to put the section between Leamington Spa and Banbury into my suggestion to add a bit more content to the route. I've chosen for the year 1962/1963 for the route, for reasons I'll explain later. The Route Wolverhampton LL to Snow Hill (I can't embed the map unfortunately, but here is a link: new_snow_hil_ to_wolverhampton_1947.map.gif (593×218) (disused-stations.org.uk)) Snow Hill to Banbury This is the modern day Chiltern Main Line map, but it still holds up The section between Wolverhampton LL and Snow Hill is about 12 miles long (I couldn't find exactly how long, unfortunately); and the section between Snow Hill and Banbury is about 38 miles long. That would give a total route length of about 50 miles (or about 80 km, the same length as BML), perfect for TSW. Stations, yards etc Stations on the line from north to south Underlined: Main/large stations Cursive: yards/depots Wolverhampton Low Level Wolverhampton Low Level station was opened in 1854 by the Oxford, Worcester and Wolverhampton Railway (OWWR) and Great Western Railway together. Originally called Wolverhampton Joint, it was renamed Wolverhampton Low Level in 1856, with the nearby Wolverhampton Queen Street LNWR station (on the WCML) becoming Wolverhampton High Level. It was a mixed-gauge station, allowing both standard gauge trains and GWR broad gauge trains to use it. The main building was in classical style, but built from engineering blue brick, unique to this station. It served both the GWR line to Snow Hill and the OWWR line to Oxford via Dudley. Under British Railways, the station saw plenty of use until the electrification of the WCML through Wolverhampton High Level made it redundant. It was closed to passengers in 1972 but remained in use as a parcels station. In 1981 it was closed to goods as well, after which it remained derelict for decades. It was finally redeveloped in 2006, but the main building, one of the platforms and a segment of the footbridge still exist. Walsall Street Goods Depot This goods depot was situated near Lower Wallsall Street in Wolverhampton, to the east of the main line. Pictures of it don't seem to exist, but I did find information showing that it was in use until 1966 when it was merged with Wednesfield Road depot (near Wolverhampton High Level). DB Schenker's Wolverhampton Steel Terminal is located on the site of Walsall Street Goods. Priestfield Station remains in 1978. The line to Birmingham Snow Hill curves away on the left, with the platforms of the line towards Oxford still visible on the right Priestfield was a junction station, located at the point where the GWR line to Birmingham and the OWWR line to Oxford diverged. It was opened in 1854. The OWWR line closed in 1962, and the station itself closed in 1972 along with the Wolverhampton LL - Snow Hill line. Since 1999 a West Midlands Metro stop has been here. Bilston Central Bilston Central was opened in 1854. It was called 'Central' to distinguish it from Bilston West station on the OWWR line. It closed in 1972 along with the line, and since 1999 a West Midlands Metro stop has been here. Wednesbury Central Wednesbury Central opened in 1854. Originally known as Wednesbury, it was renamed Wednesbury Central in 1950 to distinguish it from Wednesbury Town station. It closed in 1972 along with the rest of the line. Wednesbury Great Western Street tram stop now uses the site. Swan Village Swan Village was another junction station. It opened in 1854 at the spot where the GWR Dudley Branch diverged off the main line. It was rebuilt by BR in the early 1960s, and closed around 10 years later along with the line. Pictures can be found here: Disused Stations: Swan Village Station (disused-stations.org.uk) West Bromwich West Bromwich opened in 1854. It was closed along with the line 1972. West Bromwich Central tram stop on the West Midlands Metro now occupies the site. The Hawthorns Halt The Hawthorns Halt was an unstaffed halt on the GWR line, served only by football specials (it takes its name from the nearby The Hawthorns stadium, home ground of West Bromwich Albion FC). It opened in 1931 and closed in 1968. In 1995 a new station was built here, serving both the West Midlands Metro and the Jewellery Line, part of the Snow Hill lines from the rebuilt Snow Hill station. Handsworth & Smethwick Handsworth & Smethwick was opened, again, in 1854. It had 4 platforms. It closed along with the rest of the line in 1972 and was demolished shortly after. Handsworth Booth Street tram stop now occupies the site. Soho & Winson Green Soho & Winson Green station was opened as Soho station in 1854. It was renamed Soho & Winson Green in 1893. In 1965 it became Winson Green, after another station of that name had been closed. In the era of this suggestion though, it would still be Soho & Winson Green. It closed in 1972 and was demolished. Soho Benson Road tram stop now sits at the site of the former station. Hockley Hockley station opened in 1854, close to the tunnels sharing the name. Platforms were on an elevated level, and the station had relatively large goods facilities. It closed in 1972 and was demolished. In 1995 a new station, Jewellery Quarter, opened a short distance to the east, at the tunnel mouth, serving the same area. Hockley Tunnels Hockley No 2 Tunnel in the modern day. The down platform of Jewellery Quarter station is visible on the right. Hockley Tunnels are two short, wide tunnel that carried the GWR lines towards Snow Hill. The tunnels became disused when the line closed, but since 1995 they have been reused for both the West Midlands Metro and the Jewellery Line. Birmingham Snow Hill (GWR station) The station hotel in the GWR days (1926) Snow Hill station, main concourse, 1960s Aerial photograph of Birmingham Snow Hill, 1948 The old Birmingham Snow Hill station was opened in 1854 by the Great Western Railway, as their main station in Birmingham. It was originally intended to be a temporary station, with the intended destination being Curzon Street. However, the LNWR argued that usage of the congested lines into that station by the GWR would be dangerous, so Snow Hill became the terminus. Initially it only had a simple wooden building. In 1863 the Great Western Hotel was built over the mouth of Snow Hill tunnel. In 1871 the entire station was rebuilt as a permanent structure. In 1875 the Great Western Arcade was built over the cutting to the south of the station, extending Snow Hill Tunnel. In 1906-1912, the station was rebuilt again, with the original arched roofs being replaced by a new, larger structure. In 1967 long distance traffic was withdrawn from the station. In 1968, Snow Hill Tunnel to the south was closed, with local trains from the south now terminating at Moor Street. Snow Hill station became essentially 'the largest unstaffed halt in the country'. It was closed fully in 1972. For a while the station became a car park. In 1977 it was largely demolished, but the site of the station was not redeveloped. This allowed for it to be reused from 1987, when a new station opened on the same site and with the same name, albeit smaller than the original. From 1993 trains to London run again. Nowadays the new Snow Hill station serves as the terminus for the Chiltern Main Line from London Marylebone. More pictures from the old station can be found here: Long-Gone Birmingham Snow Hill | Flickr Snow Hill Tunnel Snow Hill Tunnel is a 635 yards (580 metres) long tunnel underneath Birmingham City Centre, running between Birmingham Snow Hill and Birmingham Moor Street. Until the mid-1960s a siding was operated in the tunnel that allowed bullion trains to reach the Birmingham Bank of England branch. The tunnel was closed to traffic in 1968, but reopened in 1987, with two new through platforms added at Moor Street station, on the tunnel's southern portal. Birmingham Moor Street Birmingham Moor Street in the modern day. The canopies of the original bay platforms are just visible to the right. Birmingham Moor Street station was opened in 1909 by the GWR as a terminus for local trains from the south, to alleviate pressure from the congested Snow Hill Tunnel. It served trains from Leamington Spa on the main line, and from Straford-upon-Avon on the North Warwickshire Line. The through tracks towards Snow Hill that passed by the station had no platforms, Moor Street was strictly a terminus. In 1968 Snow Hill Tunnel and the through tracks past Moor Street closed, leaving the station as an isolated terminus for local trains. The goods station closed in 1972 and was demolished in 1975. In 1987 the lines through Snow Hill Tunnel reopened, and new through platforms were built on the lines into the tunnel. The original terminal station was closed at the same time. In 2003 the through station was rebuilt to match the original station, and the original terminus was restored. In 2010 two of the three through platforms were reopened. Bordesley Bordesley is a small station in the Bordesley area of Birmingham, opened in 1855. It had 4 platforms, two of which are now unused. Small Heath Small Heath station opened in 1863 as Small Heath & Sparkbrook. It originally had 4 platforms, 2 of which remain in use today. Tyseley (84E) MPD Tyseley Locomotive Shed was opened by the GWR in 1908. It had two roundhouses, a large repair workshop (known as 'The Factory'), a carriage shed and goods facilities. Under British Railways it was classified 84E, and in 1957 a diesel depot was added to the site. The Factory was demolished in 1964 and replaced with a diesel repair workshop. Steam disappeared from the depot in 1967. Part of the old steam facilities were preserved and now form Tyseley Locomotive Works. The rest of the depot remains in use as Tyseley TMD. More pictures from the steam age, as well as additional information can be found here: Tyseley Shed (warwickshirerailways.com) Tyseley Tyseley station opened in 1906. It originally had 4 platforms, but 2 of those were taken out of use by BR, somewhere around the late 1960s or early 1970s. Acocks Green & South Yardley Acocks Green & South Yardley station was opened in 1852 as Acocks Green. It became Acocks Green & South Yardley in 1878, and Acocks Green again in 1968. It originally had 2 island platforms, as seen above, but one was taken out of use by BR in the late 1960s and demolished. The car park now occupies the site of this platform. (1/4)
(2/4) Olton Olton station opened in 1869. It, again, had 4 platforms from 1932, which was later reduced to two by BR in the 1960s. Solihull Solihull station opened in 1852. It was rebuilt in 1932 when the line was quadrupled between Olton and Lapworth. 2 of the original 4 platforms remain in use today. Widney Manor Widney Manor station opened in 1899. It was another one of the station receiving 4 platforms when the line was upgraded, of which 2 were later taken out of use by BR. The car park now occupies a large part of where these platforms were. Knowle & Dorridge Knowle & Dorridge station opened as Knowle in 1852. It was renamed Knowle & Dorridge in 1899. It, again, received 4 platforms in the 1930s, three of which remain today (one of the two relief lines remained in use after the 1960s to store car trains). In 1964 he station was renamed back Knowle again, and in 1974 it became Dorridge station, the name it retains to this day. Lapworth Lapworth station opened in 1854 as Kingswood station. It was renamed Lapworth in 1902. Lapworth was the final station on the quadruple track section of the line which existed until the 1960s. The station nowadays has only 2 tracks and 2 platforms. A short-lived branch line from here to Henley-in-Arden existed between 1894 and 1917. Hatton Hatton station opened in 1852. In 1860 a branch line to Stratford-upon-Avon opened which diverged from the main line just north of the station. The station has 3 platforms: two for the London-Birmingham line and one for the Stratford line. Warwick Warwick station opened in 1852. It was rebuilt after a fire in 1892. The station has two platforms, with access to the up platform via a subway. Leamington Spa General Leamington Spa's art-deco station building Leamington Spa platforms in the 1960s Leamington Spa General station opened in 1852 as Leamington. It was renamed Leamington Spa in 1913. The original station was rebuilt in a distinctive art-deco style by the GWR between 1937 and 1939. It was renamed Leamington Spa General in 1950 to distinguish it from Leamington Spa Avenue station, located right next to the station. The station was renamed back to just Leamington Spa in 1968. The current station has 4 platforms, and the unique station building is Grade II listed. Southam Road & Harbury Southam Road & Harbury was opened in 1852. It was closed by BR in 1964, but as this suggestion is put in 1962 it would still be open. Harbury Cement Sidings The Harbury Cement Sidings served the Harbury Cement Factory, located right next to the line and opened in 1855. The factory closed in 1970, but the sidings would still be very much in use in 1962, when the route is set. Fenny Compton Fenny Compton station opened in 1852. Like Southam Road & Harbury, it closed in 1964 but would still be in use in 1962 when this suggestion is set. Banbury Recently rebuilt Banbury station in the 1950s Banbury station was opened by the GWR in 1850. It was renamed Banbury General in 1938 to distinguish it from Banbury Merton Street. The station was rebuilt by British Railways in 1958. After 1961 the station became known as simply Banbury again. This station would serve as the southern end point of the route, some 50 miles from Wolverhampton Low Level.
(3/4) Rolling stock, services & layers With the route out of the way, let's move on to the rolling stock, services and layers available. This is the primary reason why I picked 1962 as the year for the route. As it is a main railway line, in the early 1960s there was a lot of variety on the route. Local services had mostly been taken over by DMU's, but steam locomotives were still widely seen on expresses and goods trains. The Western Region's new state-of-the-art diesel locomotives were becoming more and more present, though. 1962 was also the final year of service for the 'King' Class locomotives. As such, there are a lot of options for rolling stock on the route. To include with the base game, I picked three trains that I think represent the route and the era the best, with additional stock (for potential gameplay packs) listed later. Rolling stock included in the route GWR 6000 'King' Class 4-6-0 steam locomotive in BR Green 6002 'King William IV' at Snow Hill station, 1962 Preserved 6024 'King Edward I' in BR lined Green as it would appear on the route The GWR 6000 Class 4-6-0 steam locomotives were built between 1927 and 1930 (and one in 1936). Apart from the unique GWR Pacific 111, they were the largest steam locomotives ever built by the Great Western. Because of their size and weight, they were restricted to the lines between London and Plymouth and London and Wolverhampton. There they hauled the heaviest expresses, including non-stop trains between Paddington and Snow Hill. They continued to be used by the Western Region of BR until the end of 1962. Of the 31 built, three are preserved (6000, 6023 and 6024). On the route, the 6000 Class would haul express trains between Wolverhampton LL, Snow Hill, Leamington Spa and Banbury, as well as sleeper services from Paddington via Oxford. GWR 5700 Class 0-6-0PT Pannier tank locomotive in BR Black GWR 5700 Class 9798 at Snow Hill in 1962, along with BR (ex-WD) 'Austerity' 2-8-0 90174 7714 in preservation in BR unlined Black livery, as it would appear on the route The GWR 5700 Class of 0-6-0PT Pannier tank locomotives are some of the most recognisable steam locomotives of the GWR and in the UK in general. 863 of these versatile engines were built between 1929 and 1950. They were intended for light goods trains and shunting duties, but they also worked passenger trains, mainly on branch lines and suburban routes. 16 5700 Class locomotives have been preserved. At the route in 1962 they would work light goods trains and perform shunting duties around the main stations and goods yards. BR Class 116 3-car DMU in BR Green A BR Derby (later Class 116) three-car diesel multiple unit at Snow Hill in 1957. The BR Class 116 DMU's were built by Derby Works between 1957 and 1961. Licence-built versions were built by Pressed Steel and Birmingham Carriage and Wagon Works as the Class 117 and Class 118 respectively. They were built for both commuter traffic and longer duties. A total of 310 vehicles of Class 116 were built, 5 of which survive in preservation. In 1962, Class 116s worked pretty much all commuter services around Birmingham Snow Hill (as well as on the Cross City Line and other services around Birmingham). They were also used on longer trains towards Oxford (sometimes as 6 car trains with two units coupled together), and branch line traffic from Leamington Spa. In the game, all commuter and stopping trains would be worked by 116s (if no layers are owned). It would also spawn as AI on unplayable services, mainly around Snow Hill. British Railways Mark 1 Carriages For express services, the route would include the already familiar BR Mark 1 coaching stock. Currently in-game we have TSO's, BSO's, BK's and FK's. This route would include all of those in Maroon livery with some in the old crimson and cream livery appearing in rare cases. In addition to those, I propose three new types of carriages to be introduced: the Restaurant Buffet (RB) in maroon and old Western Region chocolate and cream livery, and the Sleeper First (SLF) and Sleeper Second (SLSTP). The buffet cars would appear on through expresses between Paddington and Birkenhead, with the sleepers being used on, of course, overnight trains. Restaurant Buffet (unclassified) (RB) Preserved RB W1667 in chocolate & cream livery Sleeper First (SLF) Unfortunately, there's barely any Mark 1 Sleeper cars surviving, and none of the ones that do are restored. As such, I decided to use a model of one as a reference image. This is a Bachmann model of SLF M2002 in BR maroon Sleeper Second Twin berth with Pantry (SLSTP) Only one SLSTP survives today, number 2500, and it is in very bad condition. This image shows another Bachmann model, of SLSTP M2635 in BR maroon Freight stock The freight stock required for the route consists of ex-GWR stock, with the existing ex-LMS stock layering in wherever realistic. I compelled a list of the following wagons to be included with the route: GWR 'Toad' 20t brake van The GWR 'Toad' brake vans (a name derived from the GWR's telegraphic codes for brake vans) were introduced by the GWR from 1894 and remained in use with British Railways' Western Region until unfitted goods trains disappeared off the network. On this route, it would serve the same use as the LMS brake vans on the other steam routes, as part of good trains. GWR 20t Van 'Mink G' The 20 ton 'Mink G' Vans (again a name derived from their telegraphic codes) were the largest vans built by the GWR. They were introduced from 1931 and continued to be used well into the BR era. In game it would serve both light mixed goods trains and heavier through goods trains. GWR-style 'Iron Mink' Van These wagons would be primarily used for trains from the Harbury Cement Works. They existed both in GWR-built versions as well as private contractor built examples, like the one above. The colour on this particular example would be bright yellow. That concludes the rolling stock that would be included with the route, let's move on to the layers. LMS 8F + freight stock As the route represents a new region, there isn't much in terms of layers. The only one that requires no changes is the LMS 8F from Peak Forest and Spirit of Steam. This would haul heavier goods trains not suited to a 5700 (although maybe double heading could be implemented for those that do not own the 8F or the DLC loco listed below). Its LMS style freight wagons would layer in with it. Diesel Legends of the Great Western upgrade There aren't any other direct layers available that could be brought into the game without changes. However, for the introduction of the Maintalbahn, DTG introduced a new version of the BR 628 for those that own Niddertalbahn. That got me thinking: why not do something similar for this route, with an upgrade to the existing Diesel Legends of the Great Wesern pack? That pack, of course, includes the BR Class 52 'Western' diesel hydraulic locomotive as well as the BR Class 101 DMU. Both of those trains served the line of this suggestion in 1962, but not in their BR blue livery of course. If DTG was to add reskinned versions of both trains to the pack, those that own the DLGW pack would have more layers available for the route, without the need for a seperate pack. In an ideal scenario the Class 52 model would also be updated, including the ability to manually set the headcode (please DTG make it happen ) Anyway, let's quickly look at the layers. BR Class 52 'Western' C-C diesel hydraulic locomotive in BR liveries The Class 52 'Western' in 1962 was brand new and just getting introduced. In 1962 only 28 of them had been built, in three different liveries. However, with a bit of artistic freedom (like with the Class 40s on BPO), when including 1963 built examples, a total of 45 Westerns could be added, with a fourth livery available. On the route, it would substitue for the Kings on express trains (although they would not be as common as the Kings). Lets look at the available liveries for the era. Desert Sand The unique Desert Sand livery was only applied to the first of the class built, D1000 Western Enterprise. The above picture shows this locomotive, without yellow warning panels stil, at Birmingham Snow Hill in 1962. Maroon The second locomotive built, D1001 Western Pathfinder, was delivered in all-over maroon with yellow buffer beams, as seen above. This later became the standard livery, initially without yellow warning panels, but from D1010/D1043 (Swindon and Crewe built respectively) small yellow warning panels were introduced. That livery is already in the game on the West Somerset Railway Class 52 (picture below) The maroon Class 52 as it currently is in TSW. Ideally we would see this livery (with appropriate nameplates) as well as the version without warning panels. Brunswick green The next three Westerns, D1002-D1004, were delivered in BR Brunswick green with yellow warning panels and red nameplates. This livery was later also applied to Crewe-built locomotives D1035-D1038. Golden ochre The final livery for the Westerns in the route era was applied to D1015 Western Champion. This locomotive received a unique golden ochre livery which was similar (but not identical) to the livery applied to some Brush Type 2 (later Class 31) locomotives on delivery. D1015 survives in preservation, and it has run in its original livery before (although it is currently BR Blue), where the picture above is from. BR Class 101 in BR Green Preserved BR Class 101 DMU without warning panel Preserved Class 101 with warning panel and headcode box The Class 101 from DLGW would be repainted in two versions of the BR green livery: the original version without warning panels (top picture), which would be the most common, and the newer version with yellow warning panels (bottom picture). These started to appear from 1961 and would be rarer to spawn. The 101 would substitute for the 116 on local trains, as well as appearing as AI on unplayable services. Well, that's the layers out of the way. Now onto DLC packs.
(4/4) Diesel Express Pack The first DLC I have envisaged is a diesel express pack. This would introduce two new trains and one new layer of service. Lets look at it in more detail. BR Blue Pullman (Class 251/261) in WR Nanking Blue A rare colour picture of the 'Birmingham Pullman' at Snow Hill around 1961 The British Railways Blue Pullman units were an iconic early express DMU type, essentially a forerunner to the later HST. Five sets of these trains were built between 1960 and 1962 by Metro-Cammell, all painted in a striking Nanking Blue/white colour scheme. Two versions existed: two 6-car all first class units for the London Midland Region (the Midland Pullman) and three 8-car two class units for the Western Region (the Birmingham Pullman). As this pack would be set in the WR, of course the version included would be the 8-car version. This train would introduce four new Birmingham Pullman services to the route, two each way. The morning service would run between Wolverhampton LL via Snow Hill and Solihull to Leamington Spa where AI would take it over for the non-stop run to Paddington. The afternoon service would run from Snow Hill to Leamington Spa where the AI would take over. The return services would run in the early afternoon (Leamington - Snow Hill) and evening (Leamington - Wolverhampton via Solihull and Snow Hill). BR Class 42 'Warship' B-B diesel-hydraulic in BR green D827 'Kelly' at Snow Hill on a Paddington Express, 1962 Preserved D832 'Onslaught' on the West Somerset Railway The BR Class 42 'Warship' B-B diesel-hydraulic locomotives were built between 1958 and 1961 at Swindon Works. 38 were built, of which 3 are preserved. They were delivered in BR lined green with yellow warning panels, as seen above. In game, they would substitute for Kings and Westerns on through Paddington-Birkenhead expresses, although they would not be very common. Regardless of that, the Warships are an iconic class of locomotives for the Western Region, and I would love to see them included. GWR Steam Pack The second pack I propose as an additional DLC for this route includes three iconic Great Western Railway steam locomotives, which were still very common on the route in 1962. GWR 4900 'Hall' Class 4-6-0 in BR green 4954 'Plaish Hall' on a goods train at Snow Hill, 1962 Preserved 4936 'Kinlet Hall' in BR line green The GWR 'Hall' Class 4-6-0s were versatile mixed-traffic engines designed by Charles Collett. They were a development of the earlier 'Saint' Class 4-6-0s. Between 1928 and 1943, 258 examples were built by the Great Western. Mass withdrawals started in 1962. Today, 11 of the class survive in preservation, although only 2 are operational. The class is perhaps most famous for being used in the Harry Potter movies, where 5972 Olton Hall was used to haul the 'Hogwarts Express'. On the route, the Hall would be working both goods trains and expresses, substituting for Kings on the latter and 5700s on the former, as well as introducing new, heavier goods trains. GWR 2884 Class 2-8-0 in BR black 2898 and a GWR Toad brake van at Snow Hill, 1963 3802 in BR black with early crest. In-game it would appear with the later crest as found on the 8F The 2884 Class of heavy 2-8-0 goods engines were a continuation of the earlier 2800 Class. 83 were built between 1938 and 1942. They were versatile engines used on all kinds of goods operations in the Western Region. Mass withdrawals started in 1963. Nine survive in preservation. In the game, the 2884 Class would introduce heavy goods trains to the route, as well as layer in on 8F, Hall and 5700 goods services. GWR 5101 Class 2-6-2T 'Large Prairie' in BR green Large Prairie 4172 on a mixed goods train at Snow Hill, 1962 Preserved 4141 in BR green The GWR 5101 Class, nicknamed 'Large Prairie' after wheel arrangement, were built between 1929 and 1949. Intended for branch line traffic, the 140 examples were extensively used on both passenger and freight duties. By the 1960s, most of their passenger workings had been taken over by DMUs, and they now mainly worked light goods trains as well as performing banking and piloting duties. They were withdrawn from service by BR from 1956. Nine still exist, one of which has been rebuilt into a 4300 Class tender engine. On the route, the 5101s would mostly substitute for the 5700s, as well as introducing some new freight services. That is all the rolling stock I have in mind for the route. When researching it, I found pictures of much more trains serving the route, including: Steam locomotives: GWR 'Modified Hall', 'Manor', 'Castle', 'Grange', 2800, 5600 and 8100 classes, as well as BR Standard Class 4MT and 9F locomotives and LMS 7Fs. Diesel locomotives: BR (LMS design) Class 11 shunter and prototype locomotive D0260 'Lion' DMU's: BR Class 103, 119, 120 and 122 I also found a 1962 summer timetable for the route, which can be found here: Birmingham District - Passenger Trains - 18th June to 9th September 1962 - (54.6MB). (michaelclemensrailways.co.uk) In a further post, I will point out some other points of interest on the route, with some more pictures from the era.
Some additional content from the route Bentley Heath Crossing Signal Box between Widney Manor and Knowle & Dorridge, 1969 GWR King Class locomotive picking up water at the Rowington Water Throughs between Hatton and Lapworth, 1960. This was done on non-stop London-Birmingham trains, but maybe it could be implemented on a train you take over at Banbury... Would be cool to have a water through function in TSW. 5700 Class 3770 at Queens Head Sidings between Handsworth & Smethwick and Soho & Winson Green, 1964 An awesome colour picture of 4 Swindon-built locomotives (5700 Class 3625; 6800 'Grange' Class 6853 'Morehampton Grange'; 4073 'Castle' Class 5014 'Goodrich Castle' and 6959 'Modified Hall' Class 7918 'Rose Wood Hall') inside Tyseley MPD roundhouse, 1964 1960s Steam Banbury To Brum - YouTube Also found this awesome YouTube video about the line between Banbury and Snow Hill with footage from the 1960s including lots of steam locomotives and some diesel traction.
I would love to see a route like this, especially being local to it. There would be so much DLC potential too. Personally I would choose a Castle over a King but would love either. Not sure the class 101 would be needed if we had a class 116. The would have been rare visitors to the Snow Hill lines if at all. The Birmingham units were all LMR units based at Monument Lane and I think Walsall had some. They would have been mainly seen out of New Street. Great suggestion, although having seen how SOS has been abandoned I fear something like this is not in DTG's current thinking.
True, 101s were not common, but more variety is always good. Also a green 101 being part of DLGW could also layer in perfectly on WSR for example, so it would be great to include. As for how feasible it is, I don't expect any steam routes from DTG for a while, so it would be reliant on a third party to take it on...
Absolutely brilliant suggestion mate, this would be a great route to bring to the game. Sorry if you did include it and I missed it, but would a Brush type 4 (class 47) layer be appropriate too?
I didn't include a Type 4 layer, for a number of reasons. Yes, the Type 4s were around in 1962, but not a lot of them, production was just getting started. The oldest picture I saw the Type 4 on this line dates from 1964, see below. They probably visited earlier than that, but they were certainly not common. The second reason I have for not including a Type 4 layer is that the current BR Green 47 we have in the game (from WSR) would have to be updated to be accurate for the route. It has a terrible sound right now (it should really be updated to the spec of the BPO one imo), as well as no steam heating equipment and a High Intensity headlight, which would have to be added and removed respectively to make it accurate. If an updated green Class 47 comes it could be included, but for now I decided to just focus on the Western Region's own hydraulics. D1695 (later 47107) at Snow Hill in 1964 Bonus image: D0260 'Lion' prototype locomotive at Snow Hill in 1962. Maybe this could be an alternative to be added to the route? Edit: it seems that the Brush Type 4's were introduced on Shrewsbury to Paddington via Snow Hill services in 1964, so two years too late unfortunately
Sorry, by the time I got to the bottom I got so engrossed I had forgot about the year. Most (if not all) of the 47s were still on the Eastern in '62 so yes it wouldn't make sense.
Semi-fast trains would still appear with Manors, Granges or Halls, yes, but a lot of them were also covered by DMU's by 1962, according to the timetable (and pictures I found while researching the route). Class 116s and 119s were mainly used on these services, with some 120s appearing too. On the route they would be covered by 3 or 6 car 116 formations, unless the Hall dlc is owned.
I feel as if the DMUs would more be stopping services. I think you would probably need to include hall/grange also to pull freight and a bit passenger as i dont see a loco that isn't all passenger and 8F wouldn't run that often on this route.
You would need to add a more common freight loco into main route. I also have a suggestion for this area, it is the Leamington Spa to Snow Hill section but set in the grouping period so you would get GWR trains running as apposed to BR trains.
I GWR/WR route without a Pannier and a Hall would be quite odd but if somehow this route got made we would have to make compromises. The Swindon and Gloucester Cross Country DMU units were used on middle distance services like Snow Hill to Cardiff so would have ousted quite a few steam hauled longer distance passenger runs. You would have had a good mixture of steam, diesel and DMU's in the early 60's.
This is exactly why I chose the stock I did. A route with 4+ new locos just isn't realistic, 3 is already fantasy territory. The Cross-Country first gens had already taken over much of the semi-fast routes, and ater Class 35s appeared too. Of course any other GWR locomotive could be added as a layer if it existed, but because I had to choose I went with this. I picked the Kings because they were the most frequent in the photographs I saw, but it could've just as easily been a Castle or County.
Might it be because Kings were rarer people took more photos of them than they did of castles? A castle to me is the obvious loco
