(This is an improved version of my previous steam route suggestion of the Southern Railway: London Waterloo - Basingstoke in the 1950/60s.) I am suggesting a new steam route for TSW 3. The 79 mile section of the Southern Railway from the busiest London Terminus: London Waterloo to Southampton Central in the 1950/60s. The Southern Railway took a key role in expanding the 660 V DC third rail electrified network begun by the London and South Western Railway. As a result of this, and its smaller operating area, its steam locomotive stock was the smallest of the 'Big Four' companies. Locomotives of the Southern Railway: SR V Class (Schools Class) Top Speed: 95 mph (153 km/h) SR U Class Top Speed: 70mph (110 km/h) SR King Arthur Class (LSWR N15 Class) Top Speed: 90 mph (145 km/h) SR West Country and Battle of Britain Top Speed: 90 mph (145 km/h) SR Merchant Navy Class Top Speed: 105 mph (167 km/h) SR USA Class SR Q1 Neville Top Speed: 75 mph (120 km/h) SR Q Class BR Standard Class 5 Diesel SR Class 4 Sub (possible AI) Operations: The lines inherited in 1923 were divided into three geographical sections: The Western Section (former LSWR routes) included the South West Main Line, the Portsmouth Direct Line, one quarter of the West Coastway Line (between Portsmouth and Southampton) and the West of England Main Line, both serving destinations popular with holidaymakers. It stretched into Devon and Cornwall as the line ran via Exeter, Okehampton and Plymouth, and this circuitous route was known derisively as the Southern Railway's "Withered Arm" because the GWR had a stronger presence in this region. The Central Section (former LB&SCR routes) included the Brighton Main Line (the most profitable and heavily used main line), the East Coastway Line, three-quarters of the West Coastway Line, the Arun Valley Line and the Sutton & Mole Valley Lines. The Eastern Section (former SECR routes) included the South Eastern Main Line, the Chatham Main Line, the Hastings Line, the Kent Coast Line and the North Downs Line Passenger Operations: Passenger services, especially the intensive London suburban services, constituted the key breadwinner of the Southern Railway. The railway also served Channel ports and a number of attractive coastal destinations which provided the focus for media attention. This meant that the railway operated a number of famous named trains, providing another source of publicity for John Elliot. The Eastern and Central Sections of the network served popular seaside resorts such as Brighton, Eastbourne, Hastings and the Channel ports, whilst the Western Section catered for the heavy summer holiday traffic to the West Country resorts. Passenger services on the Southern Railway consisted of luxury Pullman dining trains and normal passenger services, which gave the railway a high total number of carriages at 10,800. Pullmans: Pullman services were the premier trains of the Southern, reflecting the pride felt towards the railway. These luxury services included several boat trains such as the Golden Arrow (London - Paris, translated as Flèche d'Or for the French part of its route), The Cunarder (London - Southampton Ocean Liner service) and the Night Ferry (London - Paris and Brussels), the Brighton Belle on the Central Section, and the Bournemouth Belle and Devon Belle on the Western Section. The Golden Arrow was the best-known train of the Southern Railway, and was introduced on 15 May 1929. The train consisted of Pullmans and luggage vans, linking London Victoria to Dover, with transfer to the French equivalent at Calais. The Brighton Belle, which had its origins in 1881 with the 'Pullman Limited' of the London, Brighton and South Coast Railway, which renamed the service the 'Southern Belle' in 1908. The train was steam-hauled until 1933 when electric units were introduced after the electrification of the London-Brighton Main Line. On 29 June 1934, the train was renamed the Brighton Belle and continued until withdrawal in 1972. The SECR had introduced a Pullman train called the "Thanet Pullman Limited" from Victoria to Margate in 1921. The service was not a success and ceased to run in 1928. The service was however re-introduced by British Railways as the Thanet Belle in 1948. Freight Operations: Passenger traffic was the main source of revenue for the Southern Railway throughout its existence, although goods were also carried in separate trains. Goods such as milk and cattle from the agricultural areas of the West Country provided a regular source of freight traffic, whilst imports from the south coast ports also required carriage by rail to freight terminals such as the large Bricklayers Arms facility. The railway operated three large marshalling yards for freight on the outskirts of South London, at Feltham, Norwood and Hither Green, where freight could be sorted for onward travel to their final destinations. It also handled a large volume of cross-London freight from these to other yards north of the river via the West London and East London Lines, which were jointly owned by the Southern Railway. As locomotives increased in size so did the length of goods trains, from 40 to as many as 100 four-wheeled wagons, although the gradient of the line and the braking capabilities of the locomotive often limited this. The vacuum brake, which was standard equipment on passenger trains, was gradually fitted to a number of ordinary goods wagons, allowing a number of vacuum "fitted" trains to run faster than 40 mph (64 km/h). While typical goods wagons could carry 8, 10 or (later) 12 tons, the load placed into a wagon could be as little as 1 ton, as the railway was designated as a common carrier that could not choose what goods it could carry. Conclusion: Overall, I think this would be a lovely route for TSW 3 because it will allow players to experience the variety of passenger and freight operations of the wonderful Southern Railway and its magnificent steam locomotives of all shapes and sizes. It will also allow players to experience the driving and firing of steam engines from another sector of the "Big Four".
Where can I buy it? Seriously though, this route is right next to my local line (Wessex Line) and I would not be more happier to see this in the game.
Waterloo-Southampton is 79 miles. I like the idea of Waterloo to Southampton but I would only get the route if they did it in the 70s as then you would have a selection of 33/0s 33/1s 33/2s 74s 73s 42s 4tcs reps and other sr units to use on it realisticly they would unfortunatly not do 42s as they only worked to Basingstoke on the Waterloo-Exeters’s but very ocasionaly got to Bournmouth you could also rule out all type’s of Cromptons but they could probably do 2 of the 3 type’s most likely 0s and 1s and also you could rule out either 73s or 74s but most likely 74s would not feature as they were a smaller class as they were converted from 71s which is a shame as I much prefer 74s to 73s for their looks and their noise on diesel. Also you would think they would include 4tcs and reps as they formed the Waterloo-Bournmouth’s and Weymouth’s as far as Bournmouth. And you would have 33/1s & 73s or 74s push pulling 4tcs and you would also have a nice selection of MK1s and mk2s in blue and grey.
I would love to see a route like this. Unfortunately they haven't even managed to provide any DLC for the two steam routes they have already produced, in the unlikely event this route was the next steam route you would unlikely get more than two steam engines with it and big holes in the timetable. Something like this would be epic though, great suggestion.
I'd like to see London Waterloo - Southampton but in 2010, which would have South West Trains. However though, I'd also like to see some Steam rail too. I kind of wish they could make two version of it though, one in the 2010s and one in the 50s/60s. I actually made a forum about that one.
We need more locomotives than just LMS, don’t get me I love the LMS but we need to extend the steam train options so your idea is perfect for this problem
Thank you. I love the LMS too but we need other steam route options because we already now have two LMS ones.
The Jubilee,8f and the 4f are beautiful but if we was going to have another steam route from the LMS we at least could of had some variety instead of the same locomotives in the last steam route.And again your idea is a perfect solution
We have one steam route which currently has two locomotives and big gaps in the timetable so a couple of more LMS loco's or loco's which worked that part of the LMR would be very welcome. Apart from the WSR there are no other routes in the sim at the moment which need steam locos. Hopefully we will soon start getting steam routes in different parts of the country.
Thank you. I love the LMS too, but I also would like a steam route from a different part of the “Big Four”.
