With the announcement of the Cardiff City route(s), I see a pretty nice layering option for Manchester Airport Commuter, Glossop line, and Birmingham X-City. Along with this route if it were to be made. Featuring the WCML from Manchester to Crewe, the route would provide for a fast. high density passenger runs with the class 390 (and potentially class 350) from WCMLS. The northern class 323 could also layer in at Crewe, operating diagrams towards Manchester, calling at most stations that the TfW sets skip. With the route then becoming calmer south of Crewe as it winds through Shropshire countryside towards Shrewsbury. A notable railway location, not only due to it's history, but also housing the worlds largest mechanically operated signal box, Severn Bridge Junction. ↑ Shrewsbury (south facing) ↓ Shrewsbury (north facing) The "hero" train for the route would be the newly introduced Class 197, which will serve for whole line runs. With the class 153 from Cardiff City (and on occasion a class 150), shuttling back and forth between Crewe and Shrewsbury. ↑ Class 197, in real life having both 2 and 3 car consists. ↓ Potential DLC for the route would be the Class 67, MK4 coaches & DVT, serving trains from Swansea to Manchester (operable from Shrewsbury), and running faster, less stopping diagrams than the 197. ↑ The WCML from Crewe to Manchester- TfW services call at Wilmslow, Stockport and Piccadilly. with northern services operating the rest of the stations. This section would allow for route hopping between Manchester Airport commuter, Glossop line and, although out of era, Spirit of Steam. The calmer part of the route is known as the Welsh Marches line, and runs from Crewe to Newport, but in the game will go as far as Shrewsbury. Wrenbury, Prees and Yorton are officially request stops, but most services will call at these regardless, except for peaktime Manchester, runs, which only call at Wem, Whitchurch and Nantwich, and class 67 services- which do not call at any stations on this section. There are also freight and railtour runs that are not out of place on this route, with steel trains from South Wales making their way up the country, as well as various specials that maker their way through Crewe. As you can see this route provides a healthy blend of dense urban operations, as well as rural countryside runs, between three major railway hubs. With a wide variety of consists and diagrams that can be run, with trains often running in multiple or as single units. Linked is a video I have made, showcasing the Welsh Marches section of the route at Whitchurch. All photos except the maps and Class 67 are mine.
This would be a great route! Lots of variety and a busy route is always fun. I would love to see a class 67 or 197 in the game for sure.
Definitely second this recommendation. I know ATS are already giving us part of this route, but I do think extending the route to Crewe and giving us either one of these trains (my vote for the class 67 + Mk4s), would be a great boost for this route. Crewe is a larger and much busier terminal which has much more traffic than Alderly Edge, with a lot more trains (both AI and playable) flowing through. It would also be a much more sensible terminal given almost all of the timetable services continue on to and call at Crewe, with the 323s terminating there. With the 323 and 66 both being reused from previous routes, both the 197 and 67+Mk4s would provide a new train for this route that gives it some originality on top of the additional services. With the Cardiff City network release coming up, both can layer into the Cardiff city route along with the 150/153 longer term ATS are still working on the route at the moment, so depending on where they are with the route and how long these improvements would require, I may be willing to wait a little bit for them to implement these improvements to a decent level.
