Hey everyone, Today I would like to present you with a suggestion for a route for Train Sim World 5: Nadmorska Kolej Wąskotorowa (Seaside Narrow-gauge Railway) (formerly known as Gryficka Kolej Dojazdowa or Gryfice Commuter Railway in English) Gryfice-Pogorzelica route (and Gryfice-Trzebiatów, in the 90s timetable). This is a route located in north-western Poland in Western Pomerania (Rewal commune in Gryfice district). Why did I choose this route? Well... Nostalgia. When I was younger, I used to go on holidays with my parents and grandparents to Pogorzelica, where the terminus of the route was located (since 1999, I will explain later) - our apartments were located opposite the station - every day I could see the trains passing by, which terminated at this very station. As for the route - it would be a combination of the West Somerset Railway (as a heritage route) and the Arosaline and Berninaline (as a narrow gauge route). History: The construction of the route between Gryfice and Trzebiatów began in 1895 and was opened a year later. Due to the fact that Poland did not exist on the maps at that time after the partitions in 1795, the railway was located in the Prussian province of Pomorze. It was initially built as a route with a track gauge of 750 mm, but at the beginning of the 20th century (more precisely in 1912) the track gauge was changed to 1000 mm, which improved freight transport and contributed to the economic development of the Western Pomerania region. In its heyday, the narrow-gauge railway network in this region covered over 175 km of tracks. After World War II, the railway was taken over by the Polish State Railways (PKP), but in the post-war years, rail traffic gradually lost its importance in favor of road transport. Finally, in 1995, it was entered into the register of historical monuments, which saved it from complete destruction. Despite this, in the 1990s, PKP planned to liquidate the line, and there were even offers to sell it abroad. In 1999, the section of the route from Pogorzelica to Trzebiatów was closed due to the poor condition of the bridge over the Rega River (which is why I also suggest creating an alternative timetable with the Gryfice-Trzebiatów route). Finally, in 2002, the route was taken over by the Rewal commune, and in 2013, thanks to EU support, it was modernized, and since then it has been managed by Nadmorska Kolej Wąskotorowa Sp. z o.o. based in Pogorzelica. Currently, the railway is a popular tourist attraction, carrying over 150 thousand passengers per year (although it was originally built as a transport railway). Rolling stock: Like most preserved narrow gauge routes in Poland, this one uses diesel and steam traction (I'm not sure if the latter will appear in the game due to the publisher's (Focus Entertainment) decision regarding steam add-ons). Coming back, here's a list of a few locomotives used on this route: - FAUR L45H diesel locomotive (Polish designation Lxd2) - a diesel locomotive produced by the Romanian FAUR plant in 1964-1990, of which 165 units were delivered to Poland (111 with a 750 mm gauge, 25 for 785 mm tracks and 29 for 1000 mm tracks). There are 5 locomotives of this type on this route, with numbers: 472, 473, 474, 478 and 479. - Diesel multiple unit FAUR A20D-P - another rail vehicle manufactured by FAUR. In reality, it is a FAUR MBxd2 "Rumun" motor car and a Bxhpi trailer car (known as A20D-P). On this route, it is often used alongside trains pulled by locomotives, but unfortunately they are quite unreliable. - Steam locomotive Px48 (optional) - Polish steam locomotive built in Fablok in Chrzanów in 1948-1955 for narrow-gauge routes. Two steam locomotives of this type are used on this route, with numbers: 3913 and 3916. - Bxhpi passenger cars - passenger cars manufactured by the Romanian FAUR plant in 1983-1988. According to data (from 2010), the Seaside Narrow Gauge Railway had 12 cars of this type. - Other cars - apart from the previously mentioned ones, the Seaside Narrow Gauge Railway has several more passenger and freight cars, whose markings I do not know. Length of the route and station layout: The entire route from Gryfice to Pogorzelica is 39.5 km long and has 16 stations (today), and until 1999 it was 53 km long and had 21 stations. Here is the layout of the stations: - Modern: Gryfice Wąskotorowa - Popiele - Rybokarty - Wilczkowo (closed) - Niedźwiedziska - Modlimowo - Paprotowo - Karnice Narrow Gauge (often omitted) - Dreżewo - Trzęsacz - Rewal - Śliwin - Niechorze Latarnia (ex-Niechorze Wielkie) - Niechorze - Liwia Łóża (closed) - Pogorzelica Gryficka (39.5 km, 16 stations); - Timetable before 1999 (before the Pogorzelica-Trzebiatów section was closed): To the contemporary timetable (Gryfice-Pogorzelica) we will add the following stations that were closed in 1999: Rogozina - Sadlno - Włodarka - Trzebiatów Mokre - Trzebiatów Narrow Gauge (additional 13.6 km and 5 stations); Landscape/Scenery: But nostalgia is not the only reason I chose this route as a suggestion - another reason is the landscapes and scenery on this route. I mean here the farmlands and pine forests (and not only) with a rural and urban landscape that adds to the atmosphere of the Polish Coast. Another reason are buildings such as the Niechorze Lighthouse (located 200-300 meters from the station as the second largest lighthouse on the Polish Coast) or the fishing boat placed next to the railway crossing next to the station in Pogorzelica. In the version of the timetable from the 90s, you can also add the railway bridge over the Rewa River, which as I mentioned earlier was closed in 1999 due to its poor condition.
