As there is a lack of routes in the south west, and none in Gloucestershire/Bristol, i feel like the Severn Beach Line (2023 , with a potential early 2010s timetable DLC) would be a decent suggestion Route Length / Time approx 32 Miles , should take around an hour to complete, with Services on the Line Approx 2tph between Temple Meads and Severn Beach, as well as Temple Meads - Weston What Rolling Stock would be included? Class 165/166 'Networker' - These would provide the bulk of services on the severn beach line Class 158 - These would provide some services on the severn beach line, and would also be seen at Temple Meads as AI Layers HST - These would run in shorter formations, in order to allow players to Drive the Cardiff - Penzance services between Temple Meads and Weston-Super-Mare DLC Class 800 - these would run between Temple Meads and Weston, these would also be seen as AI at Temple Meads , as well as on the Fast line from Narroways Hill Jn - Temple Meads. These could also be used for Cardiff - Penzance services, to reflect the end of the HSTs. For a secondary timetable, Class 143 and 150s could also be used, to reflect an earlier iteration of the line, pre GWR (though this might be hard, if Portway is included in) Stations (19 in total) Severn Beach - This is where some services may start/finish - though some services on the severn beach may start at Avonmouth (All trains that start here, and at avonmouth call at all stations on this line, and on the way to weston). This is the only station in the route in Gloucestershire. shortly after, the route heads into Bristol St Andrew's road - a small station serving some of the industrial areas of Avonmouth - passengers could be few and far at this station Avonmouth - Some Services terminate/start here, this serves the Bristol Suburb of Avonmouth Portway Park and Ride - Serves the nearby park and ride site. The A4 Portway also can be in view from here to near sea mills Shirehampton - Located close to Portway, this station serves the suburb of Shirehampton, this along with a few other stations, is single platform Sea Mills - Serves the estate of Sea Mills, and much like Shirehampton, is single platform/track Clifton Downs - Serves the inner city area of Clifton, this station has 2 platforms Redland - another single platform station, similarly to the next station (Not a station) Cheltenham Road Viaduct - Crosses the A38, allowing for a view of Bristol Montpelier - Serves Montpelier in Bristol after Montpelier, at Narroways Jn, the line runs paralel to the Bristol - Birmingham till Temple Meads Stapleton Road - 2 Platforms, with other AI services being seen skipping this station on the fast lines, as well as the slow lines Lawrence Hill - Similar to Stapleton Road in layout and Services Bristol Temple Meads - Some services may start and finish here. AI HSTs,165,158 and IETs could be seen here, making a busy station. AI Railtours could also have the potential to be placed here. Bedminster - Serves the Suburb of Bedminster. London - Weston services, as well as Cardiff - Penzance skip this station, as well as the next station Parson Street - serves the southern edges of Bristol. Not too dissimilar in services from Bedminster. After Parson Street, the line crosses into Somerset. Nailsea and Backwell - all GWR services that pass here stop here. This station also serves nearby Nailsea as well as the village of Backwell. Yatton - serves the village of Yatton, Somerset. Service wise, it is the exact same as Nailsea. Worle - serves the suburb of Worle in Weston. Service wise, it is the same as the last 2 stations before. shortly afterwards, the line branches off and briefly becomes single track Next station is Weston Milton, the service pattern is also identical to the others after Nailsea (a pattern thats identical with weston). Here, there is only one track, though it duals again shortly after here. and Finally, Weston Super Mare - from here, all player services start/terminate, unless they terminated earlier. Here, there are 2 Platforms, on a tight curve, which would make being at the right speed pulling in important, in order to avoid derailing. any criticism is welcomed, as this is my first suggestion
I thought the 166s didn't move over to the Bristol area until later in the '10s when the pacers were being phased out, the GWR London Region was moving to TfL and so on... Not saying the route option is a bad one, it's not, but the timeline would need to be 2018 or later, or make the class 150s more prevalent and remove the 800s to have it in an earlier timeline With the HST, 158, 150 and a pacer this would leave only the Voyagers amiss from Temple Meads, which would make a change for a major terminus station in TSW
I think this would be a nice route to have, it was quite an interesting route to drive in TSC. I suppose in a way you could get away with just the HST, 166 and 43. Personally I would love to see it in the Pacer era (or when Bath Road's Bubble cars ran the service). Edit, I mean a class 66 not a HST and 43.
Yes 166's came from Reading after the first batch of 387's displaced them off Thames services. Unfortunately they couldn't keep to the 143/150 timings and I do recall as a Train Running Controller having to (in conjunction with the FGW service bod) implement some quite drastic recovery measures as the delays accumulatedg back short at Clifton Down or Avonmouth, running fast (not that made much difference) or in extreme cases knocking out a complete round trip. I think as the drivers and passengers became more familiar with the different traction things improved a bit, but 166's weren't really suited to short start/stop journeys.
Lol I meant a class 66, I was thinking class 66 my fingers were typing something different! I blame the fact that I am hurtling towards 50!
This is a great route suggestion but apart from the Severn Beach to Weston trains everything else is limited to a few minutes driving time. IETs would only be drivable for about 23 miles, most don’t stop at all stations between Weston and Bristol. The 158s would generally only be AI unless they subbed onto Weston trains. Even if you included the Portbury branch and Avonmouth via Filton any freight trains would run at around 10 miles or less drive distance. Maybe include the line to Bath (or Newport, Bristol Parkway or Taunton)?
I think you could make a nice network around Bristol going as far as Cardiff or Glouceste or maybe Westbury.
Cardiff would be good, especially if you included Bristol Parkway. Present day that would give you 3 depots in Bristol, 4 if you include Stoke Gifford, Canton in Cardiff and plenty of freight yards and industry. Even better 25 plus years ago!
This is true of just about any line other than a mainline... I think people understand that the focus here would be the branch lines and so anything else would be "nice" but not "the main thing" Bristol would be a good central point to have, but right now I don't think DTG have the capability... Same would be said for the recent MML
Excellent idea overall If I were you make 800 802 165 Standard then GWML London Paddington to Reading gives 166 HST Class 66 to here.
Yes going on current route building capacity, Temple Meads to Severn Beach and Parkway would be about their limit, on a par with Manchester to Hadfield.
The suggestion is Weston to Severn Breach which is about 33miles according to routemiles.me Time to drive is 70 minutes end to end
