Run through the magnificent Welsh Marches and its historic towns in Train Sim World 3: Welsh Marches Line: Newport-Crewe Hello, I would like to suggest the Welsh Marches Line, a railway line running from Newport in south-east Wales to Shrewsbury in the West Midlands region of England by way of Abergavenny, Hereford and Craven Arms and thence (by some definitions) to Crewe via Whitchurch. The line thus links the south of Wales to north-west England via the Welsh Marches region, bypassing Birmingham. Through services from south-west Wales, Swansea and Cardiff to Manchester and from Cardiff to Wrexham, Chester, the north coast of Wales and Anglesey constitute the bulk of passenger operations on the route. Also, this route would set in modern day with TfW as operator Stock: (both have AP sounds in TSC so shouldn't be hard to implement for TSW) The British Rail Class 158 'Express Sprinter' in TfW livery The British Rail Class 175 'Coradia' in TfW livery Training: (In Training Center) Class 158 Introduction Class 175 Introduction Scenarios: Super Sprinting: (Difficulty - 1) Drive a Class 158 from Newport to Craven Arms as the line from Craven Arms to Crewe via Shrewsbury is closed due to engineering work Newport Express: (Difficulty - 3) Drive a Class 175 on a special express service originating from Manchester Piccadilly, between Crewe and Newport, only stopping at Shrewsbury, Leominster and Hereford but reports of a torrential storm hitting means it isn't going to be plain sailing Shrewsbury Starter: (Difficulty - 2) Start a Class 158 from cold at Shrewsbury Abbey Foregate C.S. and drive it into Shrewsbury station, there is another 158 coming from Crewe which needs to couple up to your train, then drive the pair to Hereford, calling at all stations Late Swap: (Difficulty - 3) Drive a Class 175 to Shrewsbury from Newport but your train is low on fuel meaning you can't travel at line speed, so control at Canton have sent another 175 to the rescue, it will join you at Abergavenny meaning you and your passengers have to swap trains on an already busy schedule, so don't waste any time swapping units Cambrian Special (Difficulty - 2) Drive a Class 158 from Hereford to Shrewsbury on a rare service from Cardiff to Aberystwyth & Pwllheli via The Welsh Marches and Shrewsbury but a late-running Class 175 is in front and to add to the bad news, it's an all stopping service too, watch those signals... Timetable: Any Working Timetable from 2019-present DLC, Layers, Service Pattern and Stations all on Pages 2 & 3
DTG lost the License to Arriva when Transport for Wales took over so i think DTG needs to make the route when TFW is the operator of the line
Page 2: Potential DLC: The British Rail Class 67 in TfW livery + Mark 4 coaches in TfW branded ex LNER/VTEC livery + Mark 4 DVT, in TfW livery, for work on the Welsh Premier services from Holyhead to Cardiff Layers (In) The British Rail Class 150 'Sprinter' from West Cornwall Local with updated sounds and in TfW livery The British Rail Class 43 HST from Great Western Express for AI at both Newport and Hereford Layers (Out) Class 158 onto potential East Midlands DLC Service Pattern: 1 tph to Manchester Piccadilly 1 tph to SW Wales (Milford Haven, Fishguard Harbour or Pembroke Dock) 1 tp2h to Holyhead 1 tp2h to Cardiff Stations: Newport: Newport railway station (Welsh: Gorsaf Rheilffordd Casnewydd) is the second-busiest railway station in Wales (after Cardiff Central), situated in Newport, South Wales. It is 133.5 miles (215 km) from London Paddington, on the British Railway network. The station was originally opened in 1850 by the South Wales Railway Company and was greatly expanded in 1928. A new station building was built in 2010 with four full size platforms, to facilitate new GWR 10-car IETs. The station is owned by Network Rail and managed by Transport for Wales Rail. The main station entrance is located on Queensway, connected by Station Approach to the High Street, with a further entrance adjoined to the NCP site at its rear, reached from Devon Place. Cwmbran: Cwmbran railway station (Welsh: Gorsaf Rheilffordd Cwmbrân) is in the northeast of Cwmbran town centre, within five minutes' walking distance. It is part of the British railway network owned by Network Rail and is managed by Transport for Wales, who operate all trains serving it. It lies on the Welsh Marches Line from Newport to Hereford. The station was opened at this site in 1986 to serve the commuter route to Newport and Cardiff, and shoppers to the town centre. Pontypool & New Inn: Pontypool and New Inn railway station (Welsh: Pont-y Pwl & New Inn) is situated to the southeast of Pontypool town centre between the town and the suburb of New Inn, Wales. The station was formerly called Pontypool Road until renamed just Pontypool in 1972 and then to the present name in 1994. It is part of the British railway system owned by Network Rail and is managed by Transport for Wales, who operate all trains serving it. It lies on the Welsh Marches Line from Newport to Crewe. Abergavenny: Abergavenny railway station (Welsh: Y Fenni) is situated south-east of the town centre of Abergavenny, Wales. It is part of the British railway system owned by Network Rail and is operated by Transport for Wales. It lies on the Welsh Marches Line between Newport and Hereford. Abergavenny lies at the eastern edge of the Brecon Beacons National Park and provides an access point to local services and public transport into the park. The station is Grade II listed and was designed by Charles Liddell, in an Italianate architectural style when he was Chief Engineer of the Newport, Abergavenny and Hereford Railway. Hereford: Hereford railway station serves the city of Hereford, England. Managed by Transport for Wales, it lies on the Welsh Marches Line between Leominster and Abergavenny, is the western terminus of the Cotswold Line and also has an hourly West Midlands Railway service from Birmingham New Street. The station has four platforms for passenger trains and two additional relief lines for goods services. Accorded 'Secure Station' status in 2004, the station has a staffed ticket office (signposted as a "Travel Centre"), self-service ticket machines, a café and indoor waiting rooms. Automated ticket barriers have been in operation since 28 February 2006. Hereford-Crewe on Page 3
Page 3: Leominster: Leominster railway station lies on the Welsh Marches Line serving the Herefordshire town of Leominster in England. It is situated 111⁄4+ miles (18.1 km) north of Hereford. Leominster has 2 operational platforms for north (Ludlow) and south (Hereford) bound trains respectively, though in the past it had three more to the east of the ones now in use. Ludlow: Ludlow railway station in Ludlow, Shropshire, England, lies on the Welsh Marches Line between Shrewsbury, 27 miles 42 chains (44.3 km) to the north and Hereford. The station is on Station Drive, 1⁄2 mile (0.80 km) to the northeast of Ludlow town centre. Craven Arms: Craven Arms railway station serves the town of Craven Arms in Shropshire, England. Until 1974 it was known as "Craven Arms and Stokesay", named after the nearby coaching inn (the town having not come into being prior to the arrival of the railways) and the historic settlement of Stokesay to the south. It is situated at the junction of the Welsh Marches Line and the Heart of Wales Line, 20 miles (32 km) south of Shrewsbury. All passenger trains calling at the station are operated by Transport for Wales, who also manage it. The station has two platforms, connected by a footbridge. Platform 1, on the west side, serves northbound trains to Shrewsbury and beyond as well as trains from Swansea via the Heart of Wales Line. Platform 2, on the town side of the station, serves southbound trains to Hereford and Cardiff and also southbound Heart of Wales services since signalling and track alterations in October 2018. Prior to these changes, southbound trains to Llanelli and beyond used platform 1 in both directions (the crossover giving access to the branch being sited to the north near Long Lane crossing - this has now been relocated to the south end of the station). Church Stretton: Church Stretton railway station is a railway station serving the town of Church Stretton in Shropshire, England on the Welsh Marches Line, 12+3⁄4 miles (20.5 km) south of Shrewsbury; trains on the Heart of Wales Line also serve the station. All trains services are operated by Transport for Wales, who also manage the station. The station is the highest point of the line between Shrewsbury and Craven Arms, and it is the highest station in Shropshire. On the northbound platform, a small plinth notes the station's altitude: 613 ft (187 m) above sea level. Shrewsbury: Shrewsbury railway station is in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. Built in 1848, it was designated a grade II listed building in 1969. The station is 43 miles (69 km) northwest of Birmingham New Street. Many services starting at or passing through the station are bound for Wales; it is operated by Transport for Wales, although the station is also served by Avanti West Coast and West Midlands Railway services and is one of the key network hubs of Transport for Wales. Yorton-Crewe on Page 4
Page 4: Yorton: Yorton railway station serves the villages of Yorton and Clive in Shropshire, England. It is 7¼ miles (11.5 km) north of Shrewsbury on the Welsh Marches Line towards Crewe. It has two platforms and dates from 1858. Trains only stop here upon request. Wem: Wem railway station serves the town of Wem in Shropshire, England. The station is 10¾ miles (17 km) north of Shrewsbury on the Welsh Marches Line to Crewe. The station has two platforms. There is a level crossing at the north end of the station. This is now the only way for passengers to cross the line at the station, since the station footbridge was taken down. The level crossing is where Aston Street becomes Aston Road. Prees: Prees railway station serves the village of Prees in Shropshire, England, although the station is a mile to the west of the village and in the parish of Wem Rural. The station is 18 miles 36 chains (29.7 km) from Crewe South Junction (approximately 14.0 mi (22.5 km) north of Shrewsbury) on the Welsh Marches Line. It was opened by the Crewe and Shrewsbury Railway in 1858. The station has two platforms and trains only stop here upon request. It is managed by Transport for Wales. Whitchurch: Whitchurch (Shropshire) railway station serves the town of Whitchurch in Shropshire, England. The station is 18¾ miles (30 km) north of Shrewsbury on the Welsh Marches Line. The station is maintained and served by Transport for Wales. Wrenbury: Wrenbury railway station serves the village of Wrenbury in Cheshire, England and is on the Welsh Marches Line, 9 miles (14 km) southwest of Crewe. It is an unstaffed, request-stop station with two platforms. Nantwich: Nantwich railway station serves the town of Nantwich, Cheshire, England. It is on the Crewe to Shrewsbury line 4+1⁄2 miles (7.2 km) southwest of Crewe. Opened in 1858, it was the junction for the GWR route to Wellington via Market Drayton until 1963. Crewe: Crewe railway station is a railway station in Crewe, Cheshire, England. It opened in 1837 and is one of the most historically significant railway stations in the world. Crewe station is a major junction on the WCML and serves as a rail gateway for Northwest England. It is 158 miles north of London Euston and 243 miles south of Glasgow Central. It is located at the point where the lines to Manchester Piccadilly and North Wales diverge from this route and is the last major station before the branch to Liverpool Lime Street diverges. It is also served by lines to Stoke-on-Trent and Shrewsbury. Crewe railway station has twelve platforms and a modern passenger entrance containing a bookshop and ticket office. Passengers access the platforms via a footbridge, stairs and lifts. The platform buildings dating from the 19th century contain two bookshops, bars, buffets and waiting rooms. The last major expenditure on the station was in 1985 when the track layout was remodelled and station facilities updated. I hope you enjoyed reading this suggestion and I hope DTG might consider making this historical route in the future
Bring it on and DTG does have a TFW license for TSC but not TSW. Why not make this route 1958 that way it can be merged with WCML Liverpool Crewe to become Spirit of steam Newport to Liverpool via Crewe
Set it in BR days and no worries about licencing... You can have Class 33's and Mark Ones getting a decent workout on the Class One services, with the occasional Class 47 or go back to the early 80's when many services were hauled by Class 25's. Local services Canton based Class 116 or Class 108 DMU's. Or if you really want Sprinter traction - 1988 to 1994 pre-privatisation with Class 155's (complete with doors coming open) then from 1991 Class 158's. All sorts of traction to be seen on freight, too.
I have to agree on this one matt#4801 and OldVern, if DTG don't want to hassle with TfW licensing, they could think about setting it in the same era as NTP even, that could surprise a few if announced
I would love to see the Class 158 in TSW. Very nice train, one of my favourites. The route would be a very good route as well. A cross border route as well. Can't wait. I hope this get's made.
It's a nice route to travel on in real life (as long as the train isn't busy!) but in-game it might not be so exciting as from my experience driving the route in TSC it's very A to B with little variation in service patterns and is not a route I would personally return to play very often. Though being quite long (in terms of length and travel time) it's a good route for railtours and might be quite fun when used with off-the-rails mode
Yep, love that idea, SoS: Newport-Liverpool via Crewe, I mentioned in another thread about a Crewe-Manchester line that it could be merged with Liverpool-Crewe to become SoS: Liverpool & Manchester-Crewe
That's a fair point, Newport to Shrewsbury/Crewe can get repetitive but railtours often use this line so not all is bad, off-the-rails would provide some fantastic scenarios or some random scenarios, nevertheless, still a good route but the journeys are familiar, it is just the timetable for this route
This would be a good route honestly, assuming its using TFW instead of Avira I could see it happening, especially considering TSW3 seems to be porting more TSC routes to it.
Yep, I originally suggested it to be set in the Arriva Trains Wales era but DTG lost the Arriva license when TfW took over the Wales and Borders franchise, so yeah, would love DTG to keep up the TSC routes being 'ported' into TSW
