Hi! So i've been intending on creating a thread to suggest bringing one of the Scottish Highland routes into the game for ages, but now that i've recently come back from travelling throughout that area I decided it's time to do so. For this suggestion, I am going with the section of the West Highland Line between Fort William and Mallaig (and i'll explain why later on) This section of the West Highland Line is approximately 42 miles in length, has two major start/end points with Fort William being an end station for many services, and Mallaig being the outermost termini station on the whole route. The route is as follows: Fort William Banavie Corpach Loch Eil Outward Bound Locheilside Glenfinnan Lochailort Beasdale Arisaig Morar Mallaig Fort William is the largest town in the western Highlands, and a logical start/end point of the route and home to the UK's highest mountain Ben Nevis very close to the train station. The route then heads west along the shore of Loch Eil, passing through some of the UK's best scenery, over the Glenfinnan viaduct, through the most western train station in the whole of Great Britain, before ending in the termini station of Mallaig. On approach to Mallaig there are often clear views across the water to the Isles of Rum, Eigg and Skye, which is some of the most amazing scenery anywhere on the UK rail network. Banavie station with Ben Nevis (UK's highest mountain) in the background Class 156 passing one of the many lochs on route Glenfinnan Viaduct (made famous in Harry Potter) Arisaig, Great Britain's most western station Approaching Mallaig Mallaig Station The route itself is ran with Scotrail Class 156 units, mostly as 2 car units but occasionally as 4 car units. Occasionally there is a Class 153 with Highland livery at Fort William, however to my knowledge this is usually terminated and uncoupled at Fort William. There is also the nightly Caledonian sleeper, which in game could be represented with a Class 66. There is also the Jacobite steam train, which of course we don't have in game but i personally have no issue with this being represented with the Flying Scotsman, i know this isn't real life accurate but would look amazing going over Glenfinnan Viaduct Scotrail Class 156 Scotrail Class 156 Scotrail Class 153 Jacobite Steam Train over Glenfinnan Viaduct Caledonian Sleeper, hauled by Class 66 Now, there are so many potential suggestions regarding Scottish Highland railways. But for me the only one that can realistically be brought to Train Sim World is this section, between Fort William and Mallaig. Firstly, the entire West Highland Line, from Glasgow - Crianlarich - Oban/ Fort William is simply too long. Secondly, splitting the route at Crianlarich still creates very long sections, and even though Crianlarich is a logical crew change station it would feel a little restrictive in terms of gameplay. There's also the Kyle of Lochalsh - Inverness line, but at over 80 miles and over 2 hours per journey feels unrealistic to bring to Train Sim World. Finally there's the Far North Line, but at over 180 miles in length is never going to happen! There's also the issue of no logical stations to 'split' such a big route and it still feel worthwhile for Train Sim World (my personal favourite section is between Golspie and Thurso, especially going through the bleak wilderness around Scotscalder and Altnabreac, but again i just don't feel it would appeal to a wide enough audience to realistically bring it to Train Sim World. map showing entire WHL, with this section (Fort William to Mallaig) towards the top left Which brings me to this: LAMPOIL Licensing: Scotrail are probably the most amenable operator in the whole UK, and DTG should have no issues securing any further rights to create the Scotrail Class 156 and bring to life the West Highland Line Anticipation: The West Highland Line is an incredibly well known and popular route in real life, and having a (relatively) self-contained portion of the route with the option to have a new train (Class 156) as well as potential railtours replicating the Jacobite train should be really well received Mix: This is the only possible downside, in that the West Highland Line (as with all Scottish Highland lines) has approximately only 4 services each way per day. However by choosing this particular section of the WHL, you also add the possibility to represent the Jacobite steam train (I know this isn't part of TSW but could be 'substituted' with the Flying Scotsman for example) and this is a rare case that the notoriety of the route and the world class scenery outweighs any negatives from having a light timetable. Also, anyone who reads my posts on these forums knows how much I usually value a full and busy timetable, but this route simply does not need that! Prominence: This is where this particular section of the WHL really shines! Not only is the route world famous for it's scenery, but it also has the Glennfinnan Viaduct, made famous by the Harry Potter franchise and instantly recognisable (and highly marketable!), it also has Great Britain's most westerly station in Arisaig, and also has the scenery of the Isle of Skye as well as the Isles of Rum and Eigg as a unique selling point. Fort William itself is home to the UK's highest mountain of Ben Nevis, clearly visible from the station. So from a Prominence perspective, this route has so many unique and incredibly valuable selling points! It is these that actually set it far above any other suggestion for any other part of the WHL in TSW. Opportunity: This is mostly covered in Prominence, but essentially the marketing opportunities with the highest mountain, most westerly station, the lochs, the Isles, the world famous scenery, the Jacobite train link and the Harry Potter link are massive. Intelligence: I'm not overly aware of any particular milestones, but anything involving world famous scenery and also Harry Potter tends to do well! Limitation: Fortunately Scotrail seem very good at licensing, there would be no issue including the Glenfinnan Viaduct although I don't know the limits of how the Harry Potter link could be marketed, this is a little out of my knowledge zone! Overall if we're ever going to see the West Highland Line come to Train Sim World, this is by far the most likely section. It is the shortest section at around 42 miles; it has two very logical end points and a game time of around 1 hour 15 which is fitting with most other DLC's; it has massive marketing potential as outlined above; and Scotrail seem really happy to work closely with DTG. I'd also love to hear what DTG may think of this as a potential DLC DTG JD DTG Alex DTG Harry DTG Matt Of all the potential routes to come to TSW, this is the most glaringly obvious one for me to bring to life!
The biggest problem with this route, desirable though it might be, will be the very sparse timetable. Even if you set back in the days of loco hauled Class 27 or 37 there were generally only 4 trains a day in each direction, plus movements around Fort William station and trip workings out to Corpach. And just as the Class 156’s are totally unsuitable traction for such a scenic route IRL they would not make for a very interesting drive.
this was my only concern with this route, and frankly any route in the Scottish Highlands, with Glasgow - Oban, Glasgow - Fort William/Mallaig alongside Inverness - Kyle of Lochalsh and Inverness - Thurso/Wick all only having 4 services per day each way running the entire length of their respective routes. Normally that would mean a route isn't viable in my view, and i'm always the first to comment that routes need full, busy and immersive timetables, but for me this is an exception to the rule. Yes Fort William - Mallaig only has 4 services per way each day, mostly due to the capacity limits of single line sections combined with Radio Electronic Token Block signalling, but for me absolutely everything else about this route is perfect, especially when it comes to the varied and world-renowned scenery with the mountains, lochs, Glenfinnan Viaduct and the Isles of Skye, Rum and Eigg along the Mallaig shoreline. What sets Fort William - Mallaig above any other Scottish Highland suggestion is the fact that it's the shortest complete section at a more than achievable 42 miles; the fact it's so well known for a variety of different reasons which makes it highly marketable; and also for the fact you can add steam railtours in for the Jacobite train, and AI traffic for the Fort William - Glasgow services and the Caledonian Sleeper services. Also, and i think this is a really important point regarding the sparse timetable, is that we have SO MANY routes now with busy, dense timetables and heavy, urban scenery.. this would be such a valuable addition to TSW as it would provide a well needed escape from that. It would provide 1 hour 20 minutes of pure breathtaking and highly varied scenery, and a slower and more relaxed pace than say an ECML, WCML, London Overground etc.. and i for one would cherish the opportunity to sit down for just under 90 minutes and glide through the Scottish Highlands. and for some reason i find the Class 156's rather charming, in a world that's in such a rush to push progress it's nice to sit on an old noisy diesel for a few hours and escape into the Highlands, but that's probably just the late 90's/early 00's nostalgia in me that makes me love the current experience Scotrail provide up there!
It has a sparse timetable, so for it to be viable at all it'd need to have really good scenery for it to have any appeal at all, no matter what traction is used.
this is exactly my point, it does have incredible scenery and is often voted amongst the most scenic rail journeys in the world. After spending a lot of time driving the WCML, ECML, London Overground lately i long for a scenic, relaxing, slower drive where you can sit back and relax and enjoy a quieter pace of life for a while.. this route fits that perfectly.
