Description The West Wales Lines are a network of rural diesel routes located in the South West corner of Wales. Branching off from the South Wales Main Line at Swansea, services head west towards the coast serving numerous smaller request stops between the larger towns of Carmarthen, Tenby, Pembroke, Haverfordwest, Milford Haven and Fishguard. West of Carmarthen, where trains must reverse, the line becomes far more rural with large stretches of single track meandering between hills and coastlines. This route could provide a good opportunity to represent an area in Wales within Train Sim World, using a region previously unseen in a Train Simulator. There are three branches in total with 23 stations. Swansea to Carmarthen with a distance of 32 miles, Carmarthen to Milford Haven at 40 miles, Whitland to Pembroke Dock at 27 miles and Clarbeston Road to Fishguard Harbour at 16 miles. Services Manchester Piccadilly to Carmarthen, 55 minutes. 1 train every 2 hours. Manchester Piccadilly to Milford Haven, 1 hour 50 minutes. 1 train every 2 hours. Pembroke Dock to Carmarthen, 1 hour 25 minutes. 1 train every 2 hours. Cardiff Central to Fishguard Harbour, 1 hour 50 minutes. Irregular Service. Carmarthen to Fishguard Harbour, 55 minutes. Irregular Service. This would include numerous freight trains running to the oil terminals at Milford Haven, and the limited London to Carmarthen intercity services extended from Swansea. (Based on current timetable) Train Types If set in the modern day, the primary train types are the Class 150 and Class 175 Diesel Multiple Units. The Class 150 being reused and the Class 175 being new, including both the 2 and 3 car variants. The Great Western Express HST can layer in for intercity services, including for use as AI at Swansea. Class 175 at Swansea, wearing the new Transport for Wales livery Class 60 hauling an oil train through Pembrey & Burry Port bound for Milford Haven Carmarthen station with various services present, including the limited HST service to London Pembroke Dock station, showing a Class 150 in the former Arriva livery Route Map Thoughts welcome.
I worked this out from Camarthen last week and that's over 70 miles total, didn't add in the line to Swansea...
Thanks. I'm not exactly sure what operated on the line in BR days, would some of the existing stock from e.g. NTP be appropriate for layers?
I couldn't find an exact length anywhere so I resorted to a (bad) estimation using the scale on the map, which probably undercompensated for all the curves. If necessary the route could forfeit the Fishguard Harbour branch if it does indeed prove to be too long. Do you have a more precise method of finding out the length of the lines you could show me?
go to www.realtimetrains.co.uk At the top click search, then detailed select the station you wish to search on, in this case CARMARTHEN Set WHEN? to ALL DAY Click SEARCH Open the 1W52 from Milford Haven to Manchester Picadilly Distance is given on the left in miles and chains (a chain is 1/80 of a mile), so the distance from MFH - CMN is 39.77 miles Go back to the search you did before, now open the 2E03 from Pembroke Dock to CMN Note that both services call at WHITLAND, distance from PMD - WTL is 27.32 miles Go back to the search you did before, now open the 2E33 from Fishguard Harbour to CMN Note that both 1W52 and 2E33 services call at CLARBESTON ROAD, distance from FGH - CLR is 15.55 miles Now you can do the maths 77+32+55 chains = 2 miles 4 chains 39+27+15 = 81 miles 81+2 = 83 miles, add on the 4 chains
The scope for classic BR days is extensive. All sorts of heritage DMUs worked over these lines with the Swindon Class 120 Cross Country type being prevalent in the 70’s. Class 108s predominated until the Sprinters took over in the late 80’s/early 90s. The Fishguard boat trains were Class 47 hauled until taken over by HSTs. The Milford Haven line enjoyed a halycon period in the early 80’s when many trains were loco hauled, using 5 coach Mark One rakes, Class 37 steam heat locos quite common with occasional 47 though eventually most were diagrammed for Class 33 haulage as part of the cyclic workings which took in Cardiff to Portsmouth and Cardiff to Crewe.
Yeah total route length is now around 115 miles (better ditch this suggestion...) In fairness though, I did suggest this route primarily because of its intriguing unfamiliarity to me, so at least I've learnt something
Most likely it would have been 150s and Pacers on local services, with Class 37's on freight and HSTs with services from Fishguard Harbour to Paddington.
When I was suggesting it I was looking at Carmarthen to Milford and Pembroke, then looked up the Pembroke timetable and found only four trains a day at the moment go out there... A heck of a lot of freight goes almost all the way to Milford though, so that's definitely an option, with the 66 from ECW and maybe a class 60 pulling oil tankers as a DLC loco for this pack, with either the 150 or 175 as the passenger loco. If they set it back a few years you could have the 150, a HST set going to Pembroke every so often and terminating as AI at Carmarthen the remainder of the time and the 60 and 66s pulling freight
If you needed to condense things, then the focus would be on Swansea to Milford Haven which is where the majority of services run regardless of time period and of course the significant refinery freight flow. Fishguard is basically two trains a day for most of recent history of which one each way runs in the middle of the night. Pembroke branch is scenic but service level relatively sparse, though you did have the summer Saturday HST services.
The reason I would avoid Swansea is to avoid people complaining they don't get the 800 (which doesn't run out to the West Coast very often if at all). Swansea depot and the station itself would be good additions when we have the rolling stock, but not necessary for a route which COULD be more freight focussed, with passengers adding into the runs rather than the other way round
Probably too far then. As regards Swansea, the 800 could be avoided by setting a West Wales route prior to when the wretched knotweeds were introduced!
I don't want it on this route... too much work to do a rebuild of the HST, and a local stopper, and a freighter... Better to have the HST do a South West or South Wales mainline where it can really be used. I doubt it would stretch it's legs on the west wales section For me this would be more about variety and "setting things up for the future" given the 60s run all along the South Wales and West Country corridors, the 150s run everywhere outside of London and even the 175 does anywhere in Wales, the Hereford and Shrewbury lines etc etc
Would love to see West Wales routes, especially set in the 80s. My bedroom window overlooked Pembroke Dock station which had a lasting effect on a young boy.. I've plenty of photos from the 80s if you are interested.
Either just make the timetable with them in already or have them in scenarios. IRL the passenger would ask the guard who asks the driver so the former would "allow for this" without having that direct communication
This is actually feasible right now basically you got a Welsh version of Schnellfahrstrecke Hannover Würzburg Kassel Würzburg section 186 km 115mi
