New RSC Route: Somewhere around Dawlish

[smarty2]

I think the ones wanting an earlier period are forgetting Jetgriffs South Devon banks route! I don't mind a modern rendition.

[jacksnipe4]

What freight is running over the route in the modern era. China clay is one I can think of but compared to the 70's & 80's there is very little.
jack

[Rockdoc2174]

I never knew it in steam days but we had a couple of holidays at Teignmouth around 1968/9 and the sounds of Warships and Westerns pulling away from Teignmouth towards Dawlish made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. I can't see DTG producing either of those so, like others have written, I'd expect a Class 43 and, perhaps, a new dmu model if it's set post-privatisation. If it has the Royal Albert Bridge included I might well buy it but probably not otherwise. My interest is largely in the steam to BR blue era so this wouldn't automatically appeal to me.

Keith

[x5pgr]

This is an iconic route and I know it well having spent many family holidays in Dawlish in the 60's and 70's so I am quite excited at this news. It really is BR Blue era for me and of course with all that beautiful semaphore signalling so sadly swept away in the interests of modernisation. I suspect that is too much to hope for but, whatever era it is, I really hope that RSC will take the time and trouble that will be needed to do justice to it - we are really being spoilt at the moment with the release of Crouch Valley 3 this weekend and of course hopefully before too long the WCML over Shap. These routes will undoubtedly be setting the benchmark by which all other efforts will be judged.

The photo is a classic summer scene from Langstone Rock taken on 21 August 1979 with 'Peak' 45073 on a good old rake of Mk 1's.

Regards

Peter

[michaelhendle]

Hi
This might be controversial,but why is there so much animosity between people here,there are just as many of the older generation who know what this route was like in the mid 1950's to 1960's.

I don't mind modern era routes but just for once there is a route crying out to be a steam era one and this is it, the only problem is the lack of suitable steam loco's that would be required you really need Castle class Halls,Kings,Pannier and Prairie class loco's some Hawksworth or Collett coaches,you can get away with Maroon MK1's as a lot of the Saturday holiday trains started in the Midlands and changed loco's at Bristol.

At Newton Abbott in the 1950's there was another 2 branch routes,1 to Mortonhampstead,ant the other was the Teign Valley Line which was a inland route to Exeter.

Maybe a solution here for people interested in steam do the Teign Valley route,as it was used as diversionary route when the coast route was shut due to bad weather,and keep this version for die hard modern era enthusiasts, which DTG seem to cater for these days,even though us oldies money is just as good as theirs.

told you it was controversial.

Oh well of to do some more testing for signal simulation of Newton Abbott it's a heritage sim set in the 1950's

Michael Hendle

[briyeo1950]

It is starting to look as if we can forget ever seeing a good rendition of a steam era route, or even up to BR blue era.
This would make a fantastic route in steam days (even though it is GWR again) and an amazing 1970 to 1980's route too. The scenery is still great but the railway today has no interest for me.

We older simmers, and the more discerning younger ones among us, just have to accept that if we want these period routes we will just have to make them ourselves. This simulator from Dovetails point of view is a modern railway simulator.
I don't think the current incarnation of TS2014 even has any steam or early diesel routes at all does it?

Living in the past? You bet I am.

[jimmyshand]

I disagree about setting this route in steam era. The route is practically unchanged since then anyway with the exception of signalling and some extra track at Newton Abbot.

It would be easier for a steam fan to squint and make do than it would for modern fans. One of the great things about driving a route in Railworks is looking for real life landmarks and features. How many of us would remember what was on the site of the Dawlish Warren crazy golf course in 1952?

[stuart666]

Hi
This might be controversial,but why is there so much animosity between people here,there are just as many of the older generation who know what this route was like in the mid 1950's to 1960's.

I don't mind modern era routes but just for once there is a route crying out to be a steam era one and this is it, the only problem is the lack of suitable steam loco's that would be required you really need Castle class Halls,Kings,Pannier and Prairie class loco's some Hawksworth or Collett coaches,you can get away with Maroon MK1's as a lot of the Saturday holiday trains started in the Midlands and changed loco's at Bristol.

At Newton Abbott in the 1950's there was another 2 branch routes,1 to Mortonhampstead,ant the other was the Teign Valley Line which was a inland route to Exeter.

Maybe a solution here for people interested in steam do the Teign Valley route,as it was used as diversionary route when the coast route was shut due to bad weather,and keep this version for die hard modern era enthusiasts, which DTG seem to cater for these days,even though us oldies money is just as good as theirs.

told you it was controversial.

Oh well of to do some more testing for signal simulation of Newton Abbott it's a heritage sim set in the 1950's

Michael Hendle

I think the point many 'modernists' miss, the semaphore and signalboxes were in place WELL into the modern era anyway. The last ones on Dawlish would have been replaced circa 1989, which is well within my definition of what the modern era is (you can still see them in operation in the HST west film from Video 125, circa 1989-90). Secondly, the modern era is terribly dull in track layout, other than the occasional traction. Its just one set of tracks between Exeter and Plymouth, with one branch at Newton Abbott. And thats largely it! Contrast that with the early to late 60s when every station would have had its own sidings for pickup goods, even Dawlish, and line is MUCH more interesting. There was as said a number of branch lines for industry, I can recall seeing a very interesting quarry on the outskirts of Totnes on the same film. There is the remains of a branch line utlised for industry on the outskirts of Exeter in the video 125 film. So I really cant understand why people prefer the modern era for the line. Even the sea wall has a fence being put up by Network Rail, despite being open for photographers for the past 170 some years. Suffice to say the modern MAS era for Western Region enthusiasts is not the most popular, and its not just because we miss the telegraph posts and the signal boxes. It looks plastic and cold, and far from the warm exciting route it was even 30 years ago. I much prefer the BR era, it may have been all monastral blue, but at least we had proper signals and loco hauled trains to make it interesting.
http://www.starcross-fcc.com/webcam/


Re Newton Abbot signal sim, I cant think of a better idea for a simulator. Maybe you ought to throw it by those fellows who program 'Rail traffic controller'? They said they were open to the idea of doing a simulation of a British Signalbox. Though it has to be said, Swindon's modern 'box' would also be rather interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76fAHAxv0Dw

[150227]

Last summer I stayed in one of the camping coaches at Dawlish Warren, the screenshot in the first post was the view from my bedroom window

Exeter to Penzance would be lovely to see but I think we all know it isn't going to happen, sadly. Exeter to Plymouth including Paignton would be ideal but again, that article seems to suggest it's just the Riviera line. One thing I wouldn't mind seeing actually, is more of a network-style route with Barnstaple, Paignton and Exmouth in. Some nice scope for shift-style scenarios, something I always used to enjoy in MSTS. Plus we already have a lot of the stock, just a 143 and 150/1 missing.

Still, whatever the route length, it's nice to have something like this for a change rather than another mainline out of London.

[rfletcher72]

If the Engine Driver blog is to be digested, then it would seem to be ESD to Paignton. Currently it does not look like it will be going to Plymouth, but we can live in hope I suppose. Limited scenario scope it would seem, but with a bit of research you can surprise yourself maybe?

Hoping to find the track to Kingswear in place at the very least, with a view to a later release (if it appears complete however, I for one will not moan).

And stock wise, if it is modern era as the original screenshot would suggest, I suspect we will be looking at the FGW HST and 166. The latter doesn't appeal too much, but that is what I would expect to see TBH.

But again, let's wait and see for some more 'meat on the bones' before becoming too over excited .

Cheers,

[smarty2]

why is there so much animosity between people here

I'm struggling to find any here? Don't you think the word "animosity" is a little too strong? Anyway, those that seem to be showing signs of anti modern as I have pointed out earlier, there is the South Devon Banks route by Jetgriff for those that fancy older time periods also (I'm not fussed either way), anyone I believe can workshop the route to any period they like couldn't they?
After all is said and done DtG are going to cater for the many not the few, pounds in the coffers is what's going keep this sim ongoing and updated? Hope I wasn't being controversial.

[1S811985]

Most of my thoughts on this one have already been stated by others.

Right line, wrong time.
Modern era lacks scope, variety and hence, for me at least, interest.
DTG appear uninterested in anything other than modern era.
There's a gap in the market, a niche within a niche, that the third-party and community sectors are well placed to cater for.
We know very little yet beyond that a it's a newly announced route, the screenshot is present day Dawlish and that there was a recent blog about Exeter to Paignton.

1S81

[david1]

I don't mind modern era routes but just for once there is a route crying out to be a steam era one and this is it, the only problem is the lack of suitable steam loco's that would be required you really need Castle class Halls,Kings,Pannier and Prairie class loco's some Hawksworth or Collett coaches,you can get away with Maroon MK1's as a lot of the Saturday holiday trains started in the Midlands and changed loco's at Bristol.

I know what you mean, i am not into steam myself a bit before my time, i became a teenager in 1979 and got into trains a year later so i tend to hanker back to the BR blue era when real trains had engines and stock (maybe not real to the steam fans though) although i like some modern routes i do tend to move the time period back into the 80`s and 90`s and running diesel loco hauled trains does not look that much out of place on modern routes, and the same could also be said for a route set in the 60`s BR blue diesels would also look ok on it, i can remember Penzance to Plymouth in the 80`s still had the old semaphore signals that showed the arm in the downward posistion indicating the line was clear, when the norm was to be in the up posistion.

I think steam fans should be catered for by routes set at that time and if it was set at the later end of the steam era then both steam and BR Green/Blue eras would benefit from such routes

[david1]

If the Engine Driver blog is to be digested, then it would seem to be ESD to Paignton. Currently it does not look like it will be going to Plymouth

I do hope this is wrong, if not DTG are having a laugh that makes it only 28 miles long, Exeter to Plymouth is only 52miles so still only a short route so would expect both Paignton and Plymouth to be in it and with no new traction, then it is a no from me a am afriad

[nukem]

This is quite a clever route choice because if you think about it JT already made Bristol-Exeter, so If DTG make Exeter to Plymouth or Paignton (I would like to see Paignton personally as I spend a lot of time down that way and have some fond memories of watching the trains as a kid) this would mean that you could make scenarios from Bristol to exeter, then swap routes and continue the journey to Plymouth or Paignton.