Description
A contributor named SMG4 submitted this railway several years ago but publication awaited a timetable. Unfortunately no timetable was submitted so it was left for a long time gathering dust. It was a detailed and impressive layout so on rediscovering it recently it seemed appropriate to resurrect and update it in line with the current track layout, and develop a timetable for it.
The railway includes the lines from King’s Cross and Moorgate in the south to Biggleswade on the East Coast Main Line and Royston on the Cambridge line, a distance of over 40 miles south to north.
The timetable corresponds to the 2021 summer working timetable (courtesy ) and includes all King’s Cross and Moorgate services from just before 6:00am to after 2:00pm. Excluded so far are freight and services that avoid King’s Cross or Moorgate, notably those running via St Pancras and Thameslink. These may be added at a later date.
Operation is quite intense most of the time – it isn’t a railway for the faint-hearted! There are few opportunities for speeding up operation, and 1/2x speed and even 1/4x are required at especially busy times. The ‘Actions due’ panel is essential for keeping on top of movements. Operating a railway with such heavy traffic certainly makes you appreciate the intricate work of real-world timetable planners!
Csaba –
Wow! What a feast! I always wanted to have a go at designing this particular area but lacked confidence to undertake this enormous task.
This is a complex layout by any standards and it was very meticulously built.
The timetable isn’t less complex either. Also well done!
It’s a great experience playing the simulation albeit extremely hard to keep things under control.