Wessex Main Line: Southampton - Salisbury Extension

Welcome to the next and possibly one of the final Development updates for the route.

Although it's not been too long since the previous update, the route has seen plenty of progression, with scenery now complete on the Eastleigh to Romsey line. This means scenery is now in place across the entire route! The line between Eastleigh and Romsey was singled in 1972, when it was downgraded to a freight line, after passenger services had ceased three years prior, which had triggered the closure of Chandlers Ford station. Evidence of the line formerly being double track is clearly visible today when passing under/over bridges and driving along embankments. Passenger services were reintroduced on the line in 2003 by South West Trains, and Chandlers Ford station was rebuilt and reopened at this time too. Nowadays, it is served by South Western Railway's hourly 'figure of six' services between Romsey and Salisbury. Aside from completing scenery between Eastleigh and Romsey, Southampton Central received some new platform models to improve the low resolution ones on the existing DTG model, and the last bit of re-signalling (the section between Redbridge and Bournemouth) was completed.

The previous update teased several new things, so let's cover them in the order they were teased.

To begin with - the final improvements to the Just Trains signals. These updates are more minor compared to the signal overlap and force aspect markers revealed in previous development updates, but are still worth noting and provide a more enjoyable driving experience. The first improvement is changing how fast flashing yellow and double yellow aspects flash. Previously they flashed on for 0.5 seconds and off for 0.5 seconds, however, they've now been updated to more realistic values of 0.7 seconds on and 0.3 seconds off. The second improvement is allowing the setting of approach control for a signal without it changing the speed limit of the junction as you drive over it. When driving a route that uses the Just Trains signals, you're likely to have encountered an approach control from red signal where the speed limit shown on the HUD changes to 34mph whilst you're crossing the junction. This has been a limitation of how you set approach control on the Just Trains signals in the route editor, but how you set this in the editor has been updated so that the speed limit shown on the HUD doesn't change. This means that this improvement is on a per route basis, so any existing routes using the Just Trains signals will need to be updated to use this new method of setting approach control to have this improvement. Don't worry though, all existing routes will continue to function correctly as the scripts allow for both the old and new method, they will just still show an incorrect speed change on the HUD. Lastly, there have been other miscellaneous fixes and improvements, such as fixing the 3-aspect LED Banner Repeater that displayed the incorrect aspect with flashing signals, and updating GPLS Preset Red scripts so that a theatre aspect can be sent back to the previous signal. A full changelog and guide on how to use the new features of the Just Trains signals will be made available when the route is released.

Secondly - Level crossing improvements. One thing which has plagued the majority of level crossings in Train Simulator Classic is the unrealistic length of time between a train passing and the barriers then going up. As such, the scripts used by the newer level crossing models that were first supplied with the Nottingham to Lincoln route have been updated to shorten this time. Furthermore, level crossings with full barriers are protected by signals in reality, which necessitates them closing several minutes before the train arrives at the crossing. Sadly, a core limitation prevents level crossing scripts from detecting a train until it is 1500m away from the crossing (which is just about fine for crossings that aren't signal protected), so full barrier crossings present on this route have a workaround for this by utilising extra crossing links so that they trigger when an approaching train is 3000m from the level crossing itself. Thus, these two features make level crossings closures a more realistic length. A final improvement to the level crossings is the addition of the E2S voice alarms when a second train is approaching a half barrier crossing, or a foot crossing which has an alarm. These were introduced by Network Rail to improve safety, as research showed that a large number of incidents occurred at level crossings when a second train was approaching. These three level crossing improvements are best shown in the video that can be found underneath the screenshots below.

And final thing - the 'something turbo-ey' reference. So for this, we're excited to reveal a number of updates and improvements to the Kuju Class 165/166. Those who are more familiar with the services that operate on the route will know that in recent years, Great Western Railway (GWR) have started to run Class 165s and 166s on their Portsmouth to Cardiff services. As such, creating present day scenarios on the route without a GWR Class 165/166 wouldn't feel right. Included with the route are reskins of the 165/166 into First Great Western Plain Blue and Great Western Railway Green, as well as minor improvements to the First Great Western Dynamic Lines livery, most notably upping the resolution of the textures. Due to their age, the default 165/166s lacked any noteworthy scripting, so the liveries included with this route come with brand new scripts that have allowed the addition of a number of features we come to expect from Train Simulator Classic add-ons these days. These features include a driver vigilance device, a two-tone horn, a master key, TPWS simulation, a driver reminder appliance, a driver-to-guard buzzer, automatic unit numbering, and a user controllable destination display. On top of this, the physics have been improved to match real-world data from drivers of the units, a one second delay has been added between passing over an AWS ramp and the alarm sounding, and lights now only cast light before sunrise and after sunset to prevent the unrealistic appearance of cast light during the day. There are various other improvements which are detailed in the manual, which is available to view here. Whilst we know that a newly modelled Class 165/166 is desirable, we hope that this upgrade to the existing model can provide a welcomed improvement to these fairly unloved units in Train Simulator Classic, and we look forward to showcasing them more in the run-up to release.

That's everything for now, we hope you've enjoyed reading about where we're at with the route. There's really not very much more to add now. We're in full-on testing mode now. Screenshots and the video below all relate to this copy.

Welcome to the next Development update for our Wessex Main Line: Southampton - Salisbury Extension route.

Since the previous development update, work around the Eastleigh area has continued with scenery now mostly complete. This leaves just the Eastleigh to Romsey line needing scenery to be placed. The Eastleigh area saw a large amount of custom assets in the last update, mostly comprising of Eastleigh Works and Eastleigh Depot, and this one is no different. Some of the new assets showcased in this update are Eastleigh Station, Eastleigh Area Signalling Centre (ASC), Eastleigh Long Welded Rail Depot and Eastleigh Swan Centre. It's been a long slog to reach this stage given how vast the Eastleigh area is, but it definitely feels worth it with the level of detail that's been reached. We hope you agree that this much anticipated area for Train Simulator Classic pushes the boundaries for both fidelity and detail!

As well as completing the Eastleigh area since the last update, the Salisbury area has been finished as well. Whilst Salisbury only has a single station today, the LSWR and GWR once had separate stations adjacent to each other. All services currently use the former LSWR station - GWR passenger services were transferred from their own station to the LSWR one in 1932, although it remained open for goods traffic until 1991 when it closed to make way for Salisbury T&R.S.M.D. All that remains of the GWR station today is Brunel's single storey building which housed booking offices and waiting rooms, along with the water tower.

As promised in the last update which announced signal overlap, this one reveals another improvement to the Just Trains signals - force aspect track markers! As the name suggests, these are track markers you can add in scenarios to force a signal to display a certain aspect, namely red, double yellow, yellow or green. One use case is forcing a signal to display red until just before your departure time. These new track markers come with a number of options and should enable more realistic and immersive scenarios. The next development update will reveal the final improvements to the Just Trains signals, some level crossing improvements and something turbo-ey.

See the screenshots below to give you a good idea of current progress and we hope you'll be along for the last few dev updates prior to release, soon.

Welcome to the next Development Update covering the Wessex Main Line: Southampton - Salisbury Extension. It's quite the bumper update!

Work around the Eastleigh area has continued since the previous update, with all of the buildings at Eastleigh Works and Depot now in situ, with just minor tweaks still to be done. Scenery has continued to be added in the Eastleigh area, predominately next to the station in Eastleigh Marshalling Yard, and on the line towards Botley which includes Eastleigh Aggregate Sidings. This part of the route has taken a little while to come together due to its complexity and the level of detail we're aiming for, so hopefully you're looking forward to utilising the various yard areas here in scenarios!

The model for Southampton Airport Parkway which was teased in the previous development update is complete, along with the model for St Denys. In addition, new Passenger Information System (PIS) models and car stop signage adds an extra level of detail to the stations on the route, and provides some much needed upgrades over older assets. Lastly, some improvements have been made to the Just Trains signals. One of these improvements is the addition of signal overlap. Signal overlap is the delay between a train passing a signal and it then reverting to danger once the track circuit beyond the signal activates. Based on research, our simulation of signal overlap starts at 45m, going up to a maximum distance of 275m. We think watching a train pass a signal without it immediately reverting to danger is quite pleasing! Other updates to the Just Trains signals will be revealed in future development updates.

Here are a selection of screenshots covering the above along with a short video that demonstrates the new signal overlap feature.   Hope you enjoy the update and as we edge close to release period we plan just a couple more updates for you prior to the release.

Welcome to the next Development Update for the Wessex Main Line: Southampton - Salisbury extension

Since the previous development update, scenery has progressed north from St Denys up towards Eastleigh, with scenery now complete to Eastleigh Depot and Eastleigh Works which are to the south of the station. The yard buildings here are awaiting custom models, so the screenshots in these areas have some large gaps which will be filled in with buildings later on. Meanwhile, Swaythling station has a complete model, whilst Southampton Airport Parkway is currently being developed. An early preview of this station is included in the screenshots.

The route is progressing steadily north, and hopefully more of the Eastleigh area will be complete by the next development update, along with the many custom assets required for the area. We hope this highly requested area will live up to expectations!

Welcome to the next update on the 'Wessex Main Line: Southampton - Salisbury.'

Work has progressed nicely and since the last update, scenery has been completed on the namesake section of route from Southampton to Salisbury (and onwards to Quidhampton and Wilton). With several custom assets to complete on this section (including Salisbury station), this part of the route is almost fully finished.

As you can see from the screenshots included in this update, Quidhampton provides exciting scenario potential to destinations such as Eastleigh. Plenty of traction has worked from Quidhampton over the years, including Class 33s, 37s, 47s, 56s, 58s, 60s and 73s in the mid-to-late 1990s, with Class 66s providing haulage in the flow's later years. A quick search online returns an eclectic mix of traction in a short period of time!

Other screenshots shown below include the station and nearby area at Dean, the area around Wilton Junction, and some early shots of Salisbury station.

Hope you enjoy the shots and we'll aim to give you a further update within the next month or so.

Welcome to the next development update for the 'Wessex Main Line: Southampton - Salisbury Extension'.

Since the previous development update, much of the work has been focused on extending the trackwork north from St Denys to Eastleigh, along with setting up speed limits and adding signals and track markers for this section. As you can see from the screenshots included in this update, Eastleigh covers a massive area, with Eastleigh East Yard to the north of the station, and Eastleigh Works and Depot to the south.

Scenery work has also seen progression around the Grimstead and Dean, with only a small gap remaining to complete scenery on the section between Redbridge (where the route diverges from the Dovetail Games route) and Salisbury. Once this milestone is reached, scenery work will then move to completing the line between St Denys and Romsey via Eastleigh. Some of the screenshots included with this update showcase the latest scenery work to be completed in the aforementioned areas, and the new VMS signals mentioned in the previous update can also be seen in some of them.

That's everything for now. Hope you enjoy the update and we look forward to bringing you more development updates soon.

Here's your next Development Update covering the Wessex Main Line: Southampton - Salisbury Extension.

Since the previous development update, much of the work has been focused on re-signalling the route with Just Trains signals. This work is mostly done for the core section of the route, apart from the area immediately surrounding Southampton Central. Resignalling from Totton to Bournemouth is also yet to take place. Brand new VMS signals have also been created for the route, on both the modern VMS post and on existing posts where only the signal head has been replaced. Track has also been relaid in the Mount Pleasant / St Denys area - this was an AI runoff area in the original Dovetail Games route, so its gradients and track alignment were inaccurate. With the extension north to Eastleigh, it was important to relay this area prior to laying further track.

Scenery work has also seen progression, with the route now fully sceneried between Salisbury and East Grimstead, a small village around 2 miles west of Dean station. It is also the site of a disused chalk quarry, with quarry traffic running between it and Quidhampton, another disused quarry and processing facility just under two miles west of Salisbury. After customer feedback from when the route was first announced, track and scenery will be extended further west from Salisbury to include Quidhampton. Whilst it's been out of use since 2009, the tracks remain, so its inclusion expands scenario potential whilst also keeping the route realistic for the present day. East Grimstead maintains it's mainline connection and crossover, although the two sidings within the quarry have been removed in recent years. However, to allow full runs between Quidhampton and East Grimstead, the two sidings have been retained inside the quarry.

The images shown in this development post depict 5L17/1L17 as part of the West of England line diversions that took place over the weekend of the 21st and 22nd January 2023. On the Saturday, the regular 'Romsey Rocket' services ran as normal, with the diverted services running fast between Salisbury, Southampton and Basingstoke, but on the Sunday, the diverted services replaced the local services between Southampton and Salisbury, resulting in pairs of Class 159s operating stopping services along the route - an unusual sight to say the least!

Hope you've enjoyed this fairly extensive update, enjoy the accompanying pics too. More from us and this route, soon.

Here's the next of our Development Updates for Wessex Main Line: Southampton - Salisbury Extension. The screenshots focus on the area around Southampton Central and the Docks region following the extensive improvements over the last few years. The shots show some of the upgrade works represented in Train Simulator, starting at Millbrook and heading west towards Redbridge. The final screenshot shows the new footbridge steps which were modelled due to the existing ones conflicting with the new track layout. Consequently, they are now more representative of real life. Here's some background detail about the enhancements and the work that has been carried out:

Southampton is the UK’s second busiest container port and a vital part of the UK freight network. Around 800 containers a day pass through Freightliner’s Southampton Maritime Terminal at Redbridge which handles around 24 container trains daily. In addition, DB Cargo and GB Railfreight average 18 trains per day from the Southampton Docks complex which is about two miles west of Southampton Central station. However, until recently, freight trains were limited to 520 metres in length.

Friday 19th February 2021 saw the completion of a £17 million project, largely funded by the DfT, to increase freight capacity at the port. This work enabled 750-metre-long trains to access Southampton Western Docks in Millbrook, used by DB Cargo and GB Railfreight, and the Redbridge Freightliner Maritime Terminal to accommodate container trains 775 metres long, the maximum allowable on the UK network. As a result, Freightliner trains from Southampton can now carry an additional 14 containers, potentially saving tens of thousands of Heavy Goods Vehicle movements each year.

As well as lengthening sidings at Redbridge, these enhancements included track and signalling alterations which simplified terminal shunting arrangements with the effect of improving the efficiency of freight train operations by up to 30%. The work provided almost a mile of new track, 14 new sets of switches and crossings, and 22 new signals, as well as requiring alterations to the signalling control panel at Eastleigh.

It increased the allowable speed of freight trains between Southampton Central station and the docks, thus reducing congestion at the station as passenger trains do not have to wait so long for freight trains to pass through it.

The work was done in three phases. Phase 1 saw the original 600-metre-long Redbridge terminal sidings extended for which land had to be purchased from the local authority. This was completed in March 2019. Phase 2 saw new track installed to increase linespeeds between Southampton Central and Redbridge. Phase 3 saw the commissioning of new signals for the Southampton area. This required two weekend blockages in the area on 30/31st January 2021 and 13/14th February 2021, as well as a line blockage from 15-19th February 2021 west of Southampton Central.

Here’s the initial Development Update on the newly announced Wessex Main Line: Southampton – Salisbury Extension.

The WIP screenshots shown start at the western end of the route and move east towards Southampton. Areas covered here include Salisbury, Dean, Mottisfont and Dunbridge and then onto Romsey and Redbridge.

We hope you like these initial shots, we think the route is already looking great, we aim to bring you regular updates over the coming months.