Post: 31 July 2016
This route is set at the end of the steam era and the beginning of the diesels. It covers the ECML from Kings Cross up to Arlesey, and the Cambridge main line from the junction with the ECML at Hitchin through Cambridge up to Ely. It also has the freight-only line between St Ives and Ely; the passenger line from St Ives to Cambridge and the route out to Newmarket. At present about 135 route miles - with a mixture of main line, some classic branch line and some industrial mileage.
The line covers 51 stations - ranging from the tiny branch halts through the 1.5 miles of Cambridge station to the congested environs of Kings Cross and Top Shed.
The traffic across the region’s lines is very varied – fast passenger trains like the Kings Cross “Beer train” and the old Great Eastern "Fenman" route up from Liverpool street; endless coal trains between Doncaster and the great marshalling yards at Temple Meads and Whitemoor; food shipments (especially fruit) from the fertile farms of the fens - and local stoppers and pick-up goods making their stately way across the fens.
This release is the second stage of this project - it includes an extended version of the original Cambridgeshire lines route which I have merged with a heavily modified version of the ECML-S route from RSC. Please read the route guide for details on what is included, to what level and with what future plans. Feedback is gratefully received - this is a long-term project aimed at providing a realistic, stimulating and accurate recreation of this fascinating area and era.