Our second route under development for RailWorks Train Simulator 2012 takes us firmly into the industrial heart of the country.

Set in the Stoke-on-Trent area in the 1970s this is no high speed passenger route but more the bread and butter of the railways: Coal Mines; Quarries and Power Stations with a supporting cast of remote yards and junctions, single track and some challenging gradients. Forget any ideas about breaking the speed record, with some very low line speeds, extreme gradients and unfitted trains the only thing you'll be worried about breaking is the string of wagons behind!

Route Overview

North Staffs Minerals covers the former lines of the North Staffordshire Railway as they were under British Rails Ownership in the 1970s.

The hub of the route is Stoke On Trent, headquarters of the Stoke Division of the London Midland Region, within Stoke are Stoke Yard, Cockshute Yard and Cockshute Holding Sidings, all local freight traffic originates from the two yards and serves the Collieries located along the former Biddulph Valley line and the North Staffs Colwich to Macclesfield Line.

Sand traffic is conveyed from British Industrial Sands quarry at Oakamoor Sidings on the former Leek Brook to Uttoxeter line and Stone traffic is loaded at Caldon Quarry on behalf of Tarmac, these two traffic flows enable the Milton Jcn to Leek Brook Jcn freight only line to remain open. Other freight flows are Iron Ore to Shelton Bar Steel Works, Gravel from Cheadle , Chemicals to Carless Solvents Sdgs Longport, L.P.G to Esso Sdgs Longport. Sundries traffic was handled by Stoke N.C.L depot, Stoke Glebe Street Goods and Longport Goods.

The Screenshots

It's still early days, but as you can see from the map the majority of track is in place.

Please Note: The images above are very much work in progress and may include scenery items that are being used as place holders and rolling stock that will not form part of the final product.

Follow progress here: