West of England Main Line

West of England Main Line
Description	The West of England Main Line from Salisbury to Exeter, and the Heart of Wessex Line from Dorchester to Castle Cary.
Country	United Kingdom
Time period	2022
Train Operating Company	South Western Railway, Great Western Railway
Simulation difficulty
Author	Oxalin
Website	West of England Main Line
Route map Salisbury and London Tisbury Loop Tisbury Gillingham Gillingham Up Siding Gillingham Tunnel Templecombe Templecombe Down Siding Sherborne LC Sherborne Westbury Yeovil Pen Mill Yeovil Down Sidings Thornford Yeovil Junction Yetminster Crewkerne Chetnole Crewkerne Tunnel Evershot Tunnel Chard Junction LC Maiden Newton Chard Loop Grimston and Frampton Tunnel Axminster LC Poundbury Tunnel Axminster Dorchester West Honiton Tunnel Weymouth Honiton Feniton Feniton LC Whimple Cranbrook Pinhoe LC Pinhoe Exeter St Davids

The West of England Main Line forms the majority of the route between London Waterloo and Exeter, starting at Basingstoke where it splits from the South West Main Line. The route is unelectrified single track with passing loops, and is operated by South Western Railway's fleet of 158 and 159 DMUs. This simulation covers the line from Wilton (just after Salisbury) to Pinhoe on the outskirts of Exeter, as well as the Heart of Wessex Line between Dorchester and Castle Cary.

Timetable

A full timetable for 27th July 2022 has been included.

West of England Main Line Services
Train Operating Company	Origin	Destination	Frequency (tph)
South Western Railway	London Waterloo	Exeter St Davids	1
	Yeovil Junction	Salisbury via Westbury	Infrequent
Great Western Railway	Weymouth	Bristol Temple Meads / Gloucester	0.5

South Western Railway operate various additional peak services. Great Western Railway also operate one service in the evening from Exeter to Axminster, which then runs empty to Castle Cary and back via the Heart of Wales Line.

Operational Tips

• Most the line is single-track - be careful not to route trains too far ahead and block the route for other services.
• Be sure not to set the route across level crossings too early.

Tisbury Loop

• Trains are booked to pass here throughout the day. For most the day the Exeter-bound train is booked to stop, however in the evening peak this switches to the London-bound train, so always check each train's schedule.
• Signals are only provided on one line through the loop - if trains are scheduled to pass here the one booked to stop should use the line with signals, rather than strictly passing on the left.
• As both lines in the loop are bi-directional, be sure to set the points to the desired route before setting the route, especially if the route without signals is required.

Yeovil Junction

• Be careful with trains at Yeovil Junction - check their subsequent instructions to ensure they're routed into the correct platform.