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This simulation is set at Ashford on a weekday in the summer of 1996.
All lines in the area were before nationalisation part of the Southern Railway. With the exception of the Maidstone East line (LCDR), all had earlier been part of the South Eastern Railway; the two companies merged in 1899 to form the South Eastern and Chatham Railway (SECR).
The main line to the west heads for Tonbridge, where the original (1842) main line to Redhill leaves the later (1868) direct line to London. The former London, Chatham & Dover Railway (LCDR) line to London (usually Victoria) diverges to the north less than a mile west of Ashford station; a little further west is the Traction & Rolling Stock Maintenance Depot at Chart Leacon.
The original main line continues east through Sandling to Folkestone and Dover. Beyond Dover the line continues around the coast through Deal and Sandwich to Ramsgate and Margate, and on to Faversham and London. There is a "short cut" from Dover through Canterbury East to Faversham, and at Minister a triangular junction connects with the direct line from Ashford via Canterbury West, which leaves the main line to the north just east of Ashford. The final line is the Hastings branch, leaving to the south immediately east of the station.
All lines in the area are double track except for the connection with the Hastings branch, and a 17 mile stretch at the Hastings end, beyond the junction with the freight-only Dungeness branch at Appledore.
There is very little freight traffic generated in the Ashford area. A stone terminal at Hothfield on the Maidstone East line about four miles west of Ashford, is only accessible in the Up direction, which brings stone trains into what is left of the West Yard to run round. A track Pre-Assembly Depot in Willesborough Sidings on the west side of the Canterbury West line is served by a daily trip from Hoo Junction and occasional extra, and the Plant Depot on the site of the former Ashford Works, maintaining civil engineering plants, generates occasional traffic.
Much of Ashford's traffic, both passenger and freight, now depends on the Channel Tunnel, the route to which leaves the Dover line a couple of miles short of Folkestone.
You are responsible for all traffic passing through Ashford and for about a mile in each direction. In this simulation most movements are at broadly the same speed, either stopping or slowing to walking pace through the platforms. The exceptions are all movements through the central through lines, which proceed at 40 mph or so if the route is set far enough in advance, and non-stop Eurostar services to or from the Tonbridge line, which proceed at the line speed of 85 mph if the route is set well in advance so the driver sees green signals throughout.
You have to direct all the trains into, through and out of the area, selecting platforms and yard tracks to avoid delays and minimise congestion; you also have to manage Chart Leacon depot, and ensure that locomotives and units are refuelled as required.
The simulation is based on the scheduled service operating in the summer of 1996, with some conditional and extra passenger, empty stock and freight services appearing at higher difficulty levels. For added realism, some arriving trains will be late. Some simplification of the track plan has been necessary, particularly of the sidings to the east of the station. The locomotives and units that will be present are those which belonged to the relevant sectors at this time, and of classes that were observed on similar workings.
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| Difficulty Level : | 
| | Price : | 
| | Genre : | British Traffic Control - Silver Series Through Station
| | Last Updated : | 11th December 1998
| | Locomotives/Stock Used : | 33, 37, 47, 56, 59, 60, 73, 92, 205, 207, 319, 365, 373, 411, 421, 423, 455
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Weekday (Selectable)
| | Locomotives/Stock Used : |
| | Simulated Time : |
| | Other Notes : | Includes an alternative timetable, which simulates Eurostar services to destinations north of London
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Ashford 1996
