This content requires the base game Train Simulator 2019 on Steam in order to play.

## About This Content
The quaint, atmospheric picturesque single-line branch, from Somerford to the
small town of Malmesbury, features authentic, heart of English countryside
steam, ready for you to enjoy in this add-on for Train Simulator, courtesy of
Partner Programme developer Just Trains.

Historically, Malmesbury held quite a significance to its name and earned its
place within the Cotswolds thanks to being a prominent market town. Being a
centre for learning, the local Abbey also drew attention in the Middle Ages.
Despite this however, when the Great Western Railway plotted their famed route
from London to Bristol, Malmesbury didn’t make an appearance on the network.

The GWR did plan for other railways which would link Malmesbury to the rest of
the World, the first of which was the Wilts and Gloucestershire Railway which
was approved in 1864. The W&GR would have run north to south, via Malmesbury,
in an effort to link existing GWR routes together. The northern section of the
new route was reaching Midland Railway territory, and the new line’s
construction would’ve given the Midland access to the GWR network. In the end,
disagreements led to the line’s early abandonment.

No, Malmesbury wouldn’t get a railway until the community itself spoke up and
approached GWR. Plans were soon drawn up for a simple branch line connection
from Dauntsey that would more than suffice. The Malmesbury Railway Company was
formed in 1872, work was approved, and GWR fronted half of the £60,000 price
tag for the 6-mile branch, that’s over £6 Million in today’s money.

By this point, the GWR was realising that their broad-gauge reign was coming
to a close, so the branch to Malmesbury was built to the more popular standard
gauge. Construction wasn’t easy, bad weather proved to be a challenge, and the
projected final cost of the line continued to rise. The new branch opened in
December of 1877, after a staggering £87,094 (£9.5 Million) spend, and regular
services were put into effect by the Malmesbury Railway Company. By 1880, the
GWR had absorbed the new branch into their vast network.

After decades of running branches throughout the west of England, the GWR were
looking to find ways to cut down on the costs of running these small lines. It
was eventually decided to shorten the Malmesbury Branch, and have it connect
to the newer South Wales Main Line at Somerford, instead of continuing south
to the Great Western Main Line as it did before. This move effectively halved
the distance between Malmesbury and the rest of the network, meanwhile the old
connection to Dauntsey was used for wagon storage.

After the Second World War, the Malmesbury Branch fell into disarray. New bus
services provided better connections to the local area, and by the late 1940s,
only a handful of passengers were using the line. Despite local opposition,
there was little choice but to withdraw passenger services in 1951, and
freight was not enough to keep the branch open forever, so it closed in
November of 1962.

While lost to history, the branch line to Malmesbury left its impression on
the landscape, and with a keen eye, its route – both original and shortened –
can still be seen from the skies to this day. Faithfully, Partner Programme
developer Just Trains have re-created this branch as it existed in 1950, a
small slice in time before passenger closure, and is now ready for you to
enjoy!
## Included Scenarios
The route includes five challenging career scenarios:

* Afternoon Trip to Malmesbury
* Mixed Train to Malmesbury
* Winter Freight
* Shunting the Pickup Freight
* Siphons for Scrap

More scenarios are available on Steam Workshop online and in-game. Train
Simulator’s Steam Workshop scenarios are free and easy to download, adding
many more hours of exciting gameplay. With scenarios being added daily, why
don’t you check it out now!

Click here for Steam Workshop scenarios.
## Key Features
* 3 3/4 mile highly atmospheric route
* Very detailed period scenery along the whole of the route
* Includes the GWR 5700 Pannier Tank and GWR 6800 Grange featuring Driver Assist
* Includes non-driveable Castle and King Class steam engines for AI Traffic Only
* GWR Diagram AA3 ‘Toad’ brake van with guard’s view
* 5 Challenging Career Scenarios
* Quick Drive compatible
* Download size: 616.7 MB

Train Simulator: Malmesbury Branch Route Add-On