The Durham Coast Line is a 40-mile route in the north-east of England which runs between Middlesbrough and Newcastle. Though traffic has dwindled in recent years, it remains an important rail link for many communities, as well as a useful diversionary route for the ECML, and has seen rejuvenation efforts at many stations over the last few years.

This patch for DPSimulation’s North East England aims to reflect some of the changes made to the real Durham Coast Line since the latest version of the route was published, with over 200 original assets, cosmetic improvements at 18 stations and a 2 mile extension to the Port of Sunderland.

FEATURES

– New station at Horden, opened 2020
– Extended Platform 2 at Middlesbrough, completed 2021
– Reconstructed Platform 3 at Hartlepool, opened 2024
– New footbridges at Stockton and Billingham
– 2 mile extension to Port of Sunderland, reopened to freight services in 2015
– Extensive track rework at Tees North Yard
– Cosmetic upgrades at several stations, including new signage and platform furniture
– Over 200 original assets, including 80+ signs
– Working stop markers at all applicable stations
– Basic announcements for Northern-operated trains
– 8 engaging scenarios covering a variety of passenger and freight operations

REQUIREMENTS

To ensure this route patch works as intended, you will require a clean install of the original North East England by DPSimulation, along with its associated dependencies.

AP Sky/Weather Patch – WCML Trent Valley by BG Simulation will allow compatibility with the AP Sky & Weather Enhancement Pack 2.0.

PLEASE NOTE – This is not a standalone route. You must own the original North East England route by DPSimulation. It is highly recommended that you make a backup of the original route before installation, should you wish to revert back to the unpatched version.

SCENARIOS

8 scenarios are included with v1.0, all taking place in 2025 and covering a variety of freight, passenger, departmental and charter operations. For detailed descriptions and requirements, please consult the included scenario manual.

– 1N23 15:27 London Kings Cross – Middlesbrough
– 1N92 11:27 London Kings Cross – Sunderland
– 1P68 09:58 Redcar Central – Manchester Airport
– 1Z50 08:16 Saltburn – Edinburgh
– 2N30 13:56 Hexham – Nunthorpe
– 3J78 08:35 Nunthorpe – Carlisle Yard Colas Rail
– 6N50 05:30 Tees N.Y. – Sunderland Londonderry Sidings
– 6V33 15:32 Sunderland Ward Bros – Cardiff Tidal T.C.

CREDITS

– DPSimulation (for the original route)
– Ashbridge Industries (Ashindac)

With thanks to various members of Alan Thomson Simulation and the larger Train Simulator community for their advice and guidance in the development of this project.

DISCLAIMER – This route patch has been published without the explicit permission of DPSimulation, who is no longer active in the Train Simulator community and unavailable to contact. It will be withdrawn from publication if so requested by the original author.