Train Simulator: Chatham Main Line: London Victoria & Blackfriars - Dover & Ramsgate Route

Summer comes soonest in the South, so climb on-board and visit the Kent Coast with the sprawling and complete Chatham Main Line for Train Simulator!

The history of rail in South East London and Kent is enriched with competitive history. By the mid-1840s, the South Eastern Railway had built the main line from London to Dover via Redhill and Tonbridge. This vital but long-winded link to the major port town of Dover made the SER a key player in the movement of traffic throughout Kent, and this remained as such for the decades to follow.

Not satisfied with missing out on the Capital to Coast battle, and with a desire to link the well-populated North Kent to these key destinations, the East Kent Railway (which had already built Strood to Faversham by 1859), changed its name to the London, Chatham and Dover Railway. Then from 1860 until 1863, rails spread out east and west to form this new, shorter main line.

The LCDR soon had a complete rail network; stretching from London Victoria, via Herne Hill and Catford, through Bromley South and Swanley to Rochester and the Medway Towns. Beyond Faversham, the line split in two, with one sticking along the length of the Kent Coast via Whitstable and Herne Bay to the well-known seaside towns of Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate, all accelerated into holidaymaker fame with the arrival of the railway. The second line took a turn towards Canterbury, before tackling the rugged Kent Downs and arriving in Dover. The LCDR would also extend north towards Blackfriars via Elephant & Castle, and assume ownership of the Sheerness Line, which branches out from Sittingbourne to serve the Isle of Sheppy.

From that point on, the line was cemented in its importance, and things only got better with the Southern Railway’s radical electrification schemes. Vast improvements to stations and the fitting of third rail transformed the line throughout the earlier decades of the 20th Century, with fully electric services reaching Dover and Ramsgate by 1959. In more recent times, the East Kent re-signalling project has vastly improved the movement of trains, with most of the line’s signalling being managed in a central hub at Gillingham. Stations have also been upgraded, or rebuilt entirely, to support 12-car trains between the Kent Coast, Medway and the Capital.

Today, services are largely operated by Southeastern, stopping and semi-fast trains run regularly between London, Ramsgate and Dover, with high-speed services also running between Strood, Faversham and Ramsgate. Thameslink also make an appearance, running services along the Catford Loop towards Swanley, and from North Kent into Medway, terminating in Rainham’s new Platform 0.

In 2016, the original Chatham Main Line released for Train Simulator between London Victoria and Rainham, including the Catford Loop and Orpington, and this was supplemented with the Medway Valley Line extension in 2018. But now, you can finally experience the full Chatham Main Line in its entirety from London Victoria to Ramsgate and Dover via Faversham! The Sheerness Branch is also included, as is London Blackfriars, totalling over 130 miles of South East metals to explore. Also featuring are a plethora of Southeastern EMUs, including an all-new BR Class 465/9 for long-distance Networker action!

Included Scenarios

A selection of engaging Career and Railfan Mode scenarios are included:

• 01. [465/9] 1S49 1700 Faversham to Dover Priory
• 02. [395] 1F52 1755 St Pancras International to Ramsgate
• 03. [465/9] 1F93 0622 Ashford International to London Blackfriars
• 04. (375/3] (Part 1) 1P17 0746 Dover Priory to Faversham
• 05. [375/6] (Part 2) 1P18 0744 Ramsgate to London Victoria
• 06. [375/6] (Part 3) 1P18 0744 Ramsgate to London Victoria
• 07. [465/9] 1S19 0934 Rainham (Kent) - Ramsgate
• 08. [375/8] 2U19 0747 Dover Priory to Faversham (Engineering Works)
• 09. [395] 1J84 1802 Ramsgate to Margate
• 10. [377/1] 5Z72 1102 London Victoria to Faversham
• [Railfan] Dover Priory
• [Railfan] Margate
• [Railfan] Faversham

Key Features

• Over 130 miles of London and Kent rails, including:
• Chatham Main Line - London Victoria to Dover Priory and Ramsgate via Faversham
• Catford Loop between Brixton and Shortlands via Denmark Hill
• Herne Hill & Denmark Hill to London Blackfriars via Elephant & Castle
• Chislehurst & Bickley to Orpington
• North Kent Line - Gravesend to Strood
• Sheerness Branch - Sittingbourne to Sheerness on Sea
• Beckenham Junction to Catford Bridge
• Over 60 detailed stations, and numerous key locations & landmarks
• Brand new BR Class 465/9 in Southeastern Blue Stripe & Grey Stripe liveries
• BR Class 465/0 and 465/1 in Southeastern Blue Stripe & Grey Stripe liveries
• BR Class 395 in Southeastern Highspeed original & 10th Anniversary liveries
• BR Class 375/3, 375/6, 375/7, 375/8 and 375/9 in the following Southeastern liveries:
• Grey Stripe with Yellow Doors
• No Stripe with Yellow Doors
• No Stripe with Blue Doors
• Blue Stripe with Blue Doors
• Gold Stripe with Royal Blue Doors
• Dark Blue
• Includes multiple named variants
• BR Class 377/1 in Southern livery (with Southern and Southeastern Logos)
• BR Class 377/5 in Southeastern livery
• 7 Career and 3 Railfan Mode scenarios
• Quick Drive compatible