A trip with the NMT!

Just a "small" update showing some progress on Cresston V4. I have also added a nice storyline to try and make it interesting. :)

Awaiting the road south, the NMT sits at Crickfield as a GNER service arrives ECS from the main traincare depot. The East Coast operator only provides one service in each direction per day from this station.

Departing Crickfield, a rather large city with a population of around 400,000. As you can see, traffic can get quite busy on a morning!

With the outer suburbs of Crickfield starting to thin out a little, the driver opens up.

Passing Falmore, the first station en route. Only a one track platform situated off the main line, the Falmore layout forms part of a junction that serves the picturesque Hillerby line to the west. As well as the hourly passenger service, up until recently, this line used to provide regular Limestone workings.

Disappearing under the bridge, the Hillerby line can be seen diverging to the right.

With the station living up the "quiet" tag, the signal sets the road ahead at Pelton Wood, a small market town.

Now into the open countryside, the NMT passes the little used Network Rail maintenance depot with the driver now slowing for the restriction placed on the curves just south of here.

Snaking around the forementioned curves. This section is bound by a 50mph limit. In fact, the whole section between Crickfield and Welham is not especially fast with a maximum linespeed of 75mph.

Now entering the outskirts of Welham, the NMT passes various small industrial estates as it slows for the tight curve into Wexford Road.

Passing the now infamous "Richard Head Used Cars", the driver keeps the train at a steady 35mph.

Coasting through Wexford Road. This station has been earmarked for closure for many years due to it's close proximity to the mainline station at Welham but so far, pressure from local residents has managed to allow it to remain open. In fact, things are now looking up as Crosscountry now serve the station twice daily in either direction.

Looking from the north reception sidings, the train emerges from the branch alongside the main line.

Slowing for a signal check, the sidings can be seen in the background. Very rarely served these days, only the occasional timber or steel working uses them for run around purposes before heading south.

Now given the road, we see that the service has been allocated platform 1 where there will be a wait for mainline traffic.

Snaking its way across from the branch into platform 1, the driver applies the brakes in anticipation of the stop. Historically a place that has given headaches to the Network Rail planners, the single stretch and 15mph crossover from the branch means that any potential late running services can cause severe knock on effects to the rest of the timetable.