I have just completed my new design for this new kit. Hope you all like comments welcome.

here is a bit of history

The British Rail Class 700 is an electric multiple unit passenger train from the Desiro City family built by Siemens Mobility. It is capable of operating on 25 kV 50 Hz AC from overhead wires or 750 V DC from third rail. 115 trainsets were built between 2014 and 2018, for use on the Thameslink network, as part of the Thameslink Programme in the United Kingdom. As of 2021, they are operated by Govia Thameslink Railway.

In 2011, the consortium Cross London Trains (XLT) consisting of Siemens Project Ventures, 3i Infrastructure, and Innisfree was announced as preferred bidder with Siemens Mobility to manufacture the trains. The decision was politically controversial as the trains were to be built in Germany, while the competing consortium led by Bombardier Transportation had a UK train factory. Both the procurement process and final close of contract were significantly delayed, resulting in the expected first delivery date moving from 2012 to 2016. The £1.6 billion contract to manufacture and provide service depots for the trains was finalised in June 2013. The first train was delivered in late July 2015.

A fleet of 60 eight-car and 55 twelve-car trains entered service between Spring 2016 and 2019. Having replaced Class 319s, 377s, and 387s, Class 700s are the only trains operated on the Thameslink network. Each train is able to reach 100 mph (160 km/h) and carry 1,146 passengers in an 8-car train, and 1,754 passengers in a 12-car train. Maintenance depots have been built at Hornsey and Three Bridges.

Introduction into service

The first train arrived in the UK by the end of July 2015, and was delivered to the Three Bridges depot. The first test run on the Brighton Main Line took place in December 2015.

The first train in service was unit 700108 forming the 1002 Brighton to London Bridge service on 20 June 2016. By 18 September 2017, Class 700s replaced all Class 319, 377, and 387 units previously in use on the network. All units were accepted by Thameslink by summer 2018, and by the end of 2019 all were in passenger service.

The Class 700 fleet, at 60 eight-car and 55 twelve-car units, is over double the size of the old Thameslink fleet. This increase has been used not only to enhance capacity, but also to expand the Thameslink network.

On 6 November 2017, Class 700s started on the Great Northern route with the first, 700128, operating the 0656 Peterborough to London Kings Cross service. The Great Northern route has since been partially incorporated in the Thameslink network after through services through the Canal Tunnels began on 26 February 2018. On this route, Class 700s replaced parts of the Class 365 fleet.

On 11 December 2017, Class 700s took over peak-time services from London Bridge to Littlehampton and weekday-only services from London Bridge to Horsham from Southern with the former starting from Bedford instead of London Bridge.

From 21 May 2018, Class 700s also entered service on the new Rainham to Luton service, having replaced the Southeastern Class 465s from Gillingham to London Charing Cross. The Class 465s are now being used to enhance capacity on other routes.

Class 700s are still due to enter service on a planned new service between Cambridge and Maidstone East but a date for this has not yet been confirmed.

This is my new train that i created for my tsw3

This blog was created by Simon Schofield

Last month, we asked James to give us an update on the Class 700, and he went ham on it. This time around, we have a release date for you, pricing information, sounds, and a teaser video sharing what you can expect.

James: “That’s right it’s me, back at it again with Class 700 news, and let’s kick things off with the most important update of the day, everyone’s favourite Desiro City is coming to Train Sim World 3 on July 11th!”

“The Thameslink BR Class 700/0 will be available on all platforms, for £12.99/ €15.99/ $16.99, and we will also have bundle options available to pick up the ultimate Kent High Speed experience!”

“As the countdown begins for more commuter action in the Medway Towns, I also have another little gift up my sleeve for you all, foster your foresight into the inner workings of the Class 700 with the manual! Be prepared for July 11th by familiarising yourself with the cab controls, procedures and included gameplay.”

Download the manual!

“To get a glimpse of the 700 in action, we will have a RailfanTV preview stream in 2 days’ time, July 6th at 1800 UTC, where Matt, JD and yours truly will showcase the all-new unit. If you just cannot wait that long though, never fear, as we also have a walkaround video which we can share with you today. See the Class 700 in action, including its dual-voltage capabilities”

“With the Class 700 releasing in a week’s time, the unit is essentially feature, physics and sounds complete – the Desiro City’s are certainly interesting to drive, much like the Class 395 the difference between AC and DC acceleration is noticeable, but what is a common factor throughout are the brakes. They, have, oomph; the fastest I’ve personally approached a station so far is close to 50mph, and I still made the stop! So while being daring is not a recommended driving practice, it’s certainly good fun to put the 700 through its paces in various conditions.”

“For the sounds, a mix of sources have been vital to our efforts, including files from the detailed Armstrong Powerhouse soundset. The distinctive DC traction motors are my favourite, with an extra twist compared to older UK Desiros, the motor phase sound change happens at 28mph rather than 20, which makes it a handy notifier for your speed approaching the limit through the dense Medway towns!”

“The Class 700 will complete the passenger experience on Southeastern Highspeed, bringing an additional 80+ services and a bumper-pack of 7 scenarios. Being a familiar sight to thousands every day, including many of us here at DTG, it’s been a labour of love – the seats might be a bit stiff, they might just be a way of getting from A to B, but they’re solid, effective, and plain old good fun!”

Thanks, James! We have some additional things worth mentioning, which we’ll discuss more on the preview stream on Thursday.

During the testing window, we’ve identified some difficulties with performance on certain consoles (specifically Xbox Series S) with all the new services being added to Southeastern High Speed. As a result, we will be providing a full timetable, and a smaller, less memory-demanding timetable, which will mainly remove some static stock and less-visible AI services.

Players will have the smaller timetable by default in Journey Mode, and the option to try the more memory-intensive timetable in the services menu!

And finally, by way of an update, we’ve not been able to put the Thameslink Stop Markers we mentioned in last month’s Roadmap into the launch release for the Class 700, but they are firmly in our sights for an update further down the line.

The Preview is at 18:00 UTC this Thursday (6th July), so set your alarms and join us!

This blog was created by Simon Schofield

I designed this yesterday on tsw3, which is a new route covering Manchester Piccadilly, via Glossop onwards to  Hadfield. Hadfield is the terminus. This also includes station new infrastructure, which adds to the Charming ambience. The travel experience takes in a metropolitan and rural backgrounds

This blog was made by simon schofield