Brighton, now a famed seaside resort, had its main railway station built between 1839 and 1840 in preparation for the arrival of the new London and Brighton railway. Its expansive twin-shed roof houses a number of platforms, and marks the gateway for many as the start of a summer holiday. With the opening of the full line down to Brighton, it became the first seaside town to be served by rail.

As popularity grew, so did the desire to extend railway lines along the south coast. The Brighton Lewes and Hastings Railway was established in 1844 to build a line east out of Brighton station, with the first destination of Lewes being reached 2 years later. The most striking feature of the line was an impressive viaduct over the valley adjacent to Brighton, which still stands to this day and offers a spectacular view of the seaside town.

The railway was soon extended via Polegate, where a station and railway triangle was built to serve Eastbourne. A branch from the main line was also built and connected to Lewes so services from London could bypass reversing at Brighton. As all these changes were happening, stations such as Lewes and Eastbourne had to be rebuilt, re-sited and expanded until finally becoming as they are today.

Another branch would be built from just beyond Lewes and head down to Seaford. This branch was opened in 1864 and served the channel port of Newhaven, where ferries operate shuttle services to and from Dieppe, France. Newhaven is renowned amongst train enthusiasts for its Marine station, which spent years in disarray yet still received the occasional “ghost train” until it was officially closed to be turned into an aggregate siding.

Train Sim World: East Coastway will represent the line between Brighton and Eastbourne via Lewes, as well as the Seaford Branch via Newhaven, delivering a diverse array of timetabled services which are led by the backbone of the Southern fleet, the BR Class 377/4.

Train Sim World: East Coastway is arriving on December 12th for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Windows PC!