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Missing information This article is a stub, which contains incomplete information that may not be accurate for the following reason: Class 91 diagrams missing. You can help the SCR Wiki by adding more information. |
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Missing information This article is a stub, which contains incomplete information that may not be accurate for the following reason: Class 91 diagrams missing. You can help the SCR Wiki by adding more information. |
Stepford Express, or simply known as Express, is a high-speed rail operator in Stepford County Railway. It runs rail services to various districts around Stepford County, such as Stepford Central, Benton, Leighton, Morganstown, Newry, Westwyvern, Rayleigh Bay and Llyn-by-the-Sea.
Stepford Express is classified as a Category III high-speed rail operator by International Union of Railways (UIC) definition.[1] Rolling stock is specially designed for high-speed operation, capable of reaching the maximum line speed of 125 miles per hour. The majority of the network also uses dedicated or specially upgraded tracks suitable for running at 125 miles per hour, although some sections (such as the Newry Branch or Rayleigh Bay Branch) have lower maximum speeds, in part due to geographical constraints and its urban nature.
A full journey on the Main line, from Stepford Central via Benton to Llyn-by-the-Sea takes between 21 and 23 minutes. If taking the route via Morganstown, the route takes 20 minutes on stopper routes, while the fastest route, only stopping at Leighton City, takes 17 minutes for the journey.
Prior to Version 1.7, this operator was previously just Express and bore a purple (#6B1E6B) colour scheme. Currently, it bears both rose pink (#FF0080) and dark purple (#1F1B36) for its colour scheme, primarily using the Rajdhani Regular[2] font. The old logo was set in a modified Franklin Gothic typeface.
History
2018
- 7 January
- First traces of Express could be seen, where a new express line was built. The works included new Platforms 5A, 5B, 5C, 6A and 6B at Benton, passing tracks through Coxly and Bodin, and Platforms 1 & 2 at the pre-V1.1 Stepford East abandoned, later removed to make way for the passing line. The platforms were shifted. St Helens Bridge had signs for "Stepford Express", Stepford Connect was rerouted via Angel Pass due to the cancellation of Metro and the old line that bypassed Angel Pass was allocated for Express. Works also happened east of Benton, where a linking line from Benton to the fast lines near Hampton Hargate was built.
- 22 December
2019
- 11 May
- BanTech unveiled the roadmap. Under Q3 of 2019, it mentioned the Express line, which got people hyped because they would be getting Express over the summer.
- 22 September
- BanTech announced that the Stepford Connect extension to Llyn-by-the-Sea, as well as the Express line, was delayed.
- 29 September
- Mattyx2013 showed off Faymere and commented "This station will be served by Stepford Connect but is a cool place to watch Express trains pass at speed!".
- 5 October
- Managing Director Charlie_RBX revealed Northshore station and commented "Fancy a wander on the beach? Stepford Connect and Express can help you out with that! Introducing Northshore". This confirmed to the public that Express was skipping Faymere yet stopping at Northshore.
- 18 October
- Mattyx2013 showed Llyn-by-the-Sea and a Class 43 for Express, which got the public hyped up again and confirmed Express was stopping at Llyn.
- 25 November
- BanTech showed a picture of the Class 43 at Stepford Central.
- 17 December - Version 1.4
2020
- 22 February - Version 1.4.1
- Faymere Green TMD was added and Westwyvern was upgraded having Stepford Express signs instead of Stepford Connect, making it the first station to have Stepford Express signage.
- 18 March - Version 1.4.4
- Stepford Central received its second upgrade of the year, making it look very modern.
- 26 March
- An unconfirmed train was revealed, but the community quickly identified it as a Bombardier Voyager train and it was believed to be in use on Stepford Express.
- 28 March
- A photo of three Bombardier Voyager trains at Stepford Central was revealed. It was confirmed that two of them were Class 221s and one of them was a Class 220 on X (formerly Twitter).
- 15 April - Version 1.4.6
- Both of these trains were released, with 1 new route also being added.
- 3 October
- A sneak peek was released on the SCR Official Discord server of a small snippet of the map presumably for V1.7. At a quick glance, it looks like Express will be rebranded and going via Morganstown starting in that update and Morganstown will become the first station to serve all 4 operators in the game.
The sneak peek posted by tpx_jm.
- 10 October
- Head of Brand Design tpx_jm released a sneak peek of the new express livery of the rebranded Express logo.
- 28 October
- Managing Director Charlie_RBX posted a sneak peek of the upgraded Class 801 in the new Stepford Express livery.
- 29 October - Version 1.7
2021
- 19 February - Version 1.7.2
2022
- 27 February Version 1.8.3
- 1 April
- A photo was released, showcasing an HST stopping at Newry Harbour. Despite players thinking it was just a joke, as the photo was released on April Fools, Stepford Express began serving Newry Harbour in V1.9.
- 12 May
- A sneak peek showed a Voyager and a HST at a Waterline station (presumed to be Newry), leading players to believe that Stepford Express will receive an extension over the Newry Branch (which is highly speculated to receive a full overhaul) in the near future.
- 15 May - Version 1.9
- The operator was extended to Newry Harbour, Newry and Eden Quay, adding 4 new routes (R083, R084, R085, R086). Additionally, Stepford Express began calling at Westercoast via R083. All services heading to Newry Harbour, Newry, and Benton use the Morganstown Flyover between Morganstown and Morganstown Docks. This update also brought Stepford Express a new map.
- 1 September
- A new map was released, having been delayed and supposed to release in V1.10.
2023
- 2 April - Version 1.10.7
- St Helens Bridge was revamped.
- 17 July - Version 1.10.8
- 31 August - Version 1.10.9
- Class 397 was introduced.
2024
- 1 April - Version 1.10.13x
- Quadruple Class 143 was added as an April Fools update.
- 3 April - Version 1.10.13
- The quadruple Class 143 was removed from Stepford Express, ending the 2024 April Fools Update.
- 12 August - Version 2.0
- Class 800, diesel-exclusive lines and R087 which runs to Rayleigh Bay were introduced.
- 12 September - Version 2.0.1
- 16 December
- A sneak peek with two Class 390s at Leighton Stepford Road was released.
- 24 December - Version 2.1
2025
- 1 May - Version 2.1.5
- Class 180, in 5- and 10-car consists was added, along with a special 100 Million Visits livery.
- 11 May - Version 2.2
- Longer variants of the Class 43 were added, including the 7-car variant, 8-car buffer variant and the 9-car variant, only accessible via the Longer Trains gamepass.
2026
- 10 January - Version 2.3
- Class 91, in 7- and 9-car consists was added, this train is only accessible via the Longer Trains gamepass, the onboard announcer was changed, R082 and R083 now stop at Hampton Hargate instead of Morganstown and R088 now additionally stops here.
Rolling Stock
Current
| Class | Image | Variant | Coaches | Cost | Put in service | Max speed (mph) | Manufacturer | Family | Routes operated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Locomotive hauled stock | |||||||||
| Class 43 |  Class 43  Class 43 (buffer) |
4-car | 1+4+1 | 3,000 pts | 17 December 2019 (V1.4) |
125 | BREL | InterCity 125 | All routes except R086 |
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| 4-car (buffer) | 1+4+1 | 4-car + 800 pts | 19 February 2021 (V1.7.2) | ||||||
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| 5-car | 1+5+1 | 4-car + 800 pts | |||||||
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| 7-car | 1+7+1 | 4-car + Gamepass | 11 May 2025 (V2.2) | ||||||
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| 8-car (buffer) | 1+8+1 | 4-car (buffer) + Gamepass | All routes except R085 & R086 | ||||||
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| 9-car | 1+9+1 | 4-car + Gamepass | |||||||
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| Class 91 | 
|
7-car | 1+7+1 |  1,000 (Gamepass)
|
10 January 2026 (V2.3) |
125 | BREL | InterCity 225 | All routes except R083 – R087 |
| TBA | |||||||||
| 9-car | 1+9+1 | 1,000 (Gamepass)
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| TBA | |||||||||
| Diesel multiple units | |||||||||
| Class 180 | 
|
/0 | 5 | 2,250 pts | 1 May 2025 (V2.1.5) |
125 | Alstom | Coradia 1000 | All routes except R086 |
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| /0 (Double) | 5+5 | /0 + Gamepass | All routes except R085 & R086 | ||||||
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/1 (100M) | 5 | Included with /0 | All routes except R086 | |||||
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| /1 (100M, Double) | 5+5 | /0 + Gamepass | All routes except R085 & R086 | ||||||
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| /0 + /1 (100M) | 5+5 | /0 + Gamepass | |||||||
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| Class 220 | 
|
Standard | 4 | 2,250 pts | 15 April 2020 (V1.4.6) |
125 | Bombardier | Voyager | All routes |
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| Double | 4+4 | Standard + Gamepass | 24 December 2024 (V2.1) |
All routes except R086 | |||||
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| Class 221 | 
|
Standard | 5 | Included with Class 220 | 15 April 2020 (V1.4.6) |
125 | All routes | ||
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| Double | 5+5 | Standard + Gamepass | 24 December 2024 (V2.1) |
All routes except R085 & R086 | |||||
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| Electric multiple units | |||||||||
| Class 390 | 
|
/0 | 9 | 1,000 (Gamepass)
|
24 December 2024 (V2.1) |
125 | Alstom | Pendolino | All routes except R083 – R087 |
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| /1 | 11 | 1,000 (Gamepass)
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| Class 397 | 
|
/0 | 5 | 2,250 pts | 31 August 2023 (V1.10.9) |
125 | CAF | Civity | |
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| /0 (Double) | 5+5 | /0 + Gamepass | 24 December 2024 (V2.1) | ||||||
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| Class 800 | 
|
/1 | 9 | Class 801 + Gamepass | 125 | Hitachi | A-train | All routes except R086 | |
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| /2 | 5 | Included with Class 801 | 12 August 2024 (V2.0) |
All routes | |||||
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| /2 (Double) | 5+5 | Class 801 + Gamepass | 24 December 2024 (V2.1) |
All routes except R085 & R086 | |||||
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| Class 801 | 
|
/1 | 5 | 2,250 pts | 17 December 2019 (V1.4) |
125 | All routes except R083 – R087 | ||
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| /1 (Double) | 5+5 | /1 + Gamepass | 24 December 2024 (V2.1) | ||||||
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| /2 | 9 | /1 + Gamepass | |||||||
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Former
| Class | Image | Variant | Coaches | Cost | In service | Max speed (mph) | Manufacturer | Family | Routes operated at that time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Class 143 | 
|
/1 (Quadruple) | 2+2+2+2 | Free | 1 April 2024 (V1.10.13x) – 4 April 2024 (V1.10.13)[3] | 75 | Hunslet-Barclay and Walter Alexander | Pacer | All routes except R086 |
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Future
- None at the moment
Depots
Current
- Trinity Way TMD
- Meriden Grove TMD
- Harbour City TMD
- Winstree Lane TMD
- Faymere Green TMD (NB & SB)
- Laira TMD
Former
- None at the moment.
Future
- None at the moment.
Sidings
Current
Former
- None at the moment.
Future
- None at the moment.
Stations
The map below is interactive: click the stations to see the pages.
Current
- Stepford Central (♿︎)
- St Helens Bridge (♿︎)
- Newry Harbour (♿︎)
- Newry (♿︎)
- Eden Quay (♿︎)
- Benton (♿︎)
- Elsemere Junction (♿︎)
- Morganstown (♿︎)
- Hampton Hargate (♿︎)
- Leighton Stepford Road (♿︎)
- Leighton City (♿︎)
- Rayleigh Bay (♿︎)
- Edgemead (♿︎)
- Westercoast (♿︎)
- Westwyvern (♿︎)
- Northshore (♿︎)
- Llyn-by-the-Sea (♿︎)
Former
- None at the moment.
Future
- None at the moment
Routes
Unofficial map of Stepford Express routes as of Version 2.3
Note: Here you can find the explanations for station codes.
| Origin | Route | Destination | Intermediate stations | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Llyn via Benton | |||||
| Stepford Central | R077 | Llyn-by-the-Sea | SHB, BEN, LSR, LTC, EDG, WYV & NSE. | ||
| R078 | BEN, LSR, LTC & WYV. | ||||
| R088 | SHB, BEN, HHG, LSR, LTC, EDG & WST. | ||||
| Llyn via Morganstown | |||||
| Stepford Central | R080 | Llyn-by-the-Sea | SHB, MGT, LSR, LTC, WYV & NSE. | ||
| R081 | LTC. | ||||
| Benton Express | |||||
| Stepford Central | R075 | Benton | — | ||
| R079 | SHB. | ||||
| Benton | R085 | Llyn-by-the-Sea | MGT, LSR, LTC & NSE. | ||
| Newry Express | |||||
| Newry | R083 | Llyn-by-the-Sea | BEN, HHG, LSR, LTC, WST & NSE. | ||
| Newry Harbour | R084 | NRY, BEN, LSR, LTC & WYV. | |||
| Newry Shuttle | |||||
| Newry | R086 | Leighton City | EDQ, BEN & LSR. | ||
| Leighton Express | |||||
| Stepford Central | R076 | Leighton City | SHB, BEN & LSR. | ||
| Westwyvern Express | |||||
| Stepford Central | R082 | Westwyvern | EMJ, HHG, LSR, LTC & EDG. | ||
| Rayleigh Express | |||||
| Rayleigh Bay | R087 | Llyn-by-the-Sea | EDG, WYV & NSE. | ||
Criticism
- The release of Stepford Express has been criticised by some players for being "rushed". Originally there were only 2 trains available: the Class 43 which was very blocky and under-detailed and the Class 801 which uses the same model copy-and-pasted over from AirLink's Class 802.
- The livery was also criticised for not seeming to make any sense and being different on each train, with an LNER-style purple line along the side of the Class 801 while a fading angled edge was used on the Class 43, with a completely different style used on the Class 220 and Class 221.
- However, these points diminished starting with the Version 1.7 update, as the network expanded and liveries and models were updated to increased standards.
- The extension of Stepford Express to the Newry Branch, and especially the stop at Eden Quay of R086, was strongly criticised. Many players believed the operator did not fit in the area and also criticised the track sharing between Waterline and Stepford Express. This criticism also applied to the extension to the Rayleigh Bay Branch in Version 2.0.
- Prior to Version 2.0, it was also criticised that the Class 397 and Class 801 were allowed to run on the Newry branch despite Morganstown Flyover not being electrified. Similarly, some players criticise that heavy trains should also not be allowed on the Morganstown Flyover.
- The launch of the Longer Trains gamepass sparked significant controversy. Numerous players expressed their dissatisfaction on the SCR Official Discord server, citing the high cost as a major concern. A cost of 1,000is prohibitive for the majority of players. Significant disputes occurred in the #general channel, leading to the introduction of slow modes lasting between 2 and 10 minutes.
- Some players criticised that the Class 220/Class 221 took too long to be upgraded to mesh.
- Players have also criticised the new announcer added in Version 2.3, as it doesn't fit the express nature.
Trivia
- The first showcase of Stepford Express was in Starryloch's original sneak peek, where a fragment of a purple-coloured train was shown.
- However, the operator was not officially revealed until the sneak peek of Llyn-by-the-Sea, which included a view of the Class 43.
- All stations served by Stepford Express are also served by other operators, making Stepford Express the only operator to not have any uniquely served stations.
- This is the only operator in SCR where all regularly available trains share the same maximum speed of 125 MPH.
- The colour of this franchise was planned to be orange, but it received a dark magenta colour scheme upon release. Nowadays, AirLink uses an orange branding instead.
- There are platforms for Stepford Express at Millcastle Racecourse and Millcastle. However, no services call at either station.
- Prior to Version 1.7, Stepford Express did not have any routes splitting off in different branches.
- Being rebranded in Version 1.7, this was the last operator to get a rebrand.
- This is the only operator to have all its routes named instead of simply using the terminating stations, allowing for differentiation of different stopping patterns.
- Until Version 1.8, Elsemere Junction was not shown on Stepford Express' spawn page as a passenger.
- This is the first operator that does not serve Stepford Airport, with Metro being the second one.
- Prior to V1.7.2, Stepford Express had no headquarters. After V1.7.2, it got its own headquarters, at Llyn-by-the-Sea, as part of the latter's upgrade.
- This is the only operator to not have any depots/sidings exclusive to it.
- With the cheapest train being priced at 2,250 points, Stepford Express is the most expensive operator to unlock.
- Most routes of this operator that go onto the Newry branch do not have Faraday Road TMD as an available spawning point. The only exception to this is R086.
- In V2.1, the Stepford Express map was not updated to show the added R088.
- Stepford Express is one of two operators that does not have any trains withdrawn from real life, the other being Metro.
- This is the only operator whose entire rolling stock produces sound while idling.
- This is the only operator whose entire rolling stock has at least one other variant.
- It is also the only operator whose entire rolling stock has variants that require Longer Trains gamepass.
- All Stepford Express trains carry the logo on the front of the train.
- Stepford Express never had any Previous Generation as all trains were Next Generation from the start.
Gallery
References
- ↑ Pyrgidis, Christos N. (21 April 2016). Railway Transportation Systems: Design, Construction and Operation. CRC Press. ISBN 978-1-4822-6216-2. Retrieved 4 December 2023.
- ↑ Euphrase [u/Euphrase] (6 March 2025). r/stepfordcountyrailway, "I couldn't find some SCR fonts online, so I spent like 10 minutes searching for them. Here they are if you need them:". (Reddit). Retrieved 6 March 2025 via Reddit.
- ↑ Train was for April Fools' 2024 only.
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