Way OT: Trains

[Pepere]

What's the best train sim? I have Tranz 2006 but not running it now.

David

[IanP]

There isn't really a "best" one, because they all do different things...

MSTS is still the most popular and best supported, but looks (very) dated.
Trainz is great if you want to run multiple or very long trains, but is basically a model railway sim.
Rail Simulator is still available, a bit buggy, but looks better than MSTS
Railworks is Rail Sim 2, a little less buggy, add-ons can be a bit expensive, but looks very good.

I'm running the latter, but it really does depend on what you want.

[Mithrin]

Yeah I'm playing Railworks as I think it's graphically the best one around. It can be fun and relaxing!

[Boomer]

I have most of them but give the nod to MSTS mainly because of the level of support & add ons. There are things I dont like about it but all around IMO it is the best.

Get it & join the VNERR. They are a great group & I was a member for many years before giving it up.

[runswithscissors]

Hi there, well I am learning trains and have a copy of Railworks installed , and I must say it is very good.

I find it to be quite relaxing compared to flying Heli's.

Doug

[Gdavis101]

Railworks!

[Javis]

One train sim blatantly missing here, blatantly because, atleast at two points it's the best of them all : BVE !

Point #1. : it features train physics and sounds which will have you shove all your other trainsims on a side track for quite some time....

Point #2. : it's free !

Ok, you can't view your train from the ouside, it's typically a 'cab view' trainsim. And the scenery doesn't look half as nice as with MSTS or Railsim/Railworks.

I'm not going to 'highly recommend' BVE for you to try because the physics and sounds will certainly make you enjoy your other train sims a LOT LESS once you have experienced them...... *IF* , by any chance, a new train sim will arrive at the shelves, something like MSTS2 might've been supposed to be, and it doesn't feature the train physics and sounds of BVE, personally i won't even think about buying it...

Mister Mackoy's brainchild shows what a train simulator atleast should *feel* and *sound* like. These two extremely important parts of any sim are still very much underrated in any of todays other train sims.

Well, all imho of course.

http://www.railserve.com/Computers/BVE/

( if you DO want to try it despite my 'warning' , watch out with downloading tracks, trains. There have been a LOT of versions, currently 4.2, and not all of them work with this latest version )


Cheers,
Jan

[Pepere]

Is Railworks as easy to build you own rail systems as Trainz?

David

[runswithscissors]

I am still at the bottom of the learning trail, but from what I have read it is the more complicated than building with Trainz.

Doug

[IanP]

Again, it's different than Trainz. MSTS, RS and RW all use a similar system for building scenery, which to be honest is a bit of an @&$£ and I can see why most routes come to nothing. I tried building a goods yard once in MSTS and without using XTracks (an add-on which provides more track options including a lot less restrictive pointwork/switchwork) it simply wasn't possible. I haven't tried for RS or RW, I'll be honest, I've just left it for those that want to.

I used to use BVE with a Birmingham Cross City add-on many moons ago. I went back to look at it earlier this year and although it had come on, it's still very limited, with very limited support. I wouldn't compare it to the others, because it's not really in the same range as the commercial packages.

It's a bit like comparing Flightgear (BVE) with X-Plane (Trainz) and FS9/X (RW). All have their fans for various reasons, but the only way you decide which one your favourite is is by trying all three.

[Wild Bill Kelso]

What's the best train sim?

To be honest:
Nothing comes close to the real thing!

That's me some years ago, marshalling a steamer that came to visit my club:

[Henry]

I have always been a train nut as well as a mossie lover
both my Grand fathers worked on
the LNER i actually have a LNER clock on my wall
dated 1916.
I did get railworks
but there is not much for East Anglia
and i find it hard to do any new lines myself
i did try other demos
but railworks is the best in my opinion
H

[IanP]

Have you checked out UKTrainSim, Henry? I don't know if there is anything for East Anglia (whose drawing numberinng system is impenetrable and downright stupid) there, but if it is anywhere...?

Rail Simulator files will also work with Railworks apparently, but how well I can't say. I've not tried it.

[Javis]

I wouldn't compare it to the others, because it's not really in the same range as the commercial packages.

That sure is true in a sense that *all* commercial packages emphasize on eyecandy where BVE is build around real train physics and sound. Mind you, i LOVE eyecandy ( doesn't make you fat for one thing ) that's why i got most of the commercial train sim packages, but if you want to 'get a feel' of what it's like to drive a train, BVE is on top of them all.

With all commercial train sims you get the feeling of your train being stuck to the track, as if it was a monorail train... Can't get any more unrealistic than that, if you ask me... Only the wheels/undercarriage of a real train are stuck to track, the train structure itself rocks and sways above it because of the spring suspension. And that's exactly what you experience with BVE.

Mackoy makes that happen by letting 'the outside world' rock and sway about, just like what we see with a flight simulator. Not with any of the commercial train sims outthere alas..... it's all 'monorail physics' with a ton of eyecandy to make up for that.

It's 'taking the easy way out' imho, seems like nobody is complaining apart from the odd BVE aficionado..

Ok, i'll jump off my soup kettle and get my goat..

cheers.
jan

[Bjoern]

To be honest:
Nothing comes close to the real thing!

That's me some years ago, marshalling a steamer that came to visit my club:

That engine and rolling stock looks familiar.

Similar configurations were quite a common sight in the GDR up until the late 70s. Technologically sad, but pure bliss for the rail fan.