MSTrain Sim and Trainz question

If you'd like to get some really rounded discussion, go to:

See the following issues of Model Railroading for reviews:

MRG 10/2002 p.18 Auran Trainz Computer Program MRG 8/2001 p.48 Computer Applications: Microsoft Train Simulator

Well, I have both, so here's my "two cents worth"...

Trainz is more for a model railroader, while Train Sim is geared more towards realistic train operation.

Trainz is a lot easier to make a "layout" (I haven't even figured out how to do this with Train Sim).

My biggest complaint against Trainz is their Paint Shed...

1) The shells for rolling stock/engines are too non-American 2) There are no "shells" for buildings 3) You can't repaint someone else's custom content. [Final note: I got Train Sim first, and after getting Trainz, Train Sim has hardly been used]

Chris Curren

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"Chris Curren"

You can design fairly realistic real railroads too. And you can have other trains running on "AI" and running by signal indication. You can also make yards, and freight sidings, and pick up and drop off cars if you like.

Definitely. That's the main thing I like about Trainz is the ease of making your own layouts.

This probably has to do with the company that makes Trainz being located in Austrailia :)

You can on the older versions. Assuming the creator set up the car or engine to be repainted anyway (some can, some can't) I don't think the current version of TRS2004 allows this though. It has something to do with the way the actual files are coded (the mesh file).

Once you get your copy of Trainz and have it registered on the Auran website, yuo have access to thousands of downloads, everything from buildings to cars, engines, signals, track, other objects, etc.

Me too :)

From the glowing reports I'd read about Trainz I thought it would be pretty good too, but I can neither persuade my copy to run nor to tell me why it won't. If other people weren't obviously happy with theirs, I'd say it was a blatant rip-off.

In fairness Auran provided me with another copy, but that doesn't work any better, and I've just given up on it; I've plenty of other things to do without wasting any more time (or money) on this.

John M Hughes West and Wales Web at

I had both Trainz and MSTS.

Both dull as ditchwater, since uninstalled and given away.

-- Cheers Roger T.

of the Great Eastern Railway

That is interesting. I have run Trainz, et al on 3 different machines with OS from W98 to ME to XP and Xp Pro. Nary a problem. Perhaps it's a quirky install of your OS?

Regardless, I agree, nothing is worth losing sleep or much money over unless you wish it to be worthwhile. Best wishes!

Clif

Ditto. Hardly run em anymore.

"Chris Curren"

''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' Me, too!

Brad,

Trainz 2004 is out the past few weeks now, as well. It's neat to be able to watch your cars being loaded and unloaded. You can write up what they call Work Orders which tell you what industries need what type commodity and how much. I believe there is also a dispatcher function, as well as passengers loading and unloading at the station, but I haven't gotten into it that much, yet...But I will!

I've pretty much let MSTS go by the wayside, too. Good program as well, but as Chris noted, it seems to be better suited to railfans. I'm more of a model RR and ops guy than a railfan. YMMV.

Happy Holidays!

Paul - "The CB&Q Guy" (Happily modeling 1969 in HO)