Hi Scooter, thanks for the info re Rail 3d, I've had a look, but before I download anything, can you tell me if it will enable me to 'plan' a layout and print off a trackplan?
Thank you,
Doug
Thank you,
Doug
Train simulators
I was wondering if anyone else had any experience of using any of the multitude of available simulators and such like.
I have got microsoft train simulator and various UK add ons as well some are good and some not so.
The original simulator is a good one and has stood the test of time well with a few tweaks here and there and a couple of additional locos thrown in on newer editions. The Microsoft website also has some downloads to enhance it further and there are numerous independent add ons some good, some not so good there is also a thriving online download market and a lot of forums as well.
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Among the add ons i have is the London and South East one which I thought was excellent at first until I found that the whole package is messy with various loco's appearing in the list not being available incorrectly labelled consists also incorrectly labelled. I went on their website and downloaded some updates designed to improve this but which made it worse to the point where error messages flash up saying the program can't find loco's and consists. Despite trying to fix this issue several times and contacting their technical bods the problem persisted and in the end i uninstalled and reinstalled not only the add on but the whole simulator which is very time consuming.The only real plus side is the free months subscription to UK train sim and its download library.
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I have various preserved railway lines including the KWVR line which also includes the now defunct former Great Northern line from Keighley to Queensbury plus a good selection of loco's.
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The West Somerset railway add on which has a superb line with a lot of thought paid to the scenery but very few loco's. The line is also very long as well which is nice if you are actually travelling it in real life but very long winded on a simulator.
The severn Valley railway add on which i so far haven't installed but from the reviews has a good selection of steam traction.
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I have a couple of loco add on packs too to complement it all but if I were to install everything at once it would probably wipe out the spare memory on my PC.
Hornby Virtual Railway
I bought the first one and found it useful if a little frustrating at times despite its limitations it was good to work out whether a layout would work when finished without having to lay any track.
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Virtual Railway2
I gave up on this as i couldn't get the hang of laying the flexi track in anything like a reasonable position.
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Trainz railway simulator
Installed it, ran it for 5 minutes uninstalled it. Neither train set nor real world but nowhere in between I don't know or care if the newer versions are any better the original was pants so thats enough to put me off.
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If anyone has any additional comments or used any of these or other products please do tell.
![]()
I have got microsoft train simulator and various UK add ons as well some are good and some not so.
The original simulator is a good one and has stood the test of time well with a few tweaks here and there and a couple of additional locos thrown in on newer editions. The Microsoft website also has some downloads to enhance it further and there are numerous independent add ons some good, some not so good there is also a thriving online download market and a lot of forums as well.
Among the add ons i have is the London and South East one which I thought was excellent at first until I found that the whole package is messy with various loco's appearing in the list not being available incorrectly labelled consists also incorrectly labelled. I went on their website and downloaded some updates designed to improve this but which made it worse to the point where error messages flash up saying the program can't find loco's and consists. Despite trying to fix this issue several times and contacting their technical bods the problem persisted and in the end i uninstalled and reinstalled not only the add on but the whole simulator which is very time consuming.The only real plus side is the free months subscription to UK train sim and its download library.
I have various preserved railway lines including the KWVR line which also includes the now defunct former Great Northern line from Keighley to Queensbury plus a good selection of loco's.
The West Somerset railway add on which has a superb line with a lot of thought paid to the scenery but very few loco's. The line is also very long as well which is nice if you are actually travelling it in real life but very long winded on a simulator.
The severn Valley railway add on which i so far haven't installed but from the reviews has a good selection of steam traction.
I have a couple of loco add on packs too to complement it all but if I were to install everything at once it would probably wipe out the spare memory on my PC.
Hornby Virtual Railway
I bought the first one and found it useful if a little frustrating at times despite its limitations it was good to work out whether a layout would work when finished without having to lay any track.
Virtual Railway2
I gave up on this as i couldn't get the hang of laying the flexi track in anything like a reasonable position.
Trainz railway simulator
Installed it, ran it for 5 minutes uninstalled it. Neither train set nor real world but nowhere in between I don't know or care if the newer versions are any better the original was pants so thats enough to put me off.
If anyone has any additional comments or used any of these or other products please do tell.
8
