Trainz Review

It's a strange, postmodern world. First, there were railroads. Then there were model railroads that simulated them. Now with Trainz, we have a simulation of a simulation. Trainz actually models model railroading. As odd as that may sound at first, it really makes good sense. As any model railroader will tell you, some of the biggest challenges of the hobby are finding the time, money, and space to build a big model railroad layout. Unlike creating model cars or planes, model railroading usually entails building big, minutely detailed, fully functioning models. With Trainz, you can create the virtual model railroad of your dreams, easily expressing your creativity and indulging your imagination.

It's fun and easy to build your own model railroad using Trainz.

Trainz is a modular system that ships with three components: My Collection, Surveyor, and Driver. These modules let you examine your collected engines and rolling stock (railroad cars), create railroad layouts, and drive trains across them. Trainz developer Auran (the Australian developer responsible for the great 1997 real-time strategy game Dark Reign) plans to release expansion modules that will let you simulate complex switching and dispatching operations or handle the financial end of running your railroad. Auran also plans to release various locomotive and rolling stock packs to add to your collection. You can already download a number of free engines and structures created by either Auran or fans using 3D modeling programs, one of which is included with Trainz.

Regardless of what Auran might deliver in the future, the core Trainz package offers loads of features that will have any rail fan or model railroader really excited. The My Collection module lets you view all your engines and rolling stock, and the game ships with dozens of them. You can sort them by country of origin or railroad company, as well as view real-world background information on each engine or car. For rolling stock, you'll get boxcars, refrigerator cars, hoppers, a variety of passenger cars, and more. Engines include the F7 and SD40-2 diesels of North America, the Class 340 of Spain's Renfe line, and Sweden's Rc4 electric, among others. Sadly, you don't get any steam engines, which will surely disappoint the countless rail fans who love the "golden age of steam."

There's a wide variety of authentic train types available.

When you're done admiring your collection, you can head out onto the rails in the Driver module. First, you'll assemble your train by simply dragging and dropping engines and cars from a list to a little window at the bottom of the screen in the order you like. Then you choose the weather (cloudy, rainy, snowy, and so on) and how often it can change. You can also set the time of day and choose a time compression factor, if any. You can also decide whether or not trains can derail. Then you choose starting positions for your trains from a number of preset locations on the game's three sample layouts set in North America, Britain, and Australia. All the layouts are interesting, but it would have been better if the game had included more.

When you're ready to go, you can drive your trains using a model-railroad-style DCC controller with a knob to control direction and speed, or you can use realistic engine controls and physics, more like a simulator. Navigating the layouts is fairly trouble-free thanks to a track map and easily changed track switches. Coupling and uncoupling cars is a simple point-and-click affair, but since the game doesn't offer any scenarios, you'll have to rely wholly on your imagination in planning your operations.