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Train Sims.
What is a train sim?
Sim is shorthand for simulator or simulation, so we are talking here about a computer program that lets you drive a train!
It may surprise you to learn that there are a vast number of people in the world who are 'would be' train drivers. Train enthusiasts with an interest in computers have for many years been writing software to simulate train driving. As the power of computers has increased these attempts have become more realistic.
Microsoft released a Train Simulator to follow their very popular Flight Simulator but have since stopped any further development of it. We did not buy the software but have used a number of other programs.
One of our friends Keith is also very interested in train sims but unlike us who much prefer the modern railway layouts, he prefers the steam age. He visits many preserved steam railways and does a great deal of video and still photography. Have a look at his website here.
A few years ago we bought our first train sim which is called CabView Driver. Its author Ashley Greenup had the great idea to use video of a route shot from the train cab window showing what the driver sees. With the use of the computer keyboard keys you can control the running of the train. The impression of actually driving is helped with sound effects. In those early days we were very impressed with the program and bought further routes. Each route cost about £40. The main limitation to CabView Driver is the video which is inclined to jump as the frame speed varies as you slow down or stop at places where the original train on which the video was shot did not. Recently released for this sim is Doncaster to London Kings Cross which is the first route from Ashley using DVD. The DVD format gives a much smoother display and the future success of CabView Driver depends on more routes on DVD.
After CabView we bought TrainMaster from the USA at around £60. This sim relies on a graphical display of what the driver sees and looks good except for a lack of landscape details. Again there are sound effects and the locomotives handle in a very realistic manner. There are at least four routes built within the program. The lack of graphic detail on the landscape is a compromise because the more detail you have requires more computing speed and not everybody has a high speed computer with a good fast graphic card, although there are more every day. TrainMaster does not seem to be available now.
Soon after our purchase of TrainMaster we discovered BVE! This program written by a Japanese gentleman named Mr. Mackoy has created for the train sim enthusiast a piece of software that provides a very good train driving experience. The route scenery is created graphically which most computers of a reasonable speed can reproduce very well. Sound also helps enhance the sim. Many users think that BVE is better in many aspects than the Microsoft Train Sim. Best of all Mr Mackoy has made his software available FREE to anyone who wishes to download it from his site. It is important that you only download from Mr. Mackoy's Japanese site and from nowhere else as he has made it a rule that because he has written the program and offers it without cost to the train sim community his site should be the only one that carries the download. Mr.Mackoy has made it easy for English language speakers with an English version download of BVE. Go to the official BVE download site from here. A new improved version of BVE is now available. It is version 4 which gives an even more realistic train drive than the original version. To get the full benefit of the new routes being written for this version though, you do need a good fast computer.
Once you have downloaded BVE you can then start to build up a library of trains and routes from throughout the world that have been written by enthusiasts for BVE, again free of charge. We pay tribute to all the authors who have spent many hours perfecting their routes so that we can get hours of enjoyment from them. The UK is represented by a band of people who have and continue to put a lot of time and effort into creating many very good routes some of which are being updated for use with BVE 4.
Some favourite BVE UK routes
The Glasgow Underground Rush Hour - Living in Scotland and using the Glasgow Underground regularly, makes this our favourite. Written by Robert Glass with a little help from us, it depicts very well driving the little trains which go round and round in circles.
Sandymill to Invermay - This is a fictional route from somewhere in Scotland again written by Robert Glass. The scenery is excellent and you can choose running the route in day or night mode and in clear or foggy weather.
London Underground Tube Routes and trains are available at this site. There are many to choose from and most are very realistic.
Watford Junction to Milton Keynes - Another real life line which has very true to life scenery. You can drive a fast or stopping train but watch out for speed restrictions! Anthony Bowden has made a wonderful job of this line. He has also created Across Birmingham route which, dare we say, is to a standard which all others will aspire to.
There are many other sites which offer BVE routes and rolling stock which can be found through the BVE section of this train forum
Perhaps The Best Railsim.
Perhaps the best commercial train sim today is TRAINZ. This sim from Auran in Australia costs around £30 ($50). As well as running your trains it gives you the tools to create your own layouts easily. We like this train sim a lot. Take a look at the Auran site. Trainz has been updated regularly over its short history and the latest version is called Trainz Railroad Simulator 2006 which can be ordered now directly from the Auran website. We have used their online purchase service and can reccommend it.
New Route For Trainz
We have now completed our Glasgow North Electric West route for TRS 2004 and TRS 2006. The route covers Helensburgh, Balloch, Dalmuir and Milngavie to Glasgow Queen Street and Argyle Street.
All dependencies used are available on the Auran DLS
Distances and terrain are accurate within the limits of Trainz and the route is designed mainly as a driving experience.
Even if you have downloaded the beta version of this route, we suggest that you download this version as there have been one or two improvements.
You can download it now from the Auran DLS or from here.
We have also created a Glasgow North Electric West session for the route which shows all summer timetable trains running between 09.50 and 11.20 including the Maryhill and West Highland units. For this session, as well as the rolling stock from the DLS, you will require the 320 units shown below. Download the session now from the Auran DLS or from here.
Any questions or comments are welcome.
tmz06003 has produced a 320 EMU which is painted in SPT livery and is ideal for the Glasgow routes. Use the links below to download them.
320 Front, Middle and Rear.
You will also require the following dependencies from the Auran DLS:-
kuid:1094:53001, kuid:61109:54008, kuid2:51536:31599:5, kuid:2512:57001 and Class 150 bogies.
To Find Out More
This is good place to go for train sim news and to join in forums dedicated to most of the popular train sims around.
Well it's time to start driving the trains again before the passengers start complaining about the delay.
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