HISTORY

Trainz made its debut in December 2001 having originally being conceived by developer Auran as a means of distributing and operating virtual "collectibles" of railway motive power and rolling stock, though this idea was dropped prior to release in favour of a more conventional approach. It has subsequently gone through several updated versions each of which also received a number of service packs. The latest (and possibly last) full version is TRS2006 (released in 2005) though the series has now moved on to Trainz Classics (more on which later). In my own mind the programme peaked with TRS2004 SP4 (dates from 2003) though there is a diversity of opinion on that issue, among many others, within the Trainz community. While each new version or Service Pack has brought some new feature, bug-fix or enhancement, the core of the programme still dates back to the first versions - i.e. while there have been improvements you are still looking at graphics and operational limitations dictated by the original 2001 game engine. Nevertheless, it has certainly been a successful franchise for Auran, helped in no small measure by their hosting of the Download Station to centralise user created content and (some of the time) a fair level of customer and community engagement.

In the beginning, Trainz was still largely marketed and seen as a model railway sim rather than one to reproduce prototype operations. However, from TRS2004 onwards Auran perhaps realised they needed to compete with MSTS and started to bill the product as a railway simulator, including several longer routes.

THE PROGRAMME

Trainz visuals utilise the Auran Jet graphics engine. They do tend to have a softer perhaps less life-like appearance than other simulations, perhaps attributable to the original model based intentions. The game supports a diurnal cycle (night/day) and you can adjust the gamma as to how dark you want your nights. Changeable weather is offered so you can start a run in bright sunlight and end it in a raging thunderstorm. The ability to run a route in more than one season is not supported so if you want to have a winter or autumn option you need to produce a specific alternate version of the route. I have never been that impressed by the 3D "virtual" cabs that Trainz uses, as someone who primarily drives out of the front window you can't beat a crisp, sharp, detailed and functional 2D cab. You can scroll around or change your point of view. External and flyby views are available and essential when undertaking complex shunting or switching tasks.

Turning to sound, one disappointment has been the failure of Auran to offer more than a few generic traction sounds for their loco collection, many of which sound nothing like the prototype. This was partly addressed in TRS2006 which finally supplied a (third party) Class 37 which sounded like the real thing, but it shouldn't have taken 4 years to do so! TRS2004 offered a realistic clickety clack over jointed track but this was degraded to a more generic track sound in TRS2006. Some sound bugs have also been reported in the first Trainz Classics.

Physics - there is a choice of simplified DCC model railway mode for beginners or more realistic cab control. The performance of train dynamics has not been a particularly strong point of the Trainz series and has always reflected the model orientated origins of the series. The best I can say about the physics in Trainz is that they have something of an arcade feel. Matters have improved a bit in later versions (notably some of the third party content in TRS2006) but still not quite there in my opinion. Steam physics are quite simplified.

Where things come a little unstuck is the operational side. Very early versions of Trainz had you touring your route or layout with your chosen consist, changing points or switches as you went if you wished to deviate from the pre-defined route in Surveyor. Other trains could be set running on the layout but with no central AI or despatch system co-ordinating it all. Later versions introduced the concept of sessions and driver commands, whereby you could order trains to a particular destination or to carry out a specific task. The signalling is still very basic and the AI trains don't always behave or react as you might expect. Collisions or derailments are not uncommon. Trainz is still more akin to setting up a model railway. Most other train simulations representing the driver's point of view place the responsibility for controlling other traffic and any routing/regulation in the hands of the AI signalman. In Trainz sessions you are not only the driver but the signalman, traffic controller and even traincrew supervisor. The upshot of this is (to me) simple branch line or single track routes are more suited than complex multiple track systems where numerous trains may be moving in different directions and trying to sort these out while manually throwing points in front of your own train is not how the prototype does it!

ROUTE BUILDING

Surveyor - the route building tool. We come to one of the most powerful features in Trainz. Of all the train sims with route editors currently available, Surveyor surpasses them all in speed and ease of use. You still need to know what you're doing and the results are directly proportional to the time and effort expended but the tool has been created with the intention of being used. You don't need to mess about with copying items from folders and setting up reference files, all the items you need to populate the route are available in a menu. Particularly useful are splined (flexible) objects for roads and fences etc. Items that would have taken hours to place in MSTS can be populated in seconds in Surveyor.

Another excellent feature is the availability of modular station kits (including splined platforms and fencing) which means you can easily make up bespoke station layouts. Most track laying is done via the spline method. This is generally quicker than laying fixed pieces but getting good results is something of a dark art. While some swear by the method I have never quite been able to avoid doglegs or kinks in the track. If Surveyor has one Achilles heel it is in the handling of terrain. The supplied tools are difficult to achieve good results and it is very easy to create steep sided chasms or cliff sided plateaus. The programme doesn't support native importation of real world digital terrain data (DEM etc.) and while you can apply a greyscale image to the baseboard area the native routine in Surveyor is imprecise when determining the heights. Fortunately a couple of third party utilities are available to assist with this. The first is known as Hand of God, "HOG" which is free to use but has recently been superceded by the superior Transdem which not only applies DEM data but can overpaint a map to assist in accurate placement.

If you feel up to building your own scenery items, there is a Trainz plug-in for the freeware Gmax programme. Also, the 3D Canvas payware programme supports export to Trainz (and can be equipped with a few other clever features) which is actually my 3D modelling programme of choice.

For the average route builder who doesn't quite feel up to tackling 3D modelling, there is also a vast quantity of third party scenery and other items on the Download Station to enhance the default content.

TRAINZ CLASSICS

Way back in the heyday of Trainz, Auran published a bold vision of where the programme would be going in future. These included various modules which could be bolted on to the core programme and themed packs, which would offer a particular route or type of operation. Like some of the other ideas, the final implementation of the themed pack took a slightly different turn - into Trainz Classics.

The first Trainz Classic pack was released in September 2007 and includes two routes - a fictional tramway system and part of the New York Metro-North commuter rail system. However rather than shipping as an expansion pack for TRS2006, Auran have stated Trainz Classics are standalone products though each will contain the latest changes and upgrades to the Trainz programme itself. They are not backward compatible to TRS2006 (or earlier) and two other very pertinent points to note:

• Although Trainz Classics ships with the full application suite including Surveyor, the pack only includes the assets for the particular route. None of the legacy default content from TRS2006 (or earlier) is included nor, other than unofficial hack, is there any means of getting this in Trainz Classics.
• Subsequent releases of Trainz Classics will integrate with other titles in the series but will not contain the items of the previous packs either.

This is a rather strange decision by Auran and is going to result in a number of conundrums:

The first and most obvious is that any third party route which uses default content from TRS2004/TRS2006 will not run in Trainz Classics, despite this being a higher version of the software.
Second, anyone building a route in Trainz Classics will only have access to the limited content included and anything compatible from the Download Station.
Third and where it really starts to get messy, is where a route builder has assembled all the Trainz Classics and uses items from each of them in a project. Only a user who then has all the requisite Trainz Classics installed will be able to run that route. .

The next version of Trainz Classics - Trainz Classics 3 - was released in July 2008 and features the Settle & Carlisle line from the UK along with a rather enticing collection of rolling stock and motive power. Read my review of Trainz Classics 3 here.

THE FUTURE?

After a long period with virtually no official word from Auran about the future of the Trainz project an announcement was made by CEO Tony Hilliam on 6th June 2008 about new plans for the simulation. Essentially this consists of two projects - the first of which is Trainz Simulator 2009, described as an "evolution" of the current system. Following on from that will be Trainz Simulator X - though further details on this project are awaited. The full text of the announcement can be studied at the official Auran Forum. I'll be watching with interest as the developments unfold.

CONCLUSIONS

Over the years I've enjoyed something of a love/hate relationship with Trainz. It can be a very good programme but also so frustrating particularly when a few simple steps (like a proper activity/timetable editor) would add so much. The developer just doesn't quite hit the target each time (the business strategy with Trainz Classics being the latest example). However, that said it's certainly worth a place in a train sim collection on the PC. If you can't get hold of TRS2004 then go with TRS2006 and be prepared to deal with its slight quirks. Certainly in the UK, TRS2006 can be picked up very cheap (something like £9.99) on the Just Trains label. I'll be reviewing any Trainz Classics of particular interest seperately, but my advice is to regard these as standalone products outside the Trainz canon and if you are serious about third party content or developing your own go with the full versions.

MY TRAINZ ROUTES:

The Glasgow to Falkirk route for TRS2004 carried forward into TRS2006 was contributed by myself to Auran.
A route based on Ayr to Stranraer created by myself in 2005 is still available from the Download Station.
I recently built a new route based on the West Highland route from Fort William to Mallaig and this is now available on the Auran DLS Download the documentation here.
I also recently (July 2008) released a further section of the West Highland from Fort William to Crianlarich for TRS2006. Due to the file size I have been unable to upload to the Auran DLS, therefore I have made it available at two respected train sim file libraries:
You can find it at UK Trainsim in the File library under File ID 19367 or Train-sim.com search for File ID trs06wh2.zip Note if you don't have a premium membership at UKTS you can usually get into Train-sim.com if you exercise a bit of patience.
A further freeware project is now completed based (very loosely) on the Sulitjelma Branch in Northern Norway. Further information on this dedicated page.