Others say...

"If you are a Railroading fan, this game is worth your time."
After having tried the Ultimate Trainz Collection, I decided to see what was new with TRS2006. This simulation is exactly as advertised,...and more! But, after reading some of the reviews here, I would like to offer a realistic view.

First, this is a very detailed simulation pertaining to the operation of Locomotives from all over the world (some are historical) in all types of situations (passenger, long haul freight, railyard consist building, etc.), in terrain and layouts from all over the world.

Much of the new content in TRS2006 has been created by the Trainz community members in their spare time and has been kindly donated, PLUS!, there are over 40,000 additional items available for download from the official Trainz Download Station,...for free!

The layouts included in TRS2006 are from the US, Canada, Australia, the UK, and Europe, including some nicely detailed Narrow Gage routes and even a futuristic Monorail layout. Can you imagine 300+mph?

For the doof who thought this was way too complicated, all I can say is,"duh!, Baby E videos are in the next aisle."

But seriously, straight out of the box, TRS2006 has considerably more to offer in realism and detail than MSTS. In order to achieve what TRS2006 has out of the box, you have to purchase many of the MSTS add-on packages.

Also, here are some notes on the Physics in TRS2006:
1)Some of the engines may not perform to prototypical expectations, BUT!, the Engine config file for each loco can be tweaked to adjust performance to a more prototypical operation. And,
2)When in DCC mode, trains operate in a semi-prototypical manner. It is possible to change the config parameters to make your trains accelerate and decelerate much faster(or slower) by changing max accel and max decel settings.

Game lag? I've experienced no lag what-so-ever, and my PC is only mediocre by today's standards.

Keep in mind, TRS2006 is a graphics intensive program and requires at least a 64MB graphics card to operate correctly. For best results make sure;

Your system meets or exceeds the required specifications.
You have the latest drivers for your video card.
You have the latest main board chipset drivers.
You have DirectX 9 or above from Microsoft.

As for Merscom serial numbers, there were no problems with mine. Besides, any problems with TRS2006 are handled by Auran's Helpdesk, and they are only too happy to help.

If you are a Railroading fan, this game is worth your time.(and it's much less expensive than an HO layout!, plus, you can drive these trains)

"trainz 2006"
I found trainz to be very interesting keeps me ocupied for hours.
I did have to get a better graphics card.
I love it
Mrgarnham@tiscali.co.uk

"What? We don't have any American trains that are worth while?"
Sometimes I wonder about games such as this. The designers seem to think that the only routes worth having are European or British. Perhaps if I were European or British I might think so too, but I'm not and I happen to like American routes. What about our great ones? Chicago, Burlington and Quincy. Rock Island. Southern Pacific with their great Sunset and Daylight routes. Baltimore and Ohio. New York Central. All these get short shrift when it comes to railroad sims.

I think I just got out of the railroad sim business. No more for me.

"A do-it-yourselfer's game"
TRS2006 is one of those games where you get to do whatever you want. You create the world, set the goals, populate it, and then sit back and enjoy the ride.
One of the things that delayed my entry into the world of Trainz was the lack of a list of what comes with it, or what's available. To help, here's a short list of American locos that are included: RS3, FA-1, SW7, GP38-2, SD40, SD70, GP7, GP9, F7, Big Boy, DD40AX, and a 2' Shay. Not all are in many heralds, or are editable, but many more can be downloaded. There are locos from Canada, Germany, Australia, England, India, Japan, and the US.
I was dismayed to learn that there are very few, if any, American steam locomotives available. There are several narrow gauge steam locomotives available for download, like the D&RGW's K-37, and logging locos like the Climax, Heisler, and Shay, but few others.
And most of the downloadable American Diesels are older designs, or simply included models with a newer unit's stats.
Included buildings, industries, railroad cars, and trackage are a smattering from the aforementioned countries, and they cover periods from the old west to futuristic monorails and maglevs.
There are several premade maps, some with and without scenarios, and there's tutorials on every aspect of the game and it's operations. For the maps without scenarios, you can build your own, or download (for free) scenarios made by others.
As to my ratings...
I love the game, but the inability to repaint some of the locomotives and railroad cars is annoying. Repaint templates should've been included for everything, not just a few units. Being forced to run a Canadian National RS3 instead of one from my favorite roads detracts from my enjoyment.
Overall, it's a train-lovers dream come true, but the 3D map building is not to my liking. I prefer the 2D style of the "Right Track" layout design system.

"Do not buy TRS2006 from Merscom"
The Merscom TRS2006 that Amazon is selling have a faulty serial number. Amazon should cancel the sales of this product. Without this you will not be able to install any pack addon. Merscom has a very slow and poor support. They gave me a replacement serial that was already being used by somebody else at Planet Auran.
Instead buy the Auran version. However, even being old as it is, I prefer much more Microsoft Train Simulator, because of the addons available.