.

I recently bought Trains Simulator 2012 for 4 bucks Wo Hoo Needed and upgrade for my Nephew.. he likes it but not sure he appreicates the updated graphics yet.. Well it does look a site better then the 2009 trainz I had..

I bought it the other day when it was next to nothing.... my mates found out after noticing it on my Steam account and had a giggle at my expense. I've just 'played' it for the first time and am hugely impressed. Have just bought the Class 50 and Class 37 and can see the temptation for all sorts of goodies lol

Can anyone recommend some scenery/routes that include the Northwest line.....Crewe to Carlisle sort of area (freeware or payware) I have no idea at the moment how the freeware/payware DLC works though after seeing the launch screen for the game and whether it is a manual task to get it up and running or whether they generally use auto-installers? I've found the WCML North on Steam but ideally want something that goes through Lancashire and the Lakes as I used to sit at Oxenholme station just outside Kendal with my anorak and packed lunch watching the trains go by thats where I was brought up. (Any help appreciated)

Not really tied to any country or track or railroad company... but I'm more attracted to diesels and a few odd steam trains simply because I've played with something that looks like them when I was young.

I've got loads more to do on the default game anyway so I might just hold out for now. I'm still halfway through the Horseshoe expansion so I got 90% more of the game to go. I will take a look at the recommended freight-hauling expansions though and if I have any cash left over (gasp!!), I may get them.

Ice, with regards to the Warthog controller, isn't there something we could magic up with the T.A.R.G.E.T software?

There is supposed to be a 3rd-party mod that allows this to happen but IIRC it was made for TS2 and is a hit-and-miss for TS3. I've had it working for me for a maximum of 1 minute. Usually it just works for 20-30 seconds then it doesn't recognize any more inputs from my controller.

I'm not too sure about TARGET though.

I use the earlier version of the controller software myself, version 0.5 I think, its a lot more basic but I just prefer it.
I haven't had any problem using the newer one with TS2012 though when I do use it.
I do use a Saitek throttle quad though so I cant say how it would perform with a warthog.

Okay, deadline for this is coming up fast and the past few days I've bought nothing from Steam so I may end up getting a few DLCs then. I need your help to narrow it down...

At the moment, I'm looking at these three DLCs
RailWorks Canadian National Add-on - 3 scenarios and I assume a new "area" to run in.
RailWorks BNSF Dash 9 Pack - A new engine, some scenarios, but seems to be set in the same area as the first one. £5.99 seems a bit steep though.
SD40-2 Santa Fe Edition RailWorks Add-on - new livery (skin), new "area", some scenarios.

I've found the Colton & Northern, but at £7.49, is it better than the £1.50 offerings I'm eyeing above? Rascal & Cottonwood seems to be based on a fictional setting so I'll pass on this one simply because I can; I'd rather get real-life tracks and such with my limited budget. The Fort Kent to Eagle Lake looks good with lots of things to do, but again, £5.99. I have no idea what I'm getting with the 3 picks above, I think I'm just getting them because of the engine they are using, so any guidance appreciated.


Also, I seem to see a lot of "20 miles of track included"... how long does it take for a train to cross that 20 miles assuming decent track speed and no delays/interruptions? Does anyone know what's the biggest/longest stretch of track available?

I got BN SD40 Pack
CN WideNose pack
SPS Northerns pack
Tea Wagons

Ice
Canadian National Add-on is 2 repaints of default locos and 3 Career System Scenarios + 1 free roam. No new track.
RailWorks BNSF Dash 9 Pack is 1 new loco with 6 repaints and 1 Career System Scenario, 4 standard Scenarios + 1 free roam. No new track.
SD40-2 Santa Fe Edition RailWorks Add-on is 2 repaints of a default loco and 3 standard Scenarios + 1 free roam. No new track.

so no new track with any of those, all Scenarios are run on the 2 original default US tracks.

If budget is a concern I would recommend Fort Kent to Eagle Lake as the best bang for your bucks out of the others.
I don't think the track has been updated to TS2012 standard yet so no night lighting, it uses a repaint of a default loco so you will get headlights and rain on the windscreen though.