Trainz Classics

Trainz Classics is the latest development in the line of railroad simulators by Auran bearing the general name Trainz and dating to the fall of 2001. As such it can be thought of as the successor to TRS2006. Some will be tempted to call it TRS2008 while others will think of it as TRS2006 and a half. The disparity arises because TC is both a continued evolution of Trainz and the start of a new approach. Instead of releasing blockbuster updates every two years as standalone new editions (e.g., Trainz UTC, TRS2004, TRS2006), TC will be a series of smaller, more focused, less expensive releases. Each release will have a theme, such as the Harlem Line or (as suggested by Auran) The Steam Era or (as hoped for by me) the American Interurban. The TC series will stand alone from (or alongside) previous versions of Trainz, and each new release can be expected to improve the underlying TRS2006 feature set. Skipping a release or two will not prevent the base from being fully updated when a new release is eventually added to your TC collection. TC has the same basic Surveyor/Driver/Railyard features as TRS2006 and will accept the majority of third-party add-ons that currently work with TRS2006. TC has a new look to it, though, as can be seen in the following screen shots. One thing missing from the earlier versions is Paint Shed, the utility that lets you repaint selected built-in rolling stock.

Although I've focused entirely on the Harlem Line, this first release of Trainz Classics also includes a full working version of Modula City, a somewhat futuristic urban transport simulation. TRS2006 contained a demo of this payware route. It's worthy of a complete review in its own right.

I also haven't listed all the new or enhanced features of Trainz Classics. You can find this information at the Trainz Classics web site.


Trainz Classics has an attractive new look.


Railyard also has a new look and features. (Rolling stock in Railyard appears wide because of my widescreen PC. This does not carry over to the game, where I can set the resolution and proportions to suit my setup.)


Railyard list of rolling stock can be toggled on and off.


The level in the water gauge rises as the program or route loads. You will also be treated to prototype video clips at times while things are loading.

Setup Tips. I found the Harlem Line sessions load significantly faster in OpenGL than in DirectX. This may be unique to my setup, but you may want to experiment with the two. I also recommend looking through the manual for setup instructions.

System Requirements

Minimum System Requirements

Pentium IV 1.5Ghz (or equivalent)

1 GB RAM

64 MB 3D Graphics Card (NVIDIA GeForce or equivalent)

8x DVD ROM

DirectX 9.0 or higher

Approximately 2GB of HDD Space