Comparision of various content I've had in my Trainz fleet

[haddock56]

I know there's a lot of people who like a particular content producer for Trainz, and I'm fortunate to have tried several content pieces from different sites. I'll be comparing the various ones so others can make an informed decision and newcomers to Trainz can find information about the content. First up is my favorite, RRMods. For long-term content reliability their content is in a class by itself. Some of the older ones may still have errors when used in newer versions of Trainz. But the majority of their content has had the errors fixed and is extremely reliable. For those looking to change a hornsound on an RRMods engine you won't have to worry about a thing. Besides being reliable their content is also quite detailed and as a bonus the newer content has a lot of detail.

 

[haddock56]

Next up: Jointed Rail. For modern American diesel engines along with numerous fallen flags, JR has been building up quite a clientele recently with their NS Heritage units, and their recent BNSF C44-9W release has attracted quite a lot of people. JR's diesel engines are also of extremely good quality, though changing a hornsound on them in TRS 2010 Native mode tends to remove the numbers on the engines for some strange reason. Their rolling stock is also heavily detailed and makes for a realistic American train. However, what sets this manufacturer back a bit in my opinion is the fact that no steam locomotives are offered. The level of detail in their diesel locos could be put into a freeware 4-8-2, such as the Frisco 1522 and her sister engines with ARN, or a 2-10-4 like the ATSF 5011 Class. By all accounts JR produces some good content, but lacks any steam engines for us steam fans.

 

[haddock56]

Next up; Paulz Trainz. If you're interested in steam locomotives, Paulz Trainz is another extremely good site. Offering both packs and single locomotives, along with a lot of roadnames to choose from and also the option of commissioning a loco, you're getting a very good value and also 1 year warranty from date of purchase with all problems you might encounter covered under warranty. And not only American engines, but also British, African, Japanese, and others are also represented. So expect a quality purchase if you decide to order one of his locos. You may run into problems when changing the hornsounds on his engines to one you prefer, so change the enginesound as well.

 

[haddock56]

Next up: USLW. The folks over at USLW have also had a good few releases recently and they too have reliable content, and also a freeware version of both RBMN # 425 and CN #3254. Having downloaded their content many a time, I've seen a few surprises come up, all with good detail and ready for service on your railway empire in Trainz.

 

[haddock56]

Next up: The Erecting Hall. For you Alco fans out there, thanks go to N8phu for bringing some amazing reskins and now the Alcos are arriving. Also there are some EMD diesels there for anyone who likes the rumble of an EMD in it's various forms. Some recent releases of his have been highly acclaimed by the Trainz community, namely his recent project to bring "as many Alcos as possible" into Trainz. I myself would also like to thank the content creator from MSTS who kindly gave N8phu permission to modify his creations. Final conclusion? The Erecting Hall has quality downloads and should be a stop on every Alco fans' list in Trainz.

 

[jordon412]

Paulz Trainz products are payware. But if you want high-quality steam without paying for them: Subpar Productions is the place to go. Plus RRMods, Jointed Rail, and USLW all require you to register in order to download their products. Every steam locomotive, except the Blue Comet (Auran), Pennsylvania Fleet of Modernism (Auran), Southern Pacific GS-4 Northerns (RRMods), Union Pacific FEF 4-8-4 Northerns (RRMods), TTT 2-10-2 (RRMods) and CSA-1 4-6-6-4s (RRMods) are based on models available from Subpar Productions.

 

[Euphod]

Every steam locomotive, except the Blue Comet (Auran), Pennsylvania Fleet of Modernism (Auran), Southern Pacific GS-4 Northerns (RRMods), Union Pacific FEF 4-8-4 Northerns (RRMods), TTT 2-10-2 (RRMods) and CSA-1 4-6-6-4s (RRMods) are based on models available from Subpar Productions.

Not an accurate statement in the least. Ben does wonderful work, but you have overlooked others.

 

[jordon412]

Not an accurate statement in the least. Ben does wonderful work, but you have overlooked others.

I forgot to put 'that I have on my computer' between 'locomotive' and the comma next to it. I also have to mention that I've seen pictures on Paulz Trainz of his Southern USRA 0-8-0 is in a paint scheme similar to the one used on Southern's Ps-4 4-6-2 locomotives that pulled Southern's flagship passenger train The Crescent Limited. Manfacturers of model trains seem to apply the same colors to their 'basic' products. A perfect example is the Bachmann model that I've provided the link to: http://www.bachmanntrains.com/home-usa/products.php?act=viewProd&productId=18377

 

[haddock56]

Thanks for the feedback on how this thread was constructed. I did overlook some others, not intentionally but bc I couldn't quite remember all of the sites I've gone too. As for the payware version, I included that bc this is a comparision of both payware and freeware, not just freeware or only payware.