I love the way this new adventure is starting and am enjoying The Wonders Of Sodor. I have been playing exclusively with realistic controls and feel they need a little tweaking to get just right: I’m finding that if I’m on full regulator and want to coast that no matter how quickly I tap the key I get a little brake: it needs to be possible to close the regulator without applying brake force. I also noticed particularly when racing Bertie, which my Thomas won!, when I want to reduce brake force all that is possible is to completely release the brakes then apply again at the lighter setting. I feel quite strongly about this one as a former real life bus driver whose job was to safely and comfortable transport passengers. During the race I wanted to drive Thomas with a level of finesse so: progressively loading on the brake force, coming into the station at high speed, then easing off the brakes to nearly released for the stop. A skilled bus driver can brake surprisingly hard when making up time without the passengers even noticing; it is about progression and sensitivity, never just jabbing the brakes like sadly many drivers do. I feel that I could have won the race with Bertie with a greater margin, and better passenger comfort if it was possible to ease off the brakes progressively. overall I think that the realistic control mode offers a very immersive driving experience, and I hope that they can be slightly improved.
You can do this by using the controls in the cab, but I agree that key bindings for this should be added.