I agree, most definitely. The third party extension is really cool. It now goes up to Albany, and also inclludes the CSX River Line. Currently, you can operate Quick Drive Runs for the extension of the Hudson Line route. I have a feeling we will get the Harlem line and the M3A's sometime in the future.
Actually, the scale DOES need to be 1:1, maybe you mean 1:1 accuracy. Not being 1:1 scale would leave us with something like 40 miles IRL being 20 in game.
I agree, 1:1 scale is good. If DEMS are being used, I know of 1 Arc sec, 1/3 arc sec and 1/9 arc sec, as used when constructing routes in Trainz. For Digital Elevation Models, the smaller the arc, the closer it is to it's real life topography. I think 1/3 arc sec DEMS are the sweet spot for constructing prototypical routes. I like accuracy but I also don't mind the scale as long as the scenery is there.