...and I'm a trainaholic. I've been interested in trains for almost as long as I can remember and into computers since school so I was well aware that combining the two could be trouble. I'd seen train simulators of course and even experimented with a couple but my problem really started in 2015 when I met Derek Siddle of Dovetail at Locomotion in Shildon. The swine was giving away TS 2016 with the Weardale and Teesdale route... I didn't have a chance! I told myself it was something the Friends of Darlington Railway Museum would be interested in, I was even using their PC to run it. I thought I could handle it but now... well, to cut a long story short, I've got my own copy of TS, a PC of my own that can run it, a bunch of routes and I've just passed 400 hours in game- more like 650 if you include time as FriendsofDRCM. Watch out for Derek Siddle- he's an enabler. I'm very grateful to him!
I live in the area and can attest that it is very evocative. It's really well put together and it's the Stockton and Darlington's original main line (well- about half of it) and if you're at all interested in railways you've heard of the S&DR. I think it might have spoiled me for other DLC- although the Woodhead line is growing on me.
The woodhead line is pretty good but I haven't tried the new Black 5 on it yet until I finished travelling on the West lines of Scotland.