I have recently started to take an interest in signalling and I know there are sims out there but I here two on here frequently. Simsig and siam are the ones but if there are any others I’d be interested to know. Sorry to tag you OldVern but I here you go on about these a lot so I would appreciate your advise as to which one to go for!!!
Also there is another one I forgot the name of but now remember, pc rail simulations! What’s that one like?
I’m also on the look-out for a good signalling simulation. I used to play SIAM games a lot when I was younger, but they’ve become very expensive for what they are. They can probably still be good, but at those prices you’ve really got to be sure before you buy. I remember my favourite was Scarborough in steam days. Playing on a summer Saturday, dealing with endless summer extras, getting the locos off, coaled, watered and turned and the train on its way back West, all with very limited infrastructure. It was a terrific challenge. Not a job any one person actually did, because you’re doing elements of the combined jobs of multiple people. It’s more of a ‘traffic control’ game than a signalling simulator, but I enjoyed it a lot. I probably still have the floppy disks somewhere, but nothing to play them on! A lot of Simsig simulations are free, which is great, and I’m very grateful to the people who put in their time and money to make that possible. I think they’re pretty realistic, too. But in reality, much though I want to love them, I’ve never managed to get much enjoyment from them. There never seems to be much decision making to be done. It’s more about learning and following processes. That’s probably just the reality of the job of a modern signaller! I think PC Rail Simulations are similar to Simsig, but you have to pay. Have you tried looking at Rail Route (available on Steam)? It’s an interesting concept. Not realistic, and more of a puzzle game really, but you effectively start out as a signaller, and as the game develops and you add more automation, you end up more like a Train Planner. I didn’t think I’d like it, but when I finally took the plunge I actually got quite a lot out of it.
Thanks mate I have done the free trial period on the pc rail simulators but haven’t bought anything yet so I’ll have a look at that game on steam. Thanks for the reply mate!!!
