I grew up in the UK, near the West Somerset Railway and now live in Canada. The routes in Train Sim have taught me more about UK geography than I learnt in the 19 years I lived there. My Dad was a huge railfan and as a little kid I was too, but I sort of grew out of it. I never stopped being interested in railways though and when I got Train Simulator more than 5 years ago I could really enjoy trains again. I wouldn't have the space for even a single model train set where I live, but with TS I can have thousands of kilometers of track. I love the feeling of travelling the world with trains in TS. So much so that I am working on a Steam guide to help people understand where they are when they travel the realistic routes that are available. http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1261802858
Welcome! I really love the work you've put into making that list! I assume it took you many, many hours to complete it!