Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Here's a Fun MRR Simulator

Now here's a model railroad simulator that's inexpensive, easy to use, and fun to operate. Rule the Rail is available free in limited format and available as a complete package with access to add-ons and posting rights to a dedicated forum for the price of $15. Rule the Rail has a sibling program, Iron Horse, which is similar but based in western USA.

Both programs let you build your own layout, laying tracks, placing buildings, and shaping the topography. You can then place trains and operate in DCC mode or in a signal-controlled system like a traditional model railroad. Both simulatrs are great for visualizing planned model railroads, but don't expect to use them as as substitutes for track planning software. The available track sections are too limited and do not translate to any specific radius.

Minimum system requirements are:

Pentium II 450 MHz
128 MB RAM
150 MB Free Hard Disk Space
16 MB 3D Video Card with DirectX 8 driver (recommended:
GeForce 2 MX or better; ATI Radeon or better)
DirectX 8 compatible sound system

Try the free download and see for yourself! You may be glad you did.

Al

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