are there any du model railroaders out there ? i have a question. do u shoot your trains and then and or play with them

[ThoughtCriminal]

1. I have transitioned from Armchair Model Railroading to Virtual Model Railroading

using Trainz Railroad Simulator. The two are not mutually exclusive, but I prefer to concentrate on virtual.

Many advantages: Fraction of the cost, takes no space other than room on my hard drive, and more variety.

I can have a virtual railroad that would fill a warehouse in any scale. I can switch from a vintage backwoods logging route to a modern mainline operation with a few mouse clicks. I can build a layout in a few hours or weeks compared to years to create the equivalent in a basement. The full variety of operations is available.

Most of content is free or low cost. (compared to plastic or brass models). I get better sound and environmental effect that would be all but impossible with models (smoke, rain, snow).

Best of all, I can share my layouts with anyone who has the same simulator.

There are a few "analog" models on my shelf and I look to many model railroads for inspiration.