RailSimulator is, I think, the best looking out-of-the-box, and it is designed for more recent computers. I tried it, and liked that part, but hated the editors.

MSTS has a lot of life left in it, especially with the advent of a download called BIN, that improved the code considerably. In addition, there is an open source sim, that will import pretty much everything from MSTS, called Open Rails, in developement, with beta versions available. It has great promise!

I haven't used Trainz since it first came out, so really don't know where it has gone.

Here are a couple more screens of the route I'm building. It is small, about 10 miles long with a couple branches, and I'm treating it as a model rr that will be super detailed. Something like you'd see in Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazette.





Building a route is about as hard in the sim (MSTS) as it is as a flesh-and-blood model rr, but you have unlimited space, the models are nearly always available as free downloads, and the sound is also excellent. This sim has a huge number of 3d models available. I enjoy it!

Steve