While i'm a fan of railroad simulations (and other simulations) i can't recommend this game.
The first problem with it is that this isn't a simulator, but arcadeish, even the very old MSTS+bin patch have more realistic features that this game doesn't have, like the airbrake lag simulation along a long train, limited achievable speed in each throttle notches).
There are a lot of features that are totally broken, bugged or missing, and doesn't changed since the first version of this game (Rail Simulator) was released in 2007, like:
-diesel hydraulic and mechanical simulation
-manual field divert/shunt capability is missing
-have ridicolous bugs like the shaft driven compressor on diesel locomotives works while the engine is off, or the electric compressor works when the pantographs are lowered and the main circuit breaker is off.
-wheelslips are totally unrealistic, and have unpredictable behavior.
And hundreds of other bugs, which i got known, as making addons/helping for others to import content to this game (locomotives, routes, signaling).
But the biggest problem with this game is the AI. The dispatcher, and routing/pathing AI is a real pain to handle as it is really blunt. That's why you can see a lot of scenarios without any or rare traffic, on routes where in reality there is heavy traffic. And in same time, the free and opensource Open Rails, does perfectly this job, as it routes and controls HUNDREDS of trains for a day in timetable mode, just like OpenTTD, even on single track lines with passing loops. see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRdvZZjQSk4
I've just played a default scenario for Hamburg-Hannover route, where i didn't meet with ANY rail traffic, just static consists on yards. This looks weird, everything is empty, like in the zombie apocalypse movies, and makes the game really boring, as you don't need to stop/slow don't because of a traffic jam or another slower train, or a crossing, but every signal lights are green for you, and you only get yellow signal lights because of a diverted switch, not because of other traffic.

I can't blame the developers of the game for making DLC-s as that makes them money, but the problem is they focusing only on DLCs, and not fixing the bugs, just searching for excuses.
For a good example for their support: I've sent them a report about a long time existing bug of the TrainDecal.fx shader in game (what is for the dynamic numbering of the locomotives), that makes the numbers look dark in non-TSX graphics mode (which is used by a lot of laptop, or low end PC users), and their answer was to use TSX mode, and they won't fix the bug.
However i have PC for which the TSX mode isn't a problem, but not everyone can run TSX mode...

I have so much play time in this game, because i having it since 2010, more than four years. BTW the most of the play hours are not play hours, but testing and debugging addons for the game. But since i don't see any future of this game, i ceased to develop addons to it, i only start it to test bug fixes of the existing rolling stock, since 2012, and to test how this game doesn't get improved with every new release, except of menu changes, and smaller graphical eye candy.

While i'm a fan of railroad simulations (and other simulations) i can't recommend this game. The first problem with it is that this isn't a simulator, but arcadeish, even the very old MSTS+bin patch have more realistic features that this game doesn't have, like the airbrake lag simulation along a long train, limited achievable speed in each throttle notches). There are a lot of features that are totally broken, bugged or missing, and doesn't changed since the first version of this game (Rail Simulator) was released in 2007, like: -diesel hydraulic and mechanical simulation -manual field divert/shunt capability is missing -have ridicolous bugs like the shaft driven compressor on diesel locomotives works while the engine is off, or the electric compressor works when the pantographs are lowered and the main circuit breaker is off. -wheelslips are totally unrealistic, and have unpredictable behavior. And hundreds of other bugs, which i got known, as making addons/helping for others to import content to this game (locomotives, routes, signaling). But the biggest problem with this game is the AI. The dispatcher, and routing/pathing AI is a real pain to handle as it is really blunt. That's why you can see a lot of scenarios without any or rare traffic, on routes where in reality there is heavy traffic. And in same time, the free and opensource Open Rails, does perfectly this job, as it routes and controls HUNDREDS of trains for a day in timetable mode, just like OpenTTD, even on single track lines with passing loops. see here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRdvZZjQSk4 I've just played a default scenario for Hamburg-Hannover route, where i didn't meet with ANY rail traffic, just static consists on yards. This looks weird, everything is empty, like in the zombie apocalypse movies, and makes the game really boring, as you don't need to stop/slow don't because of a traffic jam or another slower train, or a crossing, but every signal lights are green for you, and you only get yellow signal lights because of a diverted switch, not because of other traffic. I can't blame the developers of the game for making DLC-s as that makes them money, but the problem is they focusing only on DLCs, and not fixing the bugs, just searching for excuses. For a good example for their support: I've sent them a report about a long time existing bug of the TrainDecal.fx shader in game (what is for the dynamic numbering of the locomotives), that makes the numbers look dark in non-TSX graphics mode (which is used by a lot of laptop, or low end PC users), and their answer was to use TSX mode, and they won't fix the bug. However i have PC for which the TSX mode isn't a problem, but not everyone can run TSX mode... I have so much play time in this game, because i having it since 2010, more than four years. BTW the most of the play hours are not play hours, but testing and debugging addons for the game. But since i don't see any future of this game, i ceased to develop addons to it, i only start it to test bug fixes of the existing rolling stock, since 2012, and to test how this game doesn't get improved with every new release, except of menu changes, and smaller graphical eye candy.