I’m the type of guy who loves to watch model trains in action, but I don’t have enough room in my house to have one set up. I have been told off before for being distracted at dinner by the model train that runs around the ceiling of the local restaurant.
In that vein, when I saw Train Yard Builder pop up as a recommendation on Steam, I was immediately intrigued. A way of passing time building and watching model trains pass around villages and townsfolk without needing big open spaces cluttered around the house? Count me in.
At the core, Train Yard Builder is a blank canvas for your creativity. There is a central area where you can combine multiple tables, merging mountain range scenes with that of the Wild West, building out your track and decorations all in one place. This is entirely free-form at this stage, with no real direction on what you should or shouldn’t be making.
Initially, you’re given a brief introduction to who you are and why you are in this house full of model train collections. However, this is purely window dressing to get you into the main gameplay loop – with only a tiny bit of extra expedition to set up the business of model train collection and building.
Once you have completed the initial tutorial, Train Yard Builder starts out like any other simulator game. In the same position, you receive an inbox of emails asking you to complete specific tasks. These tasks are broken down into four categories, which hold all of the main sub-mechanics.
Painting and Cleaning are effectively mini-games where you are given models to perform actions that aren’t engaging. Painting, in particular, took my focus away from the model I was modifying. I was focused more on clicking the checkboxes to apply the correct shade, eliminating the point of the mode.
Dioramas and Museum tasks are a little more involved. Dioramas are mini models of around ten pieces in total, which results in picking from your selection and placing it on the table.
Museum tasks build on this slightly more engagingly, although there are only a few to complete. You are given a table in a room different from your standard set-up and all the appropriate models. Everything has a place, similar to the diorama, but this is on a much bigger scale. You place the track down first, showing the outlines of decorations like benches, bulletin boards and more. Once you’ve put those, suddenly more prominent silhouettes appear, showing all the building models you can place down. These are a great source of inspiration; models that look a little empty suddenly are full of life, and space becomes a premium. You can’t make any additions to these, but they help unlock and obtain models for your building.
I have talked a lot here about building and placing elements, but the great thing about model trains isn’t just looking at what you’ve placed; it’s being able to control the train around the track.
Great news: the game has a controller function to set train speed on individual trains (should you be brave enough to have multiple operating), train switches and manual stops you’ll want to place. You can turn off special functions, such as smoke and lights, but this is only possible with a single button rather than a granular one. There are multiple camera options, so you can follow your trains movements, from the front to the sides, you can enjoy your models in all their glory as they travel around the scenes.
The fun of the game and where it has a bit more potential in the future is the Exhibitions. These are set scenarios where you are given a blank table scene and fill it with set models and themed decorations. You don’t need to think about where to start; this is a blank canvas but a subject to focus on.
This is where I’ve been lost in the moment the most when playing, finding myself with a spare half an hour and jumping on and completing a Mountainous scene, where I was carefully placing down models of skiers, people clearing snow, lodges and local amenities.
It is quick and easy to jump into the game store, purchase models based on the tagged theme you need to use, and purchase many different varieties, which ultimately helps the overall score you obtain when submitting for judging. Buying the appropriate train and carriage models leads to a nice unboxing element where you can spin the model around. Still, it is inexplicably missing any form of zoom on this element.
Where all of this falls apart, it’s the long game. You repeat mundane tasks like painting, cleaning and dioramas for credits, which you can use new models in future. I haven’t found myself in a position where I have run out of money that has prevented me from buying a new train model that I would need for an exhibition, so it’s effectively spamming all of the tasks in your inbox to build up capital before you focus on building your models. However, you do not need that much.
Scenes and models seem limited in how much creativity and customisation you would want in a game like this. I often found myself placing down multiple of the same decorations as I couldn’t find enough variation in what I was trying to achieve, which can be a bit de-motivating.
There are things to like here, and if you are a fan of model trains and want a creative outlet, this is a decent little time sync, but there isn’t anything below the surface that will hook you. With a dedicated community, this could have further legs as there is mod and workshop support, but at the time of writing, only three buildings are available to download on the workshop itself.
I certainly enjoyed parts of the experience, especially later when I focused more on exhibitions. When pressed for time, I can see myself jumping in as a creative outlet. Still, I won’t be going back and sinking hours upon hours as there is not enough extra.
Everything looks good, and the models have a good amount of detail, making it a good niche experience for fans of model trains, but there is not enough here to make this a compelling long-term experience.
