Gameplay features include the ability to couple wagons, start and stop them, as well as operate trains using mouse and keyboard or hardware accessories (e.g. Raildriver) as controls.

[5] John Lee of NextGen said of the game, "All aboard for HO scale fans, trainspotters, and nostalgic rail buffs.

[20] In the German market, the Verband der Unterhaltungssoftware Deutschland (VUD) presented it with a "Gold" certification in early 2003,[21] for sales of at least 100,000 units across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

The decision to halt "Train Simulator 2.0" was made some time ago and was based on a long, hard and difficult look at our business objectives and product offerings.

A post on "The Little Wheel Goes in Back" blog, written by one of the developers, on August 23, 2007, suggested the working title was "Train Simulator 2".

[33] Open Rails uses the GPL license, and the project has progressed from providing legacy support for MSTS to adding new features.

[33] Open Rails supports modern graphics processors, which allows it to achieve increased frame rates compared to MSTS.

[35] Over 50,000 files ranging from entire routes to individual locomotives and cars are available to use with the legacy MSTS game and with Open Rails.