RailDriver USB Desktop Train Cab Controller (Before You Buy / Review)

[@jenniferadams7582]

I like that you did a whole video on rail driver. I remember seeing one of your TSW streams and you did give a quick rundown on the controller. It's nice to see how much wobble or play is in different buttons/switches as the feel is a big factor for me. Great work

[@MrCrrispy]

There's a lot of hysteresis in the throttle lever, which can be annoying sometimes, but less in the other levers. I thought it was my Raildriver wear because I've used it for something like 12 years now, but I just got a barely used new one and it's the same.

[@markp213]

I haven’t had any problems with the build quality at all, and have been using it for several years now. The built in speaker is actually an adjustable sub and sounds great and adds realism to the rumbling diesel sounds. The trains sound tinny without using it. Give it a try! …if running diesels.

[@coffeeguy6673]

I bought one here in the UK a few months ago , I was on the fence for a while due to the cost, over £200 ! But, I use it every time I play TSW 3 now in conjunction with a Xbox Series X controller for the external camera. It is really good and gives a bit more immersion.

[@BluGames]

Totally agree

[@carlhighsetland7629]

Your are one of the best Engine Drivers that I have watched SO FAR. I love and live in your channel. I recommend that you start every "show" of yours showing that train simulator gadget. It is fantastic. When I saw you handling that, I ran to my cell phone to check whether there were something like that to sell. I loved that ! Now I am even more in love with train simulator games. Talk more about that to those like me who are newcomers - rookies. Ten years ago I thought about inventing a train simulator. I did not know that there was already train games. But only yesterday it was possible for me to watch these on my cell phone, which was a gift from my niece. Thank you for taking me on board of your train ! Do not you think that there should be a virtual Engine Driver with their overalls and caps ou several for us to choose from. Send my suggestion to the Powers That Be. Tell them it was a suggestion from : Ass: The Railway Wolf. Santo Antonio de Goias/GO - BRAZIL. PS. I Prefer the word "Railway" instead of "Railroad" , What about you ? PUT ON A OVERALL TOO ! DO NOT FORGET THE CAP ! I love You .

[@TheFilwud]

I have one, I don't think I have used it in over three years because of two major issues- the train brake lever keeps on drifting up slightly and applying a little bit of brakeit will not stay in the OFF position. Worse than that is the combined throttle/brake lever, which has so much backlash that it is unuseable, there is a lot of slack and flexing in the mechanism, so you need to move it maybe a quarter of the travel before anything happens, then move it a long way in the opposite direction before there is any response. This is not a calibration issue, it is a mechanical fault in the design. Having said that, I may try using some glue to eliminate the slack to see if that makes it more useable, hmmm! I keep thinking of making a video illustrating the problem, but haven't bothered even plugging the thing in for years.

[@BluGames]

You should make a video for sure

[@rb2268]

I want one, but not at that price! This controller should retail for $69.99 at most! There are ads out there for over $325 for this. Outrageous!

[@1186wolf]

here in Canada it would cost me $500+ just to own it and I not going to Buy it at $500+ for a bunch of Plastic.

[@rb2268]

@@1186wolf Heck no! Ive played with it. It is very cheaply made

[@anthonymcdonald2378]

I bought my raildriver used, back in 2012. Its been awesome but over the years, the reverser and other controls arent as sesnasive as they used to be. Almost thinking about taking it apart and making it into a whole different design using the controls

[@GerbenWijnja]

You could replace the audio cable with a plug in the back. Drill a little hole, put in a socket, solder it to the wires on the inside, done.

[@niggly.wiggly]

it is a good product but my only complaint is that it needs to be made with quality materials and needs to be updated.

[@BluGames]

Yea i agree

[@michaelnewbury4345]

I have had my raildriver now for 2 years and it was definitely worth the purchase. It has had made playing Train Simulator much easier than using a keyboard, since the add to Train Sim World been fun and enjoyabke. Sad the stickers cannot with stand use but that is a small issue.

[@BluGames]

Im with you

[@trains774]

​@@BluGames Can you use this on ps4? And xbox

[@Jepson07]

@@trains774 no

[@MrCrrispy]

I wonder if we could buy a set of new stickers from PI Engineering? Going to ask.

[@DUBMANS]

Ive had mine since 2012 and still works

[@animaltvi9515]

Love my raildriver. The only real grief I have is on TSW the button functions varies from locomotive to locomotive . Why can't they be the same as in train sim. One train the aws cancel isn't the alert button. Left and right don't always open the doors so you still stuck with the key board.

[@BluGames]

Yea this is true

[@MacCekko]

Thank you! You helped me a lot with this video. The controller is very expensive and I was unsure if I should buy it in the hope of using it with open Rails (as I can now use my 'old' MSTS trains and consists in a modern PC like twenty years later than when I was playing on Windows XP), but now I know. I also learned that there atcually is a vendor website, since I found this controller initially on Amazon and did not know anything about the vendor. (Here in Italy it is sold on Amazon but as they say, it's the "Germany Edition" and I don't really understand what do they mean). Again, thanks. Cheers.

[@nickolaslewis1560]

I've had mine since 2006. Love it. I wish they had a Linux plugin.

[@fin720s]

I dont like how it doesnt come with a notched axis for breaking or throttle which common on british trains

[@twelvewingproductions7508]

I found it very strange that Train sim world 5 didn't support inputs from existing controllers like a Virpil throttle. Or am I just missing something?

[@BCLRailfnner_4109]

Can we please have this TrainDriver Controller be usable on Xbox and Play Station this product would be bought way more frequently if this is playable on consoles

[@jaxroblox4655]

They should make a version that has controls like the sd40-2 or es44ac.

[@Electric_Crystals]

looks cool but it also seems very fragile because of the plastic material. Great review nonetheless! keep up the good work!

[@BluGames]

Thank you

[@kvgiris]

@@BluGames mine got thrown onto the floor from 2m and still works normal

[@joedaylighttrains]

ive had mine for over ten years at this point and it still works great

[@MrCrrispy]

It's not. I used mine for more than 12 years with TS and now TSW, and just decided to replace it because the reverser lever had got loose, but still working in game.

[@piperhawk5859]

I agree with what Blu said except i had some button issues with it. They would work sometimes and not others. This thing is made with the cheapest plastic and buttons they could use. It just screams cheap. I returned it. I wish there was a better made alternative to this

[@virtualaviator21156]

I have become an official rail driver fan as well

[@BluGames]

Sweet

[@WhitfieldProductionsTV]

this is the one controller I've been wanting. still not within my price range sadly.

[@BluGames]

Sadly the price hasnt changed in 10 years lol

[@WhitfieldProductionsTV]

@@BluGames amazon has one cheaper than ebay does and those are used lol, the logic makes no sense.

[@HPAA_League]

Are there any alternatives

[@jaybeckham]

Thanks for the video. I have had mine for about 5 years or so. However, starting last week it won't work. I contacted P.E. and was told to load the 32bit software and then the 64bit before opening Steam and Train Simulator. I reloaded the software and tried several times but it just doesn't work anymore. It did work early last week but doesn't now.

[@BluGames]

Darn thats ashame im sorry to hear about that

[@mateusjosepretti5541]

OMG I PLAYED WITH U SIMRAIL AND JUST FIND OUT ABOUT YOUR CHANNEL I miss our gameplay, trying to figure out the commands in Polish

[@BluGames]

Heeyyyyy man!!!! Finally haha

[@FoxBoi69]

is there something like this that looks like a taurus cab layout?

[@BluGames]

Sadly not that I know of

[@PNMAWVR777RailfanInfo]

Does the Raildriver work on the laptop as well ?

[@terrancemoore5567]

I’m new to this but very interested. Do u have to download anything or buy any train sim disc to operate the control stand

[@BluGames]

Yes this controllers works with a few different train simulators. But you have to buy/ download them from online. I get my train sims from “Steam” store

[@davidkaraki74]

I´m speechless... You are really professional about this and I am genuinely impressed by how you are pulling this off making this review of this cheap, over priced low quality product actually making it sound really good! Kudos my friend, but NO, Na-ah! I´m gonna try to find words and be polite about this, just like you; "It´s small, feel a bit cheap, plastic and flimsy, which is not a bad thing cuz it will rise the price" (?) Really?? Rise the (over) price even more? ...not Bad? - That´s EXACTLY what it is when you are expected to pay between 230-300 bucks (Only in the states, more fee´s for us over seas) for a child´s toy made for midgets (no offence to small people) And hold on to your HATS cuz it comes with BUILT IN SOUND MIND YOU!! 🤣Come on!!! Really?? However, I´m blaming DoveTail and dovetail only for not providing support for REGULAR lever controls such as traditional flight throttle lever controls instead of this expensive child´s toy which weirdly enough seem to have some kind of monopoly and priority as the only "decent controller" in the train sim as the 4th generation TSW comin up, go figure. And please don´t get me started with x-box pads and keyboards as an alternative, who are we kidding? I mean did anyone even notice how your hands so delicately and gently were fingertipping the levers ... my goodness, that was sooo delicate and I can´t unsee it 😂 Makes me think of Ralph Wiggum in The Simpsons; " Im driving a train!!" -Great content man! U got a new follower!

[@PragmaticTornado]

Had one of these for a decade (yep, a whole 10 years). It's a shame they seemingly never bothered to update this one, because the levers are insanely inaccurate, almost comically so. If I move one of the levers too fast, it often doesn't register the input at all, or only partially. Been like that since day 1. Tried calibrating about a hundred times. Wiper and light rotary switches are the same - often doesn't register the inputs so I have to flick the switch 2 or 3 times before it works. Again, since day 1. It's funny because it looks decent, and has a real heft to it. Sturdy plastic chassis too. In the end it's just way too expensive for what you get, though I will admit it is better than nothing. And I never understood the point of the speaker - maybe just to increase the weight of the unit so it feels more expensive..

[@MrCrrispy]

With TS classic or TSW?

[@tombulva]

Is there any tool/way to assign axes control for my own use (specifically SimRail). There is MacroWorks that allows you to configure all the buttons, but I would like to assign specific commands to the lever as well. And not necessarily continuously, it is enough to assign appropriate commands to the ends of the axes ... If it is possible ???

[@BluGames]

Sadly simrail doesnt officially support it. I tried it myself and it doesnt recognize it. The developer said they would add it eventually but didnt sound promising. I dont know of any tools to work around this but i also havent looked. Let me know if you fins anything

[@tombulva]

@@BluGames Thanks for the answer. I found something like "Raildriver As Joystick V1.0.1" on the internet, but I'm too stupid to link it to SimRail. Perhaps it is impossible. You can take a look at this project. Another program is "joy to key". I read on the forum that you can be successful with this... Also, please let me know if you manage to come up with something ;-)

[@tombulva]

I checked. You can (makeshift) use axles from RailDrive in SimRail. First, run the "RaildriverAsJoystick" application, and then make the rest of the configuration in the "JoyToKey" program. Of course, the axes do not work smoothly, but you can assign appropriate commands (compatible with the control keys for SimRail)) to individual axes. It's a bit clumsy (especially when it comes to precise control of the brakes and actuator controller), but maybe it can be fine-tuned. Anyway, I'm counting and waiting for official support from the developer ;-)

[@dotrail]

just wish it was not so much in aud its 313 dollars i mean im still buying it but geez any discount would help ;)

[@josephn944]

DTG needs to support custom axis commands. Obviously they have some ulterior motive for not doing so. All of us in the sim hobby have an axis controller that isn’t 20 years old and TSW has to be the only PC game I’ve ever heard of with axis input that only supports one controller (excluding gamepad). Dev’s are either greedy, lazy, or some combination of both. I’m glad flight sim world was a failure or we might not have MSFS.

[@rugbyprop87]

Does anyone know if this would work for RailRoader?

[@WarDaddy66]

I don’t know if I missed it. But does the rail driver work for console?

[@bestbaconman4547]

Oh one question, does the reverser come out of the RailDriver or does it stay in? Just wondering.

[@BluGames]

No it does not

[@bestbaconman4547]

Alright thanks.

[@hardnine]

Any idea can you anything like this for ps4/5?thanks

[@BluGames]

Sadly no.. Not that I have found

[@yumpinyiminy963]

My only issue is that they are still charging to much $ for a 10 year old design.

[@thatoneguy4126]

Think theirs a way to rig this up for a ps5?

[@BluGames]

If you are clever enough.. maybe

[@kevinsands7639]

It's virtually irreparable. I've had the light switch (bottom right). Everything is like levers are glued and don't drop out for repairs. The handles don't screw off. The switch is fixed in with glue and can't be repaired if it breaks off. Mine got brittle and just broke off and before it broke off it refused to calibrate, after getting to the switch circuit board it was impossible to put it back together.

[@xtremegta6577]

can i play train sim 3 with this? or only for 2

[@BluGames]

Both

[@Virga_Stupelman]

I have a question. Does it works in roblox game Stepford County Railway?

[@ZD_Nikitos]

and this controller will work Train sim world 3 on ps5?

[@BluGames]

No . It only works for pc

[@ZD_Nikitos]

Ok

[@sanjureddy08]

I need the crane cabin controller pls

[@MrNcharly]

gibt es leider nicht in Österreich zu kaufen

[@cholomondeleybiscuitt]

This product is so dated considering we're now in 2023.. Sound on a 3mm Jack - Are we back in 2010? How the heck would I attach that to an All-in-One with a B&O sound system, would I even want to? The compatibility list on their poorly designed website reads like an Operating System history lesson - Windows 7, Vista... really? It's like they've thought "ah well, that'll do, they can a take it or leave it, what do we care.." Stickers too? I mean WTF?! It's as bad as my daughters Barbie house but with less rainbows 🌈. In the UK this lump of plastic retails at £275, which equates to around $330 - Sorry but NO, not at that price, not for hardware some 10 years out of date!

[@BluGames]

Best comment ever. “Less 🌈s”

[@trains774]

I'm so confused Does it work on playstation

[@BluGames]

No it doesnt

[@trains774]

@@BluGames ok thx

[@dorcarajamanimerugu3858]

how much the controller man ?

[@stabos94gr]

Works for ps4? or with any modification?

[@BluGames]

I dont think so, unless u know howt to modify it

[@KaiMartin-hy9lr]

Does it work with train sim. Classic

[@Mr.OliverTrain]

It does work with train simulator classic

[@williamdavis8910]

I use it on my apple with run 8

[@HannesochOskarfrånSyab]

how you get the console

[@BluGames]

Buy link in description

[@DNS2911]

does this work for train sim world 3?

[@BluGames]

Yes.. did u watch the video? Lol

[@DNS2911]

@@BluGames thank you 😁😅

[@Hopeless-pw8ri]

For 200€ you would expect fully metallic, non sticker build.

[@Olicatbnsf1234]

Can you use this on train sim world 3

[@HPAA_League]

I think so

[@BluGames]

@Siemens-Charger-Alc-42 yes

[@Larry]

But... has someone tried to beat Elden Ring with it yet? :D

[@gonzalomartosruiz]

Is it avaible in ps4

[@BluGames]

Sadly no

[@Thegdreview]

I just dont think it's worth the price it's sold for on amazon and the support seem an issue

[@christopherjones861]

Has anyone ever experienced a electric odor coming from it

[@dagemini13th]

I wish they made one for ps5 😢

[@Ribeanie]

Seems like a lot of money for the size and "plasticness" of it

[@Voltomess]

200€ for a small piece of plastic that is like 15 years old and doesn't work with modern sims FUCK NOOOOOO

[@HPAA_League]

I am a train

[@Zeromyhero-o6o]

I like the rail driver, but gosh when are they going to redesign the cab controls make it bigger a little wider where your hands are not too big for the controls the makers just don’t understand they can make a lot of money if they would redesign and make it bigger and update the controls leave the desktop design!!! I wish someone would come in and redesigned it do a different brand just so people can stop buying this worthless cheap plastic crap

[@BluGames]

Yes i agree

[@kralkrauterblach414]

100% overpriced 🤮 , and this company sucks anaway , they sell only in USa , europe you pay around 150 euro porto ,its a fuc... joke .hope Saitek or logitech will build one Day a good and cheaper controller

[@Schweizerleague]

it look alike toy for children :D

[@kralkrauterblach414]

Yes , 😂😂and 1000% overpriced

[@dkboy2014]

But it's too small

[@cruzgarcia6173]

Wish they had one for PS4 PRO