Commenting on the popularity of the 1.25Mb download that allows users to import and/or export their own designs into the game, Auran CEO Greg Lane said he was delighted that so many people are getting involved.

“We’re expecting a Trainz content creation explosion! The ease-of-use of both gmax™ and Trainz is giving everybody a chance to create some really impressive content and share their creations over the Internet,” Greg said.

Auran expects the popularity of Trainz to rise sharply with the rapid development of third party and user-created content.

Reports of significant spikes at the Discreet site suggest that as more and more people begin to use gmax™, those games with appropriate plug-ins like Trainz, will become increasingly popular.