I don't think the learning curve on TS2013 is particularly steep in fact I'd say driving most locos and units is really simple!
I wouldn't say building a route in railworks is particularly easy. I tried it a couple of weeks back and thought no, I'll stick to making routes in trainz. That said, it is easy to drive trainz on both simulators, with both also having basic and complex controls for you to choose.
Like Ainsworth has said, its fairly simple. However, you cannot really compare the two like for like.
I would agree there, that it is quite to compare them now, but as a user of both, I would say it depends on what you are most interested in. If you want a more realistic driving experience, then probably train simulator 2013 but if you are more creating and like building routes etc, then IMO, trainz 2012 is your best choice. Also, if money is a factor in the long run, then I'd go for trainz as you get access to thousands of free content and there is only a small amount of payware. Personally I would go for trainz (TS12) as I prefer the overall layout and ease of use - it is very easy to create your own content and reskins (after all I spend about 85% time on trainz and 15% on railworks.
