Open Rails Train Simulator (ORTS) - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Most of these questions have been created by Bob Davey based on his experiences using ORTS.

Having a problem with one of the route running in ORTS? Then one of the following FAQs might help you.

Note: Only Tweed, Craven and Manning have been specifically set up to operate in ORTS. The others may also run as well, but may require some "fault finding" and tweaking.

Note: No responsibility is accepted for the accuracy of the information contained on this page and it is up to the user to accept any consequences of using any information presented on this page. You can also check out some of the forums or other Trains Sim sites.

Make sure that you backup any relevant files before changing them.

ORTS General

* When I first run ORTS it has problems, how do I find the problems?

* When I first run a DEFAULT or Explore option ORTS crashes. The dialogue error message indicates either that a CONSIST (*.CON) file is missing (standard menu) or “Player Service has unknown locomotive” (enhanced menu)". Please advise a solution.

* When I run the Activity option ORTS crashes and OpenRailsLog.txt on the desktop indicates that rolling stock is missing. Please advise a solution.

* When I run an Activity or Explore the Route, OpenRailsLog.txt on the desktop indicates that there are a number of errors. Please advise a solution.

* When I run an Activity or Explore the Route some engines refuse to move, especially after coupling to wagons and the Brake Information (Shift+F5) indicates that the status is ”emergency”. How do I get moving?

* When I open the OpenRailsLog.txt (on the Desktop) it indicates that some rolling stock is missing and I can’t track it down.


ORTS General

Question: When I first run ORTS it has problems, how do I find the problems?

Answer: ORTS creates a text log file which can be found on your desktop. It is called "OpenRailsLog.txt". Open it to find a list of all the errors identified by ORTS.

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Question: When I first run a DEFAULT or Explore option ORTS crashes. The dialogue error message indicates either that a CONSIST (*.CON) file is missing (standard menu) or “Player Service has unknown locomotive” (enhanced menu). Please advise a solution.

Answer: There is a simple quick fix for this problem:

Amend the default.srv file to reflect the name of a CONSIST file that you do have in your consists folder.

To do this: double click the Default.srv file and open with Notepad or any text editor and edit the Train_Config information.

You will find the Default.srv file in the C:\ORTS Use Default Folder\ ROUTES\AU_xxxx\Services\Default.srv. A typical route folder structure looks like this.

 Route File Structure

Amend consist description within the brackets in the line Train_Config ( Consist Name ). Change the details by typing in the exact name of an existing consist (see contents of the Consists folder located at C:\ORTS Use Default Folder\ TRAINS\Consists\xxxx.CON.

ORTS also uses a dedicated folder structure and may fail if the user renames ORTS installed folders.

Suggested file structure for ORTS (this closely mirrors the MSTS file structure):

File Structure

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Question: When I run the Activity option ORTS crashes and OpenRailsLog.txt on the desktop indicates that rolling stock is missing. Please advise a solution.

Answer: Please revisit the Home Page for the Route in question and recheck the Installation Instructions making sure all the rolling stock and other files have been installed correctly (the OpenRailsLog.txt files will indicate the items it cannot locate).

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Question: When I run an Activity or Explore the Route, OpenRailsLog.txt on the desktop indicates that there are a number of errors. Please advise a solution.

Answer: ORTS itself is still in beta testing stage as of version 0.7.0.905 (March 2012) and there are a large number of MSTS/ORTS compatibility errors yet to be resolved. You may wish to visit the Open Rails website and download the latest version. There are various readme files provided with the ORTS download that contain details of what ORTS can and cannot do that will interest the user. There are also a number of User Forums that may help, as well as the Open Rails Web Site.

Basically if the program doesn’t fall over it is Ok to proceed and the errors can be ignored unless you want to tidy them up yourself Many issues are quite simple to identify and fix (simply use NotePad or similar as your text editor and don’t forget to make copies of the files you intend to work on - just in case you need to restore them.

As ORTS evolves it is expected that the incidence or error reports should diminish.

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Question: When I run an Activity or Explore the Route some engines refuse to move, especially after coupling to wagons and the Brake Information (Shift+F5) indicates that the status is ”emergency”. How do I get moving?

Answer: Usually this means that the brakes have not been released. When you couple to wagons or cars, ORTS requires you to connect the air hoses between them before the brakes will work on the train. As a rough guide the last two numbers (ie BC and BP) in the "Train Brake" section of the Heads up Display (HUD) should be at the full brake pressure, indicating that the train brake is fully charged."

For more info see - Using the F5 HUD Braking information in the Game – section of the ORTS Operations manual. Simply press the Shift+? keys which should fix the problem..

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Question: When I open the OpenRailsLog.txt (on the Desktop) it indicates that some rolling stock is missing and I can’t track it down.

Answer: Use the CTN Stock Finder on the right hand side of the menu tab to help locate download locations for the correct stock. Rolling Stock Search page.

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