Route Building Tutorial
Aim - to demonstrate the basic functions involved in building a route for use with Open Rails.
If you wish to provide any feedback on this page, please use the contact page. It would be great to have some feedback as this helps to ensure the accuracy of the information provided.
Index
Train Simulator Route Explorer
Demonstration Tutorial Instructions
Introduction
Once builders have completed this route they will have the basic skills required to build a simple Open Rails route. They can then investigate more advanced skills to further improve their route building experience. The tutorial route allows the builder to experiment and try different things to see what effect that they have.
This demonstration route has been based upon a short branch line of less than 10 miles, between Matakana and Mt Hope (Australia), and allows the route builder to follow the suggested steps required to build the route, and to practice the different tasks and actions required to build a route.
During the course of the demonstration tutorial, the builder will undertake the following different tasks:
- Route Research
- Set up a Route File Structure
- Create New Route
- Create Terrain Tiles
- Create Route Terrain
- Lay tracks and roads
- Adding static objects
- Adding vegetation objects
- Adding interactive track and road objects
- Running your first train
The tutorial route has all the information required by the route builder to build the route, and contains the following resources:
- A base file structure with signal, road and track shapes to enable the builder to get started. DEM files are also included in the pack.
- Information of the route including the following reference material:
- Topographical map
- Parish Map
- Historical map of NSW
- Track layouts for the stations/yards covered and gradient diagrams.
- Digital Elevation Model (DEM)
Each of the different steps or tasks required by the route builder will be described in basic detail within this document so that the intending route builder will be able to practice each step. For detailed information on how to undertake a specific task in the Route Building Tutorial, refer to the Train Simulator Route Editor (TSRE) document which can be found on the OR website.
This tutorial is provided on the assumption that you have already installed OR, and TSRE. It might also refer to contributed tools that can be accessed through either OR or TSRE. The tutorial is based upon TSRE v0.7.012.
Once you have practised your skills, and have completed the tutorial route you will be able to undertake a route of your own desire.
If you wish to provide any feedback on this page, please use the contact page. It would be great to have some feedback, as this helps to ensure the accuracy of the information and model.
Train Simulator Route Explorer
The main route building tool for building routes in Open Rails is the "Train Simulator Route Explorer" (or TSRE for short) which was created by Piotr Gadecki ( who goes by the name of "Goku" or "GokuMK" in the forums), and contains a Route Editing, Shape File Viewer and Consist Building Tool. This is a free tool so there is no cost in getting started.
TSRE can be downloaded from Goku's site. Download the latest version exe and "arch" file, install them in a folder of your choice. The first time that you run the exe file it will add resources to the folder that TSRE needs to operate.
Route Building
To help route builders get started the following manual explains some of the various functions, and how to complete the different tasks described in the demonstration route. It has been compiled by Pete Willard, and is updated from time to time.
TSRE ManualConsist and Activity Editor
A manual to assist people in using the Activity and Consist editing tools can be viewed in the following manual.
TSRE Activity and Consist Editing ManualDemonstration Tutorial Instructions
The following document will support the route builder as they undertake the demonstration tutorial.
Route Building Tutorial InstructionsAll the materials required to build a route are included in the following pack. This pack also includes a route called
Useful References
The following links will take route builders to forums that might by doing searches and studying might answer some questions that they have.
Trainsim.com Forum - Route Editor
Trainsim.com Forum - Consist Editor
Open Rails Forum - Route Editor
Open Rails Forum - Consist Editor
Goku's Forum - Route and Consist Editor