Coals to Newcastle | Physics | Route Build Tutorial

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

Introduction

Train Simulator Route Explorer

Demonstration Tutorial Instructions

Useful References

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.

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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 Manual

Consist 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 Manual

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Demonstration Tutorial Instructions

The following document will support the route builder as they undertake the demonstration tutorial.

Route Building Tutorial Instructions

All the materials required to build a route are included in the following pack. This pack also includes a route called au_mount_hope_tutorial which is partially complete (work in progress), and the builder can study this route to see the potential outcomes that could be achieved, or alternatively add elements to the route to practice. NB: This route has interactives added for demonstration purposes, despite the fact that the route is not complete. The route builder can create their own route with a different name to practice various skills.

Tutorial Demonstration Route

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