Any Route Building Tips?

[Taizahn]

I'm trying to build better and nicer Trainz routes. I'm just trying to get some tips that can help me with that.

 

[JCitron]

Welcome to the forums @Taizahn!

Take apart routes created by others that you like in Surveyor and poke around to see how they did things.

Create a small, single board route, and use that to experiment with. Many of us have what I've called A TEST ROUTE. Seriously, this is what I call it. I use this for experimenting with textures, looking at track or other objects prior to placing them on my own bigger routes.

Start small and work slowly. We all have big dreams of vast railroad empires. The problem is these vast railroad empires take time. If we set out these lofty goals with little experience, we end up getting overpowered, frustrated, and in the end the route ends up in the trash. By starting slow and expanding, the route can grow as you work on it and that leads to the next item.

When you finally are ready to try a "serious" route, establish a theme and a back history so that your route doesn't become an unwieldly monster. It can happen even if you have a theme, but what I'm getting at is it makes route building a lot easier if you give the railroad a purpose to exist.

When you become burned out, take a break. I watch cab ride videos and look at maps. These inspire me to get back on the saddle and continue to work on my routes some more.

Using this process, I've created a large, nearly 190-mile route, if not more, that was started in January 2004. I started by looking at other people's routes and then learned to use the tools. I used a theme I had from my once-built N-scale layout and expanded on that in the real world. The route is still in existence today and is slowly being renovated and updated. This brings up another thing.

Don't be afraid to throw stuff away or redo stuff over. Unlike a real model railroad, the only thing you are wasting is disk space, time, and pixels. You didn't spend $20 each for a turnout and who knows what for track, let alone the plaster, plywood, plastic, foam, and all the other goodies it takes to build a layout. Let it happen and it'll happen.

 

[Railwoodman]

I would definitely start small as JCitron has stated . Learn how to use and build , take your time on this . I'm still learning . And relearning as it were . But knowing your way around surveyor's tools will help you a lot . For the most part you can't go wrong with what has been posted above .

Welcome to trainz

Matt

 

[scratchy]

Also go outside and look at how and why things are the way they are. Good route building comes from a good understanding of infrastructure/terrain/transport links/location of towns or industry etc.

 

[neville_hill]

There's some very good advice above.....
At the beginning decide whether you want to model a model railway or the real thing. This will probably determine whether it will be viewed from above or track/ground level. This will be critical to what you do. Then decide on locality and era and study as much relevant reference material as you can. Then, as said above, start small..... A single station is plenty to start with!

 

[Taizahn]

Welcome to the forums @Taizahn!

Take apart routes created by others that you like in Surveyor and poke around to see how they did things.

Create a small, single board route, and use that to experiment with. Many of us have what I've called A TEST ROUTE. Seriously, this is what I call it. I use this for experimenting with textures, looking at track or other objects prior to placing them on my own bigger routes.

Start small and work slowly. We all have big dreams of vast railroad empires. The problem is these vast railroad empires take time. If we set out these lofty goals with little experience, we end up getting overpowered, frustrated, and in the end the route ends up in the trash. By starting slow and expanding, the route can grow as you work on it and that leads to the next item.

When you finally are ready to try a "serious" route, establish a theme and a back history so that your route doesn't become an unwieldly monster. It can happen even if you have a theme, but what I'm getting at is it makes route building a lot easier if you give the railroad a purpose to exist.

When you become burned out, take a break. I watch cab ride videos and look at maps. These inspire me to get back on the saddle and continue to work on my routes some more.

Using this process, I've created a large, nearly 190-mile route, if not more, that was started in January 2004. I started by looking at other people's routes and then learned to use the tools. I used a theme I had from my once-built N-scale layout and expanded on that in the real world. The route is still in existence today and is slowly being renovated and updated. This brings up another thing.

Don't be afraid to throw stuff away or redo stuff over. Unlike a real model railroad, the only thing you are wasting is disk space, time, and pixels. You didn't spend $20 each for a turnout and who knows what for track, let alone the plaster, plywood, plastic, foam, and all the other goodies it takes to build a layout. Let it happen and it'll happen.

Thank you so much for that tip. My routes usually look like poo, so I'm going to use the advice you've given me. I've been working on a route called Green Layout. It's a British inspired route thats meant to be more like a train set than a hyper realistic route. But I've slowed down and put more details into the countryside and towns, so I'm glad at how it's coming out. Thanks again, JCitron.