First Route - Where should I start?

jdennis

New member
Hi,

I've been playing Trainz for some time now and I think I'm ready to start creating my own first decent route. I want to start with a small layout, perhaps 20-30km. I want to start with a fictional route based on NSW Australia.

However, I'm not really sure where to start. I guess laying track is the first step, but should I be creating terrain as I go? Should I be placing signals or other objects? Or should I just lay some track on some flat baseboards and then shape it once I've done that?

Any assistance would be much appreciated.

Thanks.
 
You can do it how you like - personally I like making fictional layouts on DEM's (layouts with terrain depicting an actual place)

However, always do signalling last, as trainz does not like track alterations after you've laid the signalling, plus they're a b!tch to get right :hehe:

Welcome to the forums by the way, and for some good assets, try the Download station and http://home.exetel.com.au/cws/worrybrook/ for great NSW assets (I'm assuming you're using Trainz Mac)

Jamie
 
"trainz does not like track alterations after you've laid the signalling"

I'll bite, where did you get that idea, and what evidence do you have? I've placed signals and altered track all over creation in all three trainsims, MSTS is the only one I ever saw have database problems, Trainz never gave me a problem however I change track and signals.

At the original poster, if you click the Manual button and read it, there's a tutorial on building a basic route, but surveyor is versatile enough there's no real wrong way to do it. Track then terrain then scenery is probably the easiest for a beginner.
 
no idea Jim, i've read that people's signals stuffed up after you add track or something

Jamie
 
We also read the one about deleting or replacing KUIDs in the route's config.txt many times, gotta be careful about passing on myths. In MSTS that's more or less valid, since the data for track and signals are in two different files that could easily get out of synch and screw the whole thing up, but by carefully deleting signals in the area you're working on and any signals linked to track you intend to change it can be done the same way defusing a bomb is possible if you know what you're doing. Trainz is different, the worst thing that happens is when making a new switch off the mainline a signal will sometimes move over to the new vertex, easily fixed. If somebody claimed that changing track after placing signals screwed up a route, I think the more likely cause would be changing or laying track in the wrong layer.
 
For a first route, forget doing a 20 - 30km project and perhaps find a model railway plan which can be expanded into a slightly larger area. Cut your teeth on that learning the various functions of the editor. Once you're competent with that you can start looking into external utilities such as Transdem to bring DEM'd and mapped prototype areas into the editor to work on.
 
For what it's worth I started my first route as a sort of detailed one-board diorama. Put some track down, modeled the terrain, added roads, industries, and scenery. Learned most of the editing features that way. Then I just keep adding at each end, one or two boards at a time.
 
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