Google Earth
trainzessex,
I have had a look at this route in GE and to be honest even I would have to give creating it a lot of consideration, it is a massive project. I know it's only 35 miles, but it runs through practically all human habitation; I mean housing, and masses of it.
Also there is the Eurostar mainline running alongside for quite a way and that's elevated, apart from miles of elevated track on the rails you will have to lay. It is not a route for the faint-hearted and certainly not for a first one.
However, I have looked around Essex as I assume that is where you live and found a line running from Norwich to Yarmouth that looks quite good as a starter. It's mostly countryside so you will be able to use textures a lot and get plenty of practice in. At each end there are towns of course so plenty to keep you occupied working out which asset will suit the real one on the ground.
This is one trouble with creating an actual existing railway line, people can go see it so you need to get it somewhere near right and it is not easy.
But a country one with a town at the ends lends itself well, and you get to go to the seaside too!
Have a look at it on Google Earth. You can zoom in fairly close, but really close it gets fuzzy, so stay away just a bit. There are some of the blue patches along the line so you can see pictures taken by people and get an idea what the scenery is like.
I know you meant well but perhaps picked the wrong route to start in Trainz with, highly complicated and detailed ones take a long time and your enthusiasm can wane. I know, I have built long routes, they are on the DLS, but they take a couple of years to do. Even the Kent & East Sussex route I did took 18 months at least and that's all in the country.
So don't get disheartened. You have only just begun on the road into the wonderful world of Trainz and there is an awful lot to learn. Best thing to do is download a couple of routes and have a look at how people have gone about creating them, that will give you some good ideas.
Getting used to texturing isn't the easiest of things, but it is very necessary otherwise the ground looks awful, just flat and all one colour and that isn't how it is in nature.
Try not to use all built-in assets either, especially trees, there is plenty on the DLS to go get and that will improve the way your routes look.
There are some very nice shrub and tree sets on this site for you to get....
http://www.greenery.name/mstsg/mstsgd.htm?trainz,2
and loads of stuff on here....
http://www.trainz.hu/index.php?sel_lang=english
These are well known sites so most folk use assets from them.
Go on the DLS and search for textures, like sand and grasses, oh and scrub, they will bring the background out a lot and liven it up.
But practice. I did for 2 years before I felt good enough to post a shot here.
Angela
HTH