Greetings, and a few questions

GreyAreaUK

New member
Greetings. I'm very new to Trainz so I apologise if there's an FAQ I've missed that answers some of this.

I've purchased TMR2017 as I'm primarily interested in model railways, not driving trains. Basically I want to relive my boyhood Hornby years :) (although that's now almost 40 years ago! Where does the time go..?)

So, first question: I've downloaded and installed it on my main gaming PC. Can I also download and install it on a second PC I have? Note: this is not to have the two copies running at the same time, it's purely a convenience thing - I use both machines roughly equally (one upstairs, one downstairs connected to the TV). Ideally I'd save any layouts on a shared drive that both machines can access (again, if possible).

Second: are there any good tutorials for track laying anywhere? I'd be interested in YouTube videos if possible. I've already looked at some of 'Approach Medium's stuff and it's very good (and I find him very easy to listen to) but they kind of assume you already know what you're doing.

Lastly, my main area of interest is British trains and associated assets. Mainly older stuff (50's-70's, so the 'Appen' assets seem to be a good start). Are there any additional assets I should look to be getting? While I'm not hugely into steam just yet, it might be nice to look into that later. I guess what I'm asking is: how much comes with TMR2017, and how much extra is there (which, I appreciate, is a very open-ended question). I've not had time to fully look at the Download Station yet. What are the limits on it without buying Tickets?

Many thanks, and as I say, I apologise for the numpty questions.
 
Fly safe commander ;)

I believe you can install Trainz products as many times as you like as long as your account is only being used once at any time.

I'll leave the rest to more knowledgeable folk.

PS download station (DLS) limit without a ticket is 100MB a day. I'd recommend investigating the tickets, they're not too expensive.
 
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We meet again, Commander!

Thanks - yes, like I say it's purely a convenience thing, depending on which PC I'll be using at the time.

Fly safe, Commander - o7
 
Some of the answers to your questions

:wave: Welcome aboard Sir, You've come to a good place, and although I can't help you on British side of it, I'm across the Pond from you so only familiar with US Trains here.


Ques #1

https://forums.auran.com/trainz/showthread.php?134727-Trainz-on-Multiple-Computers

additional link with more results..

https://www.google.com/search?sourc...3i22i29i30k1j33i160k1j33i21k1.106.-y_Lse8HGiQ

I did a search on YouTube, for Track Laying in Trainz, and here is what I found.

https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=trainz+track+laying+tutorial

There are many folks in here quite knowledgeable for the British side of Trainz, and I have a good feeling they'll respond to you......Well actually we have folks from around the World, this is really interesting Forum to join!

Good Luck and I hope the above helps you out Sir.
 
Welcome to the forums.

I'll skip question one although others will probably answer.

There are some route laying tutorials in the manual that you will find in the game folder under Resources -> Extras. It's been a long time since I read it though! I don't make routes or sessions and prefer making models.

If you are looking for Model Railway layouts then look for any routes and sessions by PhilSkene, He also makes lots of other stuff but model railways are his specialty. He is also active on the forums so will probably spot this thread.

For UK rail items look out for anything by PaulHobbs, Skipper1945 or Andi06. George (Skipper1945) specialises in GWR rolling stock. Andi, unfortunately, is no long with us but his legacy remains.

There is a lot of stuff on the Download Station but the quality mostly varies with version and time. i.e. the older stuff will not look as good as the more newer stock.
 
Guys - thank you very much for the links and information. As I say I'm really new to this and have barely had time to do more than just make sure the software installed correctly. I'm hoping to get more time over the weekend, but in the meantime those tutorials by 'Rudysmodelrailway' look like a good start.

Thank you also for the British rolling stock information - I've really not had a chance to investigate the Download Station yet. How usable is it without buying tickets? I suspect my download needs are going to be very small to begin with, and I'm patient...:)
 
The problem is that when you download a route, it will also download all the assets that the route is dependent on, if they are not already installed. 100MB disappears very quickly.
 
The problem is that when you download a route, it will also download all the assets that the route is dependent on, if they are not already installed. 100MB disappears very quickly.

Ah, so there's a download limit? I (wrongly it seems) thought it was just a speed limit. Does that reset, ie is it per month or is it a one-shot thing?
 
The problem is that when you download a route, it will also download all the assets that the route is dependent on, if they are not already installed. 100MB disappears very quickly.
That's a good one, most people complain that non first class ticket downloads take too long:D
As well as routes, some locos can have some quite large dependencies, so let them download when you aren't at the pc.

I think that a first class ticket would be a good buy once you start looking at what's available.......and the bug bites.

Chris.
 
That's a good one, most people complain that non first class ticket downloads take too long:D
As well as routes, some locos can have some quite large dependencies, so let them download when you aren't at the pc.

I think that a first class ticket would be a good buy once you start looking at what's available.......and the bug bites.

Chris.

*laugh*, yes, I think I need to start walking before I contemplate running a marathon :)
 
Hi Paul --

"If you are looking for Model Railway layouts then look for any routes and sessions by PhilSkene, He also makes lots of other stuff but model railways are his specialty. He is also active on the forums so will probably spot this thread."

You rang? Yes, two of my layouts are included in TMR2017 - the "Shortz and Kerliez" and "Port Zyd". And on the Download Station I've uploaded my original versions of the sessions for these two routes. These sessions don't have the pop-up messages and scoring -- I regard both of these as infantile.

Hi GreyAreaUK --

Welcome to Trainz and these Forums.

Yes, I've probably uploaded more model railroad layouts and sessions to the Download Station than anyone else. If you do an advanced search of the Forums with "philskene" as the originator of the thread you will find a description of each layout and each session. You will find something like this:

https://forums.auran.com/trainz/showthread.php?131786-New-layout-the-Klozett-Railroad-Company-a-NG-Model-Trainz-layout

and:

https://forums.auran.com/trainz/sho...inz-the-quot-Deepwater-Railway-Co-quot-layout

The layouts are more more Australian or North American in flavour but that shouldn't preclude the use of UK equipment. Anyway, they are meant to be fun and entertaining, with a few challenges for the "Chuck and Joe" sessions.

One issue you might encounter though -- all these layouts are for T:ANE. Your TMR2017 does not include the same built-in content as T:ANE. So if the built-ins that I've used on my layouts are not built-in with TMR and are not on the Download Station you will end up with missing dependencies.

If I can help in any way ... .

Phil
 
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Phil - many thanks for your reply. At this stage I'm really just trying to find out what I need to know, if that makes sense - asking questions about what questions to ask, sort of thing :)

There's certainly lots of things I don't know, like how all the products fit together, what the limitations of TMR are from my perspective of wanting to recreate model railways, as opposed to wanting to drive trains, etc.

I promise not to ask any deliberately stupid questions :)
 
I'm sure the download limit is 100MB per day unless you have an FCT.

Trainz is very addictive. It's very easy to have an installed database of over 60GBs.
 
GreyArea --

The definitive primer for Model Trainz is this video:


It's always very helpful to take to pieces an existing layout to see how things fit together. For instance, in my later layouts I use terra-forming to drop the floor rather than the dig hole method in the video.

As for basic track laying, always ALWAYS use a curve template. My favourite is "90d_100-400m Template" from the Download Station. And remember to use the straighten tool, particularly at switches (ops -- points). If you want to see how one of my layouts progressed, Post #2593 onwards in this thread:

https://forums.auran.com/trainz/showthread.php?109038-Model-Railroadz/page173

Phil
 
GreyArea --

The definitive primer for Model Trainz is this video:


It's always very helpful to take to pieces an existing layout to see how things fit together. For instance, in my later layouts I use terra-forming to drop the floor rather than the dig hole method in the video.

As for basic track laying, always ALWAYS use a curve template. My favourite is "90d_100-400m Template" from the Download Station. And remember to use the straighten tool, particularly at switches (ops -- points). If you want to see how one of my layouts progressed, Post #2593 onwards in this thread:

https://forums.auran.com/trainz/showthread.php?109038-Model-Railroadz/page173

Phil

Ye Gods.

My plans for tonight (assuming I don't get sucked into Frontier Developments' Elite: Dangerous livestream) basically involve 'making a simple oval' to get to grips with basic track laying and the camera. In my very brief attempts to use the camera (ie just moving around the layout) I found it very twitchy, but I guess it's just familiarity.
 
If you are interested in setting the scene for a UK model railway layout, 1:76 scale, by creating a railway room as well as the layout, look for assets by itareus (walls, floor, pictures,baseboard edging etc. - names beginning C+ MR ...) and by myself (table, chair, cupboards, replica railway signs, etc ...) - ray_whiley, KUId 275815, names beginning DDD MR ... There are some screenshots of my MR layouts on my (unfinished) web site,
https://raystrainz.wordpress.com

Welcome to the Trainz Model Railway Club!

Ray
 
If you are interested in setting the scene for a UK model railway layout, 1:76 scale, by creating a railway room as well as the layout, look for assets by itareus (walls, floor, pictures,baseboard edging etc. - names beginning C+ MR ...) and by myself (table, chair, cupboards, replica railway signs, etc ...) - ray_whiley, KUId 275815, names beginning DDD MR ... There are some screenshots of my MR layouts on my (unfinished) web site,
https://raystrainz.wordpress.com

Welcome to the Trainz Model Railway Club!

Ray

Thank you! I'm not quite looking to recreate the room itself just yet - that's a wee bit beyond my ambitions currently :) However, thanks for the information and the link.

I'm currently watching 'Rudysmodelrailway's Youtube tutorials, and I must say I'm finding them very useful. He starts nice and simply with basic track laying, then progresses slowly to things like points (switches) and signals. I'm currently on basic routes and it's fascinating stuff.
 
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Another bit of advice if working from a model track plan is to expand the area a little say by 20% or so, which will allow things to fit a bit easier and mitigate the sharpest curves. There's a plethora of plans out there but think it's generally accepted even in model railway circles that some of those - notably the C.J. Freezer ones in the Peco publications - could never have been built as drawn.

On the other hand don't do what I did with my first attempt at Banbury Connections and double the size as it ended up too spread out and I've now abandoned it as, frankly, more challenging to get right than building part of the real railway through Banbury.

And OT but in the spirit of earlier comments, it's o7 from me too having joined the ranks of ED last Christmas. Seizewell Warrior on the FDev forum and in game but only running in Solo Mode so as not to get griefed/ganked. Just started my first trip out to Colonia then on to Sag* A, currently playing chicken with brown stars en route to the corridor in my AspX. Maybe see you guys out there sometime.
 
Another bit of advice if working from a model track plan is to expand the area a little say by 20% or so, which will allow things to fit a bit easier and mitigate the sharpest curves. There's a plethora of plans out there but think it's generally accepted even in model railway circles that some of those - notably the C.J. Freezer ones in the Peco publications - could never have been built as drawn.

On the other hand don't do what I did with my first attempt at Banbury Connections and double the size as it ended up too spread out and I've now abandoned it as, frankly, more challenging to get right than building part of the real railway through Banbury.

And OT but in the spirit of earlier comments, it's o7 from me too having joined the ranks of ED last Christmas. Seizewell Warrior on the FDev forum and in game but only running in Solo Mode so as not to get griefed/ganked. Just started my first trip out to Colonia then on to Sag* A, currently playing chicken with brown stars en route to the corridor in my AspX. Maybe see you guys out there sometime.

Thanks for the advice on that - I'd like to get into some simple plans at some point soon, so the advice of scaling up slightly will be very useful.

Can the plan be scaled (or even manipulated significantly) from within Trainz/Surveyor, or is that something that needs doing externally in another package (Photoshop/Pixelmator, etc)?

OT: (Elite) I'm guessing by your Frontier name that the X-Universe games have also played a part? I played up to X3: Reunion. Enjoyed them. Re Elite - I'm safe to say this here, but always remember it's just a game, and there's no 'true' mode. Play in the mode that gives you, personally, the best experience. o7, Commander

(For the more mystified viewers - I came to Trainz via asking questions on the forum of another game - Elite: Dangerous. It's a sort of massive (really, really massive) space game that defies absolute definitions. Within that game lore, 'o7' is a salute)

We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

Last night I managed to grab an hour or so, and not only did I successfully lay down a simple track (a double oval with some points and two trains), but it actually worked and didn't catch fire or spontaneously melt. I'm counting that as a solid win :)
 
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