Track Laying and Troubleshooting - A tutorial for new surveyors

Here's a tutorial for those new to the Trainz Surveyor module. It deals with many aspects of getting your new route off to a good start. It covers such things as:

Working with track and switches
Making your turnouts look nice
Controlling train speed through a switch
An introduction to signalling
Working with signals
Installing bridges
An introduction to portals
Case studies in AI train operations
Trackside Industries
Using the ruler tool to keep your tracks straight
Sometimes 35 is faster than 60
Installing trackside cameras
Signalling crossovers and double track junctions
Installing a turntable and operating it under AI control.

***Update: August 2009. A new tutorial has been added, "Creating a Milepost System for your Route."
: A quick, easy method of placing your milesposts accurately.
: Placing mileposts, signals and speed limit signs in a tunnel.

*** Update: September 1st, 2009. A new tutorial section been added, "Bells, Horns and Fooling the AI", a number of mini-tutorials for improving your traffic flow.
: Using dummy junctions to improve train movement
: Adding automatic bells and horns at your passenger stations
: Using the Invisible Speed Signal selectively slow trains at a station
: Using a trackmark at a portal to improve train speed
: Improving signal operations at a divergence

We'll go into considerable detail on these issues, and the tutorials are now available as downloadable .pdf files you can print out at home. You can find the tutorial here: http://trains.0catch.com/tutorial.html

In addition, the main site has links to my own routes, Midwest Central and Erie Northern, plus two pieces of short railroad-related fiction. Find out more at http://trains.0catch.com

When new parts of the tutorial are released, they will be announced here--in this post; no need to go digging through the whole thread.

Chuck

Hi crb001

What an excellent tutorial. I have been a keen user of 04 & 06 for a number of years now but I picked up a lot of good tips and knowledge by reading the tutorial right through. Couldn't find out how to download it for future reference but it is certainly worth keeping a reference to the thread so I can look it up again.

Your Midwest Central route also looks worth trying. Can't find it on DLS. Is it coming soon???

Bill_A

Superb tut.

It`s now in my bookmarks for future perusal.

Bill_A said:

...Couldn't find out how to download it for future reference but it is certainly worth keeping a reference to the thread so I can look it up again.

Your Midwest Central route also looks worth trying. Can't find it on DLS. Is it coming soon???

Bill_A

Click to expand...

Thanks, guys. Glad you found the tutorial helpful.

Bill, you can download Adobe Acrobat versions of most chapters by clicking the small acrobat logo located at the top of each chapter, right below the title.

As for Midwest Central, I hope to have it posted in the next week or so. It's 133 baseboards, with 25 miles of double track mainline. So far there are six sessions to test your driving skills.

Thanks Chuck

When I went back into the tute after my post, I checked more closely and did find how to download. Got it all on my computer now.

I look forward to downloading your Midwest Central when it goes on DLS.

Cheers

Bill_A

Whoa this thing certainly helps, I wasn't that good at tracklaying to start with since I was more a signal modifier but now I can do it very well. You should rename it "Trainz tracklaying for dummiez", it worked that well for me.

WileeCoyote

New section added

February 17th: A new case study has been added to the tutorial: Trackside Industries.

Check the first post in this thread for information.

Where would we all be without such dedicated and helpful hobbyists.
Many thanks

Thank you very much for this helpful tutorial - and your beautiful map with the sessions.

In the part of the tutorial about the portals is missing the instruction, how to add a running number to a loco, leaving the portal:
Configuring the duties of the consist you have to add as the first command the "Locomotive Running Number Command" by Phil_C (trainz://install/<KUID:86105:60579>)
After that most locomotives will be leaving the portal numbered.

Have a Happy New Year!

Regards

Swordfish

This is an excellent tutorial and should be more well known.

Eric

I Recommend this be made a sticky

Excellent job. This is a great souce of information on several route building topics. track laying, signaling, AI and portal functions. I recommend this thread be made a sticky!

So that cranky veteran trainzers can point curious newcomers in the right direction quickly and painlessly.:hehe:

I bookmarked just in case it doesn't made sticky.

Thanks again for a great job.:wave:

A most excellent site which one of the forum vets pointed me to in my early days (not that I have that much experience - I've only been at it for a year).

I've got a hard copy of the site printed out that I refer to regularly while working on my route that I'm building for my son.

I agree that this should be made a sticky as it contains information that could answer a lot of basic questions.

Thanks Chuck for a most helpful series of tutorials. It was one of the first aids I was pointed towards, and it's made a heap of difference to my layouts ever since. One of the first things I did was to copy it all onto a word processor and print out a hard copy. Already it looks a bit tattered from constantly referring to it, it's so well used. All the very best for the coming year. Cheerz. OldBarney

Many thanks.

Greetings, and thanks to everyone for your kind comments about the tutorial and the Midwest Central map. Your encouragment means a lot.

Swordfish said:

...In the part of the tutorial about the portals, it's missing instruction on ..."Locomotive Running Number Command" by Phil_C...

Swordfish

Click to expand...

Swordfish, I've looked at the running number command you mentioned. It works okay, and it's worth a mention in the tutorial, but personally I'm not sure I want to use it. I would have liked it much better if it had allowed me to choose a range of numbers from which to randomize. For example, I use 98xx numbers for my GP38-2's, but the command just seemed to pick any four numbers at random. It would have been nice if it could say, "enter starting range number:" and then, "enter ending range number." That way I could enter 9801 and 9830, and it would pick from that range. The other thing I didn't care for was that it didn't center the numbers on the side of the cab. On my loco's I always enter a space after the four digits, and that centers the numbers nicely on the side of the cab. I know, picky, picky, picky, but I'll suggest those changes to Phil, and see what he says. Fair enough?

Newswise--I'm working on several new tutorials, including one entitled, "Sometimes 35 is faster than 60." They should be ready soon.

As far as my route is concerned, the original version, Midwest Central Build 360, is now approaching 12,000 downloads. That's amazing. And now available on the website is Midwest Central Release 2, which adds 15 miles of new mainline and more industries. For the moment, you can only get the map through the website, since the DS station version doesn't work. http://trains.0catch.com.

More news soon.

crb001 said:

...I would have liked it much better if it had allowed me to choose a range of numbers from which to randomize. For example, I use 98xx numbers for my GP38-2's, but the command just seemed to pick any four numbers at random. It would have been nice if it could say, "enter starting range number:" and then, "enter ending range number." That way I could enter 9801 and 9830, and it would pick from that range. The other thing I didn't care for was that it didn't center the numbers on the side of the cab. On my loco's I always enter a space after the four digits, and that centers the numbers nicely on the side of the cab. ....

Click to expand...

For the first of your wishes I could propose something. In your sessions you are using your own locos. That's why they could be "ARN"-ed by you without problems: Every loco with editable number can be given a range of automatically assigned numbers. Necessary for this is a script by Wulf_9, to be obtained here (registration necessary for downoads ).

For the second one, the space after the four digits, indeed I do only see the possibility that Phil_C or Wulf_9 could be helpful.

Regards

Swordfish

New tutorials posted

Two new sections of the Trainz Simulator tutorial are now available. See the first post in this thread for more information.

Thanks for the tutorial, very good read.

Lorin

I say: Auran should use this tutorial to explain how to use all the features of out Trainz! Instead they left us to find out how to properly use and "discover" the many things Trainz has. Good Job!

New tutorial added

22 November 2008 - A new section has been added to the tutorial. Check the very first post in this thread for details.

Thanks again for your tutorial. Have you utilised the adjust ratio in track/marker/advanced? I find this works quite well.
Best, Sellick