Route
Design & Construction
I normally don't recommend commercial ventures
on these pages, but Michael Vone's "Step
by Step Guide to Building Routes" (USD$20) is absolutely indispensible
if you're in the least bit serious about route building. It'll save
you countless hours of research and "trial and error" stumbles. I
can't recommend this volume highly enough. Five stars and an elephant stamp!
The prominence I give this publication is thoroughly deserved.
Click on the publication title above for more information.
If you're starting a new route, the following
eleven tutorials (in italics) should be read and followed in order
as they contain answers to just about every question a "newbie" to route
design has.
An Idiot's Guide
to Extracting A New Route by Jim Ward. This is where it all starts - the Route Geometry Editor: Jim in his own inimitable style makes this whole process as painless as possible.
Get Stuffed! -
Adding All MSTS Objects to Your New Route by Jim Ward. Jim shows you how to get all MSTS default content into your own route.
A Primer in Track
by Yuri Sos. All MSTS track pieces, lengths, radii, gradient conversion table.
Useful Keyboard
Shortcuts by Yuri Sos. Useful in both the Route Editor and the sim.
Selecting and Placing Terrain Patches by Yuri Sos.
Constructing a Passing
Siding by Jim Ward. A simple passing siding or crossing loop made child's play.
An Idiot's Guide
to Dynamic Track by Jim Ward.
Creating Tunnels in MSTS / How to create Transfers by Chris Jennings
Creating Tunnels - some additional pointers by Jim Stevens and Jum Ward
An Easy Way to Change
Track Textures in Your Route by Jim Ward.
A Primer in Creating
Marker Files by Yuri Sos. What are markers, how to set up marker files.
What folders do what in MSTS by Jim Ward: with a few screenshots, he describes the effects each
part of MSTS has (WORLD, TILES folders and the role of the .TDB files).
Hacking Activities II: Drive the trains you want!: by Jim "Sniper" Ward.
Obtaining Lat/Long Data
for Australian places by Yuri Sos.
The Truth about Embankments
and Cuttings by Jim Ward.
Making Mountains out
of Molehills by Jim Ward.
Perfect orchards and
Perfect Long Bridges by Michael Vone.
Perfect Bridge alignment
by Lawrence Kellie and Bill Burnett.
Implementing Multiple
Water Levels by Cal Rasmussen.
Modifying Track Textures
by Jim Ward.
Changing Ground Textures
by Jim Ward.
Understanding
and Exploiting the FOREST.DAT file by Jim Ward
Tunnel Walls with a
Rock Face by Jim Ward.
Creating
a Small Stream in MSTS Route Editor by "Saddletank"
(the nom de plume is per author's request)
Changing the Route Start Tile Position by Yuri Sos.
How MSTS Route Editor
Handles Memory by Jim Steven.
Increasing Route Editor Window Size by Jim Steven.
About the Wireframe Grid by Jim Steven.
Creating Trees for MSTS: by Phil Voxland.
A New Method for Fencing Routes: by Joseph Realmuto.
Removing catenary from Spur lines by Lukas A Lusser; Lukas demonstates a clever technique to "trick" MSTS into removing catenary locally, for example above a spur that is supposed to be non electrified.
Using Hidewire to Remove Catenary Over Part Of Your Route by Wayne Campbell. Wayne takes
Lukas Lusser's discoveries (see tutorial above) and together with a utility program written specailly for the task takes the pain and strain out of removing catenary. Truly ground-breaking stuff here.
Building an Incline Railway by Wayne Campbell: how to build,
animate and then be able to enjoy riding in an incline railway.
Activating Interlocking Signals by Using the Hazard feature by Wayne
Campbell: you can activate interlocking by a blast of your whistle.
Using Maps as Transfer Objects in Route Editor by Wayne Campbell:
demostrating a technique to use scanned maps or airphotos to aid in exact placement of track and structures.
Carspawners - their care and feeding by Yuri Sos: a primer in setting up car spawners.
Setting up Signals in MSTS - A Primer by Russell Beer: demonstrates
how to set up signals in the Route Editor of MSTS.
Using The Auto-Placement Function (gantry.dat) in Route Editor by Yuri Sos: the
Auto-Placement tool is an extraordinarily useful tool. Learn its applications here.
Fencing your Roads by Geoff Forrest - a short tutorial demonstrating a simple technique to add fences etc. to the roads in your route.
Adding Yard Camera to An Existing Route by Jim Ward: zoom all over
your route by setting up designated yard cam views.
Scalerail - how to place a zero degree node by Yuri Sos: placing
zero degree nodes is easy but not intuitive: this little tutorial shows you how to install a pair of these track pieces.
Creating Static Trains to fill Up Yards by Jim Ward: Jim shows you how to fill up those expansive yards without a massive hit on frame rates.
Using Google Earth To Create Marker Files in RE in MSTS by Yuri Sos is a brief tutorial showing you how to import placemarkers from Google Earth into a usable form for Route Editor to exploit.
Using Google Maps To Create Marker Files in RE in MSTS by David Coverdale is a brief tutorial showing you how to import placemarkers from Google Maps into a usable form for Route Editor to exploit.
Making Signals Work on Diamond Crossings by Vince Cockeram. If you don't use the correct crossing shape in MSTS, you invite collisions between player and AI trains. Vince (best known as the builder of the excellent NECv4) shows you how to avoid this problem.
Full list of tutorials for MSTS