INSTALLING LOCMOTIVES

[PGH60]

Sorry but i am new to this but can someone explain to me in simple terms how to install a loco into MSTS after downloading from this site i have read the Help Files but still seem to be doing something wrong.There are some exellent loco,s out there if only i could get the hang of it Many Thanks PGH60.

[Lad491]

Its generally not too difficult

Most loco;s will come in a zip file. The zip file may contain just the loco, or it may contain a cabview, sounds and possible even a consist. Normally the loco, cab folder and sounds folder all get unzipped into a suitable named folder in your trainset\trains folder. If you are using Winzip there is usually an option to "use folder names" this will use the same folder structure as the person who made the zip file. If there is a consist file, that should go into your trainset\consist folder. Remember that a loco or train wont appear in msts until it has a consist, so if the zip file doesnt contain one you will have to open the activity editor and make a consist.


BUT - (and it can sometimes be a big but)

Sometimes Cabs and sounds are not supplied but are aliased to sounds available elsewhere. Sometimes these can be put in the same folder when downloaded, but sometimes they have to go into a separate folder called common.cab and/or common.sound

So the watchword is, read the readme file. There is usually one with every download and it should tell you exactly what is required and what goes where. If there isnt one, then you may have to do a bit of detective work and open the loco/train's eng file and look for the cabview and sounds lines to see where the sim is looking.

[pancharg]

Sorry but i am new to this but can someone explain to me in simple terms how to install a loco into MSTS after downloading from this site i have read the Help Files but still seem to be doing something wrong.There are some exellent loco,s out there if only i could get the hang of it Many Thanks PGH60.

Hi there this i a quite easy locomotive to install. Download the following file off ukts:

It is a locomotive called 70037 herewerd the wake.
And you can download carriages if you want to and create a consist with carriages in the activity editor if you want

Anyways back on to the locomotive. Once you have downloaded the file you simply run the exe file and follow the instructions. Afterwards fire up msts and you have 1 locomotive with no carriages.


It is that simple.

Or you can click the help thing on the top and then you can go onto the locomotives section and it explains everything there

[douglee]

Hi PGH60,
Rather than install the item of stock directly into Train Simulator.
Install into a 'ghost' Train Sim Folder.
This allows you to 'See where things go', Gives you a 'Backup' and 'Standardise on Couplings ect.'

[thenudehamster]

Hi and welcome;

While installing locos - and other rolling stock is not intrinsically difficult, it can have a few pitfalls, as Laurie said. You have to remember that MSTS itself can be very unforgiving, which is why many people use doug's suggestion of a 'ghost' folder; there's nothing supernatural about this, it's just a temporary folder you install everything into before transferring it to the MSTS 'working' folders - mine's called 'Extracts Temp', to help remind me of what it's for.
Many add-ons come with a self installer which takes a lot of the work our of the process; however even this approach can cause problems for the unwary. Some installers check the Registry to find where your MSTS is located, an will install directly to the relevant folder. Others assume a default installation, and they may need closer watching.
For the most part WinZip or another de-archiving program is not necessary, unless the archive is split into sections, as many Routes are. Windows has a built-in unzipping routine, but it is very basic, though it serves for most rolling stock. On the other hand if, like me you have a non-standard MSTS installation, then it saves a lot of editing of file paths. I just open the zipfile in Windows Explorer, navigate to the deep folder containing the actual loco, and copy and paste that into my temp folder. Suggestions have been made that you examine the .eng file to see if Cabviews or Sounds are aliased. That' not bad thinking, but it's really a little beyond the basics for a beginner. If you do want to take a look, remember that these files are in Unicode format, so you must use a Unicode aware editor. Wordpad works, but a dedicated Unicode editor like ConText can be much more useful as it has line numbering and a facility for checking for matching brackets - something MSTS is very fussy about.
The old adage of RTFM could have been made for MSTS. You must get into the habit or reading any relevant .txt files, ReadMe files, etc., before you start the installation; these will generally tell you if any special procedures are necessary, if sounds and cabs are aliased, for instance.

The first one is always the hardest; once you've successfully installed one, then the rest is a comparative breeze, and you'll have plenty of variety to then start making your own activities too.

Good luck