Yes. In fact all route properties can be changed at a later date but it is best (first time) to accept the limits that come with the default track and then change sections later. It is not that difficult to change the route properties (e.g. Main Line/Yard/Passenger Freight .. primary & secondary speed limits .. electrification .. direction of flow .. type of trackbed rumble .. etc) and indeed you will need to do this later in some sections. Use the yard version of your chosen track in yards and sidings as this track rule will give you a tighter radius on bends.
As I said, aim for a small route to start off with and you have a good chance of finishing with a nice working route. There is a GREAT deal to learn and some of this will be by making mistakes, but keep at it as there is no finer satisfaction than driving a train down a route that you have created from nothing yourself.
Geoff Potter Now working on my Bluebell Railway route for TS2022 RISC OS - Now Open Source
As I read through this topic (and many similar topics on various questions relating to route building) I often wonder if it would be worthwhile writing a 'Step by Step Guide to RW Route Building' similar to that which was written by Michael Vone for MSTS back in 2002. It was that book that helped me get into route building when MSTS first came out and for a long time was my bible. Indeed, I sometimes wonder why such a book has not (so far as I know) been written - or commissioned by RailSimulator.Com.
Almost all of the information that any beginner would need to start building routes with RW is available under various topics in the UKTS forum but with the huge variety of topics and not knowing what to search for, it must be very difficult for beginners to know where to begin. What is needed is someone with a lot of time, some writing skills and a reasonable knowledge of how to build a route to search through the various topics and edit them into a coherent narrative explaining from start to finish (with many screenshots) all the basic processes for creating a route. The end result, as was the case in the Vone book, would be a very simple route, but one whose building would include using all of the tools available in RW.
I have spent most of my working life writing reports, position papers, briefing papers, etc., which required doing a fair amount of research. Next month, I will be retiring after more than 40 + years and will have to find some useful means of occupying my time. Clearly, completing my own Irish route will be one of my priorities, but if there was an interest, I would be prepared to attempt to put together over a period of several months a step by step manual. I would need some assistance in reviewing what I might produce to make sure that it does meet the needs of a beginner to route building. (I'm afraid I am one of those old-fashioned people who prefers to have a manual to read than trying to follow instructions in a video).
To be fair, Keith Ross has a tutorial stickied right at the top of this very forum. However, I have not looked at it recently and with the different advances we have had over the last couple of years, certain parts may need updating.
I have read the keith ross tutorial but I think what I need now is some more knowledge about gradients. I was thinking about my route earlier on and it dawned on me that I will need to create embankments to run my track along. I have no idea how to do this.
I think this might be a good time for you look at some of the help available. You now have a good understanding of the basics but some more detailed knowledge is required.
Look though the UKTS Rail Simulator and RailWorks download library for more tutorials as well and try and find some of the UKTS topics where people have chronicled the development of their routes for example -
Hi,
Geoff has been quite prolific with the number of Tutorials he has produced. Some can also be found in individual Route Topics when something needed explaining to the person building the Route.
Mistakes are probably one of the best ways of learning and as you progress in knowledge you will find yourself looking back at work you did earlier when less experienced and want to improve it. I think most Route Builders have on occasions ripped up sections of Track or Scenery and just started again. Gradients are difficult to get right and the Cab Sway has introduced a whole new ballgame in this section. For advice on Signals we have a section on the Forum with established Guru's that can sort out almost any problem. I love this area of building but it takes a lot of time and brainpower to get it right but once you have it in your Head it becomes an enjoyable challenge IMHO.
Just stick at it and help will always be forthcoming on these Forums.
Kind regards James.
One Ring to rule them all, One Ring to find them,
One Ring to bring them all and in the darkness bind them
The information is all there, but building a route is the only way to work out what you don't know(!)
If I get some time over christmas, I might add to Keith's list to pick up some of the changes and add from my list of things I wish I'd done when I started CKPR.
Things that come to mind that I might cover:
- creating track rules and applying superelevation
- laying track using easements
- using / replacing alternative terrain textures
- swapping sky textures
- bulk asset placement
- detailed terrain manipulation and use of lofts
- placing tunnel decals without tears
It may be that a guide of some kind would be useful, however it is a big exercise to complile this. But a list of links is certainly doable.
You 'lay' your track in mid air or through the terrain to the correct path and then using the 'magnet' snap to terrain tool you run the cursor along the track and the terrain will come up to meet the track or will fall to the track if a cutting is required.
The edges of the cutting/embankment will probably be very jagged and it is difficult to smooth these out but with some patience you can use the smoothing tool and the manual raise/lower terrain tool to get a fair job.
For embankments you can also use the lofts that can be laid to match the exact contours of the track. They look a little too perfect but they are easy to use. There is no default tool to create cuttings this way.
Look at the RS.com video tutorials to see how you can lay almost anything lofted to match the track using the off-set tool.
Where roads go under tracks you can use the 'magnet' tool to bring the terrain down to match the road level but where the road actually goes under the track you need a bit of patience using bridge and other scenery to hide the messy intersection.
Geoff Potter Now working on my Bluebell Railway route for TS2022 RISC OS - Now Open Source
You can lay the track flat and then add gradient points using the gradient point tool. Then you can lift these points so that the track raises up to the level you require. Again you need to use these gradient points with great care as putting in extra points well either side of the section you are working on. These act as stops as it is easy to add a gradient point, lift it and find that all the track in your route lifts as well. The undo button does not work on this type of problem either.
Again check out the RS.com video for ways to deal with gradients and how to obtain smooth transitions and do a search of UKTS for gradient associated posts.
TAKE REGULAR BACK UPS or preferably work in Windowed mode so that if you make a mistake just click on the close window icon and your mistake will not be recorded (nor any of the work you have done to that point in the same session).
Geoff Potter Now working on my Bluebell Railway route for TS2022 RISC OS - Now Open Source
