Railworks Track Laying

[growler37]

Hi Bill
Some great advice has been given,but just a short tip from me,dont go straight into a big route,get the hang of the basics by building a fictional route,experiment with the tools,but above all else,save your work as often as possible,and of course,have fun.
Regards
Kevin

[AndiS]

Be sure to switch "snap to terrain" off almost all the time when laying track. You only need it in very special situation, when you try to join track arriving at different grades (and even then, there are other methods).

I have this activated all the time I confess

The point is, it does not hurt most of the time. But there are a few minor issues which may or may not spoil it in some situations, and you hardly remember that this might be the cause:

RW organises track in "ribbons". Each ribbon can have more than one track section. The difference does not matter for you most of the time, except for the discussion here.

With "snap to terrain", every stretch of track is its own ribbon, and the end point is aligned with the terrain. This means that minor deviations in terrain height lead to minor differences in grades. This may bite you when you try to place a crossover between two tracks which are nearly, but not totally, at the same height with the same grade.

The second consequence is that you cannot have straight frogs with "snap to terrain". With straight frogs, the curve ends before the frog is reached and it is followed by a straight piece of track. If both pieces are part of the same ribbon, the switch renders fine. Otherwise, it does not.

Ribbon ends also retain their elevation independently. I.e., if you want to lay a stretch of track and raise one end to give the desired grade, you need to have it in one ribbon (I believe).

Crossovers of close track can show "welded flangeways". This is because the whole crossover (2 curves plus 1 straight in between) are a single ribbon. Splitting it in the middle and welding it again makes that 2 ribbons and the issue is gone.

In earlier versions, cars would vanish at the ribbon ends, but that has been fixed a while ago.

I do find the snap-to-terrain feature useful for guiding a joining track to another on a grade. I make an extra wide embankment (snap terrain to track) next the target track, then have the joining one approach there, with some ribbon breaks so it really follows the terrain there. Afterwards, the extra embankment is removed. But I am not exactly a skilled route builder.



One hint I forgot: At times, some track pieces may disappear when you join track using the snap-to-track option and then remove the stubs to have a curve instead of the switch. Exit the route (saving the changes in the process) and reload it. The missing track will reappear. If you would continue, you would get more and more confused, and RW, too, I guess. Otherwise, this is a harmless issue.

Finally, I must say that the join tool is simply overrated by some. Generally, when you wish to join track, you use snap-to-track option to lay a curve to a straight, or to another curve of bigger radius. I used the join tool to get parallel track, using precisely made pieces of curved track, but since they made the offset tool work with track, the whole piecing-together exercise (and the clever Excel sheets I made for that purpose) are second choice in the shade of the offset tool.

[pjt1974]

Hi Bill,
Just put this together I hope they help in someway.
This is ofcourse the simplest way of joining track but generally all track laying and joining, crossovers, slips, junctions.... use the same technique. or so I've found.
Apologies if you've already gotten pass this stage and you're onto more complex track works.
Any questions pm me.
two lengths of track need joining

Click the image to zoom in

deselect 'snap to track' and lay a straight track passed what you're joining to

Click the image to zoom in

Like so... selecting 'snap to track'

Click the image to zoom in

join the the curved track halfway down the straight piece. note the pink outline on the track you're joining to

Click the image to zoom in

like so. select the excess straight track and delete

Click the image to zoom in

should look familier but don't worry. select weld button

Click the image to zoom in

and a small grey box appears above the buffers, left click this box

Click the image to zoom in

and hopefully you'll get a joined piece of track.

Click the image to zoom in


regards
Phil

[spikeyorks]

If you want tighter curves for crossovers etc., switch to the Yard setting of the track, however after placement remember to highlight the track and set the type back to Main Line or the AI will refuse to run passenger trains over it.

Oh dear. I've laid my whole route in yard track

[hertsbob]

That's OK. You can change it with the Track Properties in the Right Hand Flyout.

Assuming it's all using the same Track Rule that should be easy, and you can sort out any speed limit and sound options whilst you're at it. Happy days!

I'd caution very regular saves while you're doing this as it's one area in RW where I am absolutely guaranteed at least one SBHH error per session whenever I select large amounts of track...

Cheers

Bob

[wholbr]

Hi Everybody.
After laying test track all afternoon, at last I think I really have cracked it. I really cannot begin to state my appreciation on all the help, suggestions, encouragement and pictures that so many of you have posted on this thread for me as no words could do justice to that.

I had been informed that this forum could be an intimidating place to be. That very much seems not to be the case, in fact just the opposite would be a true statement. A great place to be through the great people that make up it.

As I am not planning going very far for new year, no doubt it will be on to markers, platforms and with a little luck may even arrive at scenery unless you guys think that will be pushing it too far.

Bill

[pjt1974]

Glad you've got it sorted Bill
before long, with a bit of trial and error, you'll have all sorts of track layouts placed.
welcome to the bug

regards
Phil

[Darpor]

As I am not planning going very far for new year, no doubt it will be on to markers, platforms and with a little luck may even arrive at scenery unless you guys think that will be pushing it too far.

Bill

Crack on with it Bill, that way you can practice all aspects.

[OrpheusRocker]

Love to see some screenies as you go, Bill. Have fun and Happy New Year.
AndyR

[wholbr]

Hi Everybody.

Crack on with it Bill, that way you can practice all aspects.

Well, it is certainly coming on now. The wife just poked her head round the door as she had not seen me all afternoon and was beginning to believe that I had died up here. Anyway the upside of that is that I now have a very large glass of wine +2 large cheese rolls. Therefore, I think I will have a cruise down to Weston-super-Mare in my newly purchased class 170 while I consume my ill-gotten gains. oops shouldn't admit to drinking and driving.

I was telling the wife about all that has been happening on the forum this afternoon. We were then discussing the fact that at one time during my career in the road haulage industry I was involved in the training of drivers and other employees. I do honestly believe that many who have posted on this thread today would do well in that position especially (I think it was Phil) who posted the series of screenis demonstrating the join tool. That was exactly how I used to produce my material for training and it very often did the trick then as it did for me this afternoon.

I always found that there was no greater sense of achievement than after seeing someone struggle with a problem, then to see them come through that after spending a patient hour or two with them. Today I did see it through the eyes of the person being trained.

As requested I will post some screenshots of my training route which should give everybody a good laugh with dozens of bits of track and buffers everywhere

Bill

[hertsbob]

The only thing I get when my wife pokes her head around the door is a smack around the back of the head.

[Will]

The only thing I get when my wife pokes her head around the door is a smack around the back of the head.

That's funny, that's exactly what I get from mine... Strange..

I can't route build to save my life, but if I have learnt anything from doing my Somerset and Dorset modern project, it's that no matter how many errors RW gives you (And it's given me too many to list), just keep going. I was in the same sort of postion a you, and with alot of hlpe from the guys here at UKTS and over at RWTS, I managed to start building things that weren't rubbish, or in my mind anyway Not really helpful advice I know, but at-leats you know it's not just you in that postion!

[Squatch]

I get a "tut, are you playing trains AGAIN" - as she disappears off to watch some dross on Living +1 or summat!

There's been some great advice on this thread, and it was nice of the OP to come back and let everyone know that their advice helped. I have to say, I enjoy track laying much more that I enjoy doing the scenery!!!

[67025]

The only thing I get when my wife pokes her head around the door is a smack around the back of the head.

You had me laughing for a while on that one

[class43HS125]

Keep at it and you will be hooked.

Tell me about it

Hi Everybody.
After laying test track all afternoon, at last I think I really have cracked it. I really cannot begin to state my appreciation on all the help, suggestions, encouragement and pictures that so many of you have posted on this thread for me as no words could do justice to that...........
Bill

Is the same for all topics , not just track laying Bill

Ross
NZ