How do I use Train Simulator Classic developer tools?

Use Train Simulator Classic’s in-game World and Scenario editors for route and service work, Blueprint Editor for converting source files into simulator assets, and Utilities.exe for packaging. Start with a cloned route or separate provider/product folder, enable only the required asset sets, test after small changes, and back up before editing.

Which Train Simulator Classic editor should I use?

The correct tool depends on whether you are changing a route, creating a scenario, building an asset or preparing a distributable package.

The World and Scenario editors run inside Train Simulator Classic. The external Blueprint Editor and Utilities executables are normally installed in the game’s RailWorks folder; open the game’s installed files from your library rather than assuming it is on a particular drive.

For track laying, terrain and route cloning, follow our step-by-step World Editor workflow. Scenario work is separate, so use the dedicated instructions for building player and AI services rather than altering route infrastructure to solve a scenario problem.

How should I set up a development project?

A safe Train Simulator Classic project keeps original content, source files and exported assets clearly separated.

1. Back up or clone the route. Never learn by directly editing a supplied route, Workshop route or commercial add-on. Updates can replace those changes, and one misplaced track edit can damage every scenario using the route.
2. Create your own provider and product. Put editable source material under Source\Provider\Product. Blueprint Editor exports the simulator-ready result into the matching location under Assets\Provider\Product. Do not place your work inside another developer’s folders.
3. Create the source asset. Prepare the model, textures, audio or script in the appropriate content-creation application. Blueprint Editor defines how those files behave in the simulator; it does not replace a modelling, image-editing or audio tool.
4. Build and export the blueprint. Select the blueprint type that matches the asset, check every referenced path and export it. Our guide to creating and exporting Train Simulator Classic blueprints covers the detailed fields and testing process.
5. Enable the asset set. In the World Editor, open the Object Set Filter and tick your provider and product. An exported asset will not appear in the browser until its asset set is enabled for that route.
6. Test one change at a time. Place the asset in a disposable test route before adding it to a large project. Confirm appearance, scale, collision, animation and behaviour, then make another change.

Enable only the products the route genuinely needs. Every enabled third-party product can become a dependency, even if it was selected only while searching for an object.

Why does my custom asset not appear in the editor?

A missing custom asset usually means the export failed, its provider/product is disabled, or the blueprint placed it in a different browser category.

• Nothing appears in the object list: confirm that Blueprint Editor completed the export, then enable the correct provider and product in the Object Set Filter.
• The asset is in the wrong list: check its blueprint type and browser category. A valid export can still be difficult to find if it was classified incorrectly.
• The object places but is invisible: inspect geometry and material references, scale and model origin. A model exported far from its origin may exist outside the visible placement location.
• The shape appears without proper textures: check texture names, material assignments and relative source paths. Moving a source file after creating its blueprint commonly breaks the reference.
• Old revisions keep appearing: close the editor, clear the simulator’s cache using its Tools settings, restart Train Simulator Classic and place a fresh copy of the asset.
• The route works only on the creator’s PC: the package probably omitted files or relies on an undeclared asset product. Test on a clean installation or profile that does not contain the development folders.

When an export or route load fails without a useful on-screen message, inspect the simulator logs for missing files, malformed blueprints and script errors. Work backwards from the first relevant error rather than the long chain of failures it may trigger.

Can I use the developer tools without coding?

Route building, scenery placement and basic scenario creation require no programming, but advanced rolling stock, signals and interactive controls often rely on Lua scripts.

Custom scenery generally needs a compatible 3D model, textures and a blueprint. Repainting an existing asset may need only texture work and an amended blueprint, provided its licence permits modification. A scripted locomotive is a much larger project because its controls, animations, sounds and simulation values must all agree.

How do I package a route or custom asset?

Package only the route content and assets you created or have permission to redistribute, then use Utilities.exe to produce an .rwp package.

1. Make a release backup. Keep it separate from the working copy so unfinished edits cannot enter the package.
2. Select your own files. Include the relevant route or scenario content and the exported files beneath your provider/product folder.
3. Leave third-party assets out. List required dependencies instead of copying commercial, default or other developers’ files into your package.
4. Create and reinstall the package. Use the package functions described in our guide to managing and creating RWP packages with Utilities.
5. Test the packaged copy. Remove or rename the development copy first, then install the package and verify the route, scenario and assets from the same files another user would receive.

An .rwp file is a container, not an automatic dependency checker. A successful package build does not prove that every referenced signal, texture, rolling-stock item or scenery product is included or properly declared.