Learn the Train Simulator Classic route editor: create or clone routes, lay track, add scenery and signals, fix missing assets, and test safely.
Train Simulator Classic’s route editor is the World Editor. Create or clone a route from the Build menu, open it for editing, select the correct track rule, enable only the asset providers you need, then lay track, shape terrain, add signalling and scenery, save, and test the route in a separate scenario.
Which Train Simulator Classic editor do I need?
The World Editor changes the permanent railway and surrounding environment; scenarios and custom asset definitions use different editors.
| Task | Editor to use |
|---|---|
| Lay track, form junctions, alter terrain, place scenery and install signals | World Editor, commonly called the route editor |
| Add a player train, AI services, instructions and timetables | Scenario Editor; our guide to building and testing scenarios covers that separate workflow |
| Create a route template or define a custom asset from source files | Blueprint Editor; see how route templates and asset blueprints are created |
This distinction matters because editing a scenario does not create an independent copy of its route. World Editor changes apply to the route itself and can affect every scenario using it.
Should I create a new route or clone an existing one?
Create a new route for an original railway; clone an existing route when extending or privately modifying one that already has the required geography, track and assets.
From the main Build screen, choose the route section and either create a route from a template or select an existing route for cloning and editing. Menu wording can vary slightly between Train Simulator Classic interface revisions, but the Build screen remains the safe entry point.
Do not directly edit an official DLC or Workshop route. An update, file verification or subscription refresh may replace those changes. Cloning also gives experiments their own route identity, although the clone still depends on assets used by the original.
Before major track work, close the simulator and back up the complete GUID-named route folder:
...\RailWorks\Content\Routes\<route GUID>\
A route is not contained in one file. Its folder holds route properties, track data, terrain, scenery tiles and scenarios, so copying only Tracks.bin is not a complete backup.
Train Simulator Classic route-building workflow
- Choose the route template carefully. A template sets fundamental references such as the route origin and terrain environment. It does not choose the track rule for you. Replacing a poor template choice after substantial construction is far harder than starting with the right one.
- Learn the editor flyouts. The browser contains track, roads, lofts, buildings and other placeable assets, while selection and property controls edit an item already in the world. Pin the edge flyouts open while learning. Cancel an active placement tool before trying to select something else.
- Enable the required provider and product. Use the Object Set Filter when an installed asset does not appear in the browser. Select only the provider/product combinations the route actually needs; enabling everything creates needless dependencies, lengthens loading and can increase editor memory use.
- Select a track rule before laying track. The track rule governs characteristics such as permitted geometry and track behaviour. Use one appropriate rule across a connected formation unless there is a deliberate reason to change. Choosing another rule later does not automatically convert track already laid.
- Lay and inspect the operational railway. Establish the main line first, then branches, yards and crossovers. Set gradients deliberately and avoid strings of tiny track sections, which make later alignment and signalling work troublesome. Turnouts are generated from connected track ribbons; a decorative point model is not an operational junction.
- Set track properties and linked infrastructure. Configure line speed, direction and electrification where applicable. Add platform, siding, destination and portal markers, then place signals with their track links on the correct ribbons. Signal link requirements differ by signal pack, especially around junctions.
- Shape terrain and add scenery. Complete broad earthworks and trackside clearances before placing detailed objects. Use lofts for repeated linear features such as fences and walls, then add buildings, vegetation and smaller details. This order prevents extensive rework when a cutting, embankment or alignment changes.
- Save and reload regularly. Use the editor’s Save control after each stable block of work and make another folder backup before deleting or relaying complex track. Reloading the route periodically exposes broken references or unsaved changes before they spread through the project.
Why are assets missing from the route editor?
Installed scenery or track usually goes missing because its provider/product is not enabled, the required DLC is absent, or the asset is being hidden by the scenery-density setting.
- Not listed in the browser: open the Object Set Filter and enable the asset’s provider and product.
- Listed but invisible after placement: check that the complete asset package is installed and that Scenery Density is high enough to display it.
- Missing only on another computer: that machine lacks one or more route dependencies. Enabling an asset does not copy it into the route.
- Many assets vanish after moving the route: compare the required DLC and add-ons rather than repeatedly clearing the cache. Cache clearing can refresh a stale browser, but it cannot install missing files.
A mistake we see constantly is enabling a large collection of products simply to find one building. Record each dependency as it is introduced and favour assets from a small, deliberate set of products.
Common World Editor problems and fixes
| Problem | Likely fix |
|---|---|
| A junction will not form | Give the branch enough space and compatible geometry, check elevation and alignment, and confirm that both tracks use suitable rules. Relay the local section rather than stacking very short ribbons. |
| A signal remains red or ignores a junction | Check its facing direction and numbered track links. Each required link must sit on the intended operational ribbon in the position expected by that signal blueprint. |
| Track works visually but trains cannot route across it | Inspect the junction for an incomplete connection and test the path in the 2D map. Visual contact between two rails does not prove that their track ribbons are joined. |
| Edits disappear or are overwritten | Work on a clone rather than a subscribed or official route, save explicitly and keep external backups. |
| The editor becomes unstable on a large route | Use the 64-bit executable, disable unused asset providers, reduce demanding graphics options and save in short sessions. For persistent failures, follow our Train Simulator Classic crash checks. |
How do I test and share an edited route?
Test the route with a small dedicated scenario rather than treating a successful editor preview as proof that the railway works.
Place a player train near the area under construction, then drive through every new junction in both directions. Check speed limits, platform stopping positions, electrification changes, signal aspects and AI paths. A second AI service is particularly useful for exposing signalling and pathing faults that an empty route will not reveal.
When distributing the finished project, package the route and any original, redistribution-permitted assets you created. Do not include commercial DLC files; tell users which dependencies they must own. Our explanation of packaging routes with the Utilities tool covers creating and installing .rwp packages.