How to add downloaded routes to Open Rails?

[baldwin]

OK drummerboy. My crystal ball is in for servicing, mind reading is not an option here. A fuller description would be of assistance in determining your best course of action.

[drummerboy]

Ok. So, when I go on to start the route, it loads and goes as far as a map of the route. And then, a few seconds later, it shows me an error message saying that an important file is missing. That file being PhilWashAcela.CON in my TRAINS/CONSISTS folder in my Train Simulator directory. That's all the info I have at the moment. I'll try to find out more later.

[R. Steele]

drummerboy you appear to be new to railroad sims. I found my original sets of MSTS CD's about 2 years ago so I still consider myself inexperienced - especially when matched against all the experience individuals at these forums.

Thing is, it does not appear you have taken any steps to educate yourself. This piecemeal questioning will eventually test the patience of people trying to help you.

Well all have a learning curve, getting other people to do the work is not a good way to go about it.
Have you read up and investigated on the basic folder heirarchy of MSTS and how they all work together?
Do you know what must be present to make a consist, what folders the rolling stock/ wag & eng are in, and how the consist is used, and where are consists to be found. What is a .con file.
Do you know what these files are for .act, .pat, .srv, .trf and how they interact.
You seem to have not figured out what the Routes folder is for and what goes in it.
By the way, what is a cabview, why do you need sound files, what the heck is aliasing.

All of the above, by the way, can be found, deduced, and understood by spending a day examining in detail your installation of MSTS.

All these questions are answerable by anyone on this forum. But if you haven't a clue to begin with or done some self-educatin' you're not keeping your half of the bargin.
And believe me getting free information and help from all the individuals at this (and othe forums) is a bargin!

I don't know you or your basic ability to learn, so please take my comments as just an opinion of someone who has been where you are.
Most folks here do not think of train simulators as games. They are intelligent people experienced in computers, arts, modeling, mathematics, physics, and ALL things railroading.

[OTTODAD]

Ok. So, when I go on to start the route, it loads and goes as far as a map of the route. And then, a few seconds later, it shows me an error message saying that an important file is missing. That file being PhilWashAcela.CON in my TRAINS/CONSISTS folder in my Train Simulator directory. That's all the info I have at the moment. I'll try to find out more later.

After downloading this attached ZIP un-zip it and COPY/PASTE the un-zipped PhilWashAcela.con file into your Trains\Consist folder !

PhilWashAcela.zip

[conductorchris]

Otto has your answer.

Here is what is happening. The route in question has any number of activities that come with it. These are located in the ACTIVITIES folder within the route folder. These activity files call upon other files to define things. In this case, the consist file is a train - the locomotives and cars. Which, of course, means the consist file is itself calling upon other files for each locomotive and car. Besides consists, activities call upon paths and services (but you are less likely to be missing these files if you have the activity file).

I think what's happening is the consist file was not supplied with the route but instead came with the original MSTS program and the route activity designers just assumed everyone would have it if they had microsoft train simulator. Now, thanks to Otto, you will.

As you can imagine varieties of this same sort of error are easy to occur and you will encounter a lot of them. You can look at the error for the missing file and trace it backwards. Sometimes it helps to go try to find the offending file -- you might find it's misnamed in some way or misfiled (for example it was installed with it's containing folder instead of being in the root of the appropriate folder that the sim looks in). Other times it helps to go searching for the file (google it or enter it in the search box in this forum) -- you might find where it is supplied.

Most often what is missing are rolling stock (engines and cars) that you need to go find and (generally) download and install.

There are times you can't go get what's missing and the fix is instead to delete or move the file that calls for what can't be found. (for example get rid of the consist if you don't have all the rolling stock it asks for. Or get rid of the activity if you don't have the right consist). There are programs that can create new and substitute consists and can change a consist to use the rolling stock you DO have.

Christopher

[drummerboy]

Thanks everyone. Now I'm missing one more file that I can't find. It says that I'm missing Acela 2020 which is a locomotive. I have all the other locomotives and rolling stock installed, but not that one file, and I can't find it. I thought I did and installed it, but it still says I'm missing it.

[drummerboy]

I have that file now. Never mind. Now I need PHILWASHT2.CON file. I can't find it. Does someone have it?

[OTTODAD]

Now I'm missing one more file that I can't find. It says that I'm missing Acela 2020 which is a locomotive.

Get it from the File Library: aclahsel.zip

After un-zipping COPY/PASTE all files into the Trains\Trainset\Acela folder.

All 3 Philwash consist files are in this attached ZIP !

philwash.zip

[drummerboy]

Ok. Now (this is getting annoying) I'm missing ingame.sms. If there are any other files I need for this route to work, please send them. I don't want to post again and again asking for files.

[drummerboy]

I've been looking for the ingame.sms file, and couldn't find it. If anyone has that file, and any other files I'll need for this to work, please send them to me.

Thanks

[crstagg]

I've been looking for the ingame.sms file, and couldn't find it. If anyone has that file, and any other files I'll need for this to work, please send them to me.

Thanks

You have not looked very hard. There is one in the Sound folder of each of the six routes that come with MSTS and one in the Tutorial Route. I have 94 Routes installed in my main MSTS install and there is one in each and ever route's sound folder..

[frankoburns]

I've been looking for the ingame.sms file, and couldn't find it. If anyone has that file, and any other files I'll need for this to work, please send them to me.

Thanks

It would help if you bothered to read documentation that comes with the routes you download, use RouteRiter to check them for errors! QUIT asking people to send you files! It is NOT appropriate! 99% of the problems you had in this thread could have been solved by reading the route's documentation. A page of tutorials that needs to be read by you before you go any further: http://msts.steam4me.net/tutorials/index.html
and a page on MSTS errors:
http://msts.steam4me.net/msts_errors.html

[R. Steele]

Hello,
I'm new here, and I was wondering how to add downloaded routes? I've been trying to find the file, but can't find it.
Thanks in advance.

From the 1st post by the OP.
People, I don't think he has a copy of the MSTS CDs. Also does not know how to construct folder heirarchy for ORTS, nor what the contents of the different folders are.

Do you have MSTS installed from a set of the CDs?
If not, have you read sections 3 thru 5 in the ORTS manual download here ... http://openrails.org/learn/manual-and-tutorials/
You can start here if you don't have the MSTS CDs............. http://www.burrinjuck.coalstonewcast...route-install/

[drummerboy]

Hello R. Steele. I have in fact read the manual and understand the folder structure. I did in fact find the ingame.sms. I will try it out later and see what happens.