Question about the folder OpenRails inside a route folder

[213 001-1]

Dear railway friends!

There is the opportunity to create inside a route folder another folder named "OpenRails" and there You can copy the files sigscr.dat and sigcfg.dat, to solve signal problems.

My question about that folder.

Is it possible to copy more route files into the "OpenRails" folder to make the route work better in the OR and if yes, what route files i can copy into that folder too?

Thank You in advance for Your answers.

[pwillard]

Maybe we need to clarify what you are calling your OPENRAILS folder.

If you mean where the OpenRails Installer placed the executable (for example, "D:\Programs\Open Rails\OpenRails.exe"), then keep reading.

To most of us, the OPENRAILS folder is where the OpenRails simulator executable code lives, and that's all that lives there. There may be a few other common "dependencies" in that folder, but it is designed to be "trashed" and replaced when a new version of OpenRails is installed. By design, NOTHING that a route or any other content depends on should live under the OPENRAILS folder.

One of the key differences between OpenRails and MSTS is that the content is stored totally separate from the "program". This eliminates a long-standing problem with MSTS involving "system protected folders" and the associated access and permissions. There are other benefits as well, such as the ability to isolate content under different profiles, which makes OpenRails very flexible.

So... the general advice here is: The only files that live in the OPENRAILS folder should be the ones that were placed there by the INSTALLER program... nothing else.

[yellowdog]

I don't think so, Pete. I think the OP is talking about the OpenRails subfolder that lives in some rolling stock and route folders (in OP's case a specific route).

[213 001-1]

I wrote about the route folders. To be exactly this folder:

Bild_2026-02-18_143345996.png

[eric]

{contentfolder}\ROUTES\{routename}\Openrails

It is for ORTS enabled functionality like turntables. Peer to the WORLD, SHAPES, TEXTURES folders.

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[wacampbell]

My original plan for these OpenRails subdirectories was to provide a way for someone to upgrade a route or rolling stock to support new OpenRails features, without having to distribute the original author's content. We were mindful of author's copyrights and other restrictions on redistributing files. So the idea was someone could provide an upgrade by distributing the OpenRails folder which the end user would install beside their original MSTS content. The way it worked was any MSTS file in the route or train folder could be upgraded by providing a replacement in the OpenRails folder. OpenRails would check for these replacements and use them if found. Otherwise it would use the default MSTS file. With this method, MSTS would load the original unmodified content, and OpenRails would load the overrides where provided. The 'include' file concept was part of this. An override in the OpenRails folder could include the original unmodified MSTS file, and then override, or add fields to it as needed. I envisioned a library site like Trainsim.com would host the original unmodified MSTS content with all the author's restrictions in place. And then newer content builders might provide the OpenRails upgrade packages, to be hosted along side those MSTS files.

Wayne

PS - I don't know if this functionality still exists in the code, but that was the original intent.

[213 001-1]

Does it mean, that can move the folders WORLD, SHAPES and TEXTURES into the folder {contentfolder}\ROUTES\{routename}\Openrails ?

[wacampbell]

I don’t think it was developed that far. But that’s the idea.

[baldwin]

I agree with Wayne, It is not for whole folders, just modified files.

[amtrak115]

An example of that concept working is in the Activity folder within a route. An "Openrails" folder may be included in an Activity folder for "unique Openrails only functions" within an activity. There are some events that exists only in OR. I've used them several times in the Amtrak Southwest Chief Activity I built. Current TSRE Activity Editor does not know about this feature so these events have to be "Manually" added.

[geepster775]

Of course if you run Open Rails exclusively, then you can just modify/upgrade the original files in the original locations to take advantage of any new OR features without any subfolders required.

[eric]

Of course if you run Open Rails exclusively, then you can just modify/upgrade the original files in the original locations

And I'm guessing over 95% of users -ONLY- run OpenRails...