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Apr 2025 - Demo Model 1 route updated

Demo Model 1 route now features a 3D cab created by Geoff Rowlands.

Oct 2024 - Elvas Tower ownership

Elvas Tower changed owner - a critical transition has been smoothly achieved.

Jul 2023 - New route from Train Simulations

Train Simulations publishes new Southern Pacific Shasta route.

Jan 2023 - Portugal '79

Portugal '79 has been published. This provides 1775km of broad gauge track, with full detail on 91km between Entroncamento and Alfarelos.

Jan 2023 - HSB Simulator

New commercial route HSB Simulator published. This contains 87 miles of the Harz narrow-gauge railway, the longest narrow-gauge route network in Europe.

Nov 2022 - Version 1.5.1

Open Rails 1.5.1 released to fix 3 bugs in v1.5.

Nov 2022 - Version 1.5

Open Rails 1.5 released.

Jul 2022

Three new UK routes are now available for immediate download here.

Oct 2021

Version 1.4 is now available for immediate download here.

Nov 2020

Wagons can now be braked individually as on the oldest railways. This can be experienced in 2 scenarios - Stephenson's Rocket at Rainhill Trials and Langley Vale Timber Tramway.

Apr 2020

After more than a year of work the free, restored and improved Siskiyou Route is once more available.

Apr 2019

ENG files published with accurate physics for 176 USA diesel locos.

Dec 2018

Open Rails 1.3.1 released Download it here.

Mar 2018

Geoff Rowlands found a way to model 3D controls so they can be grabbed by the handle as in this video.

Jan 2017 - Version 1.2

Open Rails 1.2 released.

Mar 2016 - Version 1.1

Open Rails 1.1 released.

Dec 2015 - More Access to Elvas Tower

The Elvas Tower forum plays a major role in developing Open Rails but has been closed to non-members following a dispute. We can now report that some of the Open Rails sub-forums are open again.

Jun 2015 - Great Zig Zag Railway

Peter Newell has just released (June 2105) the Great Zig Zag Railway, a steam route for Open Rails v1.0 (this 120MB download requires no other files).

May 2015 - Version 1.0

Open Rails 1.0 released! Download it here.

Apr 2015 - Demo Model 1

Open Rails first demonstration route Demo Model 1 has been published.

Dec 2014 - 3D Cabs

Dekosoft Trains has added locos exclusively for Open Rails to its range. These are GP30 diesels taking advantage of our 3D cab feature.

Jul 2014 - Web Site

The legacy graphics-heavy web site has been replaced by one based on Bootstrap which is both easier to maintain and suitable for phones and tablets as well as PCs.

You can still see an archive of the old site.

Apr 2014 - Installer

An installer is now available, so Open Rails and its pre-requisites such as XNA can be delivered in a single download.

Apr 2014 - Smoother, More Detailed Graphics

Open Rails currently uses DirectX 9 and, although this is not the latest version of DirectX, hidden away inside is a method for reducing the number of "draw calls" which the CPU makes to the GPU. Fewer calls mean higher frame rates, smoother motion and the capacity to handle more detail.

The technique is called "hardware instancing" and allows identical objects (e.g. trees in a forest) to be combined into a single draw call. The work is transferred to the GPU which copies them as many times as necessary and usually has spare capacity.

You can expect some increases in frame rate, especially on routes with many identical objects. To turn this on, tick the checkbox for
Options > Experimental > Use model instancing.

Mar 2014 - Additional Languages

Open Rails becomes available in additional languages, initially eight including Chinese.

Mar 2014 - Work Starts on Timetables

A schedule of trains (or timetable) is nearly impossible to arrange in Microsoft Train Simulator as AI trains don't adhere to booked station stops. In Open Rails, the situation is better but an activity with a player train and AI traffic is still very different from a timetable.

Work has now begun on a timetable element which is an alternative to the usual activity. The timetable will contain all the details needed for each scheduled train - path, consist, booked stops etc.. Conventional activities will continue as before.

Also there is no longer any distinction between player train or AI train - any train in the timetable can be selected as the player train, the others are operated by a remote player or by the simulator.

Feb 2014

Fog is developed from just softening the horizon into a realistic effect which users can fully control.

Recent Code Changes

• T1.5.1-2057-gfe3b901f2 Merge pull request #1086 from rwf-rr/refactor-user-settings-loc/export-settings
  Add Settings Exporter tool (copy settings to INI, etc)
  • d8d61ebd Add inffo that OpenRails must be closed for export.
    Includes an unrelated change. The check for an INI file path was
    inconsistent, using EndsWith for input and Contains for output.
  • e10390b0 Update user manual for Settings Exporter.
  • 862913ed Fix minor formatting issues.
  • f34a04cf Merge branch 'master' into refactor-user-settings-loc/export-settings
    Included manual resolution of conflict in Source/ORTS.sln.
  • 57abd7bc Fix bug in refactoring of user settings.
    Will be cherry-picked into refactor-user-settings-location.
  • bb16c92b Merge branch 'refactor-user-settings-location' into refactor-user-settings-loc/export-settings
  • 52c2523f Add more error handling and info.
  • e275f68a Merge branch 'refactor-user-settings-location' into refactor-user-settings-loc/export-settings
  • 88838fb8 Merge branch 'refactor-user-settings-location' into refactor-user-settings-loc/export-settings
  • 802ff4ca Merge branch 'refactor-user-settings-location' into refactor-user-settings-loc/export-settings
  • defd9fd0 Merge branch 'refactor-user-settings-location' into refactor-user-settings-loc/export-settings
  • ccd1b486 Add SettingsExporter (contrib).
  • 5cb9f463 Make path expansion consistent.
  • 76ec9e27 Changes needed for exporter.
• T1.5.1-2042-ga2a9bbcc8 Merge pull request #1104 from cesarBLG/simple-adhesion-axle
  Handle simple adhesion within the axle module
  • 79192435 Merge branch 'master' into simple-adhesion-axle
  • 9fdade00 Fix incorrect brake fraction assignment
  • ccc5c4dd Set AdhesionConditions when starting
  • 87cdd9fa Add TODO messages indicating that variables should never be NaN
  • ee453241 Further hiding
  • 86d38a2e Hide NaNs
  • 0017b1a5 Merge branch 'master' into simple-adhesion-axle
  • fd2cabbf Include axle friction in total friction
    This over-estimates a bit the friction force (this has happened for a while), as Davis A and B already include rolling friction
  • 9c7cdbfb Yet another try to overcome micro-slips respecting ramp up rates
  • 6ef735bd Adjustement for Full slip control
  • 1f7af77d Workaround to avoid oscillations due to SlipPercent
  • e0dbb206 Drive force is different from axle in force
  • c039a260 Correctly parse AntiSlip() token
  • f15bb6bf Use slip control also for dynamic braking
  • 03ccdc6e Use DynamicBrake variable instead of force
  • 128520db Reimplement legacy slip control systems
  • f9691cf7 Reimplement legacy anti slip but using tractive force instead of physical throttle
  • f40920a4 Do not wheelslip if steam locomotive and simple adhesion
  • dc485c5d Increase adhesion multiplier for simple adhesion
  • dc2a9077 Another usage of axle speed
  • de4bf82b Remove unneeded variables
  • e7bad634 Simple and semi-simple adhesion
  • 43a12f43 Non-driven axles
  • bcdce8b4 Remove unneeded variable
  • f333c34a Calculate power inside axle
  • c19d9ac8 Slip control fixes
  • dd102c8e Separate motive and friction axle out forces
  • 4222a2e7 Adhesion refactoring
  • b4382d5c Manage simple adhesion from Axle

See more code changes