Download > Versions

Three Versions of Open Rails

Three versions of Open Rails are readily available to users, as shown below:

For first-time users, we recommend the Stable Version which comes with an installer.

Updater

Whichever version you choose, Open Rails has a mechanism to notify you of new versions and to update Open Rails for you. You will find the settings for this mechanism in Menu > Options > Update

Open Rails will check for updates at most once a day. If an update is found, then you can install the update just by clicking on the link in the top, right corner:

Testing Version

If you follow the Open Rails project on the forums, then you will hear about bug-fixes and new features. These are included in the Unstable Version for developers and testers to try out. Once they have been checked and approved, they are published (on Friday) as the latest Testing Version. Any user can easily update to the current weekly Testing Version and benefit from these improvements.

For reference all the Testing Versions (executable and source) can be found in our archive.

Recent Code Changes

• T1.5.1-1493-g73afcba02 Merge pull request #1034 from twpol/feature/fix-menu-notifications
  Fix menu notifications
  • b6b9325a fix: Deserialize notification JSON in more compatible way
  • ab10d1a4 fix: Capture all notification errors to avoid broken state
• T1.5.1-1490-g1af726416 Merge pull request #996 from cesarBLG/reverse-blending
  Replace dynamic brakes by engine brakes at low speeds
  • 135748aa Require relay valve to enable dynamic to air replacement
  • f015efb5 Use dedicated speed for replacement of dynamic brakes with air brakes
  • 2fcbcde1 Link blending to dynamic brake availability instead of power
  • 7d9eda41 Replace dynamic brakes by air brakes at low speeds

See more code changes

The current Testing Version can also be downloaded as a Zip archive:

24 January 2025, 108MB

• Installation Guide (English)

The documents included in the Testing Versions downloads can be found on-line at:

• Architecture Diagram V1.pdf
• Contenct checker.pdf
• How to Provide Track Profiles for Open Rails Dynamic Track.pdf
• Installation Guide En.pdf
• Localization Manual.pdf
• Manual.pdf
• ORTS Trackviewer manual.pdf
• Processor Flow Chart.pdf
• timetable-editor_de.pdf
• timetable-editor_en.pdf

Note: Multiple versions of Open Rails will not interfere if they are saved to different folders.

Unstable Version

To support development, the latest unstable version is also available, which is updated whenever a developer publishes a change. The unstable versions are more likely to contain serious bugs and are only recommended for users wishing to help with Open Rails development.

The Manual for the Unstable version is not included in the download, but is available on-line.

For reference all the Unstable Versions (executable and source) can be found in our Unstable archive.

Improvements

Improvements to Open Rails are drawn from several public sources as shown here:

We try to make sure that these changes all work and fit together by reviews as marked in orange in the diagram.