Q. How do I get my new TrainPlayer username and key code access?
Generally, our support team tries to get you an order
confirmation email which will contain your TrainPlayer
user name, key code access and download instructions
within two (2) hours of receiving your order from our
shop site. Due to hours of operation and our need
to sleep occasionally, there may be a delay in the
overnight hours. We also ask that you check your
Junk Mail filters/folders as sometimes our reply will
end up there. If you have not received an email from us within 6-8
hours of placing your original order, please send an
urgent email to
support@trainplayer.com.
Q.
Does
my computer need to be connected to the Internet to enjoy TrainPlayer?
A. No, you will have access to all of your own
layouts and car types that are on your computer. With an active Internet
connection, you will be able to immediately access any of our web based content
for layouts, car types, scenery and sounds via our various web choosers. You would also
have a connection to the web based TrainPlayer and TrackLayer User Manual and
Guide and to the Frequently Asked Questions information.
Q.
What operating system is required?
A. TrainPlayer runs on Windows 7 and 8, and Vista, XP. The program operates with minimum memory (256MB), but more is
better -- the more memory you have, the closer you can zoom in on a large
layout. More memory on your video graphics card in your PC will also
improve overall performance.
Q. Does TrainPlayer
work on
Windows 7 and Windows 8?
A. Yes, it runs well on both. We have not tested
TrainPlayer yet for the MS Surface and Windows RT operating system
Q. Does TrainPlayer run
on a 64 bit version machine?
A. Yes it does.
Q. I’ve just
upgraded to Windows Vista Win 7 OS, where do I locate my TrainPlayer Files
?
A.
Inside Vista, TrainPlayer files should be in two locations:
C:\Program Files\TrainPlayer
or
C:\Program Files\TrainPlayer <version number>
and
C:\Documents and Settings\<Your Name>\Application Data\TrainPlayer\
or
C:\Users\<Your Name>\Application Data\Roaming\TrainPlayer
By Microsoft reasoning, only the program should be in Program Files.
All layouts, car types, sounds, etc should be in C:\Documents and
Settings\YOUR NAME\Application Data\TrainPlayer\.
Only
if you want to consolidate ALL your TrainPlayer files in ONE
location, would you need to move them to
either one of the two locations noted above. After consolidation, you
will need rebuild your trees inside the web chooser.
To find where your layouts are, inside Windows Explorer, do a “file
search” as “*.rrw”. This will reveal where the layout files are and
typically the associated .jpg or (tpg) files as well.
Some of our users have created an additional folder in C:\Program
Files\TrainPlayer and named it <My Layouts> which stores the layouts
they have created plus any modified layouts. You
will need to browse to the correct location "C:\Documents and
Settings\YOUR NAME\Application Data\TrainPlayer\" for Layouts,
Cartypes, Sounds. Set my Additional Layouts to my "My Layouts"
folder. Do the same if you have an additional folder for cartypes.
Q.
I bought the web
download version of TrainPlayer, where do I find a detailed User Manual
/Guide?
A. Use the Help command on the Main Menu bar in the program.
Or see the top of this page for links to the manual in PDF
format.
Q.
When attempting to
download car collections, I have frequently gotten the
“Operation Timed Out message” . A subsequent attempt to download
does not work. What’s happening?
A. When you choose a car collection in the web chooser, before it can show you the
images it needs to download the entire collection into the
Cartypes_DL folder in your system temp directory. Then if you click Install,
it copies them into your regular Cartypes location. If you are seeing this
"Operation Timed Out" alert, then inside your Web Cartypes Chooser, at the top
of the directory tree, do a right mouse click on Cartypes. This will bring
up a submenu. From that submenu, select "Clear Download Cache"
This
procedure should eliminate that problem. You can also use
this same technique to remove "old images" from your web Scenery
chooser as well.
Q. I downloaded a
web layout in Vista via the web chooser. Where on my hard drive is it
downloaded to? When I look in program files (x86) then TrainPlayer,
then layouts, I can't find it!!.
A. The
first place to look is under main TrainPlayer menu File > Preferences,
General tab. There is a Download Directory item shown there. Second
thing to know about is how to find your Application Data directory,
which is in a strange place on Vista. Use Start > Command Prompt
or select RUN to
bring up the command box, then type "set appdata". This gives you the
directory where you will find the TrainPlayer folder containing data
files. .
Q.
Why doesn't my license code work? I
enter it and get "the name/key you entered does not appear to be valid."
A. You must enter both the name and the key
exactly as given to you -- spacing, capitalization, and all. The best way
is to copy and paste -- as a shortcut, copy both name and key from the e-mail
and paste both lines into the Name box of the Reminder dialog.
If you are entering the key by hand, round characters are zero 0, not
the letter O, and you must enter all the dashes.
If you have a license key but are not prompted to enter it, use
Upgrade License from the Help menu.
The Enter Key dialog may have a name in the box which differs from
the one provided with your license. Be sure to use the one which
came with the license you are entering.
Q.
Why don't all my sounds show up in the
chooser?
A. You may have older sounds under c:\program
files\trainplayer\sounds. These are not included in the chooser tree.
To fix this, navigate to the old sounds folder in Windows Explorer, and drag it
into the sound chooser tree. Or, using Windows Explorer, cut and paste
your old Sounds folder into whichever of these directories Vista has placed your
other TrainPlayer files:
For XP - C:\Documents and Settings\<Your Name>\Application Data\TrainPlayer\
or
For Vista & Windows 7 -
C:\Users\<Your Name>\Application Data\Roaming\TrainPlayer
Q. I just upgraded to a new version, why
don't I see all the commands on the menu ? My
toolbar buttons are fouled up.
A. When you upgrade without running an
installer, sometimes you need to reset your menus and toolbars as
follows:
Choose Tools > Customize.
On the Toolbars tab, click Reset All.On the Menus tab, click
Reset. Do this
for each menu in each drop-down list.
Click OK to dismiss the dialog. Toolbars
and menus will now be up to date.
This does not apply to most users. If you run the
installer, it takes care of this reset.
Q.
Why does the train jump the track in
some places? Sometimes it doesn't move where the tracks do, or splits
up at a junction, or does something else odd.
A. There are some bugs in the track work.
If you encounter one, please report it. You can fix this yourself, if you have
TrackLayer.
When designing your own layout and running trains over
it, a good recommended practice is to check your track frequently.
To set this up automatically, select Tools \ Options from the main menu bar.
Then in the pop up window -
Preferences , use the left mouse button to "Check Track while Drawing".
Another good habit to get into while designing your layout is to Save your work
frequently.
Q.
Why doesn't the turntable stop rotating
when it comes to a connecting track? Sometimes it just keeps rotating.
A. This can happen due to faulty track work.
If you encounter a faulty turntable, please report it.
When designing you own layouts, if you have activated the "Check
Track" feature, it will clearly identify where a mistake has occurred
with a brief explanation. You may find it easier to delete the
problem track and re-lay it again.
Q. The layout is so big, I find it hard to see
the details. How do I zoom in on
the action?
A.
There are several ways you can zoom into a layout. The most commonly used
method is to go to the Main toolbar, Select View \ Zoom then select from the
choices offered.. Or, you can use the “+ / -“ buttons on the main tool bar to
slowly increase or decrease the image size. If you have Auto-Follow checked in the layout context
menu, the zoomed-in view follows the train around.
Another way to access the Zoom features is from the Edit
toolbar:
Select
the large cursor button, use a right mouse click to bring up a submenu
which gives you the choice of zoom to, zoom from, zoom to X %, and also
zoom on drag (ZOD). If you pick ZOD, just drag a box over the area you
want to focus on. The smaller the box, the greater the zoom will be.
Unfortunately, the ZOD features is currently only available on
Windows systems.
Finally you can try this -
zoom in, then use Window > New Window
to create a second window which you can zoom out to see the whole
layout. Tile these side-by-side and you get the overview and the
detail at the same time. But note: only the main (first) window
can do Auto-Follow of the train One thing to
remember about the Zoom feature is that it will use computer resources
to redraw the image and depending upon the age of your computer and
available memory you may experience either a system “freezes” or “lack
of resources” errors
Q. Do you have permission to use Linn Westcott's track plans?
A. Yes. We have a
signed exclusive agreement for the use of Kalmbach artwork.
Likewise for our new collections now appearing on
our layout web chooser, we have permission from the original designers
or copyright holders to allow our users to enjoy these layouts.
Q.
Why can't I get these cars to uncouple?
The tool is dimmed for no apparent reason.
A. There are reasons you might not be able to uncouple,
having to do with physics and common sense. You can't uncouple if the
train is backing up, unless you're uncoupling a car which sits ahead of the
engine, because if you did, the next movement of the train would cause it
to re-couple.
Also, to couple you must not be going too
fast. The default coupling speed is 15 MPH. You can change
this in the Preferences dialog.
Also, you are prevented from uncoupling when cars sit atop
a junction point (usually at the frog of a switch). If the uncouple button is
dim, try moving a little forward or backward.
Q. How can I
create my own car
collection?A. If you
want to create your own car collection of your favorite road, review
the Car Collection chapter in the User Manual. Here are a couple of
pointers:
1) the side GIFs work best ,inside the program, when each one is paired
up with its own accompanying car top. The majority of the car
collections on your web chooser are set up this way. Make sure that the
name for each car top exactly matches that of the accompanying GIF file.
For example CNW GP9R.gif would have a matching file called CNW
GP9R_t.bmp. the "_t" means it is a top file and the BMP means Bit
Mapped. All car tops are BMP files. Some side car images are starting to
appear in BMP format also since it allows you a bit more color detail
potential.
2) the best way of finding the top BMP files for your own collection is
to find a similar one in any of the car collections that closely matches
your side GIF. Once you've renamed the GIF (i.e. myroad-boxcar.gif),
you can use it "as is" or you can use MS Paint to re-color it to suit
your model. To find MS Paint, when you are viewing your individual GIF
files, right mouse click on the image and in the next menu, select "Open
with" - from the next drop down menu - select MS Paint
3) Each new car type folder that you create will need a corresponding
XML file to run in the program. This XML file is created when you import
your car collection into the program. It appears under your general
Cartypes folder inside TrainPlayer but it is not placed inside the
actual car folder itself. For example the CNW.XML file would appear
under Cartypes as an individual file and a folder called CNW would also
appear under the general Cartypes folder
4) with a TrackLayer - Builder license, you will be able to
download the "Paint Your Own" cars and paint the sides and
tops in your choice of colors. The web link to
"Paint -Your-Own Cars" and the tutorial is located in the
top right hand margin of this page.
Q. Why do I get this message?
"Trainplayer.exe - Unable to Locate DLL?.
The dynamic link library gdiplus.dll
could not be found in the specified path."
A. Gdiplus.dll is a library of graphics
enhancements which is included with Windows XP but not with Win98, NT, or 2000.
If you don't have it, it means you haven't yet installed a program which needs
it. Please download it as follows:
Click here to download
gdiplus.dll (zipped).
Unzip the file into your Windows\System32 directory..Rerun the TrainPlayer installer.An alternative method of getting this
"dll" is directly from
Microsoft. Click here to download their version.
Q.
Is there a Switching
/ Operating plan for TrainPlayer?
A. TrainPlayer Version 4.0 OPS is the answer to this.
The OPS module is part of both TrainPlayer Operator and
TrackLayer Builder.
Q.
Is there an easy way
to simulate real train operations ?
A.
The new Ops module available since TrainPlayer 4.0 does
provide for simulated freight/goods operations. If you
want to add passenger service, at this time, you can
accomplish that function via the Schedule feature in the
program and/or use Scripting. TrainPlayer's scripting feature
allows you to program all the moves your passenger or
freight train will make. What some of our users do
is automate all of their passenger trains on the layout
with Scripts while they focus on performing the
switching moves on a local peddler freight. This makes
switching more challenging and fun when you need to
clear the line for The Limited!
For details on Scripting, please refer to your TrainPlayer
manual / User Guide under Help\Contents.
Q.
How do I link
together several
layouts to make one large Empire?
A.
Please refer to the
TrainPlayer User Manual for detailed instructions on how to set up
“Links”. Here are some key points to remember:
- Links can
ONLY be made from one “Stub ended siding” to another
- You can
have as many links between any two or more layouts as you want so long
as they are stub to stub type connection
- A stub
ended siding will support only ONE link and cannot be re-used for any
others.
- The Link
ID must be the same for both sides of the linked connection
- The best
recommended practice is to have both of the layouts to be linked, open
at the same time. Designate your link point(s), save each file,
then test each link by running a train through the link(s) in each
direction
- If you
encounter problems, first go to the main tool bar, Tools, select Check
Track. The pop up dialog box will often indicate where the problem is
located. If your problem persists, send us a note along with your *.RRW
file and we will try to assist you
- We have had
intermittent reports from some users who had some problems when they had
used up all 26 alpha characters and then started adding in new
variations AA, AB, AC or A1, A2, A3 etc but no one has commented on the
matter recently NOR has anyone provided enough details for us to
determine what the root cause of their problem to be
Q.
I designed the track
layout before having a background. Is there a way to determine what
size the JPG needs to be for my existing layout?
A. The
JPG doesn't need to be any particular size, but must be the right shape. To determine what shape, look in the rrw file for the layout
dimensions, which are like: xdim="7194" ydim="3568". Create your jpg to
have the same proportions -- for example it could be 719 x 357
Q. I designed the track layout
before having a background. Is there a way to
determine what
size the JPG needs to be for my existing layout?
A. The JPG doesn't need to be any
particular size, but must be the right shape.
To determine what shape, look in the rrw file
for the layout dimensions, which are stated like:
xdim="7194" ydim="3568". Create your jpg to have
the same proportions -- for example it could be
719 x 357pixels.
Q.
When I rewind a Script, the file reverts back to
the original rolling stock. Why is that
happening?
A. That's because it took a snapshot of the
layout the first time you started running a
script, which must have been before you changed
the cars, so when it rewinds it goes back to
that. The thing to do is get everything set up
at the starting positions and do "Erase starting
position" before starting the script, so it will
take another snapshot. If you didn't save a copy
of the layout with all the good cars on it, you
may have to add them again.
Q.
Does TrainPlayer let me import any layout
designs from other design programs like WinRail?
A. Users of AnyRail, Right Track and
WinRail and RailModeller can convert layouts for
use in TrainPlayer. The converter handles most
standard track elements: turnouts, curved
turnouts, wyes, turntables, crossings, bridges,
rerailers, slip switches*. This conversion
requires a TrackLayer license. Consult the
TrackLayer manual for info on importing from CAD
formats.
Q. When should I
uninstall an earlier version?
A. You do NOT need to uninstall your
current version before running a more recent
installer. It deposits program files in a new
location, and does not overwrite your existing
ones, so you can continue running the two
versions side by side. Once you are satisfied
with the behavior of the newer one, then you
should consider uninstalling the older one.
Q.
How do I find
out what
license
I'm currently using and what upgrades are
available to me?
A. Go to your main menu bar and select
Help > Purchase Upgrade. TrainPlayer
will identify for you what upgrades are
available and their cost. This Help page will
also link you to our shop site, should you wish
to purchase that upgrade.
Q. How do
I share
my finished layout with other users at
TrainPlayer?
A. We welcome any submissions of your
work either from hand drawn layouts or using the
Scenery Toolkit. You can access the "Publish"
feature from the File \ Publish menu. In
the next pop out menu, TrainPlayer identifies
what cars and resources are needed to run your
layout and there is a handy descriptive box for
you to insert your name and to provide the
"story" of your layout. When you have
provided this information, press Okay and
TrainPlayer prompts you for a location to Save
your layout. A handy way to quickly locate these
"shared" files is to create a new folder on your
Desktop and call it "TP Share". When prompted to
Save your "published" version, just navigate to
your computer desktop and click on your TP Share
folder. Then you send the files to us at
support@trainplayer.com and we will take
care of the rest.
You can also share your work with the Yahoo
TrainPlayer group on their site [http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TrainPlayer
] by uploading your files using their Files
tools. Click on Files in the left column. At the
next screen, select "create new folder" from the
mid screen tool bar. Name your Folder. Then Open
your new folder and select "Add File". Be sure
to provide the background image, if there is
one, the RRW file and the thumbnail [name_t.jpg]
file for your layout.
Q-
I am having issues when downloading
TrainPlayer when using my Download Manager –
GetRight. What do I need to do to successfully
download your program?
A. The download manager in this case
is Getright. It normally intrudes a stub into
each browser it finds, sometimes utilizing a
program called FlashGot. Usually, this is a good
thing, because it keeps a download manager in
the loop no matter what browser you're using.
However, in this case it's the wrong thing to do
and was hard to disable.
To get it to stop trying to download the
file, it was necessary to open the configuration
options, click Monitor Browsers' and uncheck the
'Replace the "Save as" window...' option. Then
click the General / Starting & Stopping menu
choice and uncheck 'Start GetRight when Windows
starts'. Now you need to reboot. Simply
unchecking these boxes is not enough to unload
what has been loaded on startup!
To get things back to normal, simply reverse
this process, except that you won't need to
reboot- start GetRight from your Startup menu,
open Configuration, and go from there.
NOTE: If you use the Firefox download
manager or Download Accelerator Plus to download
the TrainPlayer installer client, you may also
experience problems. The TrainPlayer installer
is designed to work with recent versions of
Microsoft's Internet Explorer.
Our recommendation is to first Save the file to
your hard drive and then launch the installer
from there.
Q
This is a problem that I have had with
multi-section layouts before. Suddenly the
rolling materiel gets stuck in cyberspace,
somewhere between the two layouts. What’s
happening and how do I resolve it?
A. Cars getting stuck in space is a
consequence of the way “linked layouts” work.
When the rolling stock are jumping across
layouts, there is a copy of the train on both
layouts, sitting hidden at the jump-off or
jump-on spot until the train is ready to become
visible. If something interrupts this process,
those cars can still be sitting there, ready to
cause problems in the future.
Also there is a more obvious problem. After
you jump a train from layout A to layout B, if
you were to save either layout to a file, it
would save the train where it then sits. So
let's say you start in A, jump to B, then save
the file and quit the program. Next time you
bring up A and jump it to B, you'll find your
saved copy of the train on B.
The best advice is to get rid of any phantom
cars and trains you find or come across. Since
you can not see them, this is not easy, but
check the Train menu. The last resort is to edit
the xml or RRW file to remove them by force. If
this is the case, then drop us a line at
support@trainplayer.com
Q. I
am unable to download a large car collection
completely from the Cartype Web Chooser.
What is causing this problem?
A. What can happen sometimes
is that either your Windows Firewall or your
Virus Protection software have security settings
that are too high OR where you have not
identified the TrainPlayer web site as
"friendly". This will result in either a blocked
download or a very slow download from our web
site. You may either need to change the setting
for your Firewall and/or Virus Protection
software OR temporarily close them while you're
downloading layouts, scenery or car collections
from our site. Consult your Windows and virus
protection software for additional details and
instructions.
Q.
Can I use my PayPal account to purchase your
products?
A. As of July 1st, 2012 we
now support PayPal on our web store along
with
Visa and Master Card. Our web site is optimized
to work with Microsoft's latest version of
Internet Explorer browser. You may experience
some issues with PayPal and Firefox version
17.01 and perhaps other browsers.. In that case, we ask that you use
Interent Explorer to complete your purchase
transaction.
If you prefer other
options, you can order by
giving your credit card number over the phone
[call (707) 320-4246 ], or by sending
a check in the mail to TrainPlayer Software,
4200 Arcadian Drive, Castro Valley, CA
94546.
Q. I am using AnyRail for track laying and
design but when I import my file to TrainPlayer,
the resolution looks fuzzy. How can I
improve the look of my plan?
A. Both TrainPLayer
and AnyRail work hard to keep each other aware
of various updates to their respective programs
to ensure easy export/import of files.
In this case, to ensure a good quality
import file for TrainPlayer, you need to make
sure that inside AnyRail, you go to View Scale
and choose a size which is suitable to display
your layout properly. For small layouts in the
range of 4 feet X 8 feet, that scale might be
set at 1:5. For larger, room sized or club
type layouts .you may want to try a scale of 1:8
or 1:10. Next Save your file in AnyRail.
Then Export the file to TrainPlayer xml format.
Inside TrainPlayer, go to File\Import\AnyRail
and our program will convert that file into
TrainPlayer formats.
If you're not satisfied with the
resolution, you can always go back into AnyRail
and change your View Scale settings accordingly.
With the enhanced Zoom capabilities added
recently to TrainPlayer, our program can handle
image sizes up to about 7 megabits without too
much trouble. Above that size, you may
experience PC performance issues depending upon
your PC hardware configuration.
Q. I am
using Atlas RTS software and when I try your
conversion program, I get this message "Program
cannot locate RAL_XMLLIB.dll"? What do I do now?
A. You can either ask for it at
WinRail or you can get it from our site here:
http://www.trainplayer.com/Goods/RAL_XMLLib.zip
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