Rick aka "thegrindre" on most MSTS forums has applied his not inconsiderable skills to creating some fine models for MSTS using 3D Canvas Pro. He's written an excellent tutorial on how to create realistic-looking three-dimensional chain to attach to your models. Fully illustrated, his lucid step-by-step insturctions will enable modelers of all skill levels to create 3d chain. Click on "read More" below to start reading the tutorial.

Matt Austin is one of team-ALCO's skilled model builders and arguably one one of Australia's best modellers. Many Australian MSTS users know of his fine work with the VR D3, the team-ALCO Spirit Spirit Of Progress passenger stock and the extraordinary forthcoming "Tait" suburban train stock. One of the reasons Matt's been able to produce such detailed models that run reliably in the sim is that he has used the freeware application for TSM, Polymaster.

Matt has written a superb tutorial on using Polymaster to improve the quality and reliability of models created with TSM. Browse to his Mastering PolyMaster for comprehensive, lucid instructions on using this valuable application.

Finally, after many hours' work, all tutorials (over 150 HTML pages' worth) are now available for your education and assistance. They represent a huge store of research and knowledge about the game many of us seem to be addicted to: the authors have shared their knowledge and work generously for the whole MSTS community.

So it is with much sadness and a distinct feeling of despondency that I note that the sledging on flamesim.com (aka train-sim.com) has resumed with some offensive comments by one of their members. A Mr Erick Cantu has slammed a sound tutorial on the steam4me site, saying "it contains some half-truths and a few outright lies".

For the record, Mr Erick Cantu has, to my knowledge, never emailed me to offer corrections or point out errors in any tutorials on this site. It seems he finds it much easier to offer abuse and sledge the work of others than constructive criticism. To accuse the author(s) on this site (or me) of telling lies is completely offensive, slanderous and totally outrageous.

There are days where I wonder why I bother......... this is one of them.

By my count, there are now 110+ tutorials returned to the site. The double-asterisk (**) adjacent to the title name in this list of contents indicates that the tutorial is not yet returned to the site in its new format. I will continue to return tutorials and all should be back by the end of May 2010. Then it's onto the new routes awaiting release and then the rolling stock.

Thanks all for your support and patience.

The demise of Railpage and subsequent loss of the steam4me site on their servers has necessitated some "re-organisation". As you've no doubt discovered (otherwise you wouldn't be reading this), I've set up my own site. I'm taking advantage of my move to a new server to rewrite many of the tutorials, with more links within pages to enable them to be more easily accessed and linked to.

As time permits, I am progressively returning tutorials to the site in what I consider order of importance. Email me (see Contacts page) if there's one you need returned more quickly.

This menu contains the titles of all the tutorials that have been written. You will get an error message for the tutes that haven't yet been uploaded. I will post again here when I think I've uploaded all the tutorials.

Frank Carver, best known for his sensational GWR Toddington Route, has written a tutorial showing you how to create a building with windows that light up at night without there being an ACE file in the Night Textures Folder. "Read More" of Frank' tutorial which should simplify things for MSTS content creators and route builders.

Jeffrey Kraus-Yao's cross-over nodes started me thinking about other vexing track-building / signalling issues within MSTS. After some investigation, I've discovered that Jeffrey's cross over nodes can be used to protect non-intersecting track such as gantlet track or mixed-gauge track.

I've documented the process of protecting a stretch of gantlet track in a tutorial - Signalling Gantlet Track in MSTS - but the process will be useful to route-builders working on routes covering South Australia, Brisbane Metro area, Switzerland and America's Colorado narrow gauge systems where more than one gauge was in use and mixed- or dual-gauge trackage was used at stations and in yards.

Jeffrey Kraus-Yao has made an astounding discovery that could revolutionise complicated track-work construction in MSTS and still allow correct signalling. Route-builders can now build complicated junctions and know that they can be protected by signals that will work correctly in activities.

Up till now, only specialised shapes with a crossing node have ensured correct interlocking. His technique will ensure that two tracks laid one over the other can be made to provide protection by signals for use in activities.

Browse to Creating a Diamond Crossover complete with Track Node to read the results of Jeff's painstaking investigative work which in my opinion has opened a new horizon for both route-builders and activity creators.

Many MSTS users are using widescreen laptop and desktop displays: here's how to set your graphics card to ensure that you don't have "stretched" distortion.

Browse to Using MSTS with Widescreen Monitors to read how to change your laptop or desktop screen scaling.