Presented here are a collection of utilities that will assist you in operating, modifying, enhancing and debugging the MSTS simulation, its routes and models.

The version 1.4 updates upgrades your MSTS to the latest version, mean that you'll no longer need a CD in drive and sets your MSTS installation up for MSTS-Bin.

Xtracks is an expanded range of straight, curved, trolley, bridge, tunnel track pieces, as well as switches (turnouts), crossovers and a turntable. Xtracks also includes corrected track shapes and other files that were omitted from Microsoft's original MSTS release.

Newroads is an expanded range of straight, curved, single- and multi-lane road pieces, ranging from multi-lane freeways to country lanes.

Designed by Tim Booth, this is a completely new set of track sections that are built to UK rail standards; you'll find the rails are a much nicer profile with a generally much nicer look to the track. Not compatible in appearance or joining with standard MSTS track. Excellent for use on Australian routes. Any routes that are built with UKFinescale track will need this installer (v3.1.6.0).

Via Metrica is a range of meter-gauge track consisting of straight, curved, bridge, tunnel track pieces, as well as switches (turnouts), crossovers and a turntable.

Some models require enhanced sound sets. You'll find the installers for the sound sets here.

Some models require additional files to provide an improved cab view. You'll find the installers for the cab view file-sets here.

Shape Viewer displays an entire MSTS shape on screen without having to load up MSTS, enabling you to examine the entire model and lets you see exactly what it looks like in the sim. You move the model by click and dragging the mouse on the screen.

You can view the bounding box, take screenshots, check textures, rotate and zoom model.

Shape File Manager is a single-file HTML Application written in Javascript to assist with shape file maintenance. Once SFM is opened, a simple yet powerful interface enables you to select an MSTS Shape, uncompress it, then adjust height, width, length, size, position and visibility of any model in MSTS.

This freeware Unicode-aware editor is an excellent replacement for Wordpad when it comes to editing MSTS ENG, WAG, SMS, CVF and CON files: line-numbering, coloured keywords and simple bracket-matching make this a perfect all-round editor.

MSTS-Bin is a project aiming to improve features of MSTS that were left out by Kuju when they developed MSTS. MSTS-Bin is a binary modificaton of the original program of MSTS; it is not a "crack" mor illegal tool, usable only on existing genuine installations of MSTS.

Designed by Patrick Delavent and updated till November 2004, Convoi is a Consist Editor that outperforms MSTS' default consist editor. Version 1.5.0 was the last version and is hosted here. Click on title for the installer, but here's a PDF of the main features of Convoi.

One of the best vegetation packs for MSTS, designed and created by Czech MSTS user, Trunda, who has now left the MSTS scene. The full 161MB file in ZIP form (161 MB = 169,342,462 bytes) is available by clicking on the download link here.

Contents of Terrtex Packs (terrtex sets listed)
Contents of Vegetation Set (shape files listed)

Zipper is for anyone that wants to (de)compress shape and world files. It's an user friendly replacement for the MSTS ffeditc utility. Can process individual files and/or recurse through folders processing all files it can find. Starting from your main Train Simulator folder it could process all s & w files in your entire installation. Full instructions in readme in download package.

Archibald is a tool aimed at content makers. Archibald can open and display the content of different MSTS files in a tree view display. Does syntax checking of file content and can both read and write compressed MSTS files. One example of use for Archibald is to change the names of textures in shape files without the need to go through the process of decompressing, open in Wordpad and the again compressing the file. Another use is to take a peek into terrain files. Supported files are: tsection.dat, s, sd, t, tdb, trk, w, eng & wag.

Mapper is a tool that can generate a map or profile automatically from the routes track database. The finished map/profile will be shown in Mapper's window and can then be saved as a gif file. Options in Mappers window lets you include station names, mileposts and/or fuelpoints. There is also the option to add a grid in km or miles. The profile shows altitude in meters or feet when grid is selected. Input boxes for width and height lets you set the size of the generated image. When doing a map only the width value is used, height is then calculated not to distort the map.

The profiling part is a prototypical work and only realy usefull with routes that have a long main line. Routes with many branches and alternative paths will not get a meaningfull profile.

FCalc2 For Windows (by Joseph T Realmuto and Okrasa Ghia) is used to calculate friction parameters for rolling stock to enhance prototypical performance.

BBoxEdit V1.3 is a bounding box editor for MSTS ENGine and WAGon files. This program allows editing of the Size, Bounding_Box, InertiaTensor and CentreOfGravity entries resulting in fewer derailments due to incorrect collision data.

Fixes common symptoms of this kind of error like the "bouncing car". This version properly handles comments and allows saving out-of-range data.

EngMod is a powerful utility enabling you to change the values of one or many parameters of one or many ENG files at the one time.

Convert is a free and easy to use unit conversion program that will convert the most popular units of distance, temperature, volume, time, speed, mass, power, density, pressure, energy and many others, including the ability to create custom conversions.

Eng Manual v2.0e by Rudolf Richter was a landmark document that looked at and explained every line in ENG files. Whilst osome of the information has been superceded, it stands as a valuable starting document if you're going to modify or even just understand ENG and WAG files.

PhotographerUSA.com, an online directory for professional photographers have produced this page enabling to quickly adjust and check your PC's monitor.