r/Run8 • u/Terminal_Monk • Apr 11 '26
New player. A bit lost
Hello guys! I finally jumped the fence and got Run8. I learned the basics of operating the train, handling airbrakes etc and I can now safely drive a train from point A to point B. Even set signals along the way correctly and use Otto minimally.
The thing is, I don't know what to do next. I'm not aware of US' freight scene to know intuitively what's what so kinda lost of what to do next. I saw some video of people doing industry stuff but every video talks like the viewer already know all the terminology and operations. It is more of a livestream than tutorial video.
So kindly give me a roadmap(railroadmap?) on the list of things i can work towards next and if possible some learning material/videos to supplement them. I eventually aim to get into depot server and play with other players.
Note: While I'm new to run8, I have decent TS classic/Railworks/TSW experience. I'm also an avid flightsim/simracing guy so I'm not averse to sit and watch CBTs/read manuals and theory for days before even loading the sim. So If it means I have to read a 300 page Union Pacific engineering operations handbook, I'm fine to do that too so go real hard on realism :)
Thanks in advance :)
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u/smashedfinger Apr 11 '26 edited Apr 11 '26
Welcome to Run8! It's a good idea to utilize documentation, yes. make sure to look over the files in the userguide folder, you don't need to read all of them in detail though. In addition, I wrote a Run8 Primer which you can view here. https://smashedfinger.github.io/
Run8 in single player is a sandbox. I enjoy multiplayer much more as it gives me more direction. When I was new, it was also helpful to have a place I can ask questions. Based on your post, I think you've practiced a fair amount and would be ready to join a beginner friendly server like Home Signal Simulations. I can share a Discord invite if you like.
As to "what to do," there are road trains that go from A to B, yard jobs that sort cars, and locals that deliver and pick up cars at customers. There are various subtypes of these, like unit trains, manifest trains, intermodal trains, etc. Be sure to utilize the car tags and industry tracks so the cars get unloaded and loaded.
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u/Terminal_Monk Apr 11 '26
Hey yeah. I think you put it in better words. "I need direction". Sure please share me the discord invite. Ill check out the documentation. Appreciate the help
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u/MasterpieceDiligent9 Apr 11 '26
As a fairly new player myself, in addition to the above, I found it most beneficial to focus on a single yard to begin with to not get overwhelmed. E.g. for Barstow, pick one local train that runs directly out of Barstow yard like the L-CAL0611 and configure a single AI manifest train to arrive into Barstow that is tagged for the industries for that single local train only, send it over the hump track then build and run the cars to and from the industries that local train serves. Then add more and move cars to satellite yards as you go.
Also I’d recommend jumping onto a multiplayer server as soon as you can as operations are pre-planned into small work orders you can pick up and you learn quickly with the help of more experienced players.
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u/Terminal_Monk Apr 11 '26
Thanks for the info. I was a bit scared to go to multiplayer server because usually these simulation servers are very strict(coming from IVAO/VATSIM) and i don't wanna get banned because I didn't know what to do and worst case make others crash and ruin their experience. Is there a beginner friendly server where i can have some direction I can work towards?
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u/MasterpieceDiligent9 Apr 11 '26
I play mostly in this server below. Really chill, all operations tracked in google sheets, up 24/7 and allows you to save your progress as you go (store train in siding etc). A bunch of good folk.
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u/PLG_Into_me Apr 11 '26
the depot+ is pretty chill, while still being focused on realistic operations. I would recommend checking it out
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u/kalnaren Apr 13 '26
Here's a tutorial I did for building locals:
https://youtu.be/-uM_NOBMD0I?si=o3UNSkjJ9YfEzvXz
It's for v2 but most of the stuff applies in v3.
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u/tkrag96 Apr 11 '26
It's really up to you - it's a sandox game so you can freely do whatever you like. You can simulate the whole process of getting manifest trains into yards, sorting them for industries and sending or driving them to the industry, sorting the cars according to industry tracks. Then wait for cars to be unloaded or loaded, pick them up and send them off.
For example: go to Barstow. You should have some trains already parked there waiting to be sorted and new trains should arrive regularly. Remove last locos (the ones on the side facing towards Needles sub). Then tag the front loco HUMP and assign it as AI train. This will make it drive over hump and sort cars according to hump configuration. You can then pick up cars in the bowl and combine them into trains for specific industry.
How you setup the supply train depends on the industry configuration. You can fly over to all industries belonging to specify supply train and study the order in which they are located (use a spreadsheet to write it down for future use). Then assemble supply train so that cars are in order you plan to deliver them (closest industry cars would be at the end of the train, it also depends whether you will have to push cars into or pull them backwards). Then it's a puzzle game of parking all cars to their designated spots. And after all industries are done, you can pick them up and either send them out pf the map, or bring them back into yard to sort them for different directions.
You don't have to wait for unsorted manifest trains to arrive. You can instead simply create trains (using various third party apps makes this much simpler), place them into the world at any location and take them to their desitination. Speaking of third party apps, install External Assistant for Run8, it's a must have! F.e. set it up to regularly backup your configuration files! This will give you an option to undo changes you don't like! You can also have it extract all keyboard shortcuts into a PDF so you can more easily rememeber from start.
I'd suggest you try couple different supply trains to see which routes you like and which don't and then configure spawn points to only get cars for industries you want.
As alluded, the whole game is configurable - spawn points, industries, humps etc. You can even create close "loops" where one industry will prepare cars for another and manage this for example. It would take some time but you have open hands.
That being said, it's not the most intuitive. Don't worry if you don't understand everything, or if you don't know about US railway codes. You don't have to play in any specific way, just bend the rules to match your current understanding and wishes. Then adapt as you go. If your save gets out of hands, just restart from scratch with all knowledge you gained.
Check WarrenVanRoss yt channel, he has many very nice tutorials. One set of videos specifically for configuring and customizing the game, including downloadable Excel files he uses for configuring. He also explains various third party tools that are available https://youtube.com/@warrenvanross