📖 About this glossary
For each railway and editor term that comes up while building a map, we cover three points: ① a one-line paraphrase → ② what it is on the game screen → ③ a detailed explanation page. Whenever you run into a word you don't know, check it here.
If you're a complete beginner, we recommend reading Your First Custom Map first. With illustrations, it gives you the big picture.
🛤 Track & stations
| Term | In one line | In the game | More |
|---|---|---|---|
| Track circuit | A single square of track, as if you'd divided the line into cells like a board game. Which cell a train is in is used to manage signals and routes. | The basic unit you lay down one line at a time. An ID like TC_0001 is assigned automatically. |
Wiring |
| Switch | A track-changing point. The spot where one line splits into two directions (or two lines merge). | Registered as a junction connecting track circuits to each other. An ID like SW_0001 is assigned. |
Wiring |
| Normal / Reverse | At a switch, the straight-through direction is "Normal," and the diverging direction is "Reverse." In short, "straight" or "turn." | When you open a route, the editor decides the orientation automatically, so you normally don't need to think about it. | Wiring |
| Single switch / Double crossover | Types of switch. Single switch = the standard form where one line splits into two directions. Double crossover = a form that connects two lines in a crisscross. | A single switch is registered by combining 2–3 track circuits; a double crossover combines 4. | Wiring |
| Station | A grouping of locations where trains stop. Platforms and tracks hang inside it. | Draw a rectangle (the station area) on the map and give it a station name and station ID. | Wiring |
| Platform | A band representing a track number where passengers board and alight within a station. | Draw a rectangle over the track and assign a track number to each side. | Wiring |
| Track number | The number assigned to a station platform (Track 1, Track 2, …). | Registered per station in the "Track Number Master." Used on departure boards and platform labels. | Wiring |
| Station direction | The destination switch shown as "For ○○" on the departure board. | Registered per station in the "Station Direction Master." Even without registering, it works with the two choices of inbound / outbound. | Wiring |
Track cannot be laid perfectly vertical. Always place it tilted slightly to the side (when you want to go vertically, use a switch).
🚦 Signals & routes
| Term | In one line | In the game | More |
|---|---|---|---|
| Route | The path a single train travels. A "from here to there" path made by joining several track circuits. | Specify a start lever → an end lever, then select the track circuits it passes through in order to register it. The route name is assigned automatically (e.g. 1LA). |
Equipment |
| Lever | The switch (operating lever) that opens and closes a route. | Operate the "start lever" on the departure side and the "end lever" on the destination side as a pair, and the route opens. | Equipment |
| Start lever / End lever | A route's departure-side lever = start lever, destination-side lever = end lever. | There are three kinds of lever: main-line start (yellow), shunting start (green), and end. | Equipment |
| Signal | A signaling lamp that tells you go or stop. | The color changes automatically according to the route's state. The player doesn't operate it directly. Four kinds: Home, Starting, Block, and Shunting signal. | Equipment |
| Aspect | The color (signal) a signal is currently showing. | In custom maps there are only three colors: 🟢 Proceed, 🟡 Caution, 🔴 Stop. Finer aspects such as restricted or reduced speed are not handled. | Equipment |
| Conflicting route | Two clashing routes that cannot be opened at the same time. | Routes that share crossing track circuits. The editor judges this automatically, so no manual work is needed. | Equipment |
| Approach locking | A mechanism that, once a train comes right up to a signal, prevents that route from being released arbitrarily. It stops a green signal from suddenly turning red. | When registering a route, specify the "approach-locking track circuit." While a train is on that track circuit, releasing that route is blocked (advanced, optional). | Hands-on ① |
| Departure button | A "clear to depart" signal button placed at the platform end. | In custom maps you register "which track number at which station," and it gives the departure signal to the train at that track. | Equipment |
📋 Timetable & operations
| Term | In one line | In the game | More |
|---|---|---|---|
| Timetable | The schedule. The plan of which train runs where and when. | Line up trains in the "Train List" and set their times; you can get an overview with the diagram (a time × position graph). | Operations |
| Scenario | A set of timetables for one time period of that map (e.g. morning rush, evening). | You can create several within a map. The Operations category can be edited once you select a scenario. | Getting Started |
| Train class | A train type label such as "Local" or "Express." | Defined in the Company category. You can add one from the preset bank with a single click. Used for colors on departure boards and the diagram. | Company |
| Train type | The kind of rolling stock (car count, total length, the icon on the map). | Defined in the Company category. Choose by "type × color" from the official icon bank. | Company |
| Path group | A template for the path a train travels (where it starts, which routes it passes, where it stops). | Created in the Operations category. Multiple trains can share the same path group. | Operations |
| Train list | A table listing, one by one, the trains you actually run. | For each train, specify its train number, type, class, path group, and times. | Operations |
| Appearance TC | The track circuit where a train first appears (TC = abbreviation for track circuit). | In a path group, press the "Select TC" button and click a track circuit on the map to specify it. | Operations |
| Diagram row | A single row along the vertical axis of the diagram (graph) (a station track number or map edge). | Defined in the Operations category. The times trains pass the linked track circuits are drawn as lines. | Operations |
📦 Other
| Term | In one line | In the game | More |
|---|---|---|---|
| UGC | A map made by a user (User-Generated Content). | Every map you make in the map editor is UGC. Some features differ from the official maps bundled with the main game. | Getting Started |
| Bundle info | The set of title, description, author, and preview image used when distributing a map. | Set it under "File → Edit Bundle Info." It appears in the user map list. | Getting Started |
| Preview | A feature to test-play a map in progress on the spot. | Launch it with ▶ Preview at the top right. It always runs in a sandbox (no score). | Getting Started |
Don't see a word here? Terms that come up in the main game's how-to are gathered in the How to Play Guide, and the detailed specs of each feature are gathered in the individual guides in the left menu.