The public beta version of the long-awaited scenery update is finally here!

How to get the beta version? Open your Steam client and right-click on the game, then select Properties from the popup menu. From the properties popup go to the Betas tab and choose beta from the drop-down menu (no password required).

Please remember that routes saved with this beta version are incompatible with the current release version. This means that uploading a new version of a modded route will break it for those not using the beta version, unless the route is uploaded as a new separate entry.

• Upgrading the Westfords route
  
• Fixing graphics issues
  
• Optimising frame rate and memory use
  
• Other fixes and improvements unrelated to graphics and scenery

Graphics issues you might encounter:

• Level-of-detail (LOD) issues: some objects may look deformed or broken until they get close to the camera
  
• Some objects may be missing textures or the texture might look simplistic or poorly aligned
  
• Some parts of the routes might appear underdeveloped (e.g. cities in North Landen) because of problems in the automatic placement of buildings

These graphics problems do not need to be reported yet, since the majority of them are known issues already. If you do have something to report, please post in the discussion thread of this news item. In case of crashes, please use the built-in reporting tool if possible.

The beta test is expected to run for a few weeks before official release.

When does the open beta start? Reworking the scenery of a long route like North Landen took more time than expected, so the beta will start within the next two weeks without the Westfords route which will be upgraded while beta testing is running.

The open beta will start this month after North Landen and Westfords routes have been upgraded

The next version is now ready for testing with a limited audience! Players who have published a route in the Steam workshop are invited to participate.


The alpha version is still largely unoptimised, leading to low and fluctuating frame rates in the driving sim. Also the three core routes (Mountain Pass, North Landen and Westfords) have not yet been properly updated to make use of the new scenery features. Neither of these are a problem for route developers, so this is a good time to start collecting feedback on the new route editor features.


Send me a friend invite on Steam or DM me on Discord. You'll receive a password that needs to be entered in the Steam client in order to download the "alpha" beta branch.

After you've downloaded the alpha version, please see the discussion thread for this post for more information before you begin!


Open beta testing will probably start in September, once the game has been sufficiently optimised and the routes upgraded.

The old small and large station building models were reworked by Radical Mesh

Station buildings, GWR furniture and wooden platform by Paul Harper. Footbridge is Mylyn Poddley's