Routes

Are there free Dutch routes available?

ChrisTrains does not make any routes, but there are plenty of freeware routes available at the SimTogether.com Dutch routes page and the DutshSims.nl routes page. Among others, the 't Hart Van Nederland, 'Gooi Centraal, De Vechtdallijnen and fictional routes like Den Hampen/Kolfmeer and Krammerdijks Deltaland.

Why do I need so much payware to use FREE routes?

Many of the people who build the free routes are not able to make their own scenery objects. Instead they rely on using objects and items from other routes that they happen to have installed on their own machines. This means that when it comes time to make the route available for you to use, you must also have the exact same routes as the original author or you will be missing scenery objects. Missing objects can range from things you might never notice (like office buildings) to things you would certainly notice (like the rails). The good news is that most of the Dutch route builders tend to use the same objects over and over again so if you go through the (long) process of acquiring all the free scenery items plus the payware routes listed on this page (Required Assets for most Dutch routes), you will normally only have to only do it once, and many of the available free routes will then work for you. Also : it is worth signing up for the forums mentioned later on this page. Many of the route builders are active forum members and there are long topics on the forums where you can keep up-to-date with new features and versions of the routes. When free custom scenery becomes available, it is normally listed in these topics too.