The following are some common error messages you may see in Train Simulator. If you receive any other error messages, they may be Steam- related so we advise that you contact Steam directly for more information and support. If none of the solutions work, feel free to contact Dovetail Games customer support directly and we shall try to help you further.

Unable to load file - Scenario.bin/ tracks.bin

This message displays when there is an issue loading a scenario. There are a number of reasons it can occur. The most common of these is that you are missing some of the data needed to run a scenario. Alternatively the error may occur if you have made changes to a scenario. In either case, clearing the Train Simulator cache and verifying your files will usually restore the missing data. In the event that this does not address the issue please contact our support team directly.

Failed to save dump file to or Saved dump file to (dump file location), Railworks.exe has stopped working

All of these messages occur when Train Simulator encounters an error which causes it to close. Clearing the Train Simulator cache and verifying your files will in most cases resolve the issue. This could be due to hardware limitations also, so we recommend that you check to ensure your machine specifications are suitable by checking them against those listed in the game's Steam store page.

ERROR: Failed to create vertex buffer (D3DERR_INVALIDCALL)
File: DxCommon\cHcVertexManagerDx.cpp
LINE:1234


This error message occurs when something 3D is trying to be created in Train Simulator. The main cause of this issue is your graphics card has run out of memory and cannot create the necessary model or scenery. Please try the following steps:

1. Check that your systems RAM meets the minimum specifications required to play Train Simulator. Please note that if you are running a 32 bit operating system they will limit your total RAM available to approximately 3GB. We strongly advise ensuring you are running a 64- bit operating system to run our products on. If you are running other programs alongside the game this may take up memory that  could be used to run the game successfully. You can see what programs you currently have running in the windows task manager- please try closing programs and unnecessary processes before running the game.

2. Check that your graphics card meets the minimum specifications required to play Train Simulator.

3. Check that you are running the latest drivers for you graphics card. This can usually be found on the website for manufacturer of your graphics card. If you have updated your graphics card driver and you are now getting this error when you wasn’t previously please revert to the earlier driver.

4. Reduce your graphics settings in the Train Simulator menu to a lower level. You could be asking your graphics card to do more than it can handle. Reduce the various graphics settings to their lowest and run a scenario. If there error does not occur increase the graphics settings to the next level and run the scenario again. Repeat this process until the error does occur. When it does, reduce the graphics settings back to the last level when Train Simulator ran without an issue. The 'scenery detail' graphics option is a good place to start.

5. Try reinstalling DirectX. You can find a local installation here: [Installation drive]\Program Files (x86)\steamapps\common\RailWorks\Install

Error: Game failed to start [missing executable file]

This is usually a permission issue- please ensure you are running both Steam and the game in Admin mode and make exceptions for both in your Firewall and/ or anti- virus, as applicable. 

Consist builder - Can't load rail vehicle [loco name]

This message will occur when assets such as a locomotive is missing. The content that is missing will appear in the error message. Reinstalling the addons may work. It is also advisable to check that you do not have any third- party addons installed that may cause file conflict issues with the content.