Installing a clean version of Train Simulator is sometimes the only way to rule out problems that are affecting your current installation. Unfortunately, this is a normal step we ask you to complete before we can help further as it can rule out problems that may have been introduced in the lifetime of your Train Simulator installation.

If you're simply looking to reinstall Train Simulator and don't need a separate installation, you can find those instructions at: How to Reinstall Train Simulator

We understand and recognise that sometimes your Train Simulator install has been modified with your own content or even content from other websites outside of Steam and, because of this, you may be reluctant to have to go through the process of reinstalling everything, possibly even losing some data in the process. These installations may have been years in the making and contain unique and even data that may no longer be available to download to reinstall. If you're in this situation, we can certainly understand and appreciate your concerns. However, there is a way you can install a clean version of Train Simulator and not affect your existing installation at all. We'll take you through that process below:

Before we begin, you need to be aware:

  • This process is long and can be quite technical in places. If you're not totally sure you are able to complete the steps below, we would recommend you ask a friend to help you or not attempt the steps at all.
  • You understand that your existing installation may become compromised if you do not follow the steps exactly as instructed. In any case, you carry out these steps at your own risk and we cannot accept any responsibility for data loss as a result of following this guide.
  • We recommend you have a full and complete backup of your existing installation before you proceed.
  • You need to ensure you have enough hard disk space that will permit a second installation of Train Simulator, either on the same hard disk, or a separate hard disk. We don't recommend using a USB hard disk which are usually designed for backing up data and are often slower than internal hard disks.
  • If installing your second copy of Train Simulator to a separate hard disk, you will need to understand how to use Steam's Content Library folder feature.

We'll highlight important steps below in bold and have added additional notes for things to be aware of. Any file or folder names will be italicised.

  1. First, we'll need to prepare the hard disk where you're going to install your second copy of Train Simulator to. If you'd like to use the same hard disk that Train Simulator is already installed to, you can skip this step and go to Step 2. If you're installing to a different hard disk, you'll need to ensure Steam has a Content Library set up on that drive. To do this, follow the instructions below:
    1.  Load Steam and from the Steam menu, select Settings.
    2. Click Downloads, then the Steam Library Folders button.
    3. In the Steam Library Folders window, click ADD LIBRARY FOLDER.
    4. In the Create or select new Steam library folders dialog window, click the top button which will probably say C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam and select the drive you wish to install to, for example, if you wanted to install to the D:\ drive, select that option.
    5. The centre of the dialog will display the folders of the drive you selected in the previous step. Steam will automatically create a new folder called SteamLibrary on your new drive but, you can select any other folders you wish the SteamLibrary folder to be created in by selecting one of the folders displayed. For example, if you want your SteamLibrary folder to be created in a folder called Program Files, you can either create the Program Files folder using the New Folder...  button, or select the Program Files folder from those displayed (if you created one previously).
    6. Click Select, then Close, then OK.
  2. If Steam is loaded and running, locate Train Simulator in your Games Library.
  3. Right-click on Train Simulator, select Manage then Browse Local Files.
  4. A Windows Explorer window will open to show you Train Simulator's system files and folders. For the moment, ignore the window and return to Steam.
  5. Select Exit from the Steam menu to completely exit from Steam.
  6. Return to the Windows Explorer window opened in Step 4. Windows Explorer displays a complete path to your current location in the Explorer Address Bar which is just below the Tools Ribbon, and will look like: This PC > System (C:) > Program Files (x86) > Steam > Steamapps > Common > Railworks >. Each word between the chevrons > is a different folder. Clicking the names of the folders will take you to the relevant folder. Click on Common to go to that folder.
  7. Locate the RailWorks folder and rename it to RWBACKUP.
  8. Click on Steamapps in the Explorer Address Bar to go to that folder.

The following steps are critically important and should be performed carefully:

  1. Locate a file called appmanifest_24010.acf, select it and drag it to your Desktop which should be displayed under Quick access on the left. A copy of the appmanifest_24010.acf file should be placed on your Desktop and you should check it is actually there before continuing with the following steps.
  2. Delete the appmanfiest_24010.acf file in the Steamapps folder you navigated to in Step 8, then close Windows Explorer.

If the above two steps are completed properly, you should have moved the appmanifest file from the Steamapps folder to your Desktop. The appmanifest file is used by Steam to check whether you have downloaded and installed Train Simulator, as well as any add-ons, properly. Without this file, you will not be able to regain your existing Train Simulator once you've completed the remaining steps. So, it's worth double-checking you have a copy of this file in a safe place.

  1. Load Steam and navigate to your Games Library.
  2. Locate and select Train Simulator. Note it now shows as requiring installation.
  3. Click the Install button. The process below is slightly different depending on whether you are installing to the same location as your existing Train Simulator is installed (step a), or installing to a SteamLibraryfolder you set up in step 1 (step b).
    1. If you're installing to the same location as your previous installation (remember we changed the folder name to preserve your existing installation so nothing will be overwritten). Where it says, Choose location for install, check that Train Simulator is installing to the correct location, then click Next > and follow the remaining on-screen instructions to install Train Simulator.
    2. If you're installing to a SteamLibrary folder, where it says Choose location for install, click the button and select the appropriate option. For example, if we created a SteamLibrary folder on drive D:\, as per our earlier example, select Install under D:\SteamLibrary\ or D:\Program Files\SteamLibrary, whichever is relevant in your situation. Click Next > and follow the remaining on-screen instructions to install Train Simulator.

Restoring Your Previous Full Installation

When you're ready to go back to your previous installation, follow the steps below to restore your installation. We've provided two sets of steps depending whether you want to keep your second installation or not. Note the steps below are based on you completing all the steps above exactly as shown.

I don't need the second installation:

  1. If Steam is running, go to your Games Library.
  2. Locate and right-click on Train Simulator, select Manage, then Uninstall.
  3. Wait for the process to complete then select Exit from the Steam menu.
  4. Open Windows Explorer (Windows Key + E) and navigate to the folder your previous installation was located at. If you installed it in the default location, it will typically be C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\Steamapps\Common\
  5. In the above instructions (Step 7), we renamed the folder to RWBACKUP. We need to revert this. Rename the RWBACKUP folder to RailWorks.
  6. Click to navigate to the Steamapps folder.
  7. The appmanifest_24010.acf file we copied to your Desktop earlier (Step 9), should now be copied back into the Steamapps folder overwriting any other version of the file located there. Check to make sure the file has been moved across before closing Windows Explorer.

If the above steps have been completed correctly, when loading Steam again, you should note your previous Train Simulator installation is now back.

I'd like to keep the second installation:

  1. If Steam is running, go to your Games Library.
  2. Locate and right-click on Train Simulator, select Manage, then Browse Local Files.
  3. A Windows Explorer window will open displaying the contents of the second Train Simulator installation folder.
  4. Return to Steam, then select Exit from the Steam menu.
  5. Return to the Windows Explorer window and click Steamapps to go to the Steamapps folder.
  6. Copy the appmanifest_24010.acf file to the same folder you opened in Step 3.
  7. Whilst in Windows Explorer, navigate to the folder your previous installation was located at (the one you've preserved). If you installed it in the default location, it will typically be C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\Steamapps\Common\
  8. In the top set of instructions (Step 7), we renamed the folder to RWBACKUP. We need to revert this. Rename the RWBACKUP folder to RailWorks.
  9. Click to navigate to the Steamapps folder.
  10. The appmanifest_24010.acf file we copied to your Desktop earlier (Step 9), should now be copied back into the Steamapps folder overwriting any other version of the file located there. Check to make sure the file has been moved across before closing Windows Explorer.

If the above steps have been completed correctly, when loading Steam again, you should note your previous Train Simulator installation is now back.