Help - easy way to put down rail? I'm missing something!

Question

I must be missing something about rail. I thought you could click to attach one end, then click for the other end (sorta like conveyor poles) - but that doesn't work. Getting a section of rail to connect to another is incredibly finicky, and trying to put down a curved section is almost impossible. What am I missing? All the youtube videos make it seem straightforward, and don't mention anything about the actual mechanics. The wiki is also useless :(

Comments

Also something to bear in mind is that you can only attach a new piece of track at the *end* of another section of track.  This is particularly relevant when building points (switches).

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I drop short pieces of rail on a regular basis. then snap the intended rail between the old line and the new direction point. Delete the short piece, and continue on. That's really the only way I have found to get smooth S curves. The smallest radius is about 3 foundations, or 24 meters. Yes, it has a learning curve.

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I'd like to add that placing a few sections of foundation can be useful for placing the short track sections that people use for guiding curves and delete after the curve is made. This is especially helpful for keeping the spacing of double track runs. Two foundations is enough for a short guide rail.

Answer 1

Only thing that comes to mind is make sure that the rail you are putting down is long enough. There is a minimum size that rails can be and will not let you place if they are not larger than that threshold.

Same idea with curves but with sharpness. Make sure the curve is a wide curve.

Rails are essentially oversized conveyors when it comes to placing them.

Comments

Thanks for the guidance. Starting to get the hang of this. I have spent too much time running between the hub in the grass fields and the rocky desert. Time to put in a rail line!