Track Types

Track in FYM is colored to indicate various special features. These include sidings that load and unload cars, facilities for fueling locomotive, car repair tracks, and hump yards.

Track types in detail

Normal track

A rather unexciting track type, normal track is displayed as a black line on a dark grey background. Trains are restricted to 40mph on normal track, and it has no special effects.

Mainline Track

Mainline track is colored brown, and is used to indicate the main routes through a map. It allows trains to proceed at up to 60mph. Mainline track is also used to identify every fourth track in yards, as a useful visual aid.

Sidings

Sidings may either load cars (purple), unload cars (green), or both (orange). Sidings are often assigned a number, which is displayed over the siding (labels can be toggled by pressing "T"). When a car of the correct type destined for the current yard is driven over a siding at 15mph or less, it will be loaded or unloaded as appropriate. Alternatively, sidings can be set to (un)load with the Ctrl-L function by going through the game menu list of File > Options > Options tab and checking the box that says "Only (un)load cars after pressing Ctrl-L" or using the shortcut Alt-ScrLk.

By default, Intermodal cars are handled differently, requiring an Intermodal Crane to be driven over them. Passenger cars will only be (un)loaded when Ctrl-L is pressed (providing they are on a suitable siding), and Roadrailer cars are unloaded with Ctrl-U and loaded with Ctrl-L.

Specialty Tracks

FYM also has several types of specialty track that play an important role in the game.

Fueling Track: Used at major terminals and several support yards, these tracks are used - as the name implies - to refuel locomotives. Fueling tracks show in the game as red. To refuel, a locomotive just needs to be run over the track at 15mph or less. The counter in the Train Information Window and on the mouse hover will reset to 3000.

Repair Track: Showing in the game as teal lines, various maps have repair tracks and they function the same way as fueling tracks. Run a Bad Order car or engine over the repair track and it will magically be fixed. Repair tracks do not discriminate and will fix any type of BO equipment, although in many yards you will see separate facilities for repairing cars and locomotives. Once a bad ordered piece of equipment passes over a repair track, its icon will stop flashing red and its line in the Train Information Window showing that it was bad ordered will be cleared.

Wash Track: In past versions of the game, equipment could get dirty over time, especially locomotives. Some major terminal maps have wash tracks (light blue lines) that serve the purpose of washing this equipment. However, this functionality is being phased out of the game.

Hidden Track: Used by map makers to hide tracks that may be inside buildings, going under bridges, tunnels, etc. Hidden tracks may be of any of the types of tracks listed above.

Crossing Track: Also used by map makers to indicate road crossings. These are purely for aesthetic purposes in a map and may also be of any of the types of tracks listed above.

Turntable: As in the real world, turntables are used to turn equipment. These tracks are typically only found in locomotive servicing areas and is shown in a very pale blue line.