On Linux, the “Railway and Train” folders are in usr/share/games/openbve. This is a locked directory. If you need to alter the default route, you have to log in as root and change the file permissions, but his is not difficult: You have to type “SUDO THUNAR” in the terminal. (Sudo nautilus for Ubuntu. Thunar is for Xubuntu) Any routes you install do not have to be installed in the directory which is normally kept locked. This caveat is also true of Vista/Win9 etc. Trains and routes do not need to be in the “Program Files” directory.
It is advisable to keep the default route in a locked directory so you don’t mess it up accidentally. If a route you install does not work, you can always perform a test using the default route, then you know the application itself is not at fault.
The routes and trains can be on a folder on your Windows partition. And in fact, you can run the same routes and trains on either Linux or Windows. To do this, create a desktop “Shortcut” to the “Railway” and “Trains” folder in the OpenBVE folder.
If you run OpenBVE under Linux, you do not need to keep duplicate copy of your trains and routes on your Linux Partition. On WUBI, Linux can access the Windows partition as though it is a Linux partition. This cannot be done the other way around without additional software however….
Hot tip: if you have more than one computer, say a Desktop and a Laptop, your “Railway” and “Train” folders can be in a shared folder. This means trains and routes can easily be transferred from one machine to the other. This is useful if you are running Open BVE on a laptop, and you don’t want to waste space on the hard drive. You can temporarily transfer routes and trains across from the hard drive on your Desktop computer.
Hot tip: Filesharing will work under Linux. To enable this you have to use “apt” or aptitude to install “samba”. More information on doing this consult Ubuntu beginner’s help pages.
The World of Hornby Layouts - real and virtual 