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I highly recommend getting ConBuilder (easy consist editor), Route Riter (some powerful editing and correcting tools for free stuff) and Train Store (lets you load what you are going to use, so MSTS is faster to load).

Conbuilder makes it easy to check downloaded equipment and activities for missing items and then to sub what you want. You can sub new equipment for old. It is much easier to use than the MSTS editor.

Route Riter is really a packager for new routes, but you can use it to also find missing consist elements (especially the loose consists which ConBuilder may miss) and to check new routes for missing items. It selects from what you have to make corrections, so you can fix things fast.

Train store not only lets you collect more new stuff than MSTS can handle (somewhere around 1200 items MSTS starts to freak out), but it adds the ability to explore routes with traffic patterns from your other activities. Really a nice feature.

All of them are free on www.train-sim.com. Be patient and keep trying if you don't want a premium membership. Whenever a new route gets added, the free access gets harder (there have been 3 added resently, NS Pocahontas, NS Atlanta & Macon and CSX M&M route) so it can be frustrating. The a couple of the utilities are also available at some other sites. Try railserve.com too.

Microsoft Train Simulator Editors & Tools are too advanced for me!