With that folder of documents you then go out and seek the waggons in the station. You search the correct tracks, and identify the cars by their individual ID numbers. Then you search for a suitable locomotive, and where it is, and you plan how to navigate the station's railgrid to get it at the correct end of the waggon line, and with correct heading. That all can be tricky!
This may be one amongst many possible starting points:
Its one of the smaller ones, there are stations several times as big, and with way more tracks and waggons blocking them. You have a map pack for them all, helping you to navigate your way around.
The above photo can translate into a schematic overview, with following pages showing even more track details:
In the game, you then would manouver your locomotive, connect it with the waggons (all manually!), close all cable connectiosn and circuits, and there you go!
Different stations have different stores were you can buy individual equipment, cassette recorders and tapes, radios, shovels, and so forth. Also, there are various maintenance points where you can maintain the locomotive, or fuel it up. These are individual, and vary in the mix of services they offer. This one is just a smaller one:
You drive the loco into the correct place, and then handle the levers and buttons accordingly. In the same way unloading and loading gets handled where according logistical machines and loading installations are installed. Sometimes its impressive machinery at work, you can watch it live in 3D !
Railswitches you need to operate yourself, manually, which is part of the fun. Be in motion and mess it up, and you end up on the wrong track and having to solve your little mishap. Switching is done with a neat trick, a radio with laserpointer, you direct the beam at the sign, and click - et voila, you are done. It can and must and should be done while continuing to drive, and yes, it is absolutely possible to do so.
You need to organize your mind a bit to get the job done and in time, without causing mess and accident. The physics of the terrain will mercilessly accelerate or slow down your train, I have found myself getting pulled down a hill again, because I launched at it wrongly and without sufficient pace or not having used sand enough. If things are sliding, you may even be unable to brake down again when being pulled down. So, this is no easy train driving like you are used from other train games. add to it that you may drive older steam locomotives and you need to dose fire, coal and water correctly - all in virtual 3D. It then can really become challenging. No comparision with Train Sim 2 and Train World and what their titles are.
The big update everybody is waiting for, will come around Q2 2023, or so they say. It will refine some game elements, add weather, time of day, and seasons, they already let people play in a winter landscape a year ago. But the principle core elements are unlikely to dramatically change again.
There are already turning tables and round houses, all can be operated manually. I would not be surprised if they unveil some new elements in spring/summer.