Rail Router: model train routing with a PC （3）

Published:2011/8/8 21:15:00 Author:Li xiao na From:SeekIC

By Ray King

Design a track layout...

Click on the ’Change Layout Design’ button and the design screen will appear. Click on any square in the layout area, and then click on the required symbol to be put in this square. Continue adding symbols until your layout is complete. Make sure all sidings as well as roads in and out of the layout end with an ’end’ symbol. When done, click on ’Save Design and Exit’ and give the layout a name when prompted.

When the layout is saved, the program records details of all turnouts and allocates a hardware ’port’ to each one. To check the assignments, click on ’Check Port Assignment’ to produce a list of the turnout number from the diagram and its associated hardware port. This hardware port (i.e., K2-K16 on a master board, or K1-K16 on a slave board) should be wired to the ’Smooth Operator’ control for that particular turnout. On installation it is possible that the turnout mechanism works in the opposite sense to the software, that is, if ’ahead’ is selected the turnout moves to the turn. This can be resolved by using the ’Change Turnout Sense’ but-ton. This option will ask for a port number and will invert the sense (digital polarity) of the port. This information is displayed on the port assignment screen.

... change if...

Click on the ’Change Layout Design’ and the current layout will be displayed. You can add or delete symbols to change the layout as necessary. Next, save the modified design by clicking on the ’Save and Exit Design’ button. Alternatively you can abandon the changes by clicking on ’Exit Design without Saving’. There is also an option to load another layout, enabling the same software to be used for a number of different layouts.

... and be a train controller

Click on the section of track which you intend the route to start on and then click on the track section where you want to finish. Click on ’Plot’ and the program will attempt to find a path from start to finish if it succeeds, the route will be highlighted in yellow. If not, ’No Route Found’ will be visible. If the routing is successful but you feel there is a better way through then simply click on ’Plot’ again until your preferred route is selected.

The yellow route can be operated directly using the appropriate button, alternatively it can be stored against one of the three colored routes and operated at any time. Up to three different routes can be stored in this way. Avoid starting or ending your route from a crossover, turnout or end sign as these can cause the software to produce unusual results — normally false ’No Route’ messages, which, come to think of it, is not as bad as ’No Train Services Today’.

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