Traincontroller 10 Gold Video Series

Traincontroller 10 Gold 02 Switchboard with Turnouts

We'll create a small layout on a switchboard, with a couple of turnouts, and we'll see how we can give the turnouts their DCC address and operate them.

Link to video Traincontroller 10 Gold 02 Switchboard with Turnouts

Traincontroller 10 Gold 03 Blocks and Sensors for Train Detection

So far we can drive a train (video 1) and we can switch turnouts (video 2), all manually. To enable automatic train control we’ll need to create blocks. Similar to a real railway, trains drive from block to block and they’ll be halted by a red signal if the next block is occupied.

At the entry of a block a track sensor detects a passing train (reed switch) or the presence of a train (current detection). Each sensor has an address. Traincontroller continuously monitors the sensors, at all times it knows which train is in which block on the layout.

Link to video Traincontroller 10 Gold 03 Blocks and Sensors

Traincontroller 10 Gold 05 User Interface


The TC user interface can be modified to your personal preferences in many ways:

• Overall color scheme
• Menu and toolbars
• Window sizes and floating / docking / tabbed behavior
• Use multiple monitors

Link to video Traincontroller 10 Gold 05 User Interface

Traincontroller 10 Gold 06 Customize the Switchboard

The switchboard can be customized to our personal preferences by modifying background- and track colors, track widths, grid, highlighting of turnouts and reserved routes and more.

Link to video Traincontroller 10 Gold 06 Customize the Switchboard

Traincontroller 10 Gold 07 Customize the Train Window

The Train Window can be customized. Colors can be changed and sliders and buttons can be sized or hidden. The gauge can be made ‘sensitive’, which means it can be clicked and the train will accelerate or decelerate to the speed that was clicked.

Link to video Traincontroller 10 Gold 07 Customize the Train Window

Traincontroller 10 Gold 08 Classic User Interface

Standaard is de gebruikersinterface in 'ribbon' stijl. Het ribbon menu werd jaren geleden geïntroduceerd door Microsoft, in hun Office-suite. Hoewel het een veelheid aan klikbare links per ribbon biedt, vind ik het nadeel dat dingen moeilijker te vinden zijn en dat er vaker naar een ander ribbon moet worden overgeschakeld, waardoor juist meer muisklikken nodig zijn in plaats van minder.

Gelukkig is de UI 'oude stijl' nog steeds beschikbaar. Deze heeft de klassieke toolbars met klikbare iconen. Het grote voordeel is dat iconen uit verschillende menu's / ribbons kunnen worden gecombineerd in één werkbalk, wat leidt tot minder muisklikken. Het is mijn favoriete manier van werken.

De video laat zien hoe de klassieke UI kan worden ingeschakeld en hoe deze kan worden aangepast.

Link naar video Traincontroller 10 Gold 08 Classic User Interface

Traincontroller 10 Gold 09 Schedules

Trains can be allocated to a specific trajectory, called a Schedule. To create a Schedule we have to select the blocks and the routes between the blocks that we want to be part of the Schedule. We also define the Departure and the Destination blocks and we can add planned waiting times at specific blocks, like at a station. Trains might stop at other blocks too, but that only happens if the route or block ahead is reserved by another train.

Link to video Traincontroller 10 Gold 09 Schedules

Traincontroller 10 Gold 10 Schedule Types and -Successors

Once a train has reached the destination block of a Schedule, it will be taken out of the list and the trains will come to a stop. If we want the train to repeat the Schedule, or to start a different Schedule, we have to change the Schedule Type, or add Schedule Successors. The video shows how.

Link to video Traincontroller 10 Gold 10 Schedule Types and _Successors

Traincontroller 10 Gold 15 Pushbuttons and Switches.

Pushbuttons and switches can be added to a Switchboard to control many different kinds of operations. This video shows how a Schedule can be started such that trains start to drive when a switch is flipped.

Link to video Traincontroller 10 Gold 15 Pushbuttons and Switches

Traincontroller 10 Gold 16 How to Stop Trains.

Trains that drive on a cycle- or shuttle schedule with repeat count 0, as well as trains on schedules with successors,
will keep driving indefinitely. There are multiple options to stop the trains.

Immediate stops:

• The Freeze button (Esc on the keyboard) stops the trains, but keeps the schedules in the list. Power On (Ctrl Shift P) will start the trains again, exactly where you left off. Perfect for a coffee break, or as an emergency stop when something unexpected happened.
• Stop Layout (Ctrl Shift O) stops the trains, removes the schedules from the list and switches the track power off.
• Terminate all Schedules stops the trains, removes the schedules from the list. Track power stays on.
• Terminate Schedule stops the selected train / schedule and removes it from the list.

All the above methods stop the trains immediately. They may have come to a halt on a turnout, which makes these methods not preferred for neatly ending a driving session. If the next session TC decides to start a train on another schedule, a turnout may switch while a train is on it, which will lead to problems.

The following methods lead to a controlled stop:

• Lock all Blocks makes the trains stop at the stop marker of the block that has last been reserved by the train. The schedules stay in the list. To start driving again, toggle Lock all Blocks off again.
• Lock all Schedules makes the trains stop at the stop marker of the end block of the schedule and it takes the schedules out of the list.

These controlled stops are the safe ways to end a session.

To use the on/off switch that we created to start the schedules we place the ‘on’ state of the switch in the Condition tab of the schedule. If the switch is off, this condition is not met, which means the schedule will not be restarted once the train reaches the end block of the schedule.

Link to video Traincontroller 10 Gold 16 How to Stop Trains.