Desirable features for future Railmaster Software updates

[Yelrow]

RDS. thanks, did not seem to onerous to me, especially, now they are in europe, with jouef, and Riverossi. john

[RDS]

Hi Ray

That is an interesting response you have given. How does RM cope with flexible track then because the ends of that are likely to finish up at completely different angles to the standard ones catered for normally. I don't use flexible track myself so this is not something I have encountered.

[RB51]

I think I could cope with #2 - just, #4 looks like the turntable from hell. (p.s. I do realise these are fictional representations and not available)

 

My apologies - I thought I had deleted all of Ray's text and images from my response. R-

[RB51]

How does RM cope with flexible track then because the ends of that are likely to finish up at completely different angles to the standard ones catered for normally.

 

As far as track is concerend RM doesn't know or care about the actual angle or length of normal track - just needs to know about points etc. You put it in your plan so that you know where you are. Some I believe dont, but I would find that too confusing. R-

[Yelrow]

Hi Ray, thats good, but figure 3 gives 16, that would be better than now. dont like the idea of fig 4. If this sort of thing cannot be achieved, as things progress more, it will become even more out of date. It becomes more difficult, when the turntable is in the middle of the layout, cos on schematic, tracks have nowhere to go. john

[westernwill]

Hi Ray

That is an interesting response you have given. How does RM cope with flexible track then because the ends of that are likely to finish up at completely different angles to the standard ones catered for normally. I don't use flexible track myself so this is not something I have encountered.

 

Your track can wiggle like a snake but in RM a straight line will represent it. All RM is really interested in, until LD, is signals and points.

[Graskie]

Ray's diagram 3 represents the maximum 16 roads I mentioned and was usually in a roundhouse. Outside turntables did not usually call for so many, in fact I can't think of one that did. Anyone else know?

[Yelrow]

The only reason there are 18 tracks, is that the garages, hangers, roundhouses, call them what you will. made in germany, have 9 individual self opening doors, hence, 2x9. May be , its a european thing. If i ever find out how to post a picture, i will show you the whatever you like to call them, when they arrive from germany. john

[St1ngr4y]

The only reason there are 18 tracks, is that the garages, hangers, roundhouses, call them what you will. made in germany, have 9 individual self opening doors, hence, 2x9. May be , its a european thing. If i ever find out how to post a picture, i will show you the whatever you like to call them, when they arrive from germany. john

I think they chose 18 because it divides 360 degrees to give exactly 20 degrees between each road. 16 would have been better to give 22.5 degrees between each road, a figure which is more closely suited to RM than 20 degrees.

Ray

[Tee1707818014]

I find it a little odd that Hornby have the R070 TT which has 14 positions yet in RM the turntable stops at the 3,6,9,12 o'clock points which are on the lines yet there is no design pieces that can be displayed at these positions. This in turn means that it goes out of sync with your road numbers for example clockwise 4 roads gives you the stop at 3 o'clock where there's no track. My work around has been to use a set of points touching the 3 o'clock position to join up the track but it's not ideal.

[Graskie]

My Tri-ang R.408 turntable only came with 4 tracked roads, one of which I removed because I felt I didn't need it. See my pictures under "Hornby RailMaster>Turntable Control" to check.

[St1ngr4y]

@tibrahim

 

Hi,

 

"I find it a little odd that Hornby have the R070 TT which has 14 positions yet in RM the turntable stops at the 3,6,9,12 o'clock points which are on the lines yet there is no design pieces that can be displayed at these positions. This in turn means that it goes out of sync with your road numbers for example clockwise 4 roads gives you the stop at 3 o'clock where there's no track."

 

Are you saying that the bridge on the turntable icon on your RM track layout actually rotates when operated? Which version of RM are you using? My icon doesn't rotate.

 

Ray

[St1ngr4y]

hi, i think your turntable, is a little dated. Could we have the facility for 18 tracks please. I have tried adding to yours without success. john

Having given this a little more thought over the last few days, John, I would suggest that you only need to join to the turntable those tracks which give access to the turntable from the rest of the layout. If, say, 16 of the 18 tracks are simply short, one-loco sidings e.g. in a roundhouse, why do these bits of track need to be on your diagram? It's not as if RM will change their colour if there is a loco parked there :-)

 

Ray

[PJ_model_trains]

hi, i think your turntable, is a little dated. Could we have the facility for 18 tracks please. I have tried adding to yours without success. john

 

Having given this a little more thought over the last few days, John, I would suggest that you only need to join to the turntable those tracks which give access to the turntable from the rest of the layout. If, say, 16 of the 18 tracks are simply short, one-loco sidings e.g. in a roundhouse, why do these bits of track need to be on your diagram? It's not as if RM will change their colour if there is a loco parked there :-)

 

Ray

Hello Ray

 

The problem, I feel, is that all systems have there limitations, with RM Schematic layout it is the geometry. With HRMS it is time they have so much going on at present as we know.

 

Hornby have included all options possible from a 2x2 grid turntable, 2 off each side and 1 off each corner being 12. They cannot increase this unless they made the turntable a 3x3 grid (as your image above shows) which would be to big for many users.

 

They could in time however, include a 2x2 grid turn-table and a 3x3 grid turn-table

 

In the mean time we therefore have to use points/turn offs as required to accommodate the extra line outlets we need. A similar principle has to be used when using points as cross-overs as shown in the RM Guide.

 

PJ

[Yelrow]

RAY, hi, yes i could do that, but i took the view that as all roads were going to be live, and locos sitting behind closed doors, ready to exit, all roads should appear on schematic. when i click the on screen turntable bridge, it moves to the next track, and so on, joining up sidings. I will look later to see if it actually rotates, but it certainly moves. Both these turntable posts have been very interesting, and we know , now about Geneva Drives, totally new to me. john

[PJ_model_trains]

It is good we can print out CV's.

 

It would be better if we could export them as CSV files.

[PJ_model_trains]

I have just purchased my first TTS Sound loco. ;o)

 

It would help to be able to download from Hornby the default CV's for each loco, plus the leaflet of details provided with trains when we buy them in PDF format.

 

I loose papers due to lack of room. I save files on to the computer which are sync to another drive for safety, I can't loose them and they don't take up extra space.

 

PJ

[Graskie]

... one of which I removed because I felt I didn't need it...

 

Bearing in mind your 20 year comment. Do you think you need the other 3?

Bit late in the day, Fishy but "The turntable of life has but one exit." (sic) Graskie 7/11/14.

[PJ_model_trains]

I am not sure if this has been mentioned before?

 

When writing programs, some items repeat, except for time, but at present every item has to be typed in (unless a recorded program)

 

It would be helpful to be able to copy and paste a row of data previously used in the program open.

 

PJ

[St1ngr4y]

I am not sure if this has been mentioned before?

 

When writing programs, some items repeat, except for time, but at present every item has to be typed in (unless a recorded program)

 

It would be helpful to be able to copy and paste a row of data previously used in the program open.

 

PJ

Hi PJ,

I haven't tried this, but I thought copy & Paste were introduced in 1.56?

You can certaily highlight a number of rows (the background becomes light blue), then you should be able to use Ctrl+c (copy) the Ctrl+v (paste).

I'll try this myself later on.

Ray

[St1ngr4y]

For those of us who have Voice Control, and who also use the sound effect files distributed with Railmaster, it would be nice to be able to have RM send VC sounds to the headphones, and sound files to the original pc speakers. I'm not sure whether the Windows operating system allows a software program to do this. Since there is a piece of Microsoft software (Voice Recognition) acting as an interface between RM and the hardware, maybe the default sound output should be the headphones, then, if possible, configure RM to use the non-default pc sound card/speakers for its sound file output.

Ray

[Teedoubleudee]

I should like to use an accessory decoder to do something other than points, signals, turntables, uncouplers, tippers etc.

Would it be possible to introduce a "custom" object and add options to label decoder commands accordingly. For instance, instead of "Left" and "Right" I might want to say "On"/"Off" or "Open"/"Close", "Up"/Down" etc.

Terry

[St1ngr4y]

I think there may be a case for the inclusion of extra items on a track diagram. The first of these which comes to my mind are station platforms, engine sheds and signal boxes.

Ray

[Teedoubleudee]

May I ask what's stopping you?

I don't want to add a point or a signal because it's not a point or a signal, or am i missing something?

What exactly is it then? Perhaps lighting in buildings? If so, a simple switch might be cheaper :-)

Ray

I could do that but then I want to make it programmable.

[Teedoubleudee]

Ah, I see TWD, you just want to add thingamebob switchable No n connected to a particular accessory decoder port. 

 

Maybe be they could all just be thingamebobs, some with or without feathers.

Not sure about feathers but yes you get my meaning