HornbyRailMasterSupport

You should find this loco, and several other newly released ones, in the latest version of RailMaster (1.74) which is downloadable from the link at the top of this page (although it still currently says 1.73). We are just waiting for feedback of any issues from this download before rolling out the 1.74 update as an automatic download, hopefully in the next few days. Have a happy New Year, all! RailMaster Support Team

Hello Tony In your case, the code was sent a few days ago however emails to you have been bounced back so we've asked Customer Care to forward them onto you. They work slightly different hours to our team over the Christmas/New Year break so you should get them soon, if not already. Rob - it was a technical glitch that meant we couldn't see your requests, all of which you should have received responses to by now.

Ensure the line "Check controller=1" is present in your RailMaster.ini file, which you can edit by clicking on the small cog icon in the Help window in RailMaster.

Those of you using RailMaster 1.70.x who are having eLink connection problems, please copy the RailMaster executable file from www.rail-master.com/railmaster.exe into your C:Program Files (x86)RailMaster folder, overwriting the existing one, then ensure the line "Alternative comms=1" is present in your RailMaster.ini file (which you can edit by clicking on the small cog symbol within the Help/About window). Please report your findings either here or directly to our support team at support@rail-master.com

"Including full details in the list would be a mamoth task." This is why we would like a defined description for each entry in the list. Unfortunately we cannot go on vague descriptions and read through pages of postings where we still do not have the answers. We cannot provide dates for updates or features to be included on those dates. Looking through the history of RailMaster you will see that there have been 43 major version updates (1.xx) and numerous minor updates (1.xx.y) so the answer is that there are regular updates and will continue to be.

We maintain a list of things we want to add/enhance in RailMaster and have many of these items noted however quite a few of them are pretty vague, e.g. "Change to operation of turntable motor", "Log file to be updated ... regardless of how it was run". As you will know we need precise information in order to do something so if you can create the list again but with a detailed description beneath each heading so that there is no doubt about what needs to be done then we can compare it against our list. Think about exactly how the new function would work and put it into words. More information is alwayd better then too little. Remember also that whatever we build into RailMaster needs to be done in such a way as not to confused users, especially new users and this takes a degree of skill to achieve. RailMaster has alway been the easiest to use system of its kind and we need it to stay this way. Also, items such as "RailMaster to indicate when communications has been lost" and "Saving double headers" are already there, the latter being part of the Pro-Pack option. The former can be set on or off within the RailMaster.ini file and this is all in the PDF guide. If you can revise the list with more detail then we can omit the items already present and check against what we are working on for the next major update. Bear in mind that some of these items will be put into a future upgrade as so few people would use them and we need to prioritise based on time and scheduled updates. Also note that some entries in your list are technically impossible to do such as "Better error feedback incl .... where short circuit has actually occurred". There is no way to detect where on a layout a short has occurred and the software already notifies you of a short circuit. Other items are virtually impossible to implement accurately, for example the ability to pause a program and resume it. We have looked into this before and the problem is that when you pause a program the locos invariably decelerate to a stop which means when you start it again (with acceleration also) it will not continue as it would have normally and the end results will be different.

If you miss-spell an entry it will be ignored. Correctly spelled entries are validated for realistic/incorrect value settings.

The RailMaster.ini file is more straightforward to edit, from within the Help/About screen in version 1.62. Entries are validated for both realistic and completely wrong assignments so it is difficult to get wrong. Having said that there are also plenty of warnings when editing the file both in the program and in the RailMaster PDF guide. We shall keep it that way for a while.

Tom Rather than go insane, please just contact our team at support@rail-master.com and we can help you activate. In 99.99% of cases antivirus/firewall software is to blame for preventing RailMaster activation and simply adding RailMaster correctly as a full exception (we stress "correctly") stops the problem. In very rare cases (we believe just two or three) McAfee in particular has still been blocking RailMaster even when the program has been added as an exception and only uninstalling McAfee has sorted the issue. We wrote the Internet Secutry guide which shows you how to add RailMaster correctly to the majority of antivirus packages available. Also in very rare cases a router can be blocking the secure channel used by RailMaster for activation Help Requests, orders and deactivation. Having said that this is usually as a result of a user having altered the router's settings as we have never seen a router which blocks the protocol used out-of-the-box. If necessary, we can log into your PC remotely and perform a manual activation, which takes just a couple of minutes. Interestingly, on most occasions when logging in to perform a manual activation we have in fact found that the customer has not actually added RailMaster correcly as an exception to their firewall/anticirus, did not realise that they in fact had a second antivirus program running or had not installed or set RailMaster to run with administrator rights. If you contact us we can resolve this for you quickly and simply and we would urge any other users to do the same if they run into difficulties that cannot be answered after spending some time asking questions on this forum.

There is a list of enhancements available within the Pro-Pack both in the RailMaster PDF guide and also in the release notes file in the RailMaster Program folder. The list of enhancement are pretty self-explanatory and give you a good idea of the additional functionality. The Pro-Pack has approximately 50 new features over the standard software. Priced at just under £30 we believe this represents good value and there's something in there for anybody who wants to take their model railway control that little bit further. Remember also, that as well as the standard RailMaster software benefiting from regular free updates, the Pro-Pack does also.

We do not have a note of a request to add the programmable pop-up of large loco controllers. Perhaps because it was mentioned "eons ago" it predates the Internet!! This is not a difficult thing to achieve and we will look at building this in, not that we would imagine many would use it as it somewhat defeats the object of programming, i.e. that you want the thing to run on its own, without human interaction. In any event Loco Detection should resolve most instances where you want precise speed control to a given location and this will be carried out automatically after the loco passes a sensor. Regarding the number of large pop-up loco controllers: you can use one in the normal RailMaster and two in the Pro-Pack. If the controller is already visible and you click on another loco in the roster then it will now appear on the loaded controller. The same applies if both controllers are on-screen in the Pro-Pack and the last one used will be updated with the new loco selected.

We are waiting to see what happens when PJ receives his new signal. Our replacement resolved the problem immediately and we are hoping his will do the same. Then we can look at other areas. Multi-aspect signalling and signal arrays are a complex area.

Remember also that we put forward a couple of possible reasons for the problem, that are not necessarily the fault of anybody. One was the point at which the signal was originally programmed during its flashing light sequence. The other was that it may be a timing issue in that RailMaster sends out the signal changes for an array of signals very quickly and it is possible that a Train-tech signal (usually towards or at the end of the sequence) may be misinterpreting the DCC signal/command. As we explained, we changed one dodgy signal and it then worked for us and hopefully will do the same for you. We then need to experiment with timings to see if the amount of data being fired at the signals really does make a difference. Remember that each signal is also an accessory decoder and 'listening' out for a command related to its ID, so it must constantly monitor the DCC signal. We have a feeling that this may be the issue. It is not something that Train-tech could have tested for, not having a program that controls their signals to the extent that RailMaster does. No doubt you will let us know if your replacement signal resolves the issue.

We were doing maintenance on our activation servers yesterday so it is possible that you tried to activate when commns was not active.

Now why would we enter your sweep when we are supposed to know the answer. That would be cheating. Let you have fun instead! Patience, as they say, is a virtue and goods things come to those who wait ...

PJ - We are working on the issues you have been experiencing with signalling. You should be aware of that. Please bear in mind that multi-aspect and relaying signalling is a major new area in RailMaster. We decided, when implementing this system, that we wanted it to be as simple as possible to set up and operate, which is why RailMaster supports a specific range of signals as well as ones you can set up from scratch. We do not know of any other software that has built in templates for known signal makes to enable the quick and simple set-up of those signals. Remember also that all signalling must interact with Loco Detection, and although you cannot see this functionality yet, we have to test it to ensure that it all works seamlessly together. We want to support all of the major (and some minor) brands of signals to allow the widest variety of signals within the program. We need to be careful to ensure that all of these signals work with all of the accessory decoders and you will appreciate this takes time. At present, we are concentrating on making every current area of RailMaster as robust as possible, including signalling without adding new features for the next few months. The next few updates will continue to include these minor bug fixes, new loco and accessory decoders and polishing of some rough edges we might find. As the software becomes more sophisticated, with more interelation between functions, there are bound to be minor issues which arise from time to time, which need to be nipped in the bud. We do monitor the forums and note things that need to be done, no matter how minor. It all helps to enhance the RailMaster experience.

What warning in programming are you referring to? Can you provide a message number. RailMaster supports up to 25 loco functions in control.

This is not a bug. This is by design. Programs give you complete control over points and signals and there are times when you don't want to have relays switching, which is why the program addresses only the point in question. Similarly, only within programs can you specify directly a multi-aspect signal setting, whereas on the track plan you have to cycle through them by touching them (although there will be a helpful facility in the next update to set red directly). We can look at ways of extending the point firing in program to include or exclude switching other points/signals but we cannot force that at this time. Much safer to switch only the point in question.

We are looking at this issue and will let you know findings/solution/update in early course.

You will be able to set this in Loco Detection. The light must go to red and all the lights behind change approriately. The next sequence after a train passes is red.

The Loco Detection system, when available, will indeed allow you to automatically trip the passed signal to the next colour in the sequence. You can also set it to trip all preceeding signals on the route to the next light in the sequence, just as in real life.

Have you had a look at the Train-Tech track plan supplied with RailMaster? It shows every Train-Tech signal variant, including settings for each signal and even relaying of multiple signals in a group.

We have been watching this thread with interest and the continued speculation regarding the up-coming Loco Detection System. We are unable to give you specific details about how the system will work as the patenting process is still on-going however, the information that is in the public domain from previous postings on this forum, magazine articles and indeed the settings and information available within the RailMaster program should already give you an idea that this will be a sophisticated and useful system, giving a new level of control over the running of trains and switching of points and signals on your layouts. Please wait until the system is made available and then all your detailed questions will be answered. A separate PDF guide will be included with the system and Loco Detection will remain a standard feature within the RailMaster software, i.e. you will only have to purchase the hardware.

We advise that you do not run other programs while running RailMaster. We do not insist on it. This is simply because some programs use a lot more resources than others. Obviously, reading a PDF guide has no effect on RailMaster, however, running a full-blown CAD system at the same time does. Common sense is needed. Not running other programs while a sophisticated system like RailMaster is running simply makes sense. RailMaster does not crash when communicating with a DCC controller. If it does on your system then you need to look at several things that could be affecting the program: Internet security software, unstable operating system and so on.

The red and green point control buttons cannot be made optional in favour of just pressing the point itself. Only allowing toggling of a point is not a good idea as users may wish to switch a point in a particular direction if it is a( sticky or b) if they are not sure they pressed it in the first place. The red/green, left/right functions also follow in the programming system and through the hand-held devices.