Is This The Death Of RailMaster?

[Fishmanoz]

I can third RDS’s seconding of Yelrow’s support for HRMS. I’ve seen the wonders they've performed over the years when forum support has failed to fix problems, Yelrow being the the main case in point. Without them, he would not have RM running today. He is by no means the only one who’ve needed them to log into their computers to fix the more intransigent problems.

I’d also agree that successful setup of RM has become more finicky and less reliable with later Windows versions although not impossibly so. Contributing factors have also included more aggressive AV software and blocking of particular domains affecting comms to HRMS. Lulujo’s recent experience is one of the more troubling I’ve seen over many years, not to mention others who have given up.

Personally, I’m trusting RM will be around and supported for more years yet.

[Yelrow]

did not help of course that i had a french laptop, and lived almost off grid. Had also not realised that there was a european version of RM, as opposed to the uk version. Out of interest, that was about 16 years ago, and am still running the same laptop, which also has a different version of windows to uk release. Little wonder i needed RM support.

[rpjallan]

Personally, I’m trusting RM will be around and supported for more years yet.

 

 

Fishmanoz, did you not read this:

Unfortunately, I have it on good authority that indeed This Is The Death Of RailMaster! There will be no more development, bug fixes or updates.

[Yelrow]

Rpjallan, no more development, bug fixes, updates, no problem to me. Have not updated for 6 years, using windows 7, no longer supported, but not a problem. You can happily add new locos, yourself, so again, no problem. RM, as is, works fine for many people. Hornby new app thingy, is of no interest to me. I am sure you are correct in your post, but lets not worry about the future of RM, lets enjoy it, as is. Long may it remain running many peoples layouts.

[am549]

Personally, I’m trusting RM will be around and supported for more years yet.

Fishmanoz, did you not read this:

Unfortunately, I have it on good authority that indeed This Is The Death Of RailMaster! There will be no more development, bug fixes or updates.

 

 

Disappointed if this is the case, was at least hoping for a database update for the newer locos to appear or some sort of integration of RM into the HM7000 system (irked that I can't use a select as a walkabout with RM but that's another issue)

[37lover]

RP,

Can you not share your source, re "I have it on good authority"?

Unlike some I certainly would like further development, including local detection (which was my main reason for buying RM many years ago!].

[WilliamDavid]

I retired my Railmaster a few years back. Next to the LocoMotive dcc Bluetooth app and controller it is archaic.

This used with these decoders is a match made in heaven.

[Yelrow]

William David, good to know. With no wifi in my train room, so no bluetooth, i will happily stick with what works for me. very happy to be archaic, as my lady wife will confirm.

[RDS]

... With no wifi in my train room, so no bluetooth...

 

 

You don't need WiFi to actually run the HM7000 system John, just a Smartphone or tablet with Bluetooth. However, you do need WiFi to load the profiles etc onto the Loco in the first place which would of course require you to take the Loco and Smartphone to your WiFi.

[Fishmanoz]

Loco, smartphone/tablet, DC supply and track. Not a DC controller, just the PSU.

But RDS, you remember John is the classical late/late adopter.

[rpjallan]

RP,

Can you not share your source, re "I have it on good authority"?

Unlike some I certainly would like further development, including local detection (which was my main reason for buying RM many years ago!].

 

 

I'm sorry, can't divulge my source but I regard them as very reliable.

Anyone who has been still hoping for loco detection for the last 3 or 4 years is delusional I'm afraid! Sorry. There is more chance of climate change disappearing overnight!

By the way, I'm not passing any judgement on whether this is good or bad (well actually it is bad because I use RailMaster) but just passing on the information...

 

 

[Yelrow]

Dave, hi, Smartphone …..?????. Mine was £10. ,30 years ago, and runs 6 months on battery charge. I think it’s very smart. .As for tablet, we take 6 each morning.. my son has been trying to bring me into the 21 st century, but has given up ,in despair. My point to those who ask, is who would ring us, here in deepest France, and how would I get these modern thingys repaired. Back to the stream to was our clothes. John

[Fishmanoz]

Noted RP.

Now 8 years since provision made for LD and nothing has appeared so not surprising if it never does.

However and as pointed out by RAF, still a lot more capable than HM | DCC as it includes superior points and accessory capability plus somewhat sophisticated non-LD programming (has no idea where anything is on the layout and relies on the user for this).

But that may change as HM | DCC develops.

Then, I’m one of a few interested to hear more from Stingray and his development.

[96RAF]

@Fishy - Ray will probably give me stick for flagging this up, as he is still pondering the way ahead for TGG, stay small or go large, etc, but . . .

TGG can import all your locos, track-plan, settings, programs, etc from RM to save re-entering them all again. Easy read across.

It has 3 banks of throttles for manual operation. Points, signals, turntable and if fitted a Train-Tech smart screen and motorised level crossings can be operated from the layout screen or using programs.

Other facilities are a track-plan editor, accurate loco speed step conversion into MPH by way of running past sensors, simple loco detection, CV read and write, speech control capable, automatic running of trains via simple script programs and schedules under sensor control not just simple timing, user text to speech announcements in programs.

Program interlocking to prevent collisions. Block control without cutting the track. Sensors are simple magnet operated 2-wire reed switches in track or with the addition of add on modules designed by another TGG group user you can use 3-wire hall-effect or IR sensors as well. These additional modules use fibre-optics to transfer sensor data to eliminate most of the sensor wiring.

Sensor to PC interface box is easily sourced in UK, connects by USB and requires no drivers or comm port allocation.

TGG works with 1 or 2 x Elite or eLink controllers. No support for other make controllers.

Runs on Windows XP to 11 platforms only. No support for IOS or Linux.

Comprehensive user manual and small user group for support.

I am sure I have missed out some of the features.

[rpjallan]

@Fishy - Ray will probably give me stick for flagging this up, as he is still pondering the way ahead for TGG, stay small or go large, etc, but . . .

 

 

Is there any way we can sweet talk him?!?

Like I said somewhere earlier, I have downloaded & installed JMRI but I don't really want to have to learn something new.

I recorded a video last week of a RailMaster program I made on my old test track (including a screen recording) repeating using scheduling & a line at the end of the program to reset the clock. I may edit it & put it up on YouTube if anyone is interested

[96RAF]

@rpj

Maybe Ray should set an entrance exam based on previous RM usage. 👨‍🎓💯%w

Edit - I have whispered your name.

[rpjallan]

@rpj

Edit - I have whispered your name.

 

 

Yes. Thank you. I appreciate it...

[OssieB]

I am another Railmaster user who will be very disappointed if there is no further updates or support. Like a lot of other user, I have been waiting for the promised loco detection since it was first announced. I have been using RM for about 14 years now and have encountered very few problems. I started on Windows XP, upgraded to 7 and now onto 10. The forum has helped me on several occasions when I have had minor problems. On the time I had to consult HRMS support regarding emergency stopping not happening on Hornby decoders, they tried to replicate the problem, but in the end were unable to resolve the issue. It is still happening on Hornby decoders, but not on other makes of decoders, even though I have changed computers and my eLink. My solution was to put and emergency stop button alongside my mouse.

I have over the last two years been trying Rocrail on my 6' x 9' layout and as it cannot be used with the eLink, I have been using my standby Elite. It took a little time to master the basics of Rocrail but I now have a fully working layout for points and signals and 17 locos. I have yet to learn how to read and write CV's. I have also been playing with an Ardunio, with motor shield and wifi shield, as a command station, loaded with DCC++EX program. However, I don't think I will be going down the route of splitting my layout into block sections to achieve loco control.

[Ducky1]

This evening running railmaster and starting up the app on my ipad a received a message on the ipad that the application was being updated. What difference it has made i have not been able to find out.

Ducky1

[OssieB]

@Duck1

Yes, I have just started up RM and my iPad and had the same message. The update appears to have worked correctly and the iPad connected straight away to my laptop.

BarryO

[Yelrow]

a tad confused here. Does it mean Railmaster are updating, which is different to what we were led to belive, or, is this just an ipad update for hand held, ?

[Fishmanoz]

Given what’s been said, it’s an RM HH update, at least on the iOS version used by an iPad.

Now we seem to have confirmed that HRMS is still functioning so RM is not yet dead, can we return to topic.

[Yelrow]

Fishy, I thought that was the topic.

[Fishmanoz]

Yes and no John, the no being no need to delve further into HH.

[Finn1707822223]

Just had an update from RailMaster support after chasing them about a bug that was reported more than two years ago.

"Hello Finn

We are preparing an intermediate update, which we are hoping to release before the year end. There will then be a major update release, with other things, in the New Year.

Regards

RailMaster Support"

Sounds hopeful.