Railroad & Co.® Version 3.4 Copyright© 1995-1999 by Juergen Freiwald Overview Railroad & Co. is a system to operate a model railroad layout from a Personal Computer running MS-Windows® Version 3.1, Version 3.11, Windows 95®, Windows 98® or Windows NT®. Railroad & Co. provides you with the ease of point & click to operate your switches, signals, routes and other accessories displayed on track diagram panels, which are individually created for each yard or section as desired. You can run your trains with on-screen throttles, external handhelds connected to your computer, or with your favourite throttles or handhelds supported by your digital system. You can operate digital locomotives equipped with own decoders as well as conventional models without decoder. Digital and conventional locomotives can run on the same track. Far reaching automation features make railroad operations manageable by one person, which match those found on the largest club layouts. Train indicators enable you to display on the screen which engine/train is on which track Supported digital systems: The software currently supports the following digital systems: · Wangrow System One, Ramtraxx, North Coast Engineering Master Series · EasyDCC · CTI · Lenz Digital Plus · Maerklin Digital, Arnold Digital, Edits · Trix Selectrix · Modeltreno/Uhlenbrock Intellibox · Fleischmann FMZ · MegaDecoder · Lionel TrainMaster · Zimo · Multimax EuroRail-PowerRack, Multimax EuroRail-LoopMaster · TracTronics SECSI · PC Interface Boards 8255 You can run different digital systems simultaneously on different serial ports. This increases the maximum numbers of trains, switches, signals and feedback indicators, which can be operated. If your favourite digital system is not able to report the state of feedback sensors, than you are able to enlarge this system with a second system, which is able to do this. Railroad & Co. also supports an offline mode, which allows trial operation without a connection to a real model railroad. Modes of Operation: With Railroad & Co. it is possible to run digital equipped locomotives as well as conventional locomotives without an own digital decoder. The operation of conventional locomotive is done with stationary decoders, i.e. decoders or computer controlled throttles, which are mounted at fixed positions on your model railroad rather than in each locomotive. This feature is useful, · if you have a large collection of locomotives and not all are digitally upgraded. · if you have a conventional - i.e. non-digital - operated model railroad and want to control your layout with your computer without installing a digital decoder in each locomotive first. · if the models of your engines are very small and the decoders do not fit into the engines (e.g. when you run Maerklin Mini Club). In all Railroad & Co. provides three methods of operation: · Operating trains with individual engine decoders ("Computer Command Control"). · Operating trains with stationary decoders with static assignment to track sections ("Computer Section Control"). · Operating trains with stationary decoders with dynamic assignment to track sections ("Computer Cab Control"). Additionally it is possible to use these methods simultaneously, i.e. it is possible, to run conventional engines and digital engines on the same track - even if your digital system does not support this feature. Use: Railroad & Co. is easy to use. It provides an intuitive and quickly to learn graphical user interface which is developed according to the following guidelines: · Use of Railroad & Co. is possible without the need to be a Computer expert or programmer. · Graphical items are provided instead of an abstract command syntax. · The operation is based on natural objects like trains, switches, signals etc. instead of digital addresses or something else. · Activities are natural: Point to a signal and set it to red with a simple mouse click instead something like "set contact output of decoder 35 to 1". Accelerate a train to speed 35 mph instead something like "set speed level of train decoder 16 to 7". · Automatic Operation can be arranged within minutes without the need to learn a programming language first. Components: Each component of Railroad & Co. has its special functionality and can be used separately. So you only have to care of the functionality you really need. In this way the driving of trains and the operation of switches and signals is separated. But even if the particular components can be used without the others, they also can be joined together to form a tailor-made operating system for your model railroad. These are the current components of Railroad & Co.: · Railroad Switchboard: easy to use track diagram editor and operation of turnouts, signals and other accessories with point and click ease · Railroad Train: realistic train operation with on-screen throttles and various cab instruments · Railroad Dispatcher: automatic operation of parts of your railroad or the whole, which can be arranged within minutes · Railroad Clock: fast clock with simulated perpetual calendar · Online Help: comprehensive online documentation based on Windows help files. Automation: Because you want to control your model railroad with your computer you are probably interested to operate parts of your layout (or the whole) automatically. Railroad & Co. does not expect you to be an experienced programmer or computer expert in order to do this. For this reason Railroad & Co. does not provide a specialized railroad programming language with a new syntax you would have to learn first. Automatic operation can be laid down by simple point and click to the objects, which are to be operated or monitored. No abstract syntax is to be learned. The number, range and complexity of activities which can be managed by one person is extended substantially. A broad range of operating flexibility is provided from completely manual through completely automatic operation (e.g. hidden yards control). Manual and automatic operation can be mixed simultaneously. This applies not only to trains on different areas of your railroad, but also to different trains on the same track and even to the operation of a single train. The automation processes are not bound to specific trains. Once specified they can be performed by each of your trains. Time-table and randomizer functions increase the diversity of your model railroad traffic. Writing your own Programs: Although Railroad & Co. provides far reaching features you may feel the need to write your own software to enlarge the system with special functions. For this reason Railroad & Co. provides a special programming interface, which allows the use of any standard programming language with which you are already familiar (for example Visual Basic®, Delphi®, C, C++, Pascal etc.). This interface is provided as a set of railroad related functions in the Railroad & Co. Library. Your software can of course be used simultaneously with the existing components of Railroad & Co. Architecture: The architecture of Railroad & Co. is based on real-time like background processing mechanisms. This means: · The software is able to perform any time critical actions within a few milliseconds · There is no need to run Railroad & Co. continuously in the foreground of your Windows desktop · The user interaction is not locked when long lasting operations are performed (no hour-glass situations!). · Other applications may run in parallel of Railroad & Co. · There is no need to change any control parameters of the Windows system Installation If you have already installed a previous version of Railroad & Co. you may delete the concerning files from your PC before installing the new version. The components of previous versions are no longer needed. To start the installation call the program RRSETUP.EXE and follow the installation instructions. Requirements Hardware: The minimum hardware requirements cannot be determined exactly. But the software operates well on the following configuration: Computer: IBM-compatible Personal-Computer CPU: INTEL 386 SX 16 MHz when using the Dispatcher 486 or better recommended Graphics: VGA 640 * 480 Memory: 4 MB Hard-Disk: 2 MB free space I/O-port: 1 free serial comm port Interface: one of the systems mentioned above connected to a serial comm port of your computer Software: MS-Windows 3.1 or 3.11, Windows 95/98 or Windows NT How to order Registration and Ordering is described in detail in the online help files. Please search for the "Registration" topic in the help files or select the "How to Order" command from the "Help" menu to obtain more information. Troubleshooting and known Problems Please refer to the document "FAQ.WRI" for more information. Contact Address Juergen Freiwald Lerchenstrasse 63 D-85635 Hoehenkirchen / Germany www.freiwald.com e-mail: info@freiwald.com