Train Controller – Bronze , Silver or Gold – A tough decision

I have found that –

Train Controller Bronze too basic for my needs (while it did most of the things I was after & was a fair price)

Train Controller Silver performs all of my intended actions and needs, however there is one part of Gold that would be good – a combi group, where you can adjust different loco’s to have different braking and stopping distances… which would improve functionality. I have found that my different Loco’s stop at different positions in blocks which can lead to over shooting short block stops. So I have spent much time tweaking markers to overcome these problems. There a few other things with macros in gold that would also be good.

But at this stage there is plenty of things to learn and instigate, maybe in time I will go down that path of using gold.

My system used for computer control

My system is a NCE cab system, using a AIU and Accessory Decoder CDU Solenoid Drive SX 8-Way to control turnouts and control panel. A USB interface for computer connection and BD20’s were installed as current sensors to be used for train detection. I am very happy with the NCE system and found it generally plug and play once the correct address was used, especially for the AIU (cab address 4 needed to be used). Train Controller was very easy to set up all aspects of the NCE system but needed the different cab address to get the AIU to connect.

Choosing software to use – JMRI

I first tried the free open source software JMRI. I would consider that I had reasonable success, but I spend many, many hours reading manuals watching tutorials, and hardheaded determination to understand what I was being asked to do. (The trouble with doing Model railroading without having access to a club to assist finding answer). Anyway with much effort I had routes at the click of a button, train detection, mobile phone app to control loco. Then a disaster happened, my computer fried and when got a new computer and installed JMRI. As I opened the back up files, all were corrupted and none could be used. Which mean I had to. Start again, JMRI is not easy when comes to starting again. I tried a few times to start again, just couldn’t face it. So that is when I started to see what other free options were around. .

Starting Train Controller

Here is where I found Train Controller, while not a free program, you can download and use a fully functional software program. The only catch is that it is a time limited app and will only work for 10 minutes before it stops controlling Locos, so you need to keep you wits about at the end of the ten minutes so you don’t crash locos. But the software and system can be restarted to use for another ten minutes. If you put the software into offline mode and use as a simulator the 10 minute rule doesn’t apply. You can use the software for 30 non-consecutive days and save your work after which you can still work the software but not save. I started with the bronze software and when I realised that I needed to use the silver software. I received another 30 days to trial the software. Consequently I used to software for over a year as I saved up my pennies to buy the full licence. I rationalised the cost- I would easily spend that much money on a top quality loco without blinking an eye. So what was stopping me have a software package that would easily make everything work so well. It was a “Best decision” and I am very happy with my decision, no regrets.

Learning Train Controller

The best site I found to learn Train Controller is a site by Rudy https://rudysmodelrailway.wordpress.com/ Rudy also has a YouTube channel also that has his video tutorials. While Rudy demonstrates on an older Train Controller Gold version 8 of the software, all the aspects the basics are the same. It is the more advance tutorials that mostly relate to the Gold version. I watched all of the videos and learnt many advanced techniques some of which can be applied to Silver.