Video 07: Using iTrain Tutorial Series - Track Routes

[@pierredutrieux4840]

HelloBob, thankyou for your tutorials!!! I appraciate the way you explain, and your diction. I a m french, and I am not always easy with shakspeare language, Some time, it is realy difficult to understand entire tutoriels, when the monitor is too speedy . I can follow perfectly your tutorials many, Many,many thanks!!!

[@bobfuller]

Thanks for the comments, Pierre. It's great to hear that the tutorials are helpful to other regions, too. That is the reason I deliberately talk slowly.

[@ARB4957]

Hi Bob, Getting back to this again and refresshing myself (only got to 11 last time before other tasks and real life got in the way 🙂). Thanks again for all of this excellent resource plus your calm, clear voice really helps me 'get through the brain fog 🙂

[@bobfuller]

Thanks for taking the time to provide the feedback. Much appreciated. Yes, I also still use the videos as a refresher from time to time.

[@mariochi1969]

Thank you from Malaga - Spain. Great video.

[@bobfuller]

Hello Spain. Great to know Spanish users are watching the tutorials. Good luck in the World Cup!!

[@E_73]

Thank you, Bob, for this great video. Cheers Emma

[@ralfholzhauser4297]

Thank you very much Bob. The videos help me to understand and use iTrain. Looking forward to the next videos and then I'll start with my own layout.

[@dg1341]

Great Help! I was looking for an alternative to JMRI that worked on Mac's and found iTrain. These videos are a fantastic way to get started quickly using that program. Very much appreciated!

[@bobfuller]

Thanks DG. Hopefully, you will find things are a little more intuitive and easier to accomplish in iTrain.

[@MissedrBones]

Great video again, they can't come round quick enough. Thank again.

[@bobfuller]

Glad you like them!

[@lukeskywalker6333]

This software is awesome. I tried JMRI and I can’t believe how easy this is. I am purchasing this.

[@bobfuller]

Then welcome aboard Paul. I hope you enjoy the software the all the other tutorials. There's more to come, too. :)

[@richardray6827]

I spent six years trying to get JMRI going and could see it was going to take me another six. This program is amazing, iTrain!

[@mikehamill2292]

Thanks Bob, I don't currently have iTrain but am considering it. Your excellent tutorials are certainly turning me towards ditching my current system in favour of iTrain

[@bobfuller]

Sorry for the late reply, Mike. Thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated. Yes, we all have different preferences in the way we like things to operate and how intuitive something is to use, so it's important to find the right solution for you.

[@nickpatel8199]

wow thank you sir, good information

[@bobfuller]

Thank you, Nick. Glad you are enjoying the tutorials.

[@Modelrailwaysforfun]

Excellent Video Once Again

[@bobfuller]

Thanks a lot AK.

[@stevewebb1606]

Hi Bob. A great set of videos. I have just updated my grandsons little layout with DR5000, Servos, block detection, etc all from Digikeijs. I have looked at iTrain but never found much on youtube. Following your videos so far I think I we get a licence. Please keep up the good work.

[@bobfuller]

Sounds great, Steve. Welcome abroad. Having the Digikeijs stuff you should be able to follow along virtually word for word. The next video will be published this weekend.

[@Hal-Zuzzu_Model_Railway]

Awesome explanation :) Well done! Thank you for sharing this info :)

[@bobfuller]

Thank you. I hope you enjoy the rest of the tutorials, too.

[@Hal-Zuzzu_Model_Railway]

@@bobfuller one video at a time :) :)

[@papiloco1530]

Hello Very explicit videos thxs for this huge work which helps a lot One question: Why is it not the software that automatically create all the routes ? There is no added value to do it by myself plus a loss of time ..

[@bobfuller]

Video 07 is only about track routes. Track routes only set a number of turnouts (defined by you) and then you drive the train manually. Continue through the tutorials and you will see there are things called Instant Routes (from video 11), Train Routes (from video 21), and Automatic Routes (from video 27). Track Routes are only about the track. They set the turnouts and you drive the train manully. Instant Routes, Train Routes, and Automatic Routes are about controlling trains and track. They allow a train to be driven manually (you need to control the speed of the train and observe the signals); semi-automatically (you control the speed of the train but iTrain will halt the train if there is a red light); or fully automatically (iTrain controls the speed of the train and observes the signals). Instant Routes allow you to click on a train on the Switchboard and drag it to a new location and iTrain will work out a route and drive the train automatically. Train Routes allow you to define a specific, complex route, and iTrain controls the train. Automatic Routes allow you to simply click on a Train and iTrain takes full control of the train. iTrain decides the route the train will take and takes full control of the train. And you can have multiple trains running at the same time with any mixture of the different types of route. For example, some trains running Instant Routes, some running Train Routes, some running Automatic Routes, and some being dirven manually.

[@papiloco1530]

hello and thanks for your prompt and detailed answer ; I understand that a track route enable the automatic and correct setting of all the switches to go from a block A to a block B so that you can start your locomotive to go to point B without having you to action manually every switch along this route in the right position which is a great help but on top of that , the software could be programmed to create itself these routes automatically avoiding the user to do it himself... No? your videos are great and i will ask for a test download of iTrain which appears to be very powefull but also simple ( except for above 🤫😇😀) THANKS👍

[@bobfuller]

@@papiloco1530 Yes, Instant Routes and Automatic Routes will automatiically choose the route for you. You can then choose to drive the route manually, semi-automatically or fully automatically. Keep working through the tutorials and it will become clear.

[@GodmanchesterGoblin]

Thanks Bob, another really useful and informative video. My test layout hardware is not yet ready, so I am following in theory and planning to apply the practice later. In the meantime, I've been learning a lot from you on some of the shortcuts within iTrain which will only pay dividends in the future.

[@bobfuller]

There's no rush to get your test layout ready. For the next few videos we will be using the offline step simulator, so no physical layout will be needed.

[@davidherriman448]

Great videos. Only just found them. I shall watch them all as I am hoping to use iTrain with a Z21. I would like to see the actual wiring/decoder connections.

[@bobfuller]

Hi David I can send you a wiring diagram which uses the Digikeijs DR5000 as the command station, DR4088's for the feedback, and DR4018's for the turnout control. It would then be a simple case of substituting the DR5000 for your Z21. Send me a PM on the iTrain forum and I can then attach the drawing and send it to you.

[@davidherriman448]

@@bobfuller Thanks for your offer. I actualy live in NL and didnt realise Digikeijs was Dutch. I'll do a bit more research & maybe be in touch

[@pierredutrieux4840]

Hello Bob, in this tutorial, may we find a quicker way to enter a track route? the track S1-S3as only one difference with S1to S4. should we copy, S1to S3, then paste it and change only T' from branch to straight?

[@juancarlosmodeltrain3816]

Thanks Bob, great tutorials. When I have done the track routes, everything is fine, except that some locks appear next to the detours that do not let me select another route until I deactivate the previous one. Could you help me? REGARDS

[@bobfuller]

Thanks for the question. I'm not quite sure what you mean by detours. Are you able to post your question on the iTrain Forum and attach a copy of your layout file (.tcdz file). Then we will be able to see your layout and give you more help.

[@rushe2518]

Exceptional video series Bob. Is it possible to highlight the entire activated route and not just the included turnouts? Thanks, Rush

[@damenfeld]

Yes you can, what you need to do is enter the Switchboard Editor to highlight each track from the turnout to the buffer e.g. all of West to T1including T1 and press the 'G' key. The track should now turn gold. then move to an empty block somewhere and press 'G' again. Repeat this for each of the tracks. On Turnout T1 you should highlight the turnout and the block between T1 and T3 then press 'G'. Finally highlight an empty block and press 'G', then apply and save the Switchboard. When you use a Track Route it should now be highlit in Gold

[@rushe2518]

@@damenfeld Thanks Iain, but I seem to be missing something (I should say that I'm a total newbie to iTrain). When I highlight the track and press G, nothing appears to happen. I've even right-clicked on the selected track and selected the Group option, but that doesn't appear to do anything either. Thanks for taking the time to help.

[@rushe2518]

Figured it out - many thanks!

[@bobfuller]

Glad you managed to figure it out. Remember, these are only track routes which you can use when driving manually. The real power of iTrain is provided with Train Routes which we have yet to cover. Train Routes will automatically highlight the whole of the route and do many other wonderful things.

[@AmazeTase]

Thank you Bob. Would you recommend a 1 sec delay for slow action point motors as well?

[@bobfuller]

Good question, Taste. I assume your question stems from slow action point motors needing more than 1 sec to drive the point motor. A 1 sec delay is the safe figure for most situations and types of point motors, including the slow action types. The real objective is to avoid all the accessories switching at the same time. When any type of accessory switches on, there is an initial spike of current and then the current settles to its normal value. The delay on each accessory creates a cascade effect in time, so avoiding the spikes all occurring at the same time which could trip the power supply or cause erratic behaviour. You will probably find that you can operate reliably with less of a delay, say 500ms, but it depends on a number of factors: The number of accessories in the track route. The current that your particular accessory uses. The current rating of the accessory power supply. Etc, etc. 1 sec is the relatively safe value, but can be reduced depending on circumstances.

[@damenfeld]

Tase, for Slow Motion Point motors, Tortoise, Cobalt, TBP and the like you should put a State Delay of 1500-2000ms in the State Delay field of the Option Tab. This ensures that the motor has changed the turnout before iTrain tries to send a train over the turnout. The activation delay is to ensure that the power supply isn't overwhelmed by to many turnouts all trying to change at the same time.

[@AmazeTase]

Iain Morrison Thank you Iain. I’m mightily impressed with the software but as with most things if you scratch just beneath the surface one sees just how powerful it is.

[@MsShaun666]

Thanks so much for this excellent series of Tutorials I wonder are an Engineer?

[@bobfuller]

Thank you, Shaun. Yes, I have a technical background, but I am relatively new to iTrain. So, you are learning with me.

[@rosslewis505]

Bob, do you do any 1 on 1 help as im struggling?

[@bobfuller]

Hi Ross, try messaging Iain Morrison on the iTrain forum. His user name is IainM. He's got a pretty good setup for helping people.

[@chrisgates9135]

Hi Bob - I'm relatively new to iTrain which is why I'm commenting on an old video of yours, so I hope that you still see comments pertaining to these. I'm already a huge fan - your video's really are superb and have helped me enormously. I'm eager to continue with the this but I wonder if in the meantime you can help direct me to something you may already have covered in a video beyond where I am now. I'm lucky enough to have one PC dedicated to my layout, in an unheated space, and a PC for everyday use in a much warmer study! Now that the weather is getting colder I'd like to spend more time doing what I can with iTrain from the relative comfort of my study!! I have a version 5.0 Plus licence - currently installed on the layout PC only. Is it possible to work on iTrain between two separate PC's and if so what are my options? If you have already covered this, I'd be grateful if you could direct me to the appropriate video. Many thanks in advance and please keep up the great work! Chris.

[@bobfuller]

Hi Chris - welcome to iTrain. Great to hear you are enjoying the software and the videos. The beauty of iTrain is that you can install it on multiple computers and different platforms (Windows, Mac, Raspberry Pi etc) with just one license. So, simply download iTrain onto your office computer and enter your license key. Have a look at this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJynlHaNhZV1nqc. It's part 2 of a mini series looking at the new iTrain 5.1 features. At about 4:30 I start talking about Cloud storage for the location of your iTrain User folder. When it is located in the Cloud you can keep all your files sync'd between computers. So you can work on a file in offline mode in your office, and then go up to the train room and open the file and the modifications will be in sync. Bob

[@philnewman1110]

Hi Bob, really finding these videos very useful, Just been on the iTrain forum and downloaded your tutorial file, problem i am having is when i go to open it i get the message "Content is not allowed in prolog" have you any ideas what this means? Thanks Phil

[@bobfuller]

Hi Phil, what version of iTrain do you have? I will be out this afternoon so I will not reply until this evening.

[@bobfuller]

Phil, have you copied the file into your iTrain folder? If not, try that and then start iTrain and open the file from within iTrain.

[@philnewman1110]

@@bobfuller Schoolboy error there i'm afraid i have version 5 but i was trying to open it in version 4 because i hadnt upgraded the iTrain on my desktop iMac! I normally use this piece of software on a Macbook in my train room which Iain had already sorted out for me.

[@philnewman1110]

@@bobfuller I had tried to copy the file, and it took me a while i might add, but i got there in the end! Great videos by the way! really intuitive and helpful, and a very big thank you for taking the time making them they will help a lot of people i think...including me!

[@bobfuller]

Glad you got it sorted Phil. Nicely done.