Any chance of initiating a discussion by various users of the advantages/disadvantages of the PC software that is available to control layouts? I am playing with the CS3 events feature but it seems limited and there is so little description of it that it is impossible to use it effectively without a lot of experimentation.

Hello good afternoon,
I use Train Controller v7, and I can tell you that it has no limits, anything you can imagine can be done, although sometimes the solutions to a problem are complex, but in general terms, you can do whatever you want.
In my youtube channel, there are many videos of my model running automatically with the TC.

[YOUTUBE]https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBuMQjcywrZTA6GqfE1x0aQ[/YOUTUBE]

Best regards

How we are different and still enjoy the same hobby. I am quite new to this hobby. During last few years I have designed my own layout, made landscape, connected sensor tracks and turnouts. For this specific post: I have hade lots of joy making events in cs3 to make my trains operate automatic. But respect to all of you who seeks other routes to enjoyvmodel railroad.
Regards
Thor Inge

Hi rhfil

Rocrail fan from France here.
I have tried to write events on the CS3 and it offers a lot of new possibilities compared to the CS2 BUT this remains lightyears from what you can get with a PC software.
Why? Because, the PC software knows in realtime where each loco, each wagon is located. It allows to write simply on your laptop all that you need without fighting with your finger or a mouse on your small CS3 screen.

The advantages:
- no need to have stop section nor signals anywhere (except for cosmetic reasons)
- any track can be used for both direction without any complication in the signal positions
- no matter how complicated is the track arrangement, train circulations will be fully protected and only those needed train routes will be temporarily frozen
- any train movement can be programmed as a fish bowl (trains go where they can in a random mode)
- trains can also be part of schedules to run a specific itinerary at a specific time (model clock)
- trains - in a sophisticated use- have all their details entered (each wagon, individual length) so that to total length is known so the train CAN only be send to a block that is longer.
- using this feature, a transfer block allows the management of consecutive trains on a single track with minimal space in-between
- the location of each loco, each wagon / car is known at any given time so particular actions can be triggered for specific locos / fonction cars at a given location. e.g.: I have a loco with a mobile coal level in the tender. When this loco is at the coaling station, the coal level is brought up.
- of course the movement of trains is not one-way (shuttle trains are the easiest thing)
- ANY train can be a shuttle train and stop at the right place (near the signal) WITHOUT ANYTHING (slider inversion, etc)
- short trains can be configured to stop at the center of the platform and not at the extremity like a regular train.
- there are plenty of other advantages I miss

The drawbacks (Rocrail case)
- you must read the documentation and it is better to get acquainted with Rocrail using the demo layouts. There are plenty of videos on You tube to help you. A great Rocrail forum in English, Dutch, German, Italian and French is there to help you.
- you must download Rocrail into your PC (I use my regular laptop (no obligation to pay anything UNLESS MORALLY if you are satisfied you help Rocrail with what you want when you want).
- you must have an Internet cable between your CS3 and your PC or between the CS3 and the wifi router or your "Internet box"
- you must have many feedback sensors (One or 2 minimum per block)
- all trains are now commanded by Rocrail and the CS3 is now a conduit of data and power between the PC and the layout

Here is a sample of what you can do with Rocrail (here with a CS2, a 100W power supply, a Wifi Router. NO boosters here for 32 MFX Sound locos and lighted trains


Here is the control panel of my layout


Cheers
Jean

All train control programs are more or less equivalent in their basic approach. They keep track of the positions of trains with sensors, and use that for implementing block automation and for building higher-level constructs such as trips covering several blocks.

I personally chose Rocrail because I feel sympathy to the old-school notion of freeware and because I like the capability of writing XML macros to complement the built-in functionality. It also seems to have a healthy and active community maintaining it. Jean already listed the downsides, the main one for me being the somewhat capricious documentation.

My feelings about CS3 align with rhfil's, and I have managed to get by without buying one.