Hi Fab
One thing must be clarified first:
- either you let Rocrail (RR) organize the operations (manage occupancy, which loco is where, etc) and then decide what loco to move and where.
- or you do the conducting and RR is a slave to you: doesn't know what you will do, rapidely, RR does not know anymore which train is where.

RR operations:
- it can be schedule-based like real trains (at 12:35 train ABC will leave station a to reach station b will depart after a wait of 2 minutes for staion d
- it can be fishbowl-based: a Train ABC is at station a and ready to depart, because station b is occupied, because station c is not allowed (see below), it will go to station d and will continue forever until out of solutions
- it can be drag & drop: you click on the block where train ABC is located (station a) and you drag yo another block XYZ and RR - if it finds a solution - will set the itineraries, open signals and start the train over multiple blocks until it arrives at destination, you click again for another destination.
For all the operation above, RR will manage the position of turnouts and the compatibility of itineraries, update the position of trains, let you have all the fun.
- one of these modes is NOT exclusive: you may have fish-bowl for certain trains, schedule for others and drag & drop for another group

Permissions
- for any part / ressource of you layout you may define restritions authorise trains A, d, g, h), authorise trains with steam, diesel or elctricity, TGVs, D Trains, local trains
- this allows fish-bowl operation to be close to reality: an electric train will not go to a non-electrified section, a railbus will not go on a main high-speed line
- you may check the lengths by indicating all block length and all train length so a long train will not go to a small block

Manual operations
- you define a zone (blocks, itineraries) where manual operation is permitted
- you set the turnouts positions for the needed itineraries, you verify that no train managed by RR will interfere with your manual trains, you set the signals
- manual zone can be a shunting yard where you prepare trains for a given destination and then pass them to RR for it to manage the auto way.

There are HUGE possibilities and I cannot list them all here

Routes
Although you may define them, it is much much better to let RR prepare them for you:
- RR will prepare ALL of them and without errors. Later, in a complex layout, you will find some routes to be stupid (perform a fonction by blocking too many resources (track pieces) when other do the same in a much simpler way.
- RR will set the tracks so that, when a train is "en route", the track goes from black to yellow

Cheers
Jean

Jean, I've been reading your responses to Rocrail questions with growing curiosity and am considering migrating from CS3+ to Rocrail for train control. My questions would be the best learning path in doing so. I currently have a 4x8 layout with a couple of M83's and a M84 with 4 braking modules and something like 8 ports used on a S88. All works fine with my CS3+ but I'm currently planning a layout expansion that would require more investment in digital items and am thinking Rocrail may help reduce my costs. Would the best learning approach be to maintain my current layout while adding a small, dedicated oval defined with 3 or 4 blocks and setting up Rocrail to first just run some locs/trains on that dedicated test oval? Might you have other suggestions for me to slowly migrate from CS3 to Rocrail?

Thanks, John

go with rocrail and you will not regret it. i also have a cs3+, i never even try to use it to control the trains. went straight to RR. and it's another dimension. have fun, and ask here for help.

Thank you for the offer of help. I'm preparing to order track for my testing of the wikidemo layout. As I mentioned, I'm using my CS3+ for my current layout but do have open S88 ports and open ports on a M83 for the turnouts. Are there reasons that I would need to disconnect my CS3 from my current layout during testing or can I continue to use it for that layout while testing the RR wikidemo layout?

Hi Rich
Thanks Glad to be of any halp.
Jean

Hi John
You simply need to declare the block C as a crossing block so as to avoid locking situation
In Lemon language no train will be permitted to go to block C unless it can go further (next block is free)
Cheers
Jean

Hi John
I realized that my answer was vague.
In English those blocks are called VIA BLOCKs
They are not declared in blocks but rather in routes
On a section with ONE or multiple blocks in a two-way track, it is easy to understand that without precautions taken, one train can engage in this one-track-bi-directional section while at the other extremity, onother train could engage in the reverse direction. So each train would continue until there are no more free blocks ahead of them and the will stop Rocrail would be stuck! BECAUSE you did not tell Rocrail the whole story.

So, in short, it is about creating a route from b_B to b_D where a VIA block is declared b_C.
Not to forget the other direction by creating a route from b_E to b_A where a VIA block is declared b_C
As you understand this could be made for ANY number of VIA block (in your case, only one)
The result as I said before is the route would be free ONLY if the destination is free (b_D and b_A depen ding on the direction).


Here is some documentation
https://wiki.rocrail.net/doku.ph...n-en#crossing_via_blocks

Cheers
Jean

If you used the router to create routes, I think you must:
- delete routes b_B to b_C, b_C to b_D, b_E to b_C, b_C to b_A (If you leave them, then RR can still be stuck)
- add manually a route from b_B to b_D using b_C as a via Block
- add manually a route from b_E to b_A using b_C as a via Block
Cheers
Jean

JohnJean,

In a topic I can not find. You mentioned getting familiar with Rocrail through the Wiki Demo. I went back to this step so I can understand Rocrail better.

I thought you had mentioned migrating another plan into the Demo. Could you expand on that?

Ausgezeichnet! excellent, merci beaucoup!

Exactly what I needed

Much appreciated