I have no intention of defending Marklin and agree with you observations todate. However if I may add some perspective....

Self contianed sw (e.g. PS simulator) has awareness of all variables and can dictate paramaters. When it comes to the model railway layout then reality strikes and the permutations are endless both in behavour differences and timmings.

The CS has provided a basic (very basic) "teaser" ..
a) to offer the functinality
b) to prevent other manufactures from saying "The CS cant do ....."

Some suggestions have been made on improvements. but each time an item is added to the wishlist the number of potential ramifications rise exponentially.

The most obvious in the given discussion is to do with rearming the sensor....
If a sensor triggers a "nice" deceleration to stop , followed by a delay before changing direction, followed by a delay before gently accelerating in the opposite direction, then (aside from programing in the time delay variables) the sensor would have to be disabled from retriggering for a period in excess of the total time it takes for the train to reverse back past the sensor.
If I wanted ANOTHER delay to sound the horn/bell/whistle BEFORE staring to move ... how would I do that?

One solution to the rearming issue is to wait until it hits the sensor at the other end of the shttle route. But this leaves a potential dangerous situation if some event happens and "little jonny" turns the locomotive around in the middle and reality getting out of sync with the sw - the train will never stop.

What is called for by a particular operator of a particular train on a particular shuttle operation on a particular layout is unlikely to be the same as a different operator or train or route or layout.

Computers are stupid - not only do they only do what they are told to, they don't do what they are not told to.

Hi Lutz,

I agree, nothing is written, but you are completely missing my point, this should be the natural behavior (and hence written). I opened this topic believing in some error existed, but you have convinced me (or rather M* has - by a change with the 2.04 update, that now I never see what I used to see occationally) the CS works as designed.

IMHO: lousy, not well thought out design, certainly not tested with long trains (de-railing problem in curves). De-railing is only acceptable when hitting the panic button - not with a simple change of direction!
Your 64 speed example is self conflicting: why should the train stop abrubtly when going from 64 straight to 0 when it smoothly accelerates (not rushing) when speed step is changed from 0 straight to 64? Why not smoothly action both ways? You even get a bonus of brake squeeling when available.

May be so, but my odd twenty locos - mostly mfx, some fx, a few lokpilots, so not a certain loco - strangely enough behave all in the same manner, that is with 2.03 occationally behaving (as in blue statement), with 2.04 never behaving that way anymore. In this respect the CS design has gone from bad to worse as I see it. It seems though, that I have to accept this if I want to stay with the CS. [:(!]

Benny,
I have been busy on that horrible word Work. It will be a day or two before I can get back to seeing what is happening.
N

Another issue: with 2.04 the direction arrows remain visible after activating the control area (for switches and stuff). That's nice. But the arrows don't do anything. They only show if your loc is going forward or backward, you can't change the direction. Not so nice.
I guess the programmers simply forgot to add this functionality to the buttons...

Peter

Benny, Prior to the update when I hit the Direction arrow, the loco slowd to a stop, then started to accellerate in a steady rate to the previous speed. SOME DID slow down a bit faster. NOw after update touch the change of direction arrow, a very quick stop on all locos followed by a nice steady accelleration to the previous speed in the opposite direction.
NOt as quick if you pushed the throttle button to change direction but stil a quick Stop.
When changing direction by touching the direction arrow the SPeed scale DOES NOT go to Zero and then back to the previous setting. Only when you change direction by pushing the Throttle does the speed step go to Zero and then you have to turn the throttle.

If you touch the Speed Scale the speed goes to Zero and the Loc slows very nicely and noisy brakes if you have them.

Have to turn hte speed button (Throttle) to get it going again.
a Definate change in Behaviour.
Nev