model-railway-signals 3.0.0

Create your own DCC model railway signalling scheme

model-railway-signalling

Library functions

A DCC model railway signalling library written in Python. Primarily intended for the Raspberry Pi, but will also run on other platforms (albeit without some of the Raspberry-Pi specific interfacing functions).

All of the functions for creating and managing 'signals', 'points', 'sections', 'sensors' and 'block instruments' have been developed as a Python Package to promote re-use across other layouts. This includes functions to support the interlocking of signals, points and block instruments, enabling fully prototypical signalling schemes to be developed. Most types of colour light signals, semaphore signals, and ground signals are supported.

An interface to a SPROG DCC Command station enables control of the signals and points out on the layout. The signals and points can be mapped to one or more DCC addresses in a manner that should be compatible with the majority of DCC signal/points decoders currently on the market. A GPIO interface allows external train detectors to be connected in via opto-isolators. These sensors can be configured to trigger 'signal approached' or 'signal passed' events, enabling full automatic control of the layout signalling. A MQTT interface enables multiple signalling applications to be networked together so that complex layouts can be split into different signalling sections/areas, with communication between them.

Layout editor

From Release 3.0.0, a basic schematic editor application has been added to enable signalling schemes to be designed and developed without the need to write your own code. Note that this should be considered a beta release and at a "Minimum Viable Product" stage so don't expect a polished/stable application just yet.

There are some example layout files in the 'configuration_examples' folder.

What's supported in the MVP:

• Schematic editing - points, signals and lines
• SPROG interface - DCC control of signals and points
• Basic interlocking of signals and points
• Save and load of layout schematic and state

What's coming soon:

• Interlocking - of distant signals with the home signals ahead
• Schematic editing - Track sections and block instruments
• Automation - sensor events and integration with track sections and signals
• Application documentation
• MQTT networking

Any bug reports and feedback you may have would be gratefully appreciated - specifically:

• What aspects are intuitive? What aspects aren't?
• What aspects do you particularly like?
• What aspects particularly irritate you?
• what features would you like to see next?

Installation

For a first time installation use:

$ python3 -m pip install model-railway-signals 

To upgrade to the latest version use:

$ python3 -m pip install --upgrade model-railway-signals 

If you want to use Block Instruments with full sound enabled (bell rings and telegraph key sounds) then you will also need to install the 'simpleaudio' package. Note that for Windows it has a dependency on Microsoft Visual C++ 14.0 or greater (so you will need to ensure Visual Studio 2015 is installed first). If 'simpleaudio' is not installed then the software will still function correctly (just without sound).

$ python3 -m pip install simpleaudio

Using the layout editor

To run the editor application:

The python package should be run as a module (note underscores):

$ python3 -m model_railway_signals 

Using the library functions

To use the public API functions for developing your own layout signalling system:

from model_railway_signals import * 

For details of the API and code examples see the seperate 'PUBLIC_API.md' file.