pytrain-ogr 1.3.5

Control Lionel TMCC/Legacy engines, switches, and accesseries from a Raspberry Pi

This project contains software to operate and control trains and other equipment that utilize Lionel's TMCC and Legacy serial command protocol. Most Lionel engines produced after 2000 support either TMCC or Legacy, and all engines produced after 2010 do. Additionally, Lionel makes track switches, operating accessories, as well as LCS modules that control your layout that respond to Legacy commands (see Lionel Layout Control System: LCS).

PyTrain is developed in pure Python and can be run on Windows, Macs (Intel and M-series) as well as inexpensive Raspberry Pi systems. My goal is to convert physical button presses on a Pi to the corresponding Legacy commands in response. This will facilitate the construction of operating control panels I will place on my layout to fire routes, turn on and off power districts, operate accessories, and run trains.

Initial development focuses on the development of command-line tools (CLI) to operate engines and trains, throw switches, operate accessories, and fire custom routes. This will be followed by developing code to translate physical button presses on a Raspberry Pi to Legacy and TMCC command actions, allowing the development of physical control panels to operate trains.

Quick Start

If you are anxious to get going and take Pytrain for a spin, this section is for you. If you want a more detailed overview of what PyTrain is, why it was written, and what you can do with it, start with the Audience section below.

This section assumes you want to build a physical con

Requirements

Minimum requirements to use PyTrain are:

• A Lionel Base 3 running the most current Lionel firmware
• One or more Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 Wi-Fi-equipped computers with at least 2 GB of RAM running Raspberry PI OS 64-bit Bookworm
• A Mac or Windows computer to set up the Raspberry Pi(s)
• All hardware connected to the same Wi-Fi network
• Python 3.10 - 3.12 installed (Python 3.11 is standard with the Bookworm release of Raspberry Pi OS)
• Internet access (to download software)

Notes:

• It is recommended to have a Lionel LCS Ser2 module connected to your PyTrain server, as the Lionel Base 3 does not broadcast all layout activity
• PyTrain is a command-line tool. It must be run from a Terminal window (macOS/Linux/Pi) or a Cmd shell (Windows). PyTrain does not have a GUI nor run as a native app.
• PyTrain may work with an LCS Wi-Fi module, but this configuration hasn't been tested
• The PyTrain CLI can be run on a Mac or Windows system. It allows complete control of all TMCC or Legacy-equipped devices as well as allows you to monitor all TMCC and Legacy commands

Installation

Create a Python Virtual Environment

PyTrain is a pure Python application designed to run under Python 3.10, 3.11, and 3.12. To prevent conflicts between Python applications that use different versions of common support libraries, most platforms (macOS and Raspberry) require new python packages to be installed into virtual environments. This step only needs to be done once, but it does need to happen on every system where PyTrain will be installed (macOS/Raspberry Pi/Linux example):

• Open a Terminal shell window and navigate to the folder/directory where you will install PyTrain
• Create the new virtual environment with the command:

python3 -m venv PyTrain

• In the same terminal window, cd into the directory you created above and activate the environment:

cd PyTrain
source ./bin/activate

Note: You will need to repeat these two commands any time you want to run PyTrain.

• Install PyTrain; this step only needs to be done once:

pip3 install pytrain-ogr

• Run PyTrain and connect to your Lionel Base 3:

(PyTrain) davids@CDS-Mac-Studio PyTrain  % pytrain -base 192.168.1.124
Listening for client requests on port 5110...
Listening for Lionel Base broadcasts on 192.168.1.124:50001...
Sending commands directly to Lionel Base at 192.168.1.124:50001...
Registering listeners...
Loading roster from Lionel Base at 192.168.1.124 ...Done
PyTrain, v0.9.40
PyTrain Service registered successfully!
>> 

Raspberry Pi Configuration

Out of the box, as Raspberry Pi 4/5 supports PyTrain and can be installed and run as detailed above. However, the Pi and its OS were developed to be low-cost, general purpose computers capable of sending and receiving email, running web browsers, playing games, driving printers, etc. Disabling and removing the unneeded software means there will be more of your Pi available for PyTrain.

PiConfig is a program that automatically disables and removes software not needed to support PyTrain.It also can configure the hardware interfaces appropriately. Your Pi will boot faster and use less memory if you remove all the suggested software. If you change your mind, deleted packages can be reinstalled at any time. PiConfig is installed alongside of PyTrain.

To run PiConfig:

• Open a Terminal shell window and navigate to the folder/directory where you installed PyTrain
• Activate the virtual environment:

source ./bin/activate

• Run PiConfig and display the help options:

(PyTrain) davids@PiZ2w:~/dev/PyTrain $ piconfig -h
usage: piconfig [-h] [-quiet] [-all] [-check] [-configuration] [-expand_file_system] [-packages] [-services] [-version]

options:
  -h, --help           show this help message and exit
  -quiet               Operate quietly and don't provide feedback
  -all                 Perform all optimizations
  -check               Check Raspberry Pi configuration (no changes made; default option)
  -configuration       Enable/disable Raspberry Pi configuration options
  -expand_file_system  Expand file system and reboot
  -packages            Only remove unneeded packages
  -services            Only disable unneeded services
  -version             Show version and exit
(PyTrain) davids@PiZ2w:~/dev/PyTrain $ 

• Use the -check option (or run the program with no switches) what changes should be made to your system:

piconfig -check

• Use the -all option to modify your Pi's configuration and remove unnecessary software (this may take some time to complete). Note that removal of the squeekboard keyboard may generate errors; these are of no concern:

piconfig -all

• Reboot your system to apply configuration changes:

sudo reboot

Running PyTrain

PyTrain is the heart of the system. In addition to allowing you to control layout from it's command-line interface, PyTrain:

• allows you to map physical button presses to Lionel TMCC commands, allowing you to build simple to sophisticated control panels to run your layout
• monitors the state of every TMCC/Legacy-equipped component, including engines, switches, and accessories
• communicates and controls your LCS components, including the ASC2, BPC2, STM2, and all Sensor Tracks
• communicates with the LCS SER2, if available, allowing complete visibility of all TMCC command traffic
• communicates with your Base 3 and downloads your entire/train roster, allowing you to see the current speed, labor, momentum, and train brake settings, along with road name and number
• the same for switches (turnouts) and TMCC/Legacy/LCS accessories
• operate as a server to other PyTrain clients running on other Raspberry Pis (or on your desktop) relaying real-time state and forwarding command actions from your control panels
• can echo all TMCC and PDI command traffic
• logs all activity
• and much more!

Command-line Options

PyTrain has several startup switches that control what it does:

usage: pytrain  [-h] [-base [BASE ...] | -client | -server SERVER] 
                [-ser2] [-baudrate {9600,19200,38400,57600,115200}] [-port PORT] 
                [-echo] [-headless] [-no_wait] [-ser2]
                [-server_port SERVER_PORT] [-startup_script STARTUP_SCRIPT] [-version]

Send TMCC and Legacy-formatted commands to a Lionel Base 3 and/or LCS Ser2

options:
  -h, --help            show this help message and exit
  -base [BASE ...]      Connect to Lionel Base 2/3 or LCS Wi-Fi at IP address (Server mode)
  -client               Connect to an available PyTrain server (Client mode)
  -server SERVER        Connect to PyTrain server at IP address (Client mode)
  -ser2                 Send or receive TMCC commands from an LCS Ser2
  -baudrate {9600,19200,38400,57600,115200}
                        Baud Rate used to communicate with LCS Ser2 (9600)
  -port PORT            Serial port for LCS Ser2 connection (/dev/ttyUSB0)
  -echo                 Echo received TMCC/PDI commands to console
  -headless             Do not prompt for user input (run in background),
  -no_wait              Do not wait for roster download
  -server_port SERVER_PORT
                        Port to use for remote connections, if client (default: 5110)
  -startup_script STARTUP_SCRIPT
                        Run the commands in the specified file at start up (default: buttons.py)
  -version              Show version and exit

For example, to connect to a Lionel Base 3, you specify the Base 3's IP address on your local network:

pytrain -base 192.168.1.124

If you also have an LCS Ser2 connected to a USB port on your Pi:

pytrain -base 192.168.1.124 -ser2

In this configuration, PyTrain will send all commands directly to the Base 3, but will monitor the Ser2 for all TMCC command activity. This is important because currently, with Base 3 firmware v1.32, the Base 3 broadcasts a limited subset of the TMCC command activity, whereas all activity is reflected out of the LCS Ser2.

Miscellaneous

• To see a list of all PyTrain commands:

>> ?
usage:  [h]
        accessory | db | decode | dialogs | echo | effects | engine | train | halt | lighting |
        pdi | quit | reboot | restart | route | shutdown | sounds | switch | update | upgrade | 
        uptime | version

Valid commands:

options:
  h, help    show this help message and exit
  accessory  Issue accessory commands
  db         Query engine/train/switch/accessory state
  decode     Decode TMCC command bytes
  dialogs    Trigger RailSounds dialogs
  echo       Enable/disable TMCC command echoing
  effects    Issue engine/train effects commands
  engine     Issue engine commands
  train      Issue train commands
  halt       Emergency stop
  lighting   Issue engine/train lighting effects commands
  pdi        Sent PDI commands
  quit       Quit PyTrain
  reboot     Quit PyTrain and reboot all nodes,
  restart    Quit PyTrain and restart on all nodes,
  route      Fire defined routes
  shutdown   Quit PyTrain and shutdown all nodes
  sounds     Issue engine/train RailSound effects commands
  switch     Throw switches
  update     Quit PyTrain and update all nodes to latest release,
  upgrade    Quit PyTrain, upgrade the OS on all nodes, and update to latest release,
  uptime     Elapsed time this instance of PyTrain has been active,
  version    Show current PyTrain version,

Commands can be abbreviated, so long as they are unique; e.g., 'en', or 'eng' are the same as typing 
'engine'. Help on a specific command is also available by typing the command name (or abbreviation), 
followed by '-h', e.g., 'sw -h'

• To echo TMCC/Lionel commands:

>> echo
TMCC command echoing ENABLED..
PDI command echoing ENABLED
>> en 67 -b
>> 17:16:09.202 [ENGINE 67 BLOW_HORN_ONE (0xf8871c)]

• To upgrade to new releases of PyTrain:
  • from a Terminal window:

pip install -U pytrain-ogr

• From within PyTrain itself:

>> update

Audience

The PyLegacy project is intended for:

• Model railroad enthusiasts wanting to add physical control panels to run their layout, including:
  • operating accessories
  • switches (turnouts)
  • power districts
  • routes
  • layout segments (e.g., yards, stations)
  • engines, trains, and operating cars equipped with TMCC or Legacy technology
  • control and recieve information from Lionel LCS Sensor Tracks
  • LCS devices, including the ASC2, STM2, and BPC2
• Developers interested in:
  • automated train control
  • adding elements of randomness into their layouts (lights on & off, sounding horn or bell effects, etc.)
  • building sequence commands that start up, ramp an engine to speed, then stop and shut down an engine
  • integration with smart speakers and intelligent assistants (e.g., Alexa, Ok Google)
  • console control of a layout via ssh
  • integrating model railroading and computer science
  • learning the Lionel TMCC/Legacy command protocol
  • continuing to develop software post retirement :smirk:

Model Railroad Enthusiasts

For the first audience, model railroad enthusiasts, PyLegacy allows you to build full functionality control panels that use physical switches, dials, and keypads to control your layout and get real-time feedback on LEDs and multi-line LCD screens. The software, called PyTrain, runs on small, low-cost Raspberry Pis. These are inexpensive (< $100) single-board computers that have connections (pins) to which you can attach physical controls (toggle switches, push buttons, keypads, speed-control dials and levers, etc.), as well as LEDs, LCD screens, and other output devices. An entire world of inexpensive hardware is available from Amazon and other online suppliers that let the train enthusiast who is handy with a soldering iron build control interfaces limited only by their imagination (and budget).

Rather than running wires from each control panel to the component(s) you want to control, you connect your buttons, switches, LEDs, etc., to a Pi that you mount within your panel. The Raspberry Pi communicates with your layout via Wi-Fi to a Lionel Base 3 or LCS Wi-Fi module. The only wire you need to connect to your panel is power for the Pi itself!

What if you want multiple control panels situated near the layout elements you want to control? Simple! Use multiple Raspberry Pis, mounting one in each control panel. The Pis communicate directly to a Base 3 (or LCS Wi-Fi module), or, you designate one of your Pi's as a server. This Pi will handle all communication to and from your layout, and all the Pis that service your other panels, the clients, communicate directly with the server over Wi-Fi.

PyTrain provides many tools to fire routes and operate turnouts, accessories, and even engines right out of the box. All you need is to specify the TMCC ID of the component you want to operate and the pin(s) on the Pi that the physical buttons, LEDs, etc. connect to. PyTrain does the rest.

Let's say you want to control Lionel Turnout 12 (TMCC ID is 12). The turnout can be a TMCC Command Controlled model or one that is wired to an LCS ASC2. In this example, our panel would consist of a momentary (on)-off-(on) toggle switch and 2 bi-color red/green LEDs. The LEDs show the active path a train would take when traversing the turnout from right to left. In the panel below, the through position is set, so the through LED is green, and the out LED is red. If we pull down and release the toggle switch, the turnout changes to the out position, and its LED lights green, and the through path turns red. The LEDs also respond to changes to the turnout caused by other controllers (Cab 2, Cab 3), other control panels, and other software as well as to changes caused by the auto-derail feature of FasTrack turnouts.

Simple Panel

To construct this panel, we connect the toggle switch and LEDs to pins on the Raspberry Pi. Below is a schematic of a Pi pinout, taken from the GPIO Zero project, which is used by PyTrain:

Raspberry Pi GPIO Pins

To control and show the state of our turnout, we connect the center terminal of the toggle switch and the common cathode lead of our Bi-Color LEDs to a GND pin on the Pi (any will do). We next pick the pins we will connect the other two terminals of the toggle (up for through and down for out), and the 4 leads of the 2 LEDs. We can use any of the pins colored green above, as well as GPIO pins 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, and 15. Pins GPIO 2 and GPIO 3 are reserved to communicate with expander boards that provide additional GPIO pins, as are pins ID SD and ID SC.

Let's say we make the following connections:

Pin	Component	Function
7	Toggle (Up)	Through
8	Toggle (Down)	Out
9	Thru LED	Green Lead
10	Thru LED	Red Lead
10	Out LED	Green Lead
9	Out LED	Red Lead

Here's the Python code to control the turnout:

from pytrain import GpioHandler

GpioHandler.switch(
    address = 12,     # TMCC ID of the turnout to control
    thru_pin = 7,      
    out_pin = 8,       
    thru_led_pin = 9,
    out_led_pin = 10
)

Note that the pins driving the 2 LEDs, 9 & 10 are connected to both LEDs. Because the LEDs in our example are bi-color, when power is applied to pin 9, it simultaneously lights the green element in the through LED and the red element in the out LED.

When we pull down on the toggle switch, pin 8 is connected to GND. The PyTrain sends the TMCC command to your Base 3 or LCS Wi-Fi to set the turnout to the out position. It also turns off the power to pin 9 and turns on the power to pin 10, causing the red element in the "through" led to illuminate, and the green element in the out led to illuminate. The PyTrain software supports all TMCC and Legacy commands, including almost all the functionality available on the Cab 2 and Cab 3 controllers, including control of engine smoke, lights, engine sounds, speed, momentum, volume, dialog, whistle and bell sounds, and much more. It can also fire routes, control momentary and on/off accessories, rotate gantry cranes, etc.

Below is another control panel designed to operate a Lionel Command Control Gantry and the track and turnout leading to it. This panel uses a 2-axis joystick to move the gantry back and forth on the special GarGraves 5-rail track, as well as to lift the magnet up and down. A Rotary Encoder is used to rotate the crane cab. The encoder I use has a push button built in that turns the magnet on and off. A yellow LED is lit and blinks when the magnet is energized. The panel also allows control of the two track power blocks in this part of my layout, as well as the turnout to the two track segments.

Lionel Legacy Gantry Crane and Yard

Here's the corresponding Python code:

from pytrain import GpioHandler

GpioHandler.gantry_crane(
    address=96,   # TMCC ID of Gantry Crane
    cab_pin_1=20, # Cab rotation controlled by a 
    cab_pin_2=21, # Rotary Encoder connected to pins 20 & 21
    lift_chn=0,   # Boom controlled by 1 axis of Joystick
    roll_chn=1,   # Lateral motion controlled by the other
    mag_pin=16,   # Turns magnet on when pressed
    led_pin=24,   # Blinks when magnet is energized
) 

GpioHandler.switch(
    address=1,  # TMCC ID of the yard turnout
    thru_pin=7,      
    out_pin=8,       
    thru_led_pin=9,
    out_led_pin=10
)

GpioHandler.power_district(
    address=5,  # TMCC ID of North Yard Power District
    on_pin=11,  # Track Power On
    off_pin=12, # Track Power Off
    on_led=26,  # Track power on when lit
)

GpioHandler.power_district(
    address=6,  # TMCC ID of South Yard Power District
    on_pin=13,  # Track Power On
    off_pin=14, # Track Power Off
    on_led=27,  # Track power on when lit
)

Developers

For developers...

Command-line Tools

PyLegacy includes several command-line tools you The cli directory contains a number of Python command line scripts allowing you to operate engines, control switches and accessories, and fire custom routes.

PyTrain

PiConfig

Contributing

Development

Requirements

Macintosh:

• Brew:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

• Python 3.12.6 (your version may be newer; Note: Python 3.13 is not supported:

brew install python@3.12

• gh:

brew install gh

• git (if you plan to modify the code and issue pull requests):

brew install git

Raspberry Pi and Pi Zero W 2

• Python 3.11, gh, and git:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

sudo apt install python3
sudo apt install gh
sudo apt install git

For the Raspberry Pi Zero W (NOT the 2 W):

sudo apt-get install swig

Note: some or all of this software may already be installed on your pi

Installation and one time setup

cd /where/you/like/your/source

# Make sure this says 3.11. or greater; don't keep going in these directions until it does
python3 --version

# authenticate gh/git:
gh auth login

# establish a virtual Python environment
# see: https://docs.python.org/3/library/venv.html
python3 -m venv PyLegacyEnv
cd PyLegacyEnv
gh repo clone cdswindell/PyLegacy
cd PyLegacy

# Activate virtual environment
source ../bin/activate; export PYTHONPATH=.

# Install 3rd-party dependencies
pip3 install -r requirements.txt

You will need to activate this local python environment every time you open a new shell, after changing your working directory to the PyLegacy local directory by typing:

source ../bin/activate
export PYTHONPATH=.

You may wish to create a macro or alias to issue these commands for you.

Future Enhancements

License

This software and its use are governed by the GNU Lesser General Public License (LPGL).