Introduction

CTC reinvents the digital model railway from the ground up. As a result, we are fortunate that we have to pay little attention to compatibility and can cut most “old habits.” What this specifically means for you, if you already own a model railway, can be read in separate articles tailored to different scenarios on this website.

In this article, we want to explain the basic concept behind CTC and show you how to get started with CTC.

Why reinvent the digital model railway?

The classic digital model railway is based on central electronics (digital command station) that communicate with the locomotives via the track.

The underlying concept of the digital model railway allows only a very limited bandwidth. This means that only a few pieces of information can be transmitted, and feedback is not possible or very limited.

Every spark triggered by the locomotive when picking up current can disrupt data transmission. By regularly repeating the messages on the track, the risk that a message does not arrive is minimized, but not excluded. That also means: the worse the condition of the tracks, the higher the probability that the digital system works unreliably.

Starting from a garden railway, the desire to remove the communication from the track grew in us, and the idea for CTC was born.

Development of the concept

As an alternative to communication via the track, only a radio technology was suitable. Additionally, we wanted to control our model railway with little effort from a tablet or smartphone.

Therefore, only Bluetooth and WiFi were available for a direct connection between the app and the locomotive/turnout/signal. Since Bluetooth is rather unsuitable for a large number of simultaneous connections and its low power consumption is unimportant to us, the choice fell on WiFi.

Now it was only necessary to develop suitable WiFi modules for locomotives, turnouts, signals, … and especially to invent the software for them.

All data for locomotives, turnouts, and signals should be stored in the respective module. A locomotive should not only store all technical parameters (CVs in the digital model railway), but also its name, picture, or a detailed description, for example. From this desire, a software concept emerged that made a central component completely unnecessary. So we only had WiFi, the modules for locomotives, turnouts, and signals, and the app.

The core of the software can now be found published under an open-source license at PI-Rail.org. In particular, the communication protocol is disclosed, and the door is open for your own extensions.

What do I need now?

To get started with CTC, you only need:

  • A WiFi access point. For starters, this can also be your home WiFi.
  • A CTC module for each locomotive to be controlled. This corresponds to the locomotive decoder in the digital model railway.
  • CTC modules for the turnouts and signals to be controlled. This corresponds to the turnout decoder in the digital model railway. As with the digital model railway, several turnouts and signals can be connected to one module.
  • The CTC app for PC (Linux, Mac, or Windows), tablet, or smartphone.
  • Power on the track. This can be direct current or alternating current or from the digital control command station or booster. The voltage level depends on what your locomotives, turnouts, and signals can tolerate. The CTC modules are designed for up to 24V.

And how do I get started most easily?

The easiest way is to get a Starter Set from us to familiarize yourself with the new world of CTC. In addition to the offered starter sets, we are happy to put together a starter set suitable for you. If desired, we also gladly take over the installation of the CTC modules in your locomotives and turnouts.

Furthermore, hopefully, you will find one of the scenarios described on this website that fits your situation. If not, then describe your situation to us, and we will supplement our scenarios.

The three most fundamental scenarios from our point of view are:

The two articles about switching also address the (initial) parallel operation with CTC.

You can find frequently asked questions and answers in our FAQ section