About TrainPanel

TrainPanel is a desktop application that brings together layout design and operation of a model railway — manual or automatic, on a real command station or in simulation — into a single tool.

Who is it for

  • Modellers who want to draw their layout without complex CAD software.
  • Owners of a DCC command station (Roco / Fleischmann) looking for a more modern control experience than traditional throttles.
  • Anyone with no hardware yet who wants to prototype, test automation or learn, thanks to the built-in simulator.

Three typical use cases

  1. Design a layout plan before laying a single real rail. You validate geometry, grades, lengths and radii.
  2. Operate an existing layout, replacing or complementing your hardware throttles with the TrainPanel interface.
  3. Run a virtual layout: trains, sensors and turnouts all simulated. Ideal for working out automation scenarios before deploying them for real.

These use cases blend together: the Mixed mode lets you, for instance, run a simulated locomotive on a real layout — or the other way around.

What TrainPanel is not

  • It is not a 3D scenery editor (buildings, landscapes, figures).
  • It is not an immersive driving simulator in the video-game sense.
  • It is not (yet) a tool for programming DCC decoder CVs.