RailKernel is a modern digital control platform for model railways, focused on visual layout design, automatic routing, direct command station integration and future-ready automation.
DownloadDraw layouts geometrically and let RailKernel understand the railway structure automatically. Drawing is based on rail catalogues; RailKernel comes with many catalogues such as Märklin, Roco and Fleischmann. Is yours not there? No problem: with the Catalogue Editor you can create your own in the blink of an eye. After choosing your catalogue, select a rail from the Draw menu, drop it on the canvas and connect other rails. The drawing function can work with heights and slopes. You can define an upper and lower view height on the canvas, so you can work on multiple levels without being confused by overlaps. And just for fun there is a built-in 3D viewer. All drawing functionality currently comes for free in the DEMO version.
Place feedbacks, turnouts and accessories directly on the layout with visual ownership. From the Define menu you can place a feedback or an accessory such as a turnout, decoupler or turntable. You specify the address information in a dialog and then click on the grid to place it. For feedbacks, multiple rails can be selected. Then you need blocks. Do you really want to select sets of rails and declare them as blocks? No need: RailKernel generates the blocks for you, starting at feedbacks and ending at turnouts. You can manipulate blocks afterwards, but mostly the result will be right. Of course you can edit feedbacks, accessories and blocks later. You do not need as many feedbacks as in other control software. Trains do not get lost between feedbacks; RailKernel simply waits at the next one. This is also currently available in the free DEMO version.
Automatic driving designed to be deadlock-free, collision-free and precise. By clicking on blocks you can define stop and brake positions, without measuring. To get going, import locomotives from your command station with one click, then define Simple Trains: just a locomotive and a train length. Before a train is accepted for automatic driving, it must be calibrated. Speed is measured automatically using feedback toggles. Braking distances are the only place in RailKernel where you need a slider, four times. RailKernel calibrates trains, not locomotives, because they behave differently when pulling heavy loads. After that you can place trains on feedbacks and tell RailKernel to start. RailKernel supports Simple Moves and Route Moves. In the first mode you set all turnouts and tell the train: this is your route. In the second you specify two blocks and let RailKernel find the path. Routes can be repetitive and chainable. Trains set the turnouts ahead of them as needed. While driving, trains use four blocks: one behind, one occupied and two ahead.
