JMRI Part 3 – Automation with scripts and the Dispatcher

See the list of possible courses for 2023, and if you are interested in this or another course for 2023, please let us know.

Watch this space for when the next course is scheduled, but note that we will only run this course in 2023 if we receive sufficient expressions of interest.

This is part 3 of our three JMRI courses, to cover train automation.

In addition to the weekend course, there is an optional follow-on practical workshop day on the Monday. This day will be a practical workshop session for you to apply the knowledge learnt over the weekend, with the assistance of the tutors. If you have your own layout hardware that you want to work on with JMRI, we can also assist with that on the Monday.

This course will take you through the various things you need in place to run trains automatically, and then cover methods of automatic train running with JMRI.

This is a weekend course for those already familiar and competent with JMRI.

As a pre-requisite you should have attended our first two JMRI Panel Pro courses, or be fluent with drawing a layout diagram in the Layout Editor, setting up turnouts & sensors, turnout feedback, linking from a Layout Editor Panel to the physical layout, use of blocks, train detection and tracking, creation and use of signal masts and signal mast logic.

We will be using the JMRI Panel Pro Layout Editor throughout.

Topics covered will include:

Automation pre-requisites

Automation with scripting

YAAT - Yet Another Auto-Train

Automation using dispatcher

Sections and transits

Manual and auto-trains

Transit actions

Speed calculations

Stopping trains at the right place

Creating a timetable/sequence

Driving dispatcher from scripts

Mixing manual movements with auto-trains

Locomotive speed profiling

“Dispatcher System” - a script for using Dispatcher

This will be a practical course so that you can have a go on your own computer as we go along.

Bookings are open.

More details and a booking form can be downloaded below:

JMRI Part 3 – Automation course details

These courses are organised by a group of MERG members for the benefit of other MERG members and railway modellers in general. Your booking is directly with the course organisers, not with MERG itself.

List of MERG related courses