Turnouts and Routes

Turnouts and routes

Turnout operation

A normal turnout click sends the current element's linear accessory address through the server-side DCC-EX parser as an <a address 0|1> command. The physical DCC packet is placed on the MAIN output; the UI is not merely simulating the state.

The turnout state is cached on the EX-CSB1 and broadcast to all connected clients. A newly connected browser receives the cached state during its staged initial snapshot.

Basic Route Button

A Route Button contains stable turnout IDs plus a required Closed or Thrown state for each turnout.

1. Add a Route Button.
2. Select it in Edit mode.
3. Use the turnout-selection property.
4. Select each left/right turnout and its required physical state.
5. Save the layout.

At runtime, pressing the button shows a route-progress overlay with emergency stop. Turnout commands are issued sequentially rather than as one blocking burst. The active route is coloured on the layout when its turnout states match.

Automatic Route

An Automatic Route stores start and destination block IDs. The runtime graph finds a compatible path and calculates the required turnout states. Both referenced blocks must still exist and must not be the same block.

Integrity protection

The global CHECK command reports:

• deleted or wrong-type turnout references;
• duplicate turnout references inside one route button;
• route buttons with no assigned turnouts;
• missing automatic-route start or destination blocks;
• identical start and destination blocks.