Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

internet controllable ??

3123 views
23 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    April 2021
  • From: saskabush
  • 127 posts
internet controllable ??
Posted by wvgca on Sunday, April 2, 2023 8:44 PM

are there any current sites up for internet controllable model railroads ??  used to be internetmodelrailroad.com, but it shows as no longer up ???

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: 4610 Metre's North of the Fortyninth on the left coast of Canada
  • 9,352 posts
Posted by BATMAN on Sunday, April 2, 2023 8:58 PM

I remember one year's ago that was in Germany. It had two different scales, N and HO I believe. You could go to the site and there would be a camera view of the room. You would click on an icon and the train would do a loop. Both scales were on the same table and you could run both at the same time.

I would visit and it would be in the middle of the night there with no one in the room but they would leave it turned on.

Brent

"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."

  • Member since
    April 2021
  • From: saskabush
  • 127 posts
Posted by wvgca on Sunday, April 2, 2023 9:05 PM

been trying to find one thats up on a regular basis for a while now .. the other site used to be up pretty regular, but that was a while ago now

  • Member since
    May 2010
  • From: SE. WI.
  • 8,253 posts
Posted by mbinsewi on Sunday, April 2, 2023 9:10 PM

I found a thread in here from 2014, but the link to the site: Internetmodelrailroad.com is no longer up and availiable.

Some DCC operators run their trains with wifi, which can use just about any type of device as a controler, phone, computer, Ipad, etc.

Google the topic, you'll find many other devices and article.

Mike.

  • Member since
    April 2021
  • From: saskabush
  • 127 posts
Posted by wvgca on Sunday, April 2, 2023 9:29 PM

the wifi control ones allow only fairly local access [albeit wireless], not quite what i'm looking for ... i'm looking for someting that allows control several hundred miles away, to several continents away ..

  • Member since
    May 2010
  • From: SE. WI.
  • 8,253 posts
Posted by mbinsewi on Monday, April 3, 2023 6:44 AM

wvgca
i'm looking for someting that allows control several hundred miles away, to several continents away ..

Yes  Good luck!  I don't understand the "why ?", as to wanting to control a layout that is in another country, or state, or town, or wanting your layout to be controled by someone else from a long distance, but I wish you luck and as always...

Have fun!

Mike.

  • Member since
    April 2021
  • From: saskabush
  • 127 posts
Posted by wvgca on Monday, April 3, 2023 8:06 AM

mbinsewi

 Yes  Good luck!  I don't understand the "why ?", as to wanting to control a layout that is in another country, or state, or town, or wanting your layout to be controled by someone else from a long distance, but I wish you luck and as always...

Have fun!

Mike.

 

 

it's actually for another user [at another forum], but thanks

  • Member since
    November 2013
  • 2,780 posts
Posted by snjroy on Monday, April 3, 2023 8:44 AM

I believe this can be done using JMRI. Don't ask me how Smile.

Simon

  • Member since
    September 2003
  • 21,669 posts
Posted by Overmod on Monday, April 3, 2023 9:48 AM

In principle, you could use a VPN to tunnel either a typical 'WiFi' control stream or the actual digital content of DCC across the 'Internet' to an appropriate bridge that reproduces the signals in the appropriate way locally.

There may be latency concerns if the actual Internet routing involves satellite hops, so one of the low-latency streaming protocols might be used to ensure quick end-to-end packet streaming rather than just regular TCP/IP.

  • Member since
    April 2021
  • From: saskabush
  • 127 posts
Posted by wvgca on Monday, April 3, 2023 10:11 AM

okay, that makes sense to have the DCC commands on the 'layout' end .. much faster that way ...   latency -shouldn't- be too much of a concern as the highest portion of the bandwith would -probably- be the video stream ??

  • Member since
    July 2009
  • From: lavale, md
  • 4,678 posts
Posted by gregc on Monday, April 3, 2023 10:50 AM

isn't this really a question about a current layout that has a web site allowing trains to be controlled thru it.   presumably it wouldn't allow anything stupid to be done

we had remote op-sessions during covid using engine driver on phones and a custom app that showed train location.   JMRI has something like it

greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading

  • Member since
    June 2007
  • 8,892 posts
Posted by riogrande5761 on Monday, April 3, 2023 11:47 AM

The owner of Onondaga Cutoff who lives in New York state has done web controllable sessions in the past.  I haven't seen him post in a while.  Hs Conrail railroad is a very nice representation of Conrail south of Syracuse in the ealry 1990's.

Rio Grande.  The Action Road  - Focus 1977-1983

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Monday, April 3, 2023 11:58 AM

If you are controlling another layout over the internet with cab-view, that could be kind of fun.

Controlling trains with god's-eye-view from overhead cameras would seem less interesting to me.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    April 2021
  • From: saskabush
  • 127 posts
Posted by wvgca on Monday, April 3, 2023 2:32 PM

yes, the example that i had listed did not have 'cab view' options ... rather it had several camera locations that could be switched at the remote users choice ..

  • Member since
    January 2013
  • 1,034 posts
Posted by PM Railfan on Monday, April 3, 2023 3:34 PM

Im with Mike on this one.....

 

Why?

 

Better hope Gomez Adams doesnt find the link!

 

 

PMR

  • Member since
    April 2021
  • From: saskabush
  • 127 posts
Posted by wvgca on Wednesday, April 5, 2023 8:48 PM

so far i haven't found a single layout that is internet controlled ... i guess the idea has come ... and gone ...

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • 8,908 posts
Posted by maxman on Thursday, April 6, 2023 2:53 PM

wvgca

so far i haven't found a single layout that is internet controlled ... i guess the idea has come ... and gone ...

 

I think that there are probably some layouts that could be controlled via the net, especially during an operating session.

But I would also suspect that participation would be restricted to a select few, not just any Tom, Dick, Harry, or wvgca who might happen to come along.

  • Member since
    October 2005
  • From: Detroit, Michigan
  • 2,284 posts
Posted by Soo Line fan on Thursday, April 6, 2023 3:19 PM

maxman

 

But I would also suspect that participation would be restricted to a select few, not just any Tom, Dick, Harry, or wvgca who might happen to come along.

 

Funny stuff, Thanks for the laugh Big Smile

Jim

  • Member since
    February 2008
  • 8,908 posts
Posted by maxman on Thursday, April 6, 2023 6:56 PM

riogrande5761
The owner of Onondaga Cutoff who lives in New York state

I think on facebook.

  • Member since
    April 2021
  • From: saskabush
  • 127 posts
Posted by wvgca on Thursday, April 6, 2023 8:00 PM

i found the layout on facebook, but he is not set up for internet or any type of remote control ...

  • Member since
    July 2009
  • From: lavale, md
  • 4,678 posts
Posted by gregc on Friday, April 7, 2023 4:58 AM

wvgca
i found the layout on facebook, but he is not set up for internet or any type of remote control ...

perhaps not by anyone, but the Onondaga Cutoff did have remote operating sessions during covid using remote JMRI screens, engine driver and radios thru zoom calls which we copied to do remote operating sessions on the Pacific Southern

 

they used JMRI for dispatching which allows remote JMRI screens for operators to track their trains thru the layout as well as remote dispatching.    The Pacific Southern uses custom software for dispatching and remote monitoring.

JMRI engine driver allows control of a loco by an operator in the same room or anywhere on the internet

Port Forwarding was configured on the WiFi routers to allow exteranal access to the applications on a dispatcher PC connected to the layout, as well as Engine Driver

the Onondaga sessions followed a strict half duplex radio protocol between dispatcher and operations

 

so no, i don't believe this is what the OP is asking about since it was used only by members of the layout.  The Pacific Southern continued to allow remote operation by members who had moved out of state or simply preferred not to drive at night.

i think the OP is asking about a layout where thru a web page you can view the layout and click a button to simply run a train in a loop across the layout similar to a museum layout i saw as a kid where you pressed a button to see the train run for a few minutes

greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading

  • Member since
    April 2021
  • From: saskabush
  • 127 posts
Posted by wvgca on Friday, April 7, 2023 7:50 AM

ptretty much yes to the above statement ... the example that i did have allowed turnout switching, speed variations, and direction of the loco, and camera selection ...and not much else,

as far as i remember, it allowed only one user at a time, and the time was limited ..and i -think- it was through a web page ..

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
  • 18,255 posts
Posted by SeeYou190 on Sunday, April 9, 2023 6:50 AM

Just saying...

It might be a thrill to run a train over Howard Zane's layout via the internet with a cab view.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

  • Member since
    April 2021
  • From: saskabush
  • 127 posts
Posted by wvgca on Tuesday, April 11, 2023 11:29 AM

an update to the message i sent to onondaga cutoff .... they do have 'limited' internet access to thier layout , which i would have to 'qualify' for ... 

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!