Running Trains With Railmaster and Hornby Select

[Leander45690]

HI all,

 

I have from a previous layout Hornby Railmaster software and also I have a Hornby Select from a different railway. I also have a phone that I can run a throttle from Railmaster off through the software.

 

I was just wondering is it possible to simultaneously run a locomotive from the Select, run a locomotive from Railmaster and run a locomotive from my phone and if so how do I achieve this?

 

Sorry I'm not very knowledgeable on this subject. Hope somebody can help!

 

Thanks,

Leander

[Guest Half-full]

If you have all the equipment, why don't you try it out?

 

Alternatively post this in the DCC questions section where you'll get more specific answers

[smokebox]

No.  The Railmaster software needs an Elite or an eLink to connect to the track.  The Select can't be used for that.  There was an interface cable developed by Hornby which would have allowed a Select to be used but this was dropped before it was released.

[Leander45690]

21 hours ago, Half-full said:

If you have all the equipment, why don't you try it out?

 

Alternatively post this in the DCC questions section where you'll get more specific answers

Because I'd rather know the answer than risk damaging expensive stuff

[Pete the Elaner]

I am working from memory because I gave away my Select several years ago.

I think it only has outputs for the track, but I seem to remember it could be used as a slave for the Elite, so maybe it has terminals to accept it.

On no account connect the Select to the track if you are using Railmaster.

DCC layouts are controlled by 1 system only. If you have any additional handsets, these connect in some way to the system: directly, through a control bus, serial/USB connection or wirelessly. Not through the track.

[RAF96]

The only possible way to use a Select with RM is by connecting it as a slave walkabout to an Elite which can be used with RM. As stated there can only be one DCC controller connected directly to the track, any others must be as walkabout handsets.

 

The limiting factor is the Select has no USB to connect it to a PC, but it has an RJ11/12 to connect it to an Elite using a special cable, although the industry standard one I bought in Wilco/Wilkinsons works.

 

As stated Hornby bean counters in their infinite wisdom cancelled the Select-a-Link cable which allowed the Select to talk to a PC hence RM by way of a USB to RJ11/12 adaptor. You can get a similar adaptor cable from Gaugemaster for their controller but at over twice the price the Hornby one would have been. I don’t know if that would work with the Hornby kit.

 

Given the number of Selects out there Hornby could have boosted their Select firmware update traffic (which vastly improves the Select capability) as well as increasing sales of RM by flogging that cable - badly missed opportunity in my opinion.

[yelrow]

i have 3 selects as walkabouts, cabled from Elite. Work a treat. You will need to buy a cable. Guy on ebay makes them in yellow, any length, very cheap, and well made.