Model train control system

Abstract

A system which operates a digitally controlled model railroad transmitting a first command from a first client program to a resident external controlling interface through a first communications transport. A second command is transmitted from a second client program to the resident external controlling interface through a second communications transport. The first command and the second command are received by the resident external controlling interface which queues the first and second commands. The resident external controlling interface sends third and fourth commands representative of the first and second commands, respectively, to a digital command station for execution on the digitally controlled model railroad.

1 . A method of operating a digitally controlled model railroad comprising the steps of: 
 (a) transmitting a first command from a first client program to a an interface;    (b) transmitting a second command from a second client program to said interface;    (c) receiving said first command and said second command at said interface;    (d) said interface queuing said first and second commands and deleting one of said first and second commands if they are the same; and    (e) said interface sending a third command representative of said one of said first and second commands not deleted to a digital command station for execution on said digitally controlled model railroad.    
   
   
       2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of: 
 (a) providing an acknowledgment to said first client program in response to receiving said first command by said interface that said first command was successfully validated against permissible actions regarding the interaction between a plurality of objects of said model railroad prior to validating said first command; and    (b) providing an acknowledgment to said second client program in response to receiving said second command by said interface that said second command was successfully validated against permissible actions regarding the interaction between a plurality of objects of said model railroad prior to validating said second command.    
   
   
       3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the steps of selectively sending said third command to one of a plurality of digital command stations.  
   
   
       4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of receiving command station responses representative of the state of said digitally controlled model railroad from said digital command station and validating said responses regarding said interaction.  
   
   
       5 . The method of  claim 1  wherein said first and second commands relate to the speed of locomotives.  
   
   
       6 . The method of  claim 2 , further comprising the step of updating said successful validation to at least one of said first and second client programs of at least one of said first and second commands with an indication that at least one of said first and second commands was unsuccessfully validated.  
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising the step of updating a database of the state of said digitally controlled model railroad based upon said receiving command station responses representative of said state of said digitally controlled model railroad.  
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 7  wherein said validation is performed by an event driven dispatcher.  
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 7  wherein said one of said first and second command, and said third command are the same command.  
   
   
       10 . A method of operating a digitally controlled model railroad comprising the steps of: 
 (a) transmitting a first command from a first client program to an interface;    (b) receiving said first command at said interface;    (c) queuing said first command in a command queue if said first command is different than all other commands in said command queue; and    (d) said interface selectively sending a second command representative of said first command to one of a plurality of digital command stations based upon information contained within at least one of said first and second commands.    
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 10 , further comprising the steps of: 
 (a) transmitting a third command from a second client program to said interface through a second communications transport;    (b) receiving said third command at said interface;    (c) queuing said third command in a command queue if said third command is different than all other commands in said command queue; and    (d) said interface selectively sending a fourth command representative of said third command to one of said plurality of digital command stations based upon information contained within at least one of said third and fourth commands.