Central Station

What it is

Central Station connects to your Märklin CS2 or CS3 over your local network and gives you a native app to control every aspect of your layout. Locomotives, accessories, routes, track diagrams, automation, and S88 feedback — all in one place, on iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple TV.

No cloud. No subscription. Everything runs locally using the Märklin CAN protocol.

Locomotive control

• Drive multiple locomotives simultaneously with speed slider and quick presets — Stop, 25%, 50%, 75%, Full
• Forward and reverse with a tap; speed colour-coded green → yellow → red as it climbs
• Up to 32 function buttons per loco (F0–F31) with context-sensitive icons for lights, sound, smoke, bells, horns, and more
• Add locomotives manually with custom name, address (1–9999), decoder type, and function count — or browse directly from the CS
• Keyboard shortcuts on Mac: Power On, Emergency Stop, Halt All

Accessories

• Tap to toggle switches, signals, lamps, and uncouplers from a searchable grid
• Filter by type — Switch, Signal, Lamp, Uncoupler — to find what you need fast
• Add accessories with name, address (1–2048), type, and decoder protocol
• Tap accessories directly on the layout diagram for in-place control
• State and actuation count tracked per accessory

Routes

Build command sequences that run with a single tap or trigger automatically.

• Trigger routes manually, on S88 sensor occupied, or on S88 sensor clear
• Commands: accessory on/off, locomotive speed, direction, function control, and timed waits (100–10,000 ms)
• Reorder commands by drag-and-drop; enable or disable routes individually

Layout diagram

Import your Märklin CS2 layout file and see your track plan on screen.

• Supports the CS2 gleisbild format — paste the data and the diagram appears instantly
• Straight track, curves, left/right/3-way switches, signals, S88 sensors, route buttons, uncouplers, crossovers
• Colour-coded tiles for feedback, signals, accessories, and route buttons
• Tap any switchable element on the diagram to toggle it directly
• Multiple layouts supported; scroll and zoom for large plans

Automation

Define a graph of points and let trains run themselves.

• Create stations, waypoints, termini, and reversing points on a visual graph
• Connect points with directed edges specifying speed constraints, length, and edge commands
• Optional dwell time at each point (up to 30 seconds)
• Occupation status shown live — see which point each train is at
• Timetable paths define repeating routes for specific locomotives

S88 feedback

• Live view of all S88 sensor states — occupied shown in red, clear in green
• Sensors grouped by module with animated state transitions
• Up to 16 sensors per module; global addresses calculated automatically

Statistics

• Per-locomotive operating time by date, shown as a bar chart
• Paths completed per locomotive — ranked list and chart of your top 10
• Live network latency in milliseconds
• Notes field per locomotive for reminders or maintenance records

Platforms

One app, four platforms. The same data — locomotives, accessories, routes, automation — is available everywhere.

Frequently asked questions