Block safety
Every train keeps a clear block ahead. When its signal turns red, Stellhaus brakes the loco itself: with brake and stop sensors, or straight to zero.
Märklin CS2/CS3 · Z21 · DCC-EX
Run your layout like a real signal box.
Stellhaus is model railway control that protects every block, sets routes and drives trains to a timetable, on your own computer. You control it from any browser: PC, tablet and phone, all at once.
Free · English, Deutsch, Nederlands · Windows, macOS, Linux, Raspberry Pi
What it does
Everything a signal box does, for your layout.
Routes and automation
Tap a train, tap a destination. Stellhaus sets and locks the turnouts, holds the blocks and releases them behind the train. Or let trains run trips and timetables on a model clock.
Every screen at once
Throttles, a cab view, a driver’s desk with levers and a signal-box panel, on PC, tablet and phone. Every screen sees the same state, live.
Drive from your phone
Your phone is the cab.
Open Stellhaus on any phone in your home network, no app needed. Pick a train and you get the speedometer, the signal ahead with the reason it is red, your next stop and the loco functions.
- Speed in km/h or mph, measured on your own layout
- The signal ahead, and why it is red
- A big Stop button, and the space bar is Stop on every page
- Nobody takes over your train by accident
Features
Built for running trains, not for configuring software.
Everything is in the box. Start with an oval and two trains; grow into a timetable for a club evening.
Track editor to scale
Märklin C, K and M track, PIKO A, Roco geoLINE, Roco Line and Fleischmann profi. Levels, ramps, helixes, a 3D view, a parts list and a wiring list.
Layout generator
Enter your baseboard (rectangle, L or U, with obstacles) and get ready-to-run designs with blocks, sensors and addresses, each test-driven in simulation.
Full simulation
Every layout runs in a simulation with exactly the same safety logic as the real thing. Learn, test and play before you connect a single wire.
Trips and timetables
Stops, departure times on a model clock, reversing, connections and a time–distance graph. Generate a conflict-free timetable in one go.
Operating sessions
Dispatchers grant paths, drivers request them from their phones. With built-in chat and a push-to-talk walkie-talkie.
Freight and shunting
Cars, industries and waybills, switch lists to print, uncoupling tracks and a shunting puzzle on your own sidings.
Recordings and black box
Record the bus, replay it on the track plan and check sensors and block lengths. The black box keeps the minutes before every incident.
Decoder CVs
Read and write CVs, save profiles and match the speed curves of different locos.
Kids’ mode
PIN-protected: children drive chosen trains up to a speed limit and for a set play time. Stop always works.
Manual turnouts welcome
No turnout motors yet? Stellhaus tells you which turnout to set, waits until you confirm, and keeps everyone safe meanwhile.
Fits into your home
MQTT and Home Assistant, notifications on your phone, cameras on the layout, MIDI and Arduino control panels.
For everyone
Large buttons, high contrast, screen-reader support, single-switch scanning and voice commands.
Hardware
Works with the system you already have.
Märklin Central Station 3 and 2
Over your network. Locos are read from the station; mfx, MM2 and DCC.
Roco / Fleischmann Z21
Z21 LAN protocol, R-Bus feedback and RailCom detectors. MM and DCC locos.
DCC-EX
DCC-EX CommandStation over Wi-Fi or Ethernet, with its sensors as feedback.
Feedback
- s88 modules, also via Märklin L88
- Z21 R-Bus and RailCom detectors
- DCC-EX sensors
- Your own sensors over MQTT, e.g. an ESP32
- Or none yet: unguarded layouts work too
Track systems (H0)
- Märklin C, K and M track
- PIKO A track
- Roco geoLINE and Roco Line
- Fleischmann profi track
- Two-rail: reverse loops found for you
- Import from XTrackCAD
Runs on
- Windows, macOS and Linux
- Raspberry Pi
- Node.js 20 or newer
- Any modern browser as the screen
Märklin, Central Station, Roco, Fleischmann, Z21, PIKO, DCC-EX and XTrackCAD are names of their respective owners. Stellhaus is an independent project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.
Safety
Careful by design.
Stellhaus drives real trains. Mistakes mean derailments or collisions, so the rules are strict, and they are enforced on the server, not in your browser.
Read-only first
With a real command station, Stellhaus starts in read-only mode: it follows everything on the bus and sends nothing until you switch that off.
Stop always works
A Stop button on every page, and the space bar is Stop, never Go. No lock, kids’ mode or claim can block it.
Cautious mode
On a real layout, the first start limits every loco, automation included, to a speed step you choose.
Never green on a guess
A block without a sensor is shown grey: look for yourself. Stellhaus never shows green for something it cannot see.
The server is in charge
Block safety keeps running with every browser closed. A watchdog stops a train that has gone missing.
Tested for hours
An endurance test drives every sample layout in simulated time and reports any collision, derailment or gridlock.
Stellhaus is new. It has been tested extensively in simulation, but not yet on many real layouts. Start in read-only mode with cautious mode on, and keep a hand near Stop.
Getting started
From download to first train in one evening.
Install and try
Download, start, and Stellhaus opens in your browser, in simulation. Pick an example layout and play; eight short lessons teach you the basics.
Draw your layout
Draw your track plan to scale, pick one of 37 example layouts, generate one for your baseboard, or import from XTrackCAD.
Connect, carefully
Connect your command station in read-only mode, walk through the commissioning checklist, then switch read-only off and drive.
Pricing
Free. The whole thing.
Stellhaus is free to download and use. No account, no subscription, no feature locked away.
Stellhaus
Free
no account needed
- Every feature on this page
- Windows, macOS, Linux and Raspberry Pi
- Every screen in your home: PC, tablet, phone
- Your data stays on your own computer
Apps for iPhone and Android
Soon
price to be announced
- Native apps for the App Store and Google Play
- Until then: add Stellhaus to your home screen from the browser
Questions
Frequently asked
Do I need an internet connection?
No. Stellhaus runs entirely in your home network. Nothing is sent anywhere unless you set it up yourself, such as notifications on your phone or the update check.
Can I try it without a layout?
Yes. Without a command station, Stellhaus starts in simulation: trains accelerate, brake and trigger sensors just like on a real layout, with the same safety logic.
What language is the program in?
English, German or Dutch: each screen picks its own language, at the bottom of the menu. Stellhaus is made in the Netherlands.
Does it work with two-rail layouts?
Yes. PIKO, Roco and Fleischmann track are supported. The editor finds reverse loops and tells you where you need a reverse-loop module.
I use Rocrail or another program. Can I switch?
Stellhaus reads locos and sensor names from a Rocrail plan.xml, and track plans from XTrackCAD. Locos can also be read straight from a CS2 or CS3.
Where is my data stored?
In a data folder on your own computer. Every change keeps the previous version, and you can export everything to one file or back it up to another disk.
Is it safe to let it drive my trains?
Stellhaus is careful by design, but no software replaces common sense, and it comes without warranty. Test in simulation first, start in read-only mode and keep cautious mode on.
Your trains are waiting.
Download Stellhaus and start in simulation. No layout or command station needed.