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A train in BigFred is an ordered group of vehicles that you drive as a single unit. When you move the throttle slider, BigFred fans out the speed command to every powered member of the consist simultaneously, applying per-member speed multipliers so that locomotives with different speed characteristics stay in step. Trains can contain any mix of vehicle kinds — including unpowered wagons and sound-only decoders — and the entire formation can be placed on the active layout just like a single vehicle.

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What Makes a Train

Every train has:
  • A name that identifies it in the throttle and on the layout roster.
  • An ordered list of members, each pointing to one of your registered vehicles.
  • Per-member settings that tune how each member responds to throttle commands.
The member at position 1 (the top of the list) is the leading vehicle. Its speed is the reference used on the throttle slider, and the labels in the throttle UI show that vehicle’s name by default.
A vehicle can belong to at most one train at a time. BigFred prevents you from adding the same vehicle to two different trains. If you need the vehicle in a different consist, edit the original train and remove it first.

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Creating a Train

1

Open My Trains

Navigate to My Trains from the main menu. The page lists every train you have built.
2

Start a new train

Click New Train. The train dialog opens with an empty member list.
3

Give the train a name

Type a name that describes the formation — for example Morning Express or Shunting Loco + Wagons. The name is required.
4

Add members

Use the Add member dropdown at the bottom of the member list to pick a vehicle from your roster, then click Add. Repeat for every vehicle in the consist. Vehicles that are already members of another train are excluded from the picker.Each vehicle is appended to the end of the list as it is added. The vehicle’s DCC address is shown next to its name as a quick reference.
5

Arrange the order

Use the ↑ and ↓ arrow buttons on each row to reorder the members. The member at the top is position 1 — the lead vehicle.
6

Mark reversed members

If a vehicle is coupled in the opposite orientation (its DCC forward direction points toward the rear of the train), toggle the Reversed switch on that row. BigFred inverts the direction bit for reversed members so the whole consist moves in the same physical direction.
7

Save

Click Create. The train is saved to your roster. You can fine-tune per-member speed settings after saving — see Member Settings below.

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Member Settings

After creating a train you can adjust advanced per-member parameters by opening the train’s edit dialog or, on some layouts, via the throttle page member panel. The full set of per-member settings is:
Setting both the ramp time and max steps to 0 disables ramping for that member — the decoder’s own momentum settings take over.

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Editing a Train

Click the edit icon on any train card in My Trains to reopen the train dialog. You can rename the train, reorder members, add new vehicles, toggle the reversed flag, or remove members. Saving the dialog immediately updates the consist in any active throttle session.

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Deleting a Train

Click the delete icon on a train card and confirm. Deleting a train removes it from your roster and from the active layout. The individual vehicles that were members are released — they are not deleted — and you can add them to a new train straight away.

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Adding a Train to the Layout

Adding a train to the active layout works the same way as for individual vehicles:
  1. Go to My Trains and find the train you want to place.
  2. Click Add to layout.
  3. The train now appears on Available Trains and in the throttle setup dialog for all operators.
To remove a train from the layout without deleting it, click Remove from layout on the train card in Available Trains or My Trains.

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Driving a Train

1

Open the throttle setup dialog

On the throttle page, tap the locomotive icon or the current vehicle name to open the setup dialog.
2

Switch to Trains

Select the Trains tab in the setup dialog. The list shows every train currently on the active layout.
3

Select your train

Tap your train name. The throttle assigns the consist to your active slot.
4

Drive

Move the speed slider as normal. BigFred sends a speed command to every powered member of the consist, scaled by each member’s speed multiplier. Members with Exclude from speed enabled receive only function and direction commands.

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Function Accordions

On the throttle page, each member of the active train gets its own collapsible function panel labelled with the vehicle’s name. Expand a member’s panel to access its F0–F31 function buttons. This lets you toot the horn on the lead loco while keeping the sound wagon muted, for example, without switching between separate throttle slots.
Speed drift between members usually means their motors have different speed characteristics. Fine-tune the speed multiplier on the faster member — try reducing it by 0.05 at a time until both vehicles run at the same physical speed at your typical operating throttle position. You can also enable and tune the per-member acceleration and brake ramps to smooth out any lag when changing speed.