Layout Command Control® (LCC)

Layout Command Control

Model railroaders expect a lot from the electronics on their layouts. They want to automate accessories, simplify operation of their staging yards, have fine control over layout lighting, and build realistic dispatcher panels. Home and club layouts are getting more detailed and complicated, and existing electronics for control systems are having a hard time keeping up.

Layout Command Control Development

The process of developing networks and protocols for layout control are not trivial. No small group of individuals are able to fully develop the necessary code, protocols and the like to sucessfully impliment the concept of having complete, integrated control of a layout, be it a simple 4 by 8 foot sheet of plywood to a large complex, multi-deck masterpiece. Using the current open source development process, a group named OpenLCB has stepped up to take on this task. You can find the details of their work, process, organization and even how to participate on their development process at their website located at: https://openlcb.org/. OpenLCB is developing the Standards and providing Technical Notes to support those Standards that will be used in the development of hardware to control a layout.

Memorandum of Understanding

The NMRA and OpenLCB have entered a Memorandum of Understanding that provides the details of the relationship between the two organizations and states the responsibilities for each oraganization.

View the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

Standards

The NMRA, in its standards and recommended practices, addresses only the specific standards and recommended practices for model railroads. These standards and recommended practices do not address any legal requirements. It is the responsibility of the manufacturer to determine if their product conforms to all applicable governmental laws and regulations.

The Standards for LCC^® are organized so that each Standard has a corresponding Technical Note. The Technical Notes provide additional information and reasoning about what was and was not included in the Standard. These Standards, developed by OpenLCB, are submitted to the NMRA for review and comment by the membership. Once the reviews are complete, the NMRA Board of Directors adopts the Standards as the official NMRA Standard for Layout Command Control.

Layout Command Control Standards


Standard	Tech Note	NMRA Status
	TN-9.7.0.1 Glossary
	TN-9.7.0.2 Common Information
S-9.7.0.3 Unique Identifiers	TN-9.7.0.3 Unique Identifiers	Adopted 20-Feb-16
S-9.7.0.4 Event Identifiers	TN-9.7.0.4 Event Identifiers	Adopted 20-Feb-16
PHYSICAL LAYER
S-9.7.1.1 CAN Physical	TN-9.7.1.1 CAN Physical	Adopted 20-Feb-16
DATA LINK LAYER
S-9.7.2.1 CAN Frame Transfer	TN-9.7.2.1 CAN Frame Transfer	Adopted 20-Feb-16
NETWORK & TRANSPORT LAYER
S-9.7.3 Message Network (CAN + TCP/IP)	TN-9.7.3 Message Network (CAN + TCP/IP)	Adopted 20-Feb-16
S-9.7.3.1 Event Transport	TN-9.7.3.1 Event Transport	Adopted 20-Feb-16
S-9.7.3.2 Datagram Transport	TN-9.7.3.2 Datagram Transport	Adopted 20-Feb-16
SESSION LAYER
S-9.7.4.1 Configuration Description Information	TN-9.7.4.1 Configuration Description Information	Adopted 20-Feb-16
S-9.7.4.2 Memory Configuration	TN-9.7.4.2 Memory Configuration	Adopted 20-Feb-16
S-9.7.4.3 Simple Node Information	TN-9.7.4.3 Simple Node Information	Adopted 20-Feb-16

STANDARDS UNDER REVIEW
S-9.7.4.4 Firmware Upgrade	TN-9.7.4.4 Firmware Upgrade	Published for Comment
Broadcast Time Protocol	Broadcast Time Protocol	Awaiting Submission
Traction Protocol	Traction Protocol	Awaiting Submission

Frequently Asked Questions About Layout Commmand Control

LCC FAQs

Videos

Introduction to Layout Command Control^® (LCC)

Updated 3/14/2021