Get Involved!
Get involved in the openSignalBox project.
Users
Although it is intended for openSignalBox to provide virtual simulations of signalboxes for home use, our first priority will be to publish software for preserved physical signalboxes. We have a few initial users who will be performing alpha testing on the framework, but once that is complete we will be releasing an initial version for beta testing.
If you have a signalbox which could benefit from a new and supported simulator, please get in touch using the email on the homepage. We will have the ability to communicate with virtually any existing hardware, so opensignalbox can simply be added to an existing computer-controlled setup, rather than replacing it.
Even if you aren’t interested in using our software, we would like to hear about any odd requirements you have for simulation, or problems your existing simulator has. This will allow us to solve these issues in our software and prioritise the development of new features.
Current Users
Below is a list of current users of openSignalBox. As the software is still under development, they have installed recommended hardware and have been facilitating testing. Please get in touch if you would like to be included on this list.
Developers
The openSignalBox framework has been designed with collaboration in mind, so it is written in clean Python using common libraries. We have a small development team of four at the moment, but welcome the offer of help from others with experience of Python web services, particularly using FastAPI or ZeroMQ. Several of our developers have experience writing signalling simulators, but again we welcome people to get involved as we begin to implement more principles into the software.
We have modules planned for 3D rendering of train movements (e.g. level crossing CCTV, signalbox window screens, VR support) - so at some point we will also be on the lookout for people proficient in Unreal or Unity game engines (or an alternative!).
For those who are interested in developing their own modules, this will be fully documented on the initial release, so hang tight until that occurs in 2025!