# High Rail — Control Your Lionel LCS Layout > Control Lionel Legacy engines and SensorTracks with a gesture interface. (iPhone/iPad app by High Rail, LLC.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/high-rail/id842021291 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [High Rail, LLC](https://appshunter.io/developer/490506447) - Category: Utilities, Entertainment - Price: Free - Rating: 4.92/5 from 12 App Store ratings · 2 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 4+ - Requires: iOS 16.4 · 3 MB - Languages: English - Released: 2015-06-13 - Data updated: 2026-06-10 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/high-rail/id842021291/reviews.md ## What is High Rail? High Rail allows you to control your Lionel Legacy Engines and Lionel SensorTracks. Lionel Legacy Engine Control Control your engine's speed, direction, quilling whistle, bell and more using an awesome gesture-driven interface. There are ten unique gestures: • Change Speed • Quilling Whistle • Ding Bell • Halt System • Turn Bell On/Off • Open Front Coupler • Open Rear Coupler • Go Forward • Go Backward • Adjust Momentum (reach target speed faster/ slower) Control an engine's physical effects • Turn on and off the cab light and ditch lights • Control the smoke unit output • Power the engine up and down (with crew talk options) • Change engine speed to predefined railroad speeds (with crew talk options) • Adjust momentum (reach target speed faster/ slower) • Reset engine The new Gesture Assistant helps you discover and master each gesture. Engine Style You can customize the engine control appearance for each engine. This allows for a fun and easy way to visually locate, for example, your Union Pacific SD-40 engine in the engine list. There are several Engine Style options to help you personalize your engines: • Select an image of your engine from your Photo Library. • Take an image of your engine directly from the app. • Use an app generated image (shortened name plus road number). • iPad users can drag and drop photos. SensorTrack™ Recording • Quickly and easily begin a recording without having to press the physical SensorTrack™ record button. • Track the recording progress. • Green – plenty of room left in the recording. • Yellow – recording is starting to fill up. • Red – you better wrap up the recording. SensorTrack™ Predefined Actions • Quickly switch between the predefined recordings without having to press the physical SensorTrack™ program button. LCS Module Discovery • All connected LCS modules and SensorTracks are automatically discovered. LCS Module Identification • All Lionel LCS hardware modules can turn on an identification LED. • Easily identify any connected module or SensorTrack™. Connectivity Notes • High Rail connects to a Lionel Layout Control System (LCS) Wi-Fi and other LCS hardware control devices. • Users may connect via LCS Wi-Fi "access point" or "home" network. • Full app functionality requires a Lionel Legacy Base. Important Notes: • The engine control feature only works with Lionel Legacy engines. Lionel TMCC engines are not currently supported. • Users must have a Lionel Legacy Base to use the Legacy Engine Control feature. • It typically goes without saying, but, users using the new Legacy Engine Control feature need to make sure to have quick access to turn off track power to avoid engine collision accidents (or other accidents that may harm your existing layout). All Lionel hardware is available from Lionel, LLC. ## Key features - Gesture-driven engine control - Engine physical effect management - Customizable engine appearance - SensorTrack recording and actions - Automatic LCS module discovery - Module identification LED ## Recent user reviews (2 of 2) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/high-rail/id842021291/reviews.md ### 5/5 — CMO *2016-07-10, version 2.0.0* Awesome app! Works great and new features with every update. ### 5/5 — Great tool for Lionel Users *2016-07-10, version 2.0.0* Excellent application to program Lionel SensorTracks, run Legacy Engines and control LCS equipment. I love using this app to control my SensorTracks on the backside of my layout because there is no need to touch the switch on the track. I can control them from anywhere in my train room. It is easy to use all of the functions of the SensorTrack. Running trains is easy too, controlling speed, switching direction, working the couplers and most of all, the quilling whistle! Great app! ## Frequently asked questions about High Rail ### What Lionel engines does High Rail support? High Rail's engine control feature specifically works with Lionel Legacy engines. Lionel TMCC engines are not currently supported by this functionality. Users must have a Lionel Legacy Base to utilize the Legacy Engine Control feature. ### How does High Rail connect to my train layout? High Rail connects to a Lionel Layout Control System (LCS) Wi-Fi. Users can connect via the LCS Wi-Fi "access point" or their "home" network. Full app functionality requires a Lionel Legacy Base. ### Can I customize the look of my engines in High Rail? Yes, you can customize the engine control appearance for each engine. Options include selecting an image from your Photo Library, taking a new photo, or using an app-generated image with the engine's name and road number. ### How does the SensorTrack recording work in High Rail? High Rail allows you to quickly start and track SensorTrack recordings without using the physical button. The app provides visual indicators (green, yellow, red) to show how much recording space is remaining. ### Does High Rail have ads? No, High Rail does not contain advertisements. The app is completely ad-free, allowing for an uninterrupted user experience. ### What devices is High Rail available on? High Rail is available for both iPhone and iPad devices. The app is designed to be compatible with these Apple mobile platforms. ### How often is High Rail updated? The latest version of High Rail is 3.8.0, last updated on May 28, 2023. This indicates a relatively active development cycle, with updates released periodically to improve functionality and address any issues. ### What is the age rating for High Rail? High Rail has an age rating of 4+. This suggests that the app is suitable for young children and does not contain content that would be considered inappropriate for that age group. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 3.8.0 — 2023-05-28 Minor improvements. ### 3.6.0 — 2022-01-30 The gesture-driven engine speed control now plays haptic feedback for every change in the engine's speed step. This closely matches Lionel's CAB2 physical speed control wheel. ### 3.5.0 — 2021-02-20 Updated to iOS 14, and includes minor improvements and bug fixes. ### 3.1.0 — 2018-01-28 Minor improvements and bug fixes. ### 3.0.0 — 2017-10-04 iPad users can now quickly and easily change an engine's image by dragging and dropping photos. • go to Engines tab. • next, open the Photos app in split view. • drag any photo from Photos over to High Rail and drop the image on top of an engine. • that's it. Other notes • minor improvements. • minor bug fixes. ## Apps similar to High Rail | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Locontrol - DCC Controller](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/locontrol-dcc-controller/id1473757920) | 3.0 (15) | Free | Utilities | | [ServiceMemo](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/servicememo/id6468877109) | — | $0.99 | Utilities | | [CusKey Customizable Keyboard](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/cuskey-customizable-keyboard/id1598777250) | 4.1 (8) | $0.99 | Utilities | | [RepeaterPhone](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/repeaterphone/id1637247024) | 4.5 (79) | $7.99 | Utilities | | [Tri-func](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/tri-func/id496807268) | 5.0 (1) | Free | Utilities | | [Bosch Control](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/bosch-control/id1031837185) | 1.6 (5) | Free | Utilities | --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-06-10.*