YardBird

A drag-and-drop layout control panel for model railroads.

---

YardBird is a pure frontend SPA that connects directly to your layout hardware — no backend server, no database. Build your control panel visually: create tabs, drag widgets onto a grid, and configure each one. Your layout is saved locally and can be exported as a YAML file.

Features

• Visual dashboard editor — drag widgets onto a grid, resize, reorder tabs, import/export config
• Locomotive throttles — speed, direction, and function buttons from your JMRI roster
• Turnouts — toggle switch positions via JMRI / LCC
• Lights — toggle LCC lights, independent of track power
• DC tram control — JMRI-native tram loop control via a DCC-EX sub-connection, with configurable PWM frequency
• Command station power — per-connection power buttons with combined on/off in the header
• Home Assistant — control HA lights and switches from your dashboard
• Responsive — works on desktop, tablet, and mobile

Quick start

Docker

mkdir -p config
cp yardbird.example.yaml config/yardbird.yaml
$EDITOR config/yardbird.yaml   # set your JMRI host
docker compose up -d

Open http://localhost:9273.

Development

npm install
npm run dev    # http://localhost:5173

See docs/installation.md for full setup details, including JMRI prerequisites and DCC-EX tram control.

Configuration

Connection settings are managed through the UI and saved in localStorage. yardbird.yaml provides factory defaults — it is only read when no saved config exists (first run or after a reset).

See docs/configuration.md for the full YAML schema, widget reference, and export/import format.

Architecture

See docs/architecture.md for the plugin system, config flow, Gridstack canvas details, and how to add new widget types.

License

Private use only