RailMind Support
Help & answers
RailMind is a touch-first planner for Kato Unitrack. If something isn’t working or you have a question, this page should cover it — and if not, email me directly.
What you need
An iPad running iPadOS 18 or later. RailMind is iPad-only and designed for touch. No account and no companion hardware. The only network it uses is Apple’s: the App Store, which it checks at launch for your unlock and its price, and your own iCloud for plan backup.
Getting started
1 · Lay track. Drag real Kato pieces onto a pan-and-zoom table with your fingers, or tap a palette chip to grow the track from the open end.
2 · It snaps. Joints land on real Unijoiner geometry, not wherever your finger stopped. Open ends are marked: cyan for the end you’re building from, amber for an end still to connect, green when two ends are close enough to join.
3 · Build it. Close the loop, then open the Parts List for a priced shopping list, checked against track you already own.
Tip: your plans save automatically on your device, and — if your iPad is signed into iCloud — back up to your own iCloud too, so they survive a delete and reinstall. You can also export a copy to Files from the Plans menu at any time.
Frequently asked
What is RailMind?
A touch-first planner for Kato Unitrack sectional track. You lay real pieces on your iPad and RailMind checks the geometry closes, helps you close loops, and prices a parts list.
What track does it support?
Kato Unitrack in both N and HO scale. A plan is one scale — pieces never mix. You choose a plan’s scale in the Layout sheet before you lay track; it locks once the plan has track, so start a new plan to build in the other scale.
Does it need the internet?
No. Drawing, snapping, saving, the parts list, imports and 3D all work in airplane mode. RailMind uses the network for exactly two things, both Apple’s: the App Store — checked at launch for your unlock and its price, and again if you buy or restore — and backing your plans up to your own iCloud (which you can switch off in Layout settings).
Is it a subscription?
No. RailMind is free to build a starter layout — 10 straights and curves, 2 turnouts, and 2 special pieces — and one in-app purchase of US$29.99 unlocks every piece forever. That unlock is the only purchase in the app — no subscription, no ads, ever.
I paid before but this iPad says free tier.
Place a piece past the free tier to bring up the unlock screen, then choose Restore purchase. Your unlock is tied to your Apple Account and restores on every iPad signed in to it. If it still doesn’t restore, make sure you’re signed in to the same Apple Account you bought it with, then email us.
Where are my plans stored?
On your iPad, and — unless you turn it off in Layout settings — in your own iCloud, so they come back after a delete and reinstall and follow you to another iPad. You can also export them to Files from the Plans menu. Nothing is ever sent to us; we have no servers.
Can I bring in plans I already have?
Yes. RailMind imports RailModeller Pro .layout files and turns them into an editable plan, and it rebuilds a pasted text plan — one Kato piece per line, by part number or name — into editable Unitrack with the same snapping the editor uses. It also imports Kato or RailModeller stock CSVs so the parts list shows only what you still need to buy.
Will it drive my trains?
No — planning and driving are different jobs. RailMind plans the track; running trains is a job for a DCC throttle app.
Your data stays yours
RailMind collects nothing. Your plans live on your iPad and in your own iCloud — never ours.