Apparatus and method for controlling a railway vehicle

The invention relates in particular to a device for controlling a railway vehicle (10). According to the invention the device is characterized by an image capturing device (20, 20 ') for taking an image or an image sequence, and one with the image capture device (20, 20') related image recognition device (30) which is adapted to receive a control command character or a control command movement in to generate the image recorded by the image recording device or to detect in the captured by the image capturing device image sequence and the control command character or control command movement corresponding control signal (ST, ST ') for controlling the rail vehicle (10).