I am in the phase of pondering/studying/and begining to plan a new layout which will replace my beginner DCC set up with Bachman pieces (EZ Commander/EZ Track). Hoping someone could help with several track related questions I have:
(1)Do any of the reference books with track plans offer a track ‘buy list’ ? Walthers has a “Track Tool” with buy lists for only about a dozen track plans. These are mostly 4x8 plans; but some could be expanded…I am leaning toward more of a compact size layout…maybe to fill an @10’x10’ space. (2)I am bewildered by the scale graphs…(e.g. 3/4" = 1’ and the like. Does anyone know of a reference that could give a basic explanation of how the whole scale graph thing works? (3)My eventual new layout may be governed more by how much table space I can offer for a given room (that has to be shared with others and other pursuits). Example, I now have a 4/8 foot table in place. I could build additional tables to build off this original and currently solo table: The room could have one 4x12 table top. Attached somewhere down the long side of the 4x12 there could be a 4x8 pennisula. Can you see it…? How might one go about considering the choices with that bit of table-real estate in place…or to be in place? Computer programs? Cardboard dummies of track sections to play with? (4)I am considering the Walther’s (Shinohara-sp?) track in code 83 for the flex track and the turn outs. I know this is an old topic to many…but it’s new to me. Any reason to not go this route with the Walther’s product in code 83?
Thanks in advance for your feedback. I want to be very careful about selecting my new layout and the pieces to complete it (including the new DCC system that I’ve not yet decided on). As I shared in another post, I invested quite a bit in a B
There are a few track planning programs out there. I’ve used XTrakCad, which is free, and an older program from Atlas called RTS. RTS is no longer supported by Atlas, but I think it’s available if you look around. There are also programs you have to buy.
Once you come up with a basic plan, you might ask for experienced opinions. Every now and then, someone posts a plan here, and a few people will offer advice. There are even a few guys who will take on the challenge of coming up with a plan for you, based on the size of your room.
You don’t have to buy all the track at once. In fact, I’d advise against that. I kept changing my plan as I went, so I ended up with different needs.
I Feel your pain. I also build my layout with EZ track/EZ command. and although I have learned how to work with it I have decided to ditch it on my next layout in favor of sectional and flex track but perhaps saving some of the EZ track for elevated mainline use.
I was not happy with track planning software, so I bought a couple of pieces of flex track and sectional track and photocopied it. Now I can sit on the floor in my living room and play with it.
I have decided that my next layout will be an L shaped 8 x 8 switching layout, which means to me that most of the yard/industry track will be laid straight on the table. This will make ballasting easier. I plan to salvage most if not all the buildings on my current layout and re-use them in some way. I think the Shinhora track will work fine. I see no reason why I cannot use code 83 and couple it with Atlas joiners to the EZ track main lines ( I know I will have to shim the track).
Perhaps this will help. I have plenty of planning time since I promised my wife that the layout will not come down until bathroom next to the train is remodeled next year.
Outside of the Atlas plan books (for Snap Track and Custom-Line track), and ones written for Bachmann EZ Track, or Kato Unitrack, you are pretty much on your own. If a published plan uses commercial turnouts, then they will be marked as to which size (#4, #6, etc) and the brand would be mentioned, and it’s up to you to scan the plan and count how many rights and lefts of each size you need - it is generally assumed in such plans that all intermediate track is flex track, unless the plan was specifically drawn for sectional track.
Anyrail software will give you a list of track pieces used on any layout you design. Without actually being in the program I can’t tell you where it is at but after I have set some designs I was able to look the inventory needed. I think it was in the settings but I don’t recall exactly. It even tells you how long your flex track pieces are and how many are used.
SCARM is a computer aided track plan design program that is FREE and fairly easy to use. You choose which brand of track to use(you can mix brands) and then when finished it will list the pieces used to make the track plan.
Breaking a big issue into smaller answers may help. I use computers everyday at work and at home, but when it comes to layout design, I’m a paper and pencil guy. Get a roll of craft paper at an office supply store and cut it to the size and shape of your layout. If you are using a published plan as a template, draw a 1 sq.ft. grid on it. That will allow you to copy the plan on your paper more accurately, using the grid on the published plan as a guide. If you have your own track plan in mind, sketch it out on paper. The most critical elements are turnouts, crossings and the short connecting tracks in between. You can make paper copies of turnouts and lay them out on the paper. Play around with the turnout locations and the rest of the layout will kind of come together by itself.
I would start with pencil and paper doing very basic conceptual plans that are based on the way you would like to operate your railroad. After you have some basic concepts, you can use CAD to be more precise-especially in determining what will fit regarding radii of curves and various sizes and types of turnouts. If you have a Mac, the Empire Express program (Haddon software) is very easy to learn and inexpensive. It is 2D without a lot of bells and whistles but is accurate.
Walthers/Shinohara Code 83 is a quality product though more expensive than some others. It is a particularly good choice if you use its many curved turnouts that can help use limited space more efficiently and facilitate interesting configurations. It is easy to lay and good-looking.
P.S. Even before doing what I have suggested above, I strongly recommend obtaining and thoroughly studying one of the most important books of the model railroading bible: John Armstrong’s “Track Planning for Realistic Operation.” Oh, by the way, Empire Express gives you a material list of your layout design.
You mentioned having difficulty in understanding scale layout drawings. Your questions have been asked many times before, so it’s obvious that you’re not alone. I’m another guy who prefers the paper and pencil approach. A good scale to use is 3/4" inch to one foot. You just draw a grid with lines spaced 3/4 inch apart. Since each square on the grid is a foot square, you can visualize the actual space you need for a curve of 24 inches, which many would consider a good practical minimum. If you’re going to use the 4’x8’ plywood sheet as it comes to you, and you want to have an oval for continuous running, then you’ll find that your curves will have to be tighter. For HO scale, I would never go tighter than 18" radius. The beauty of using 3/4" scale for your planning is that it’s very easy to get more precise measurements in actual inches because one inch equals 1/16" on your graph: a very easy reference line to use on your ruler. If you’re drawing on a large sheet of paper, you could double this level of detail. Using a graph with 1-1/2" squares means that each inch is 1/8" on paper: again, a very easy reference. I hope I haven’t made this even more confusing. Try it. Play around with it. Eventually, you’ll get comfortable with it.
I am in the phase of pondering/studying/and begining to plan a new layout which will replace my beginner DCC set up with Bachman pieces (EZ Commander/EZ Track). Hoping someone could help with several track related questions I have:
(1)Do any of the reference books with track plans offer a track ‘buy list’ ? Walthers has a “Track Tool” with buy lists for only about a dozen track plans. These are mostly 4x8 plans; but some could be expanded…I am leaning toward more of a compact size layout…maybe to fill an @10’x10’ space. (2)I am bewildered by the scale graphs…(e.g. 3/4" = 1’ and the like. Does anyone know of a reference that could give a basic explanation of how the whole scale graph thing works? (3)My eventual new layout may be governed more by how much table space I can offer for a given room (that has to be shared with others and other pursuits). Example, I now have a 4/8 foot table in place. I could build additional tables to build off this original and currently solo table: The room could have one 4x12 table top. Attached somewhere down the long side of the 4x12 there could be a 4x8 pennisula. Can you see it…? How might one go about considering the choices with that bit of table-real estate in place…or to be in place? Computer programs? Cardboard dummies of track sections to play with? (4)I am considering the Walther’s (Shinohara-sp?) track in code 83 for the flex track and the turn outs. I know this is an old topic to many…but it’s new to me. Any reason to not go this route with the Walther’s product in code 83?
Thanks in advance for your feedback. I want to be very careful about selecting my new layout and the pieces to complete it (including the new DCC system that I’ve not yet decided on). As I shared in another
This was bugging me as I know I saw the inventory list somewhere so when i got home last evening I went looking for it.
When using the AnyRail software there is a button on the left side of the screen called Info. Pressing that gives you big list. The list has the quanity of each piece of track. It also has information like the total length of all track. Length of sections if any are defined.
There is a free trial version available but it limits your design to 50 elements.
123Mike, I use AnyRail 5, and am using flextrack for an On30 layout. I builds a complete inventory and bill of material as you go. I don’t remember what I paid for it, but it was worth every penny. You can download a free demo version that is fully functional, but limits the amount of track you can lay. If you like it you may simply upgrade it to the full version.
Thanks, MB, I appreciate the feedback. I decided to go with Atlas code 83 track as I got a good deal on their flex track. Plan to buy along the way instead of all at once because of the expense. Have several reference books being studied and believe my skills/knowledge base improving a bit… Thanks again… Mike
I love to design houses using CAD programs, however when it comes to layouts I am also a pencil and paper guy. I bought this pad of graph paper at Staples for $7.00. It is 36" x 24" with 1" squares. One square equals 1’ in my drawing. This isn’t my final plan. I started putting in everything I thought I wanted and after studying it for a while, out came the eraser to rid myself of the spagetti bowel.
I also make radius templates out of cardboard just to make sure I don’t go below my minimums on radius. I don’t like the “stamped out” look of a curve that is the same radius all the way through. I like to let curves flow through the geography and just use the cardboard check on minimums.
