Hello everybody…Iv’e finally gotten back into Model Railroading after a 10 years…I know Iv’e got ALOT of catching up to do, so I was Hoping I could get a little help.I have already subcribed to this magazine, so I suppose thats a start[:D]. what i wanted to know was, can anybody point me in the right direction for any programs that help me build a layout? I know there out there, just not sure who makes what,and whats good and what to stay away from…Thank you very much for any help…David R.
Try this…
http://www.atlasrr.com/righttrack.htm
It only has Atlas brand track and some of the Walthers stuff, but the price is right (it’s FREE). Be sure to register it to get all the benefits.
I did my whole layout with it. (It’s the B&ML one you commented on)
I think 3rd PLanet is alive again, if so it is a good program. The ability to design and run the layout before you build it does save money in the long run.
There are others but that is what I used and thought it did a good job.
Take Care
George P.
I use Xtrkcad and like it very much . It’s free. I found it easier to use than some – especially when designing for flex track. www.sillub.com
This is a good one too. I didn’t realize the links to download were working again. They’ve been down for a couple of months now. I’ve played with this program some. It’s a better program then the Atlas one, but the learning curve is steep. Like the Atlas program, register it to get all the benefits.
I was a big fan of the ole paper and pencil approach, and felt that the computer got in the way of the creative process – but then I finally splurged on a copy of 3rd Planit, after a friend’s recommendation. After spending a few hours getting familiar with it, I quickly became a huge fan of this product.
I don’t go to the full extreme of putting down terrain and constructing 3-D buildings, but if you wish, the software supports this. Also, I’ve frankly not spent much time actually running virtual trains over the layout, even though in theory it seems like it would be good to use this approach to test out various track configurations. But once the software began spitting out beautiful printouts of the track paln, I wanted to get out the saw and start building. (OK, it wasn’t quite that starightforward. I did go back and revise the track plan many times. In some ways, any software has the Word Processor revise-until-you-die side-effect, wherein the ease of revision leads you to spend more time than you otherwise might on tearing stuff out and reworking it!)
They’re all good. The free ones (Atlas Right Track, XTrkCAD) have fewer features than the retail ones (3rdPlanIt, CADRail), but they will all do the basic job of layout and track design. There is a steeper learning curve with the full-featured ones too, but by investing time following their tutorials you should be alright.
I use a block diagram program like Visio to map out the basic layout footprint, then sketch out a very rough layout plan on the printout(s). I then transfer this Franken-layout to 3rdPlanIt to clean everything up and see how locos and rolling stock will look and operate.
One thing to look out for - most of these programs are CAD-based and therefore very ‘precise’ (though not necessarily ‘accurate’). If you try to enter an existing track plan you’ll probably find that what works on paper or even in real life won’t work in the design software. This is due to a small, but cumulative ‘fudge-factor’ allowed in real life but not in these programs.
I really like 3rdPlanit. It is pretty intuitive and after following the tutorial, I was able to jump right in. Downside is that it isn’t free but you can download a trial version for free that allows you do do most everything except save the file. However, you can print your plans for future reference. The website is www.trackplanning.com.
- Jeff
I use the game Ultimate Trainz by Auran.com. In surveyor mode you can specify the scale you want to use. From there you can build small, medium, large and even WHOLE EMPIRES [ha ha ha ha ha ha].
er um ahem. Anyhow I use that for ideas and some fun.
Stephen
Hmm…Interplanetary, no, InterGALACTIC Railroading. Better - PAN-GALACTIC Railway, Inc. With me as Benevolent Supreme Ruler for Life…