Recommendations for layout design software

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

I’m looking for recommendations for layout design software that has O-31 track selections. What would you all recommend?

Right Track, and WinRail (trial version) do not have O-31 selections listed.

Thanks,
Birds

2

RR Track software would be my recommendation:

www.rrtrack.com

3

I agree with Dr. John, it does require a little bit to get to know, but it is well worth it! Their are many aspects to it. I have found doing a macro sketch on paper really helps. Don’t forgett to check out the optional libraries.

4

RR Track works well for me, a novice to alot of the O gauge material. You can change between manufacturers of track and turnouts; there are a lot of added features available if you wanted to pay for some of the add-ons, but even the basic program is very good…

Jim

5

For those of you who may be using a Mac instead of Windoze[;)], you may want to try http://www.railmodeller.com/. I have used the trial version and found it very easy to use. It it comes with a variety of rail sets depending on what scale you are using. It is shareware that cost $30, so it is a bargain too.[^]

6

[%-)] For years all I have done is start laying the track out on the floor and if it was out of walk space I ran with it. Moving up onto a table brings a lot of possibilities. I have a fairly large area to work with and have a basic shape to begain the benchwork but find it hard to picture some things. I have looked at the www.rrtrack.com site and find it hard to understand what each of the cd’s offer vs the others. I have some accesories by several manfacturers. Too new and too much time to think

7

I’ve played around with the version of RR-Track that comes with MTH starter sets. It only has the MTH Real Trax library but it’s real easy to use.

Dave
http://www.ogaugewatch.com

8

Here is an approximate way of laying out standard tubular track pieces using only graph paper. There are two versions, one for O27 and one for O31.

For O27, each square of the graph paper represents 1 1/4 inch. You sketch the center-line of the track for each straight track section 7 squares long if the track is parallel to the graph-paper lines, or across the diagonal of a 5x5 square box otherwise. You sketch each curved section inside a 3x7 rectangular box, with the curve tangent to the long side of the box at one corner and at a 45-degree angle at the opposite corner. A switch is just a curved piece touching a straight piece, of course.

For O31, each square represents 1 inch. The straight sections are 10 squares (inches) long or across the diagonal of a 7x7 square box. A curve is in a 4x10 box.

This method is not exact; but it is very close. The worst error is about 1 percent. For example, it makes some O27 straight pieces 8 3/4 inches long, whereas they are actually 8.839.

9

I would from extensive experience using RR TRACK for both O and G Scale Layouts, recommend it.


10

Thank you very for all the replies and thoughts regarding RR Track (and thanks for the pics Buckeye). That’s on the list (the list keeps getting longer).

I agree that the graph paper suggestion is a good one.

For this addition I pulled out the graph paper and used the old green tin plate track template - always an interesting adventure. When all was said and done I was only off by one extra 10" straight - which is far better than being short a piece.

Birds