Track planning software choices when i started in the hobby the only way to draw a track plan was to do it by hand with a pencil, eraser, ruler, and geometry set. Sandia software model railroad layout design track. The focus of this paper is on facilities planning and layout design of a railway station based on pedestrian movement and volume. The 50 piece limitation can be worked around just save the first part, then start another part with a new name.
Imho, 3rd planit works more like a familiar windows program as compared with cadrail and xtrackcad, whose user interfaces are more like a traditional cad program clickmoveclick. Advanced hobbyists know them already, but for beginners here some basic principles for model railroad design. Whether it is z, n, tt or h0, any scale is possible. Software is available from various companies if you wish to design your unitrack layout on a computer. Many plans you see look great on paper but when laid out full size in the defined space fall short of acceptable standards. Other inputs are the ruhrgebiet ruhr area, a region with extensive industry plants, or the rhein rhine river, which however was more prototype for. Accurate turnout templates are key to achieving optimal geometry and knowing you can build exactly what you design. Design a simple and realistically working model to accommodate. Planning a layout or diorama railway modellers club. Model railroad software building your model railroad. With instant 3d viewer, model trains simulator and rich set of.
Layout planning reliable train operation starts with a solid track plan. With the trax viewer you can embed your layout plan in your own website or in a. The quantities shown on the following plans reflect piece, not package, quantities. It has proven very useful in recreating the existing plan for the eworld. Model railroader is the worlds largest magazine on model trains and model railroad layouts. Railmaster is designed to run on your pc and using elink digital control and suitable dcc. Trax supports over a hundred track programs from various manufacturers, including marklin, fleischmann, peco and tillig. Haddon software model railroad design and track planning software for the macintosh.
Anyrail makes model railroad design so easy, its fun. Just download the setup package, install it and start editing your first track plan. Im going to help my teenage son get his layout going. Xtrackcad is a cad program for designing model railroad layouts. Planning a model train layout will require time and effort to avoid making serious mistakes.
Precise model railroad design software intuitively operable. Tikz pgf model railway planning tex latex stack exchange. To carry this one step further, if you want to invest in a good model railroad track planning software program like train player, once youve created your virtual layout based on your train layout design elements, you can then run virtual trains on the layout that you have. A fast, easy and free way to plan a layout with realistic. The track plans drawn on the track planning page of this web site were all created using this software. Seldom does a plan fit your exact space, accomplish the track operations you. Use paper or a computer cad or drawing program 11x17 is a good size for the plan. Xtrkcad model railway railroad layout design software. As to the atlas o right track freeware, it is no longer available. With xtrackcad, you can design your own geometry for turnouts and other special track. The project is designed by karlheinz marks as modular layout in n scale and the construction will start soon. Quick tutorial atlas track planning software youtube.
Model railroad layout design track drawing software. Layout plans hornby plans prototype plans download hornby plans these plans have been designed specifically for hornby track, and are based on previous editions of the hornby track plans manuals and catalogues from the 1970s to 1990s. Anyrail makes it easy to create an accurate track plan for your model railway layout. Anyrail model railroad track planning and layout design software for the pc with sectional track and flex track of many manufacturers. Find hundreds of model railway designs for a variety of board sizes in layout plans. It comes with some predesigned race tracks which can be edited by the user as per requirements. Anyrail maximizes the chance that your tracks will actually fit when you build your precious layout for real. All necessary tracks parts are available for designing such as straight track. Struggling to come up with a design for your layouts track plan. The new softtrak feature lets you design professionalstandard track using splinelike tools the produce track. One of the easier model railroad software programs to master that doesnt cost much its free, is the track planning software available for download from the website as freeware and works fairly well for simple layout. The key is to use the software to do the curves for you, that way you wont be doing it inaccurately by hand. Hobby innovations manufactures flexxbed and vinylbed prototoype roadbed for all sizes of 2rail scale track from z to g.
You can insert elevations and grades, which will allow. It runs on windows, mac and linux, restore anchors for create curve. Anyrail enables you to rocket through the planning phase, or tinker to your hearts content you. Free track planning software railway modellers club. Xtrkcad model railwayrailroad layout design software. This software allows you to create and customize your very own layout, view it as a 3d model and then generate a shopping list to make your dream layout a reality. Train depot track designer is another free track planning software for windows. The premier track planning tool for all scales order 3rd planit. Its also entirely independent, so you can build with almost any track. Rrtrack v5 is the answer for all your toy or model train layout design headaches.
Track planning software choices model railroad layout. Atlas model railroad company produces ho and n scale model trains, track, vehicles. In scarm you can use unlimited number of tracks and objects. Anyrail the easiest model railroad design software. You may have discovered this while researching plans for your layout. The ultimate software tools for locomotive and accessory control plus track design. The first part of a new series as promised showing the construction of a permanent model railway in the spare room. Railroad software was founded with a single goal for the rail yard industry. European railway and modeling information rally for windows 3d model railroad layout design and track planning software for windows rrtrains 2000 ms windows freeware program used to create a detailed inventory of a model railroad. It is a very powerful piece of software and was impressed but i did find the lack of standard windows type commands a negative point.
The main problem i have encountered is exporting such a large layout to bitmap. Model railroad track design drawing cad software application scale layout plan cadrail. Libraries for many brands, scales and gauges of track and turnoutspoints and model structures are included. Facility planning and layout design of a railway station. Carrera layout track planner is a free track planning software for windows which lets you design race tracks, especially for formula f1. From tabletop z scale, through 4x8s, roomsized layouts, basement and outbuilding empires and a fullscale ethanol plant, 3rd planit is the cad software chosen by the most discriminating hobbyists. Rotate switches in the direction you indicate and bend flexible track without cumbersome menu options and mouse clicks. Atlas track planning software atlas model railroad. Part 1 preparation of the room and planning the layout and baseboards. The last added project to the scarm database in january is now a. I hope the development team can get back on it soon. Best track planning software model railroader magazine. Heres a few things i have learned since starting to plan my new layout. With scarm you can easily create the layout of your dreams.
Anyrail is probably the easiesttouse model railway design tool around. Trax supports over a hundred track programs from various manufacturers. Best free track planning software o gauge railroading on. If you need more parts,just keep doing it in 50 piece chunks. Model railroad track hundreds of track, roadbed, and bridge products from popular brands such as lionel, bachmann, and atlas, covering all scales g through z. What track planning software do you find is the best. Adding new components is easy with the builtin editor. They are sharing the precious intellectual property, and we thank them sincerely for their trust. Author mumbles and ironduke forum members xtrkcad is a cad program for designing model railroad layouts. Here i want to present one new freeware program for track planning and layout design. Scarm track planning software this is a realistic model of hof train station in germany as it was in 1951. Enjoy designing your layout anyrail ensures everything fits. The link is still on the website, but it goes to a page that states atlas.
Check out this full size roller coaster ride experience the rgs as. Scarm the leading design software for model railroad layouts. Rederring i have bought templot and experimented with it when i was considering a layout based on park bridge station on the old oldham, ashton and guide bridge line. The hornby forum is intended for discussion of all things model railways. This is another type of model railroad software that you will almost certainly find useful for your train layout not so much for planning purposes, but more for creation of signs, decals, old classic advertisements for your buildings or billboards, simulation of brick or stone walls, stained glass, window treatments, wallpaper, etc. While the romantic age of the railway will always be in our minds, hornby is fully in the 21st century when it comes to its model railway design and control software. Thousands of layouts have been designed and built using 3rd planit. There are 400 designs ranging from branch line stations to cement terminals and even city termini, perfect for your hornby, bachmann and heljan trains to run on. Railroad software provides industry defining software with personalized service from rail experts. For years i used the all gauges track planning template in the back of kalmbachs book 101 track. Discussion of nonhornby brands is allowed, however, active.
No more templates to struggle with, no messy erasing and scribbling, no emergency table extensions propped on sawhorses, no last second hacking of the xmas tree, just pop up the menus off this fully graphical software in the gauge of your choice and plan away. If youre used to windows, you can create your first usable model railroad design in minutes. Scarm is freeware and easy to use cad program for design of scaled model railroad layouts and creating of the corresponding track plans bu use of predefined list with. However, for the cost free, i dont think you can get a more powerful track planning tool. Like 3rd planit, anyrail also feels to me a little more like a windows program than the others. A quick, super easy and free method to plan a layout with realistic constraints using layout design software called anyrail. Track plan software with free libraries of common track systems. Xtrkcad supports any scale, has libraries of popular brands of turnouts and. Create management software, by railyard professionals, as an affordable solution regardless of size or technical capabilities. Some predesigned track models are available in its library.
Scarm simple computer aided railway modeller it has lightweight and intuitive user interface, 3d viewing capabilities and many other cool functions and features, plus almost all lionel track systems buildin. Scarm means simple computer aided railway modeller software for easy and precise design of model train layouts and railroad track plans. Version 10 offers you unparalleled design capabilities for your railroad layout. Find hundreds of model railway designs for a variety of board sizes in layout. It is important to ensure efficient passenger flow at stations from enteringleaving. Modelrailroad track planning software which one do you. Powerful model railroad track planning editor for easy and precise design of scaled train layouts. Make your own scenery objects and share them with other model train fans.
If youre finding planning your next layout a bit daunting, there are plenty of model railway design websites and. With beesbusy, organize, plan and work together easily with your team to accomplish your. Atlas track planning software is one of the easiest programs to use for your track planning for your model railroad. Model railroad design application model railroad track drawing cadrail model railroad track design drawing cad software application scale layout plan cadrail.