Welcome to The Track Planner Website
Would you start construction of a new house without a professionally designed floor plan? Obviously, not. Why would you start building a model railroad without a well designed, well thought out track plan?
My designs are interesting, but not overly complicated. If need be, I can design complex multiple level plans. My passion is designing track plans for individuals whose first layout [probably] turned out less than optimal. You'll find my designs fun to build, fun to operate, and most important, they won't become boring after a few years. By purchasing a custom designed track plan, you can take pride in the fact, you builta layout based on prototypical operations.
I design a track plans, specifically tailored to the clients needs. The design will include many if not all of my seven design elements described below. By using my services, you will end up with a track plan that is well thought out and will operate as designed. I firmly believe a custom designed track plan, in the long run will save you time & money, while giving you many years of enjoyment!
My Seven Design Elements for a Great Track Plan
#1. Walk-Along Mainlines.. I feel this element is the most important and why I listed it first. With the advancements in electronics and the quality of today's equipment, model railroads should be designed to mimic real railroads. Designing walk-along mainlines not only creates a visually stunning look, but also let's operators 'operate' their trains in a prototypical manner. Walking with your train, gives the operator the feeling of physically and mentally going somewhere. The hardest elements to emulate on a model railroad is time and distance. Walk-along mainlines substantially improve that feeling.
#2. Narrow Benchwork.. This element is important for the overall comfort of building and operating the layout. Narrow benchwork makes building and working on the layout easier. Narrow benchwork also helps reduce pinch-points in aisle ways. While not always possible, I try to avoid reach-ins longer than 36', which is the maximum comfortable limit, for the average height adult. Most of my designs have benchwork in the 12 ' to 30' range.
#3. Long Mainline Runs.. Having long mainline runs, incorporated with the walk-along element, reinforces the operators feeling of 'going somewhere'. If space permits, designing track plans with multiple peninsulas maximizes mainline runs. Layouts designed with peninsulas and long mainline runs, feel larger and can be operated like the prototype.
#4. Trains Traveling Through Scenes Once.. This element is very important in increases the feeling of time and distance. More importantly, it creates the illusion, your models are real trains and there is a reason for them traversing the layout. When trains leave staging (see element #6) or a yard, the operators tend to forget their operating a model. The feeling is 'I'm operating a real train and I'm actually 'coming from' or 'going to' somewhere. The term I like is 'thinking beyond the basement'.
#5. Peninsulas with View Blocks.. View blocks are a great tool to help create the illusion of time and distance. View blocks prevent operators from seeing anything other then what is directly in front of them. As the operator walks with his train, he only sees the landscape his train is currently passing through. The opposite side of the peninsula, while only a few feet away, can feel like miles away by incorporating view blocks and peninsulas.
#6. Staging Yards.. If a model railroad is to operate like the prototype, staging yards are a necessity. Trains need places 'to go' and places 'to come from'. By combining staging yards, traveling through scenes once and long mainline runs, you've created a 'mini-transportation system', not just a model railroad. Again, think in terms of 'beyond the basement'.
#7. Prototypical Operations.. Model railroads that have been around for decades, usually have a common theme. They can be operated like the real railroads. I pride myself in being able to create, not only a beautiful looking track plan, but a track plan that can be built and operated like the prototype. I like to think in terms of designing 'mini-transportation systems'. I understand how real railroads operate and I try to incorporate prototypical operations into every design I do.
Designing a track plan incorporating the seven design elements, it becomes almost mandatory to use some type of CAD track planning software. CAD based software will guarantee everything will fit and operate as designed. Most individuals are easily intimated by CAD drawing software. That is where 'The Track Planner' can help. When you purchase a custom designed track plan from me, you can rest assured the design will fit the available space and will operate as drawn.
You can go to my Gallery page to see additional examples.
You can go to my Referral page, to read some of the testimonials and feel free to contact any of the individuals listed.
The Cost of a Professionally Designed Track Plan
Model railroaders who are thinking about using my services, will have to decide if the cost of a well thought out, well designed, operations oriented track plan is worth the investment. For about the cost of two quality sound locomotives, I can design a customized track plan that will operate prototypical, fit the available space and save the modeler time, frustration and $$$! In my opinion, it is one of the best investments a newbie or seasoned modeler can make.
Go to the Getting Started page and find out how to get started having me design your own customized track plan.
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Atlas is proud to offer free, downloadable track planning software for your use in creating magnificent layouts in HO, N & O scales using Atlas track. 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. Enterprise Software Solutions for Leading Hotels, Resorts and Vacation Rental Managers HOSPITALITY CRM Create one rich customer profile, sync in data from one or multiple PMS systems, automate guest communications and marketing throughout the customer journey. Glooko is the universal diabetes management platform that helps you understand how food, activity, and medication affect your glucose levels - now available at no cost (a one-time hardware fee may apply for users who are not part of a sponsored program)! Glooko syncs diabetes data from your blood glucose (BG) meter, insulin pump and/or continuous glucose monitor (CGM), and lets you easily.
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. Ad&d players dmg pdf. For years I used the 'all gauges track planning template' in the back of Kalmbach's book 101 Track Plans for Model Railroaders by veteran model railroader Linn Westcott. I would use tracing paper over the template. I still have the soft-covered book. It has some great plans from small shelf layouts to 4' X 8' layouts all the way up to basement-sized pikes. There are also some great appendices with planning information.
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One of the advantages of using the template was the quick learning curve! Everyone knows how to trace with a pencil.
Now we have a plethora of track planning software, but the learning curve can be steep. A familiarity with computer-assisted-drawing (CAD) software is certainly an asset.
The first track planning software I used was 'Design Your Own Railroad' on 'The Train Pak' CD by Abracadata. Then I 'graduated' to CADRail. I still use CADRail and have even used it to draw a backyard deck. As it is essentially a CAD program you are not limited to using it for model railroad planning.
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Because CADRail (and other programs) employ layers, it is possible to keep benchwork, track, wiring and scenery on different layers to keep everything organized. Many of the programs have libraries of turnouts, other trackwork, scenery items and sometimes, electrical symbols. Or you can draw your own turnouts. A handy use of the layers is to make sure you don't have benchwork cross members interfering with turnout controls like a hanging Tortoise machine. There is usually a way of adding text, too.
It's still a good idea to lay out your trackwork on the floor, on top of the plywood, or on a big sheet of brown paper. Translating the computer drawing into reality doesn't always work out the way you plan.
Below are some of the other track planning software packages available. I don't have experience with all of them so you're on your own. The free Atlas software is really for their brand of track. Most of the software is for a PC. The only Mac software I know about is RailModeller. I do most of my computer work, including this website, on a Mac. However, I still do track planning on a Windows 2000 equipped PC. That's also where my copy of Trainz resides.
- Abracadata: The Train Pak (costs. Includes Train Engineer. Windows/DOS program)
- Atlas: Right Track Software (free)
- El Dorado Software: 3rd Planit (costs. Alternative to CADRail)
- Sandia Sofware: CADRail (costs. The one I use)
- AnyRail: AnyRailModelspoor (free trial. Have never tried it)
- XTrackCAD Model RR Track Planning (Have no experience. Comments suggest a steep learning curve unless you know CAD)
- Mac Rail Soft: Rail Modeller (shareware, free trial. For MAC. I have tried this one)
There may be other track planning software programs out there, but I haven't come across them. You can find all these easily through Google so I haven't put the web addresses here. You can use the Custom Search feature in my right hand column.
Track Planning software, free download
One major advantage of using track planning software is that you have a permanent record on your computer and can make changes as your layout develops. I use CADRail to keep track of all the wiring on the signals we're installing on my Utopia Northern layout so that I know which color-coded wire goes to which signal head in which block. I'm sure you can think of other uses and they don't have to be to scale or on the same drawing. The image below was drawn for me in the Microsoft Paint program by fellow NMRC club member, Martin Alborough. This is another alternative if you don't need a CAD-type scale drawing. Good luck with your planning.
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Track Planning Software