Jun 02, 2017 atlas layout software atlas model railroad company, inc. The first track planning software i used was design your own railroad on the train pak cd by abracadata. Advanced hobbyists know them already, but for beginners here some basic principles for model railroad design. Download this track plan from the january 2020 issue of model railroader. Train layout design elements building your model railroad. A 10foot x 12foot mountain pass roomsized layout features mountain scenery. Train plans layouts change directions free model railway track layout. Xtrackcad is free and it will let you plan just about anything.
This tool will help you visualize your dream buildingwhether youre looking for a farm shop, suburban garage or even a horse barnwe have incorporated all of the features and options that you would need to get started you can experiment with our standard colors, multiple building. 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. Ho train layout software model railroader magazine. 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. Open one of the many professional floor plan templates or examples to get started. 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 designs. Easily realize furnished plan and render of home design, create your floor plan, find interior design and decorating ideas to furnish your house online in 3d. Best track planning software model railroader magazine model. Atlas track planning software atlas model railroad. A fast, easy and free way to plan a layout with realistic constraints. Heres a few things i have learned since starting to plan my new layout. Oct 10, 2016 some images on ho model railroad track planning software. Other notable model train software programs include 3rd planit by eldorado.
This program earned the top spot in our roundup of the best home design software. Jun 06, 2016 a quick, super easy and free method to plan a layout with realistic constraints using layout design software called anyrail. Here is a quick tutorial of atlas track planning software. Scarm simple computer aided railway modeller it has lightweight and intuitive user interface, 3d viewing capabilities and many other cool functions and features, plus. For years i used the all gauges track planning template in the back of kalmbachs book 101 track plans for model railroaders by veteran model railroader linn westcott. Ho is one of the most popular modeling scales worldwide. Most of the layouts are small and basic, and can be built on a standard 4 x 8 sheet of plywood. Dec 14, 2017 2 free tools for planning model train layouts model trains railroads. Find hundreds of model railway designs for a variety of board sizes in layout plans. Professional design at your fingertips try designing like a pro at home. I feel that thats a bit too much for planning software, but it would really help me as i am working with more. Some facilitating features of this layout are the scenery, trees and especially the mountain cliff and the three suppurate tracks ballast filled trackwork.
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. Just download the setup package, install it and start editing your first track plan. Design your own online 3d building design fbi buildings. Both are n scale, have a similar footprint, and occupy rooms close to the same size. Im going to help my teenage son get his layout going. Rrtrack v5 is the answer for all your toy or model train layout design headaches. Model railroad design application model railroad track drawing cadrail model railroad track design drawing cad software application scale layout plan cadrail 3d view with photo backgrounds.
With the help of professional templates and intuitive tools, youll be able to create a room or house design and plan quickly and easily. Object library the best home design software packages include libraries of free objects, like furniture and fixtures, that number in the thousands. Easily draw figures to create train stations, houses, industries, roads and infrastructure. Many plans you see look great on paper but when laid out full size in the defined space fall short of acceptable standards. Get inspired by other homebyme community projects, then create your own. Atlas track planning software is one of the easiest programs to use for your track planning for yo. Scarm means simple computer aided railway modeller software for easy and precise design of model train layouts and railroad track plans. Model railroad layouts the images on this page show some of the layouts i have designed with right track software rts, a free layout design program once offered by atlas model railroad co.
Kato news plan 7 pdf kato news plan 8 pdf kato news plan 9 pdf kato news plan 10. He has a lot of ez track, so im looking for planning software to help him with that. This consists of 3 main tracks with two that are dc controlled and 1 dcc. At any point you can print the design in a scale of your choice. Seldom does a plan fit your exact space, accomplish the track operations you. Free ho model railroad track planning software binims. The layout planner has the ability to automatically place track borders and. Many modelers end up with more locomotives than they could ever run at once. Software is available from various companies if you wish to design your unitrack layout on a computer.
The quantities shown on the following plans reflect piece, not package, quantities. Anyrail the easiest model railroad design software. Then the atlas track planning software is just the thing for you. In scarm you can use unlimited number of tracks and objects. Best model railroad layout design software ho scale train layouts pdf. Carrera layout track planner is a free track planning software for windows which lets you design race tracks, especially for formula f1. 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. Quick tutorial atlas track planning software youtube. Scarm software simple computer aided railway modeller. Atlas model railroad company produces ho and n scale model trains, track, vehicles. Lionel train layout software plans 3d model train interior. Design your own building with our new and improved online 3d design tool. Atlas model railroad train track build awesome layouts in ho. Layout planning software posted by bpinnh on wednesday, february 10, 2016 7.
Anyrail is probably the easiesttouse model railway design tool around. 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 designed to make sure it operates as. Powerful model railroad track planning editor for easy and precise design of scaled train layouts. With a little calculation, these plans can be adapted to other scales, as well. With instant 3d viewer, model trains simulator and rich set of. You can view the layout as a track plan or just the terrain or both together. You may have discovered this while researching plans for your layout. Track planning computer software does allow you to mold and shape basic layout schemes on an electronic media, the computer screen. See more ideas about model railway track plans, model train layouts, model trains. 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. Layout planning software model railroader magazine model. Download this track plan from the february 2020 issue of model railroader magazine. Learning xtrackcad is made easy with the extensive online help and demonstrations. Trax supports over a hundred track programs from various manufacturers.
Here i want to present one new freeware program for track planning and layout design. Show off your trains with an ho showcase track plan that uses two outer loops for running with a turntable and tracks to display the rest of the collection. I originally set out to design my layout with 3rdplanit, which was the beginning of a very interesting journey. Whether it is z, n, tt or h0, any scale is possible.
The easiest way to design a track though is to use slot car track design software. Layout planning reliable train operation starts with a solid track plan. Libraries for many brands, scales and gauges of track and turnoutspoints and model structures are included. Adding new components is easy with the builtin editor. Ho railroad from start to finish model railroad handbook, no 36by jim kellyeditor, michael emmericheditor paperback july 1993 48 top notch track plans. Scarm the leading design software for model railroad layouts. Ultimate racer is yet another free race track planning software for windows. Model flextrack routes in an easy, intuitive and realistic way. Ho scale model railroad trains layout bachmann ez track silver super. Xtrackcad is a cad program for designing model railroad layouts.
Model train layout design software for mac free downloads. A fast, easy and free way to plan a layout with realistic. In order to create a new track, enter the name of the track. It runs on windows, mac and linux, simulation of trains. Arrange your layout on multiple levels with different heights and grades. The software allows you to enter your own track inventory and will calculate the different track sections needed to complete a layout. Partly from the learning curve of the software standpoint, and partly from the learning curve of designing layouts ingeneral standpoint. Something intuitive and easy to use, but fairly full featured. Recycled plastic railroad ties replace wood ties or build your new loop from recycled plastic and never touch it again. Track planning software choices model railroad layout. Atlas model railroad company produces ho and n scale model trains, track. Learning curve was not too bad, and pretty much intuitive in my opinion. Over the years ive become a fan of railroad prototype modeling that is, trying to replicate the appearance and operations of real railroads as faithfully as possible in miniature.
Model railroad logging track plans model train swap meet adelaide. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. This might be a good starter layout, or it could be a nice demo layout plan name. What track planning software do you find is the best. Best track planning software model railroader magazine. Thousands of layouts have been designed and built using 3rd planit.
The computer drawing table is a virtual sketchpad or drawing table on which the software enables our layout to take shape more quickly and accurately. Trax supports over a hundred track programs from various manufacturers, including marklin, fleischmann, peco and tillig. Download this track plan from the december 2019 model railroader. Our writers spent 10 hours researching the most popular tshirt design software on the market. From tabletop z scale, through 4x8s, room sized layouts, basement and outbuilding empires and a full scale ethanol plant, 3rd planit is the cad software chosen by the most discriminating hobbyists. Its also entirely independent, so you can build with almost any track. Dont worry if you need help, schedule a consultation today or visit any lowes store and well assist you. I think for a professional track planner, the customer would have a clearer understanding of what the layout will actually look like from the 3d views that 3rd planit can provide. I know about scarm or winrail but those are free programes with restrictions what you can and cannot do. Layout plans plans have been divided according to the type of track arrangement, and the size of board they require. This ho scale model train layout is from clarksburg area model railroad club.
For more flexibility, look for home design software that supports importing even more objects from sketchup, trimble 3d warehouse, or both. I must have designed and redesigned and designed again over and over my layout a bajillion. Weve included every train set component we can find, so you can draw on all the major. To help you figure out how to design model train layouts, david walks you through a stepbystep demonstration for creating a scale drawing of a sample layout that. Can someone recommend track design software that is suitable for afx track or am i better with good old pen and paper. Anyrail enables you to rocket through the planning phase, or tinker to your hearts. For example, compare the wisconsin central, plan 3, with plan 15, the dakota northern. From model railroader magazine model railroad handbook, no 39by bob hayden paperback february 1994. The carrera track layout planner allows you to design slot car tracks using carrera exclusiv, evolution, profi and go track types. Model railroad design application model railroad track drawing cadrail model railroad track design drawing cad software application scale layout plan cadrail. Im a lifelong model railroader, and i particularly enjoy track planning.
Design software allows you to try numerous configurations until you have a track you really like. Download free printable track planning templates for all popular ho scale switches. Large enough to appreciate fine detail but small enough to fit in most spaces, you can find a vast selection of products to finish your layout. With the trax viewer you can embed your layout plan in your own website or in a. Download this track plan from the december 2019 issue of model railroader.
It runs on windows, mac and linux, restore anchors for create curve. When you learn how to design model train layouts, you may decide to do the same, so its important to first map out your layout and then transfer it to the fullscale version. I felt that my interior was a bit dull and i wanted to add a touch of originality and brightness to it. Layouts including a continuous run are filed under the first category, with modular plans, that may be incorporated into many different types of layout, listed in the second section. Use your mouse to draganddrop hundreds of different plants to see how their colors and shapes work together. But while the dakota northerns plan emphasizes continuous running and yard switching, the. Make your own scenery objects and share them with other model train fans.
Rotate switches in the direction you indicate and bend flexible track without cumbersome menu options and mouse clicks. Anyrail model railroad track planning and layout design software for the pc with sectional track and flex track of many manufacturers. A quick, super easy and free method to plan a layout with realistic constraints using layout design software called anyrail. If you have a large inventory of ho scale slot car track sections on hand you can physically lay out your proposed track design ideas on your table and try them out.
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 designed to make sure it operates as you think it will, even before. Model railroad software building your model railroad. Mar 31, 2014 what track planning software do you find is the best. Anyrail makes model railroad design so easy, its fun. 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. It comes with some predesigned race tracks which can be edited by the user as per requirements. Use our kitchen design tool to create the space youve been envisioning. This page provides a directory of model railroad manufacturers offering track, roadbed, and bridges, plus track planning and layout design software, for g, ho, n, o, s, and z scale model railroad layouts.
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. Smartdraws home design software is easy for anyone to usefrom beginner to expert. I am aiming for a technical 2 lane circuit with computer timing and an alpine looking circuit 8ft by 4 ft. Select pieces from atlas 9 track lines and build your dream layout with ease. Sandia software model railroad layout design track. Applying this philosophy to track planning presents particular challenges, because.
For my ho layout, using walthersshinohara turnouts, various ws curve sections to represent flex track and some atlas crossings. Ive been planning my layout for weeks now and i would love to visualise it. 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. Model railroad layout design track drawing software cadrail. Plan agarden lets you create design plans for anything from a patio container garden to a welcoming front walk to your whole yard. With scarm you can easily create the layout of your dreams. Set room dimensions, choose cabinets and more all in a professional rendering. Ho scale model railroad layouts james model trains. Scale model railroad museum model train layouts g z s scale. This one uses the atlas pier set to secure grades of about 3. Add in dozens of structures like sheds, fences, gates, and even fountains and fire pits.