Railroad layout software

[rbryce1]

Someone recently told me all you need to design a layout is a pencil, compass and paper.

I have pretty much completed the planning and trackwork for our Christmas layout and I am now in the process of designing my first large permanent layout.  Much bigger planning project than the first, as there is so much more I would like to do on this one, it's hard to make up my mind let alone determine if it will work!

I have an advanced CAD system for which I consider myself to be an extremely advanced user (25 years experience).  I wanted to experiment with different layouts before I started cutting wood and buying track.   I created all the track sections I needed for Bachmann EZ track, and still found creating and modifying layouts to be tedious at best.

I just found and tried a railroad software program called "Anyrail" and they have a free downloadable demo version.  The free demo version has all the capabilities of the full version, except you are limited to working with about 50 sections of track.  More than enough to get the feel for the system.  You can do everything the full version does, including save the layout.  It has track libraries for many track manufacturers.  

I use Bachmann, and it's Bachmann library showed every piece of track Bachmann sells in both steel and nickel-silver and it shows the piece of track by name as well as Bachmann part number, even DCC turnouts and the turntable.  Track pieces automatically snap together and align themselves just like the actual track does.  You can create and analyze slopes and it will show you the grade % slope as well as the height, but cannot render them in 3D.  

You can use the drawing tools to draw the platform itself and then place your tracks on the platform.   I have even created a 3 layer platform with interconnected tracks on each layer.  

I can print the layout to any Windows printer and start getting creative on your scenery with a pencil and erasure.  Trains are fairly particular about the track radius the run on but don't really care how sharp a road, stream or river turns, so sketching is easiest for scenery.

I liked it VERY much, and decided to purchase it ($59.00).  Now I am not limited to the 50 track sections and have revised my future layout plan several times, saving each of them for comparison.  When I'm done with the one I chose, all I need to do is count the Bachmann track sections for each type and make sure I've got them all.

Again, it does have libraries for most all track manufacturer, not just Bachmann, but the Bachmann library is very complete.  This allows you to interconnect other brands of track should Bachmann not have a solution for a portion you need to create.  It does have somewhat limited scenery and building libraries, but you can draw your own and save them as objects as well.  I don't consider that to be a drawback, as there are thousands on thousands of various buildings out there, and most of them are either home made or radically altered anyway.

I realize all you really need is a pencil, ruler and compass, but for 60 bucks, I find it extremely easy to use with Bachmann track, well worth it and lots of fun.

http://www.anyrail.com/index_en.html

Has anyone else tried it or have used any other good layout software?

[Pops]

I use (and really like) "RailModeller" - but I think it's only for Mac.  However, since it sounds like you're great with computers, you probably have a Mac.  

It's really easy to use and works great with EZ Tracks, as well as most other brands.

http://www.railmodeller.com/Downloads.html#dl_railsets

[Jerrys HO]

rb
I have used it from the beginning of my layout which is all EZ track. I found myself redoing and adding more and more to my layout (35 times to be exact).
It is a great tool to have when using EZ track but I still found myself modifying sections to fit my needs.

Jerry

[Nathan]

I have been using Cadrail since version 1.  It does everything I need it to do:

If you have a problem, Tom is very responsive.  There are a number of built in 'libraries' and it is easy to add your own.

http://sandiasoftware.com/

[CJCrescent]

I have used Xtrkcad since it was first offered as a free download many years ago.  About the only thing it doesn't do is a 3D rendering of the layout.

I also use it to design layouts for others, and since its free, my clients can download it and I can send revisions to them via e-mail. This has made planning and delivering a finished plan to my clients a lot easier than when I just used pencil and paper.

I have even used it on my own layout, and I have 10 layers to draw it in its entirety. For a 3 level layout, (staging level, main level, branch level), this includes separate layers for benchwork, wiring, and the actual track plan itself. Plus I can "run" the trains on it to check the operations, look for possible bottlenecks, and to make sure the plan does everything I want.

I am extremely pleased with the software. It can be obtained here;
http://sourceforge.net/projects/xtrkcad-fork/

[Skarloey Railway]

I'd have thought that the first thing you need when designing a model railroad is a pretty thorough knowledge of your chosen prototype or if you have no specific prototype, at least some knowledge of general railroad practise, and that means looking at the real thing and not at other modellers versions of it. Once you have that, then your design work is essentially one of interpretation. I like xtrkcad but it's not where I start with when thinking about a design since it is too easy to keep cramming in track and to forget about what the rr will actually look like.  
If I was you, I'd get paper and a pencil but leave aside the ruler and compass for now. Thing is, whenever we design a layout we automatically do it in plan view but truth is that is the one view none of us will ever have of our layouts, unless it's in the garden and you hire a helicopter!
What you will see on the finished layout are the side on views across the tracks so you might first decide do you want a direct side on view, as though standing next to the tracks on the real thing, or an elevated view, as though you were on a crane looking down at everything. This will tell you how high the benching will be and in turn that will suggest how far any tracks can be from the edge of the layout and still be reachable. Then you can think about the views up and down the line and think about the buildings and the scenery and how you might use them as viewblocks so you don't see all the railroad at once and hide those bits where your rr surveyor, for no good reason, executed a sharp 90 degree left. As you do this, you'll find ideas that you like, little scenes or arrangements of buildings, scenery and tracks and you can begin to sketch out some plan views to knit all these scenes together.

Only then need you turn to xtrkcad or whatever and plan everything in detail.

[CNE Runner]

I have used the full version of AnyRail for years and swear by it. All of my mini/small layouts were designed with this program; which has very extensive track libraries. Very easy program with a shallow learning curve (although I only utilize a fraction of the program's abilities). For the money, you can't go wrong.

Regards,
Ray

[az2rail]

I use ANYRAIL, and I like it. I have considered buying the full version, and some day I probably will. But for now the free version is all I need to use.

Bruce