Layout design

[Dave Farquhar]

I was getting ready to scan in O27 track sections into Visio and do layout with it when I stumbled across XTrkCad, which is free now. It's at www.sillub.com . You have to enter dimensions of tubular track because it doesn't know about it as shipped, but once you do that, it's great. It's available for Windows and Linux. I know a Mac port is being developed.

My favorite plan featured in CTT was for Flyer 2-rail, so I've been developing something similar in 3-rail O, using wide-radius O27 track. I'm using O42 and O34 because it's what I have. O54 and O42 would be a closer approximation, but most of my stuff runs just fine on O27, let alone O34.

[brianel027]

Hey Bob, all those old sayings like "there's nothing new under the sun" and "great minds think alike" may have some truth to them.

I came up with that measurement for 027 about 14 years ago. And if you want to make the job real easy, and you have a MAC platform with a scanner, you use Quark Express and scan in illustrations of the track and then can alter them to the correct size.

I constructed a grid pattern first on a master template and then using photo or art boxes, I import all the various track illustrations. Once you have a curve and a turnout scanned in, you can reverse them or change the angle of either the box or the actual artwork in the box to construct your layout idea.

You can also take the outer dimensions of what accessories and buildings you think you like on the layout and move them around to see where they fit.

It's a nice way to play around with things and brainstorm the best layout ideas before you start actually building the layout framework and laying track. It's amazing how many cool layouts you can have even in a small space. Of course, Thor's website (www.thortrains.net) proves that point pretty well. And there's been some good layout small layout articles in CTT over the years too (that's an unpaid*, unsolicited endorsement folks!). [:-^]

Of course, it's always a good idea to put the track down first and see how everything works first. And to work slow, especially on a small layout with 027 track. You want to grad your largest rolling stock items and largest engines and check proposed clearances before you really start securing things.

Makes for a whole bunch fewer headaches later on.

*If anyone at the CTT staff is feeling guilty on that point, I accept checks, money orders or gifts of traditionally sized non-scale trains! [:D] [:D] [:D]
I can forward a list if you'd like... [:o)] boy, am I pushing my luck now.

Actually our Ogaugeoverlord is probably feeling enough frustration [B)] lately here that he might be willing to accept the freebies.

[lionelsoni]

I came up with this some years ago; and it just occurred to me that it might be of use to someone. It's 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.