A Helpful Layout/Track Planning Tip

[darianj]

Very cool system. I've used it on several occasions for various things (non-train related).

[FJ and G]

I followed the Santa Fe about a year ago on a route I was laying out following Abo Canyon. I got lost several times, but found my way. I don't know if the maps improved but at that time, you'd only get a broad view of wilderness areas while certain sections of cities were closer up. In fact, I spotted my car parked in the driveway, but couldn't see the beagle in the backyard snoozing.

[casconi]

I am currently planning my layout and I wanted to model a yard after a real one from my city of Louisville, KY. I thought about going there and taking photos to make my plans. After thinking about another way to achieve what I wanted, I found some neat software that gives users the ability to zoom in via satelite to any locale in the world.

They are called Google Earth or Microsoft Local Live and you can see aerial shots of just about anywhere. I was able to find my house as well as the yard I want to model. It's great because I was able to see an aerial view of the yard, buildings, switches, sidings etc. It's great and perfect for modeling any part of the country/world. Plus, you can litterally take a trip on the rails from the sky. Really, follow any mainline you want to see where it goes. To download the software go to:
http://earth.google.com/
http://local.live.com

Enjoy!