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Having problems designing my railroad
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I use my AutoCAD system which gives me highly precise drawings, but the drawback is that it seems I can never stop designing. <br /> <br />Without it , I'd do pencil sketches like everyone does & then make a full-scale mockup with some large sheets or roll of kraft paper and a ball of twine. Trace or draw exactly the turnouts & crossings I need, photocopy a bunch of them, cut them out & start "laying track." Use the twine to represent the rails or simply the centerline of the track and place the turnouts where needed. <br /> <br />You can mock-up scenery & buildings with cardboard & crumpled newspaper to help visualize the layout in 3D. <br /> <br />Keep some cars handy, especially a few of your longest to make sure they clear buildings & other scenery. Placing some on your sidings or yard tracks will let you see immediately if there is enough track or too little. This is often hard to determine on paper when it's not clear where a car will be clear of a turnout. <br /> <br />Now, if I could just turn off the darn computer and start building. <br /> <br />Wayne
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