Planning your track layout

[Richie]

When planning your layout do you use one of the following and which one.

[Chris]

Started using AnyRail recently. Very please with it, and with the members of the programming team who listen to their customers and mostly act on their suggestions for improvements.

[Richie]

Started using AnyRail recently. Very please with it, and with the members of the programming team who listen to their customers and mostly act on their suggestions for improvements.

I think that I will have a look at that then Chris.

[Chris]

Hi Richie.

If you want to see a sample of what it looks like, have a look at my site at http://trains.manvell.org.uk/layout/ and select the top-right thumbnail.

There are a couple of operations that I find difficult, gradients and flexible track curves. However, the programmers are working on making them easier to implement. Their site is http://anyrail.com. They have an interesting forum at http://www.anyrail.com/forum_en/index.php where you can see how they interact with their users.

I guess I should add that I have no financial interest in AnyRail.

Best wishes,
Chris.

[Richie]

Your layout looks good, would like to see some pictures as you build it.

I downloaded the software but found what you mentioned about flexible track being a problem.

I will give it a go though and see what I come up with as I have just ripped up the track that I have layed so far as I am not happy with it. :)

[Chris]

I will post photos on my website as and when anything happens that is work it. At the moment I am more tied up with website work and moving all my stuff from one room to another; been at it for months!

If you right click on the flexitrack and go to the bottom of the drop-down menu, you will see that you can set and angle and radius. Originally I had flex track going through my tunnel and deep cutting and it was a mess. So I set the curve to 195mm and angle to 90-(the turnout angle) and found that with a very small adjustment I could do away with the flextrack apart from one small adjustment length.

Gradients must be isolated from the rest of the layout first. Then start from the higher end and set angle down, adjusting it until it reaches the lower level at the far end. Once it is right you can reconnect it to the lower level. Then take the track in the higher level and right click on one of the little circles at a rail join and select the height. Once you have done that you can join it up with the top end of the gradient. A bit long winded but most people only have a few gradients. I suggested to them that one should click one end and set the height and then go to the other end and set the height and let the program work out the gradient. I believe that they are looking at that as a possibility.

Good luck.

[Richie]

Thanks for that, I will give it a go tonight after work.

[Richie]

If I piece in with flexitrack between points, how do I trim it to fit in the gap?

[Chris]

Hi Richie. (You might have to zoom in - Ctrl-Down - to do this.) Disconnect the piece (highlight it, right click on it and select disconnect) and then:

Best thing to do is to adjust the straight length to about the actual length or less. Attach it to one of the tracks to be joined. Highlight the other end and, holding down mouse left button, drag it to the other piece of track. It SHOULD adjust to an optimum curve.

There was a bit about curves in one of the very early posts (Wishlist or Problems) on the AnyRail forum. Don't have time to look it up now, sorry.

Best wishes,
Chris.

[hairyhandedfool]

I tried using xtrkcad but couldn't get my head round it, and for some unknown reason Anyrail won't install on my 'puter. I did use HVR2, but since I had to re-install everything on my Laptop, it doesn't work, like a lot of things now!!! But atleast I know why they call it Windows!!

Anyway I tend to get a base plan on paper, roughly drawn on some grided paper, then for some areas get the Hornby track emblems and make the diagram, before commiting to base board. But even then I have to adjust slightly for bits not fitting quite right. If I need to commit it to the puter, I draw it in paint! I find it far easier.

[Chris]

Hi 'Fool'.

I tried using xtrkcad but couldn't get my head round it, and for some unknown reason Anyrail won't install on my 'puter. I did use HVR2, but since I had to re-install everything on my Laptop, it doesn't work, like a lot of things now!!! But atleast I know why they call it Windows!!

Anyway I tend to get a base plan on paper, roughly drawn on some grided paper, then for some areas get the Hornby track emblems and make the diagram, before commiting to base board. But even then I have to adjust slightly for bits not fitting quite right. If I need to commit it to the puter, I draw it in paint! I find it far easier.

I've tried many different track/railway design programs and never managed to get into any of them except a very simple one that long went out of production. DRail (now AnyRail) was recommended to me and I went for it as it was so simple, though it does have its quirks.

I have to admit I don't find Paint much use for anything apart from putting text onto an image, but there are other packages that do that better.

I cannot think why AnyRail would ot install. What error messages did you get?

Best wishes,
Chris.

[hairyhandedfool]

"The administrator will not allow you to install the program"

Or something like that, its my blinking PC and I have never seen that come up before!

[Chris]

Was it you who was on teh AnyRail forum with just that complaint? If not, the person who had teh problem downloaded the next upgrade and all was well. Could juts have been a corrupted download.

[hairyhandedfool]

It wasn't me, my PC is completely [insert expletive] at the moment anyway, but I'll give it a try when its fixed (power supply problem).

[lukee]

Has anyone tried using those Hornby track planners? They are 1/4 scale track pieces that you can use to plan a layout. They'd probably be good to glue down and use as a diagram, maybe for point/signal switches as well. I'm thinking that might be the way to go for me. I'm a bit more hands-on. :)

http://www.hornby.com/power-and-accessories-90/r619/product.html

[hairyhandedfool]

They're not bad, really for small layouts, the little joining bits at the end of each piece can break off over time and some of the pieces don't align properly, but as a guide it is useful. Allow a little room in your planning just in case its slightly out.

[lukee]

They're not bad, really for small layouts, the little joining bits at the end of each piece can break off over time and some of the pieces don't align properly, but as a guide it is useful. Allow a little room in your planning just in case its slightly out.

Cheers. That'll be useful. I did consider making a couple of inches more room to allow for error. :)

[Bengunn]

Hi, Hairy (if you model railways you ain't no fool!),
If you want a good computer program for layout design try TEMPLOT, it's excellent! Visit the website at -
www.templot.com
- and read the instructions, etc, and see the examples, it's well worth a visit. The print-off sheets are simply stuck down on your baseboard, or whatever, and the track laid over it. The scale is so good (I model in EM gauge) that you can use the print-off as a straight template for hand-built track (which I do!) and it handles just about every track formation you can think of - including double slips, three-way points, etc, and enables you to put them together in any number of complex ways. In addition, it enables you to plan and map out your scenery, marking the buildings, etc, in on the final print-outs.

Best part, I think, is that it enables you to go 'back to the drawing board' and make alterations to the original if you find that it might be better to make changes. Once done, you merely print off the changed section pages and stick them over the previous ones!

Check out and enjoy!!!

Bengunn

[Duck-Halt]

Hi i'm using Anyrail, Can anyone tell me what the main differences are on between the free download version and the bought one.
Thanks,
Chris.

[Chris]

I think you will find that the free version limits you to just 50 track elements.

I have been using AnyRail (it used to be called DRail) since February 2008 and can honestly say that is is the most intuitive of all the track planners that I have used; and I have spent a fortune trying to find one that I can understand and/or which doesn't crash ever few minutes. What's more, the team that wrote it are very responsive to suggestion and reports of problems. You can find their forum at http://www.anyrail.com/forum_en/index.php and you don't have to own the program to post there and get replies.

Best wishes,
Chris.

[Duck-Halt]

Thanks Chris, Yes it is good, and i know nothing about laying track, but after a bit of a play around starting to understand it.
Chris.