I found a great track plan on page 37 of Model Railroader's "48 Top-Notch Track Plans" but when i went to re-create it it my track planning software it didn't fit on the board and some of the pieces didn't connect . I was wondering if anybody could help me discover what is wrong. I saw it on a preview on google books so if you want to see it for yourself you can go there.
Many times in planning software, the connection tolerance can be set too low. This means that every section must match up perfectly where as in real life, each connection has a tiny bit of leeway in their connection. But aside from that. Looking at the plan you mention raises the biggest red flag on beginning layouts. That is the multiple switch backs. Nearly every industry in that plan is a switch back. From experience, let me say those switch backs will get old REALLY fast. I think the overall aesthetic of the plan is great, but I would adjust the sidings so that each stub comes off the main line directly or off of a passing siding, instead of another reverse direction stub.
