I'm looking to do a 30" wide (variable) x 22' long HO switching layout. I'm looking at anyrail, I want to be able to use ME weathered C70 flextrack. and there #6 switches... what say you all?
I use both CADrail and AnyRail. Which is better? It all depends how much time you want to invest learning the software. BTW CADrail can be used to design anything you can imagine as a 2D item and does it very efficiently. Including designing your own libraries for track work or anything else you can think of.
I'm trying the demo of anyrail right now and wow for the ease of use and how quick you can lay stuff in... for me it will be hard to improve on that.
I'm not trying to be a wise guy, but what is wrong with a pencil and paper? Seriously, do we have to spend months/weeks refining track plans to the finest last detail? Any imput from our layout builders from 20 years ago? Just asking for my own education. Jim
I used paper way back in the day, and still sketch stuff out before heading to the computer. But (and this is a big but... no comments from the peanut gallery, btw), on the computer I can see if a #4 switch is actually going to connect properly to whatever radius curve I have planned. And with a program like XTrakCad, I can actually pre-test trackage and look for potential problems with the handy-dandy running trains feature (plus, it's fun!).
:angel2: :angel2: Back in 1994 I bought a copy of CADrail. At the time we had a large 3 level layout to build. I figured I couldn't afford the extra time to learn CADrail, getting the layout up, running and delivered was much more important. I've made my share of mistakes in life (and then some ), but after I started with CADrail I realised very quickly how much time we could have saved; from benchwork up to fine tuning the RTR track as well as the handlaid stuff. Today I don't doodle on paper either, it's much easier doing it on the 'puter and you don't have to sort through a stack of notes to find the info. It's all attached to whichever project. OTOH if the 'puter goes down we have a problem. mg: mg:
It isn't the lack of a back-up (learned that circa 1992) it is when the power fails. That's when I shut down the UPS and grab a book to read.
I use CadRail and I am very pleased with the result. My first n scale layout was free hand and it has many grade and alignment warts. I am building my new layout from a CadRail design that I printed out 1:1 scale. I like that I can know the grade and alignment are more accurate than I can actually build. View attachment 17775.pdf
We all know the old saw: "A picture is worth a thousand words". Multiply that by ten for layout plans. So here goes: Using the parameters listed in this post here on the forum I set to work using AnyRail. The result can be viewed on the AnyRail Forum. In order to have trains come and go from "somewhere" I added a third level underneath the Palmetto facilities with Staging West, the top level has a country station and behind the backdrop hides Staging East. In the same corner is the access to get at portions of Palmetto and Staging East if necessary. As we all know the unexpected always happens in the unaccessible locations. To get the nitty gritty on how things fit together you can download a trial copy of AnyRail and then select the different layers to look at. Enjoy!
I am digging this track plan, although I had to manually change the filename from PDF to JPG to open it.
Yeah, this is actually pretty brilliant. In idiot running mode it runs as either a doubletrack twicearound or a folded dogbone nested inside the twicearound, the main yard has multiple access points, the spurs are pretty well laid out.
Hey Hans, yeah liken it myself. Problem is I have 2 windows and 2 doors in my situation. Looking at the room 1 door is located bottom left corner bottom wall. the 2 windows are top wall left and right. The last door is right wall bottom corner. The windows and the right door are not a problem, it's the bottom left corner door. That is the entry door to the room it opens in right now but that will be changed over to a Bi-fold door. Any way to rotate it or flip it to accommodate the entry door? Also what would be the heights from each level? Cool I like it. Bob
I've tried CADrail and Xtrak and all the rest, but as soon as I came across AnyRail, I stopped looking. Simply put, it works the way my brain does, so it's a natural. Not to mention that it's under constant development and improvement. And the author is always available for problems or improvements. Good things come out in days or weeks instead of months or years. AnyRail is as close as you can get to pencil and paper taken to the computer age.
