February - 2014

Track Plans Gallery

On this page you can view many of the layout designs I have created for other modelers in recent years. You can use the filter buttons and site search to locate plans by scale, prototype, state, size, and other characteristics.

I use a simple 2D CAD program called MacDraft to do my layout planning. It is not specialized for model railroading, but I've been using it a long time and it meets my needs.

Here are a couple of resources that you can freely download and distribute for non-commercial purposes:

Bob's Track Planning Questionnaire is the document I use to gather basic information for designing a plan. It might help you organize your own "Givens n' Druthers." It's a fillable Microsoft Word doc.

Bob's Curve and Grade Calculator is an Excel spreadsheet with multiple tabs. It can calculate the length of tracks at various curve radii and grades, along with train lengths and other functions for N, HO, S, and O scales. Have fun.

Adam Henry's CSX Hanover Sub

Always a bit of a challenge to design for already-completed benchwork, but I was pleased with this design for the former Western Maryland main from Baltimore to Cumberland. Interrupting the backdrop made it possible to include a working interchange at the delightfully misspelled prototype town of Porters Sideling, PA. The Spring Grove paper mill incorporates a Bernie Kempinski design.

Casey Meyer's UP "Spine Line"

Casey wanted to model a portion of the Union Pacific's "Spine Line" north of Des Moines. It fit nicely at one end of a 10' wide room, including a faked representation of the junction with the transcontinental main at Nevada. Use of a "mole" arrangement for staging eliminated the need for grades. I designed an HO-scale plan for the same prototype and same space for Nathan Erwin. Download PDF

Bob's Track Plans

Track Plans Gallery

On this page you can view many of the layout designs I have created for other modelers in recent years. You can use the filter buttons and site search to locate plans by scale, prototype, state, size, and other characteristics.

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