March - 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.

Nathan Erwin's UP Spine Line

I developed two plans for the UP's route from Des Moines north to Nevada, IA. This is the HO version. Download PDF

Patrick Williams' NS Reading Line

Another in my Hershey-inspired pikes based on former Reading Lines through central Pennsylvania. This design uses an unusual wye arrangement to turn trains on either end for staging; I thought it was good use of what otherwise would have been wasted space. Download PDF