December - 2020

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.

Bob Markle's Western Maryland Ry. (Hagerstown)

Bob wanted to pack as much operation as possible into his 5x12' island pike. The result, based loosely on the Western Maryland in and around Hagerstown, MD should fit the bill.

Bob Markle's Western Maryland Ry. (Hagerstown)

Tom Schneider's CSX Marietta Sub

Tom had already built his benchwork, so it was a challenge as always to create a plan to fit. I found a CSX branch near his southern Ohio location that happened to have reasonable facsimiles of the coal mine, ethanol plant, and grain operation he had already built. We also included a double-track loop representing the CSX main line with relatively broad radius while using a tighter 22" on the existing lobes of the benchwork.