Greg, there are all kinds of

Greg, there are all kinds of CAD programs on the market and at various costs. From $0 to $##*!!.00 (are you serious). If you want a CAD program I would look at Draftsight http://draftsight.en.softonic.com/?ex=SWH-1740.1  There will be a learning curve, but for the price your going to get what you want. 

The other option would be something like Gimp 2 but have not used that to know anything much about it. 

Personally I use AutoCad, but I had training and a career in it for a while. 

@ Cadmaster

Thanks, I have stumbled upon Draftsight and I think it might work for what I want. I am making a simple drawing now. I have to wrap my head around some concepts I never learned in high school drafting class. I have a lot to learn, that's for sure. 

CAD options

While I use AutoCAD for 2D, I also have seats of a couple of free programs. DraftSight is one. The other is DoubleCAD XT. http://www.doublecad.com/ Note that DC also has a higher end version that you will need to buy. 

I would recommend DraftSight, but as everyone is different, DoubleCAD may work better for you. 

Draftsight background

Greg,

A little background on Draftsight. Draftsight is a 2d drafting tool, essentially an electronic drawing board. It is distributed by Dessault Systems, the producer of Solid Works, a very high end solid modeling package. Several years ago, Dessault Systems won a major law suit against Autodesk, makers of AutoCAD for the right to produce the software. For all practical intents and purposes Draftsight is AutoCAD 2D.  I have been using AutoCAD since 1988 (Release 2.52) and can say that when i tested Draftsight I found AutoCAD commands through the keyboard that were not in the menus. I believe you could use almost any of the basic Autodesk tutorials for Draftsight. The major difference I found difficult will not affect you since you have no legacy knowledge of Autocad. I believe once you get used to Draftsight you will find it a very useful tool not just for model railroading. 

Good Luck.

Bob C.

Thank you for your comments.

Thank you for your comments. I have installed Draftsight and have managed a simple drawing. I need to add some angled lines and am at an impasse. Thank you especially for the comparison to AutoCAD as I need to try some tutorials.

I never could get autocad to

I never could get autocad to work properly for me. The learning curve in my opinion was too difficult. For what you are doing, much easier to work with is the free Google Sketchup. It's what I use to make plan views, 2d drawings and PDF's of my Scratch sketch sets ( http://www.therailwire.net/forum/index.php?topic=31109.0). Much easier learning curve with great tutorials. The step up to 3d, if and when you need it, is ultra easy.

If you only want 2D, then

If you only want 2D, then Inkscape would work well (better than Gimp).  It's free and it's easy to learn.  To get accurate measurements, go into Document Properties and set the grid spacing to 3.5mm (for HO scale.)  Each grid line will represent one scale foot in HO.  Then draw your building. 

https://inkscape.org/en/

Steve S

Vote 2 for Inkscape

It's free and there are some really good tutorials on the net.  Very similar to Corel Draw.  All of these programmes have a learning curve thus the quality of available tutorials is the key.

Suggestion...

If your target for the end result is for making decals or laser cutting, may I suggestion working in CorelDraw?

This will give you the most compatibility with the most vendors and equipment.

Angled lines

Greg,

Sorry for the delay. Fighting a cold or something. Alrighty then, angled lines. There are a number of ways to do this.

1. Click on Ortho to activate. Draw Line (L enter), Rotate (RO enter), select line and rotation center and rotation angle. 
2. Set up a layer for construction lines with a color that differs from most of your primary layers, and set to active. Select "Infinite Line" and review the options in the command line. A or Angle will draw an infinite line at the angle you desire. By placing on a layer other than a primary, you can use this one line for multiple items. 

DoubleCAD XT has a really nice option that Draftsight does not have. When drawing a line, DC will ask you what length and angle. This is similar to what ACAD now has.

It's been several days

And I've tried a number of programs etc... I know there is a learning curve but I am just not up to it. I will stick with old fashioned drafting tools. I hate giving up but I know where my skills lay and this is just too frustrating for me. A sincere thank you to those who offered help and suggestions. 

Greg, before giving up is

Greg, before giving up is there a community college in your area? The reason I suggest that is it might be possible for you to audit a class which does not earn you college credit but might give you enough of a start to be able to use the programs for future use. Some folks have a hard time with the online tutorial formats, I know I often do. I do exceptionally well in a class room environment on the other hand.

In a class room you actually get the question you asked answered instead of the one the search engine asks that is often not helpful. It is often best exemplified by the joke about the helicopter pilot that got lost in Seattle. His instruments went out and all he had to navigate was a street map and no way to read the street signs. He and his passengers hovered near a large office building and held up a quickly drawn sign that said "Where are we?" The reply was "your in a helicopter." The pilot then said "I know where we are now." One of the passengers said " how could you possibly know from that response?" The pilot said " easy we got a correct answer that was of absolutely no value, we were next to the Microsoft building."