Irv,

It's possible to print out the track plan full size, but I've never done it. Most model railroaders will be able to translate directly from a CAD drawing to the real world without having to "tweak" things a little. And that's not a bad thing. Usually when you're looking at things full size changes become apparent that make the finished scene better.

As far as making a device to measure curve radius get a yardstick from a local hardware store or home improvement center, drill holes every inch that represents your radius + 1" (so, for a 17" radius curve drill a hole at 18") large enough to hold a pencil. Then drill a smaller hole (for a nail or pin) in the 1" mark. Locate the approximate arc of the curve by swinging the yardstick until you find the spot where it works, pin the 1" end in place with a small brad or nail (or even a push pin), place the pencil in the hole for the radius, and draw your centerline.

A lot easier, faster, and cheaper than messing with a fancy program.

Marty

First of all, I know how to make a compass out of yardstick. The problem is not everyone does. And sometimes they don't even know where to get a yardstick. But if you have a Micromark catalogue handy you can find a kind of tape measure that is set up to do it. They also have devices that you put on a yardstick that lets you do the same thing.

What I was getting at in my original post was bein able to lay the track plan that you end up with in 3rd Planit or any model railroad CAD softare out on top of your benchwork or even on the floor to see how it actually looks before you do anything else. I also think it would be useful to be able to use that trackplan as a template to layout your actual track and roadbed to play with for a while. I know this is already in 3rd Planit but seeing it on your computer screen and actually in your train room are not the same thing. It's sort of like looking at the trackplan of Joe's layout and then watching it on video or in person. You really need to see it in action to really understand how it works and why works.

Maybe I am expecting to much, but I do think anything that makes life easier for the the person designing a layout is better than than just guessing.

Irv

I printed out my track plan in XtrkCad full size and laid it out on the table and everything fit pretty much perfectly.  Its just I dismantled that layout shortly after putting down the track.  Fortunately, I didn't caulk it down because I thought it might be temporary and it ended up being so.

 Useful yes, easier, I don't think so.

So you're saying that 3rd PlanIt is easier to work through than drilling holes in a stick? 

Sorry, I can't buy that. The learning curve on 3rd Plan It is fairly steep, and it seems that's a lot of time and effort to learn a program just to print out a template that can be laid on the benchwork full size. 

There's certainly a utility to CAD design programs (I use one, but only after I've done plenty of pencil sketching in advance) but there's really easier ways to transfer the track plan to the surface (or lay it out on the floor - my new "layout" is being laid out with empty moving boxes to get a feel for aisle width and deck height. Th benchwork shape is easily laid out full size with cardboard cut to shape.

Much easier than a CAD program, and GREAT exercise!

Marty

I've found that my printer isn't accurate enough at paper handling to be able to paste up an accurate full size version of even a small layout. Doing so for the 1100 foot monster in my basement would be a disaster (and defoliate a large portion of a small forest too).

Instead I measure certain key distances from corners and walls. Then I snap a chalk line on the floor (best done with a helper!) to locate benchwork components or edges. I can also have 3rd planit tell me where the centers of the curves are located and the radii of the curves letting me use the trammel method previously discussed (that method needs modification when used with radii larger than 35").

I create my CAD plans with enough 'fudge factor' (slop) so that measuring errors aren't going to be  issues for me.  I too have resorted to piling stuff next to aisles to see how the widths will work and how the heights will seem. Marty has built a lot more layouts than I have!

Once I get benchwork in place I mark track locations either on sheets of plywood for flat areas or the tops of joists for areas where the track will be on spline roadbed. In general though, unless you're doing some really complex trackwork in tight quarters being 1/2" closer or further from the benchwork edge or the wall or backdrop won't matter very much.

Cheers,

Charlie

Charlie, I have found that accurate CAD drawing printed out on 11" x 14" paper then stiched together allows for very accurate placement of subroadbed, roadbed and tracks specially on curves. By doing some cookie cutting of the sheets then tracing edge lines on the roadbed things line up pretty well, specially on modules. See below:

Charlie:

I too have found that printing the plan out full size helps when laying out lots of trackwork like is found in yard areas. I did the design of my Siskiyou Line before there was much in the way of model railroad track planning tools on computer - and I used Canvas, a general purpose CAD package that's available for the Mac and the PC.

I printed out the Roseburg yard area full sized and pasted the pages down onto the wallboard, then laid the track out on top of the full-sized plan. Canvas has the nice feature that as you print out a drawing that's been tiled to regular paper, you can have it number the pages so you know how to put it all back together.

Here's some photos of me laying out Roseburg yard in this manner. These photos show me just laying out the pages to see how everything will fit. Later I came back and glued down all the pages with a liberal application of rubber cement, and I used a quart jar as a "rolling pin" to smooth out the sheets as I went along.

OK, Marty. I may be abit lazy but I just want to get to something that works.

I've drilled holes in a yardstick before and I do know it works. Where one can get in trouble with that is that you need to have a solid point to use as the center. If that point doesn't exist in the layout, you can lay it out on the floor or on a piece of paper large enough to transfer to the layout. That was what I was talking about when I said it would be nice to get the 3rd Planit design onto a template that could be laid directly on the benchwork.

I had a lumber based layout last time and it got kind of difficult to work with on my own. That layout was workable but it wasn't used for the last 21 years primarily because it wasn't soemthing I enjoyed doing. That one one came down last May and now I am trying to replace with with something different using the Woodland Scenics Mod-U-Rail system. Its light enough to be easily moved and carried to all sort of places (especially outside). THese things are really and when someone isn't exactly Superman they make great things to deal with.

I've put my benchwork up here for all to see but I have yet to develop a trackplan and that is what I intend to use 3rd Planit for. I might not need if I had your experience, but, since I don't, this software should give me a chance to brainstorm and see what works and what doesn't. And remember, too, I am a solo modeler (not by choice) so I have to figure out certain things others have learned from other model railroaders. That's one of the reasons why I find on line sites and magazines like this one so attractive. Where else could I have a cnversatioin with folks like you and Joe?

Irv

I use 3rd Planit and printed out a plan for the club when we recently changed our minds about the track plan( for the millionth time it seemed). Having a full size version very quickly stopped some of the wish list ideas from getting in the way of reality.

Members couls see exactly what we were planning and building it was simple as we just cut to plan.

It even allowed for some mock running to see if the plan flowed as  a railroad should.

My 2 cents worth guys.

Paul

I draw with AutoCAD. For my new Westport I needed a throat with a few turnouts. I made the template for the turnouts and printed on many sheets.

To get no kinks I made in another color  a few long lines. With a long staff I could adjust the different sheets.

Then I could glue the ties.

Wolfgang