Still learning XtrkCad.....it doesn't want to let you do free form curves easily....along with my limited skill set.

This is just the rough-in of the main line.   Sorry for no labels yet, but the yard area I started on is in the lower left corner.

Any and all constructive criticism is welcome.

A couple facts about the layout to be:

Modeling from track charts and photos of the area.   It will be operated prototypically, but not sure how many trains will be run during a 'typical' session.  In the late 70s, there were basically three through trains in each direction, a local that went out and back, and three shifts of a mine job that basically worked the area I'm modeling.   The entire section of the layout represents the busiest 25 miles closest to St Louis on a secondary main.

I am going to try a lot of new techniques for me.   Although the yard area will be typical plywood with homasote sheet on top(since the existing section is already built), most of the rest of the layout will be built with homasote splines ala Jeff Otto.   The around the walls part will be studs set sideways and Tapcon'ed to the walls.   However, I am planning on building little(around 16 inches wide) standalone frames that can be set up for whatever curves I want in the peninsulas.   Obviously, the peninsulas are not symmetrical on purpose.  There will also be a branch off of the main north of Freeburg(again sorry for no labels yet) where there was a large wye that went back a couple miles to the Peabody River King mine(the real mine had both underground and strip mining areas)   My branch will probably only run back 15 feet or so, but hope to have the loader and the cleaning loader/unloader.

Almost all trackage will be code 70....flext track and whatever switches work....Central Valley ME or Shinohara....we'll see.   layout height starts at 54" at E St Louis(river level) then up a 1 percent through the bluffs to Belleville(which actually had helpers both during steam and diesel days).  #6 minimum(except the west end of the yard which is cosmetic, and the switch engine pocket at the top of the hump...ahh...got a lot of #4s I have to use up...lol)    30 inch min radius with some hopefully larger scenic curve areas.

Am doing this on a tight budget, but so far, outside of the homasote for the splines, most of the lumber and hardware should come from the old layout.

It is basically point to point, but plan to have a long 'bridge' for continous running, plus getting stuff to and from staging behind New Athens, IL 

This is gonna take a while, but am so much more fired up than on the last layout, which as Joe likes to call them, was a chainsaw layout(although I prefer reciprocating saw)

...about posting, not model railroading, actually. Instead of posting updates to the track plan as new comments, why not make them new posts? That's what a blog is for. OK, I'll admit to a selfish reason: I track blogs using RSS, and it notifies me of new posts here, but not new comments.

About XTrkCad: It's not about free-form curves so much as forcing one to be honest about radii and easements. I've generally used it by placing circles of the desired radius in the corners, then using the Join tool to create tangent (or very slightly curved track) in between.

one an interesting track plan. Let me know when we start operating. :)
John

but I find SCARM easier to use than anything else.  The flextrack tool is very easy and more intuitive than any other I've tried. I like the basic shape of the plan and will be interested to see further development.

Michael

just wondering.   also, how easy to learn?  any tutorials?   

thanks for any info.

did you move yet?    where you going to?  gonna have room for a new layout?

http://www.scarm.info/index_en.html

SCARM looks very nice. I just wish there was something equivalent for Macs. I've tried a few, but not 100% trilled with any of the options I've used so far.

Loren--

Congratulations on a new beginning!

A couple of thoughts that struck me when looking at the track plan were:

• Do you plan to have staging?  If so, where is that located and how to get in / out of it?
• ICG appears to have had a sizeable yard on this division...It may be challenging to scale that down into the 15' along the wall to the lower left.
• The two pennisula "blobs" at upper left and center right appear to consume considerable square footage.
• If a duck/nod under or gate opening -- I'd recommend the latter -- is not out-of-the question, you may find some additional opportunities in routing track around the stair area
• Double deck or single deck?  Some doubling can be accomplished with grades alone and would not require a helix

--Rich Steenwyk

Milwaukee, WI