If you’re struggling with the track plan for your railway, these 5free track planning websites and resources are a great source of inspiration, ideas and of course entire plans for your layout.
Most gauges including N, OO (Hornby) and HO are catered for.
When planningarailway track plan, the choices and decisions to say nothing of the technical issues can often seem overwhelming. It’s a lot easier when starting to use an existing track plan but where to get them from?
Recently, while rethinking the layout for one of my planned layouts, I was looking for layout ideas to buildand started browsing the web for inspiration and example layouts. There are of course many websites but having visited a LOT of them there are several that are far above the others in the number of plans shown, the details includedor the ability to find plans by size, scale or feature.
These then are the best 5 free track plan websites and resources. Enjoy.
#1 Freetrackplans.com
A huge collection of plans, apparently 400 designs, categorised by size and type (oval, double oval, branch line etc) and location (for prototyping) although these plans are mainly focused on the London Midland region.
What I liked: Straightforward with plans broken out into common shapes and sizes. Includes a large library of Hornby track plans based on Hornby Track Plan manuals.
#2 Scarm.info
A track plan from SCARM; includes 3D pictures to help you visualise what the completed layout could look like.
Claims to be the most complete online database for free model train track plans and layouts of SCARM projects and designs. (SCARM stands for Simple Computer Aided Railway Modeller, an application for Microsoft Windows available to download from the same website).
What I liked: Lots of ways to find and filter track plans: by scale (including HO, N, Z, and OO), size, type, era, track make, and combinations. The 3D representation of the plans is also handy to visualise how the different layouts will look (saves me from drawing them later).
Note: Although the site promotes its application, which is free, the track plans are visible and there’s nothing to stop you from using them as a base for making a railway without having to get the software.
#3 Track-plans.Net
A very small collection of track plans but great for inspiration and ideas with lots of pictures.
What I liked: The pictures of layouts showing what each track plan could look like if built and breaking out the plans by setting – steel works, harbour, yard etc. is really useful if you’re looking for ideas around a theme. It’s N scale only but I really liked the photos of scenes on each layout. They fire up the imagination as to what yours might look like.
#4Thor Trains (no longer available)
Thor Trains was a great selection of HO plans but now seems to have stopped. I’ll update this shortly.
#5 Model Railroad Hobbyist.com
Not a website about track plans specifically but a forum with a long thread of forum members’ track plans. Tends to be mainly American theme
What I liked: Many of the track plans include not just the plan but illustrations, details and construction notes so you get a better idea of the layout and the thinking behind it.
Alternatively, C. J Freezer — esteemed modeller and former editor of Railway Modeller magazine — published a compact guide to track plans. Thispopular book60 Plansis worth a read for anyone thinking about their track plans. A particular strength of the plans in this book is their adaptability.
Picture viamodel-railroad-hobbyist.com
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Andy Leaning
Andy is a lifelong modeler, writer, and founder of modelrailwayengineer.com. He has been building model railways, dioramas, and miniatures for over 20 years. His passion for model making and railways began when he was a child, building his first layout at the age of seven.
Andy’s particular passion is making scenery and structures in 4mm scale, which he sells commercially. He is particularly interested in modelling the railways of South West England during the late Victorian/early Edwardian era, although he also enjoys making sci-fi and fantasy figures and dioramas. His website has won several awards, and he is a member of MERG (Model Railway Electronics Group) and the 009 Society.
When not making models, Andy lives in Surrey with his wife and teenage son. Other interests include history, science fiction, photography, and programming. Read more about Andy.
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