Newsgroups: rec.models.railroad

In rec.models.railroad, jimh2@CFSMO.Honeywell.COM (Jim Hiebert #2) writes:

    Would anyone be willing to share a review of any of the various track 
    planning software packages for PCs out there?  I'll eventually be
    building a layout, and I wanted to know if these products were in the
    least bit useful for such a purpose.


Several options come to mind.

    1.  "Design Your Own Railroad" (DYORR), from Abracadata, is a
	wonderful package that not only allows you to draw your
	layout, complete with scenery and buildings, but it allows you
	to actually populate the tracks with engines and rolling stock
	and run trains!  I have found this useful for doing some
	simulations after track layout to verify that passing sidings
	are long enough, etc.

	Don't confuse DYORR with Design Your Own Train (or it's
	partner, Run Your Own Train), a completely different product
	that also was from Abracadata.  DYOT was a much lower quality
	product, I have heard, though I haven't used it myself.

	DYORR runs on DOS and costs about US $40, as I recall.  A
	bargain, for what you get:

	    - A layout tool that provides some degree of design rule
	      checking (maintaining minimum radius, etc.).  It's not a
	      real precise tool, but adequate for most needs.

	    - Paint program capabilities for scenicking your layout;

	    - Ability to run trains, couple and uncouple cars, load
	      and unload cars at depots and industries you have drawn,
	      permits multiple trains running at once, etc.  Who needs
	      a real layout?  Just run your trains on your PC!  :)

	    - Clock and move counters to permit the construction of
	      switching puzzles, such as John Allen's "time saver".
	      This turns DYORR into a video game, pitting you against
	      the clock.  How fast can you switch your consist,
	      setting out cars and picking up others?  The program
	      comes with a couple preconstructed puzzles.


    2.  A general purpose CAD tool can be very handy for precise
	layout of track.  I use a multi-purpose CAD package known as
	HP EGS that I have access to at work, but there are many CAD
	tools for the PC that would work as well, I'm sure.

	HP EGS is what I use to draw my layout primarily because I
	started before I found out about DYORR, but also because a
	precision drafting tool allows me to generate a quality layout
	fairly quickly.  By "quality" I mean that any reasonable CAD
	package prevents you from inadvertently "cheating" - making
	curves too tight, tracks that don't meet perfectly colinearly,
	putting kinks in supposedly straight track, etc.  The
	geometric construction capabilities allow you to ensure that
	lines tangent to circles really are, to construct cubic
	splines for drawing transition curves, etc.

	I tend to use DYORR for quick sketches of layout ideas,
	brainstorming different track arrangements quickly without
	worrying about precision, and testing them out by running a
	few trains.  Once I have a good idea of what I want, I set to
	work drawing it with HP EGS.  This is the drawing I work from
	when actually constructing the layout.


    3.  There has been talk recently in rec.models.railroad of a RR
	CAD program for the PC called EditTrak.  It is freely
	available via ftp from jdb.psu.edu, login "trains", password
	"k4s", in directory /et2.  Reviews of this program have been
	mixed; but of course, the price is right.  :)

	I've had a chance to run this program briefly and look over
	the documentation.  It seems closer to the "slower but
	precise" end of the spectrum than the "quick and close enough"
	end.  By that I mean that the tool is intended for one who
	will take the time to carefully and dutifully enter exacting
	track dimensions, rather than one who is interested in a quick
	"sketchpad" for trying out ideas.

	EditTrak seemed a little cumbersome to use:  much of the data
	entry must be done in a tabular fashion.  In fact, you almost
	need a hand-drawn sketch of your layout before you sit down in
	front of EditTrak, with dimensions already calculated.  The
	documentation even recommends having a calculator at your side
	as you draw.  I still highly recommend Design Your Own
	Railroad; the (low) cost will be well worth the lower
	frustration factor.

    4.  A few months ago, Model Railroader magazine reviewed three RR
	CAD programs for the PC.  DYORR was one of them; I don't
	remember the names of the other two.
Newsgroups: rec.models.railroad