Anyrail used to offer a free version, limit by piece number. Screen shots and a photo app. get you a full visual on high piece counts.. but you must mind the measurements on your own that way.
SCARM starts out slow, and you may get stuck at times as things get deeper & tricks more numerous; but there is help here, and on the SCARM site as well as trick ortiented video there too. (the author is a member here.." mixy" or "mixey"?... Milan.) Once over the initial learning curve, it gets easier and faster. Each more in depth trick really makes huge impact on looks & speed alike.
Scarm is the most customizable and worth learning IMO. Trying others now will only confuse matters and slow learning it IMO.... just don't say it wasn't mentioned 
It allows you to build in a very "minecraft" manner .(looks wise..ive never used minecraft). Ive made custom building, bridge, car, and engine representations ...all custom in real life.. I don't think the other softwares can offer that ... unless of course they updated to keep up with the "upstart" competition. (to play devils advocate, SCARM needed to devolpe the "sandbox test mode" to get closer to RRTrack brand software level itself)
