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I am just about ready to build my first layout. I have been dreaming of this layout since 1995. Time is no longer on my side and I need to get  stated soon. I am not a visionary and require plans and diagrams when building things. I have used RRTrack but found it tedious and frustrating. Consequently, I was wondering if Atlas has some type of system where I can lay templates of their track made out of cardboard or paper where I can get a working plan..where all of the track will fit together? I need to be assured that when I start laying track that it will all fit together. I am not good in geometry and do not have a good working knowledge of track planning. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions of how to start this endeavor. Thank you.

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To my knowledge, Atlas provides no such product in any scale.  There are other software options for trackplanning (Atlas even offers a free, but limited use version for its own products), but if you don't want to go that way, you will have to buy 1 piece of each Atlas product and make your own full size template.  Another alternative might be to see if one of these programs will print a 1:1 (full size) picture.  If so, you could put each different piece of track into a temporary plan, print that piece full size and repeat as needed for other or additional pieces.

Hope this helps.

Chuck

Hey TrainHead......you're getting sage advice from JoeCeleb........and for years I have been saving some "choice idea" track plans for my future layout!  Like Joe said.....just choose a layout that will fit inside your outermost/inner most room dimensions..........add a spur track  or two.........perhaps add a parallel line/track here and there for two train operation..........viola!      And you can look at internet sites that have many track plan(s) ideas for free.....

PRR1950 posted:

To my knowledge, Atlas provides no such product in any scale.  There are other software options for trackplanning (Atlas even offers a free, but limited use version for its own products), but if you don't want to go that way, you will have to buy 1 piece of each Atlas product and make your own full size template.  Another alternative might be to see if one of these programs will print a 1:1 (full size) picture.  If so, you could put each different piece of track into a temporary plan, print that piece full size and repeat as needed for other or additional pieces.

Hope this helps.

Chuck

Some good advice by Chuck, Trainhead.  You need to decide on track system that you will use (Atlas, GarGraves/Ross, Lionel, MTH, etc., or whomever), then buy at least one piece of everything you plan on using.  Curves, straights, crossings, switches, etc.  Then go find a bunch of used corrugated cardboard (recycling bins, big box stores, etc.), and start tracing and cutting out your own templates.  Won't cost you anything for the templates that way.  Get enough templates cut out, and you can fit together one heck of a layout and change it around to your hearts content until you arrive at something that looks good to you and fits your space. 

Use masking (or other) tape to lay out the shape of your proposed table on the floor of the room where you will build. Buy some track of the type(s) and sizes you will use for the layout and place them onto the floor in a part of the track plan that you would like to build. Place paper under the tracks, make patterns of the tracks and tape them to the floor. Then, pick up the tracks and do another part of the layout until you have a complete plan that you want to build. Revise any parts as necessary. Then purchase any remaining track that you need.

MELGAR

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