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I wanted to share a quick snapshot of my journey through O scale.  I got back into O scale about 5 years ago after doing HO as a teen and with my sons.  I really loved the detail, smoke and sound and presence of the new O scale offerings and have been collecting roads that served Wash Union station as that is where I travel on trains.  Even today as I make my why to train 90 headed north to Union Station from NC.

But along that path I did pause to figure out why I was into the hobby again.  I figured out it was really the history.  And that helps to explain why I tend to focus now on accurate representations of models and what brought me to two rail scale just recently.  I just got a couple stocks of micro engineering weathered track and a small stable of Sunset and Max Gray two rail engines as well as some GGD undecorated heavyweights  and penssy commuter cars.  I will be building a line of two rail above my current three rail loops.  And ultimately moving the layout in about 3-4 years as we have a 1&1/2 long garage loft for my retirement layout that is about built out (just had reclaimed 1885 tongue and groove installed in the floor from another demo we did but that is a different web site!).

Question being, what track planning software do you all find easiest to use for two rail?  I have One Track and it has lots of libraries of three rail track and switches.  But is there something that you all find easy to learn and use that would help with my current "high line" two rail double and single track addition and ultimately a multilevel two rail for the loft under construction?

We are about at the station (Wilson on the former ACL double track line).  Good day to ride a train!

Thanks and have an awesome weekend!

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Hi Robbin,

I've used both SCARM and AnyRail but only the free demo versions.  My layout is small, roughly 6' X 8'.   I found that both are easy to learn and use.  At least they were for me.  SCRAM is more "CAD" like.  There are a lot of power users of both tools on this forum.  I'm sure they can provide more details.

John

Having a CAD background, I really like SCARM and use it exclusively.  Although I have not used it for two rail and am not familiar with all the different 2 rail manufacturers, many types of track are supported, including Atlas 2 rail and perhaps others.

Here's a link to the supported Track type Libraries: https://www.scarm.info/index.php

New versions are typically released twice a year with new features and ever expanding track type libraries.  SCARM's author is responsive to feedback and questions from registered users.

Thanks for the replies!

I have not tried scarm but will.  I am a typical engineer and have no issue with CAD, kind of.  I do a lot of numerical modeling (Matlab etc) but am not tremendously adept at software use.  Just stubborn.

The loft above the garage is shown below.  It is 28'x16' with the stairs unfortunately in a corner.  My idea at present is around the walls with 1'-3' depth and the largest radius curves possible on the main line.   Two level at least with continuous climb?  I can do whatever I want with the garage (carte blanche from my smarter half).  What I have now is classic flat plywood O shaped around the walls with lift bridges to get through it to the center.  Three rail with a yard I am expanding, then putting in two rail additional level.  I kind of did one rail planning for the current three rail ovals and yard, but also kind of winged it in the actual implementation as I could not quite get the curve radii set with the crossovers from inner loop to outer loop and back to line up using #6 switches.  This meant of course some ad hoc changes and adjustments.

It is not shown in the detail of the loft plan but the walls on without windows (along the 28' length) are about 4' tall then they slope for the roof.  Not ideal I admit but when we had the plans made over three years ago I had no idea that I would end up at 2 rail O gauge.  As Mark Twain and Yogi said, it is hard to make predictions, especially about the future!  The garage is new construction but the house is mostly saved historic and was condemned (hence the three year span).

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