Free Track Planning Software

Atlas discontinued RightTrack, they suggest AnyRail

There is also SCARM

SCARM Simple Computer Aided Railway Modeller

I use SCARM because it was the simplest to figure out how to use.

Here's another endorsement for SCARM.  I am no techie and this was the easiest and user friendly of the 3 RR track programs I tried.  Highly recommended.

I have Atlas RightTrack.   Email me in my profile and I'll send you a link to download.

--Greg

Anyrail is the easiest to use of the freely available track CAD programs, although the free version is limited to having 50 objects (track pieces, trees, etc) on any given plan. I was able to draw a complete room layout by stretching out flex pieces to cover long distances and still remain under 50 objects. I have used SCARM, too, and it is more versatile than Anyrail and is completely free, although there is more of a learning curve than using Anyrail.

To all the Model Railroaders who commented on this thread.

I am a Mac User - Which does cause some Chaos in this matter of track planning software. Both AnyRail & SCARM, only work on a PC - Windows - They do not make a Mac Version.

http://www.anyrail.com/index_en.html    AnyRail - Atlas closed their track planning & now recommend this

http://www.scarm.info/index_en.html    Free track planning software SCARM

Plan A - Someone in the OGR Forum finds me a link to a Mac Version

Plan B - My son is a Powertrain Engineer for a major car company, and I have him put     SCARM or AnyRail on his computer, & help me out.

Plan C - Back to paper & pencil & a Plastic Model Track Template

As always - Thanks for all the help

Trainroomgary

Detroit, Michigan

trainroom@g-mail.com

www.youtube.com/user/trainroomgary

Unless you have the add-ons for Atlas' RightTrack you're stuck with their brand of track.

It's not that difficult to use (I have it too) but I use Gargraves and Ross track so things are not quite as they appear when I draw a plan.

I've used SCARM, which has a number of different brands of track, but I'm having trouble getting flex track pieces to work right (is it a case of combining Gargraves and Ross in the same plan?).  Ross doesn't make flex track, or at least it's not in the SCARM library last time I used it.

Either of these programs have a bit of a learning curve to them, but within a few hours you should be able to make a decent layout plan.

Plan D: Install Wine on your Mac and use Anyrail or SCARM.

I share your pain, Gary.  I too am a Mac user and am frustrated by the lack of a Mac-compatible program.  And no, I don't want to spend the money to buy Windows for Mac, Boot Camp, whatever it's called, just so I can run this!  

- Mike

I am a Mac user, and there was once a great track program, but it hasn't been updated in years.  It's Empire Express.  It's shareware with the only limit being you can't save or print.  Once you pay you get to do that.  But like I said, it's horribly out of date, which is a pity since it was the easiest one I have ever used and it did run great on the Mac.

But I do use SCARM since I'm also a gamer and thus have Windows either via Boot Camp or VM Fusion on one of my two Macs.  I also use it on my PC at work during my lunch break.

I do know that SCARM has some info on using it via WINE on the Mac, I just haven't tried it yet since I have ways to run Windows, but from the comments on the blog it seems that it works decently, as long as you don't try the 3D view.

Mixy, the guy who made SCARM posts here (pretty much all MRR forums) so you can ask him directly and I am sure he would help you out with getting it to work with Wine or one of the other free Windows emulators.

I see free or darned near free 4-5 yr old PCs on Craigslist quite often (you could probably get one for free from some friend or relative- most people have an older PC or two stuffed in a closet never to be used again), so you could always grab a cheapo PC as well. SCARM really is the superior MRR CAD program, but just slightly harder to use than Anyrail. By slightly harder I mean I had to read Help a lot to get going in SCARM whereas with Anyrail it is extremely intuitive, all drag and drop for the most part.

The best Mac based software is Railmodeller

It is fairly inexpensive and  full featured