• Track plans

Smart track plans for free!

N scale layouts

Teaser N scale layouts

About www.track-plans.net

In the beginning was … the track plan. Building a model railroad layout is like creating the universe, isn’t it? (And, yes, some guys can even do it within 7 days!).

So it all starts with a track plan. It’s the manifestation of your idea. It defines where bridges, tunnels, mountains, roads, buildings and waters are placed. It defines whether freight trains run, passenger trains, or both. It defines ramps and gradients. It can even define where a tree grows. (And rumors say that a track plan also determines whether your wife stays or leaves.)

A good track plan makes the model railroader happy. But a bad track plan leads to hell. Unfortunately, some model railroaders have problems to create a good track plan. They can’t get an idea. Or they get stuck and the project comes to a standstill.

May www.track-plans.net keep you away from this nasty place!

  • model railroad layouts

About me

I’m a N scale model railroader from Bavaria/Germany. So please, be merciful if my Germlish leaks out from time to time. And, of course, my layouts have a typical Bavarian “Look & Feel”. But a track plan idea is international, isn’t it?

It all started when I got a track planning software. After that, “Track Tetris”, i.e. moving around track-shaped pixels on the monitor, became one of my favorite pastimes. Finally, many of these track plan ideas turned into finished model railroad layouts.

Most track plans are in N scale, but from time to time I also think outside the box and try my hand at HO track plans. Imagination knows no limits, right? So get inspiration here. And you are also welcome to visit me on YouTube, Instagram or TikTok.

Donations welcome!

Track plan designer

Track-plans: Download

Why track planning?

OK. You can do it without planning. Throw your tracks onto a board and start. Like in a kindergarten. (Finally, we’re all big kids, aren’t we?).

After all, it’s like cooking. Do you throw everything into a pot? No, you don’t. Instead, you make decisions.

That’s what track planning means: Making decisions. Because some ingredients fit, some don’t. Let www.track-plans.net give you some tasty ingredients.

Track plan design: My philosophy

I don’t like an endless project when building a model railroad layout. I don’t like huge layouts that cost tons of money and time. Instead, getting finished within some weeks is my leitmotif.

Nevertheless, a layout should look nice. In keeping with that model railroad philosophy, most of my plans are small or medium-sized and easy to build. They are fantasy sceneries, spiced up with a good dose of fun. The often ridiculed model railroad layout on a table celebrates its happy birthday here; flexible tracks and helix-orgies are banned.

Some model railroaders will stone me now, but that’s the way it is! My aim is not to create a model railroad layout that is true to the original, but rather a coherent layout.

  • 4x8 N scale track plans

My top 12 track planning rules

(Which, of course, I often like to break!)

  • Keep it simple

    A model railway layout should be quick and easy to build. I prefer standard curves and tracks. No flex tracks

  • Hide tight curves

    Hide’em in tunnels, under bridges, behind walls or houses. If possible, use curve easement. Start with a larger radius, then ease into tighter radii.

  • Show wide curves

    Will massively increase your chance of being nominated for the next track plan design award.

  • Keep gradients moderate

    2,5% maximum. Long trains will thank you for it.

  • Even better: Avoid gradients

    Place the entire track layout on one level. Instead, lower the terrain and let a bridge span a road or a creek.

  • Parallelism is stupid

    Tracks running parallel to the edge of the board? Really?

  • Symmetry is stupid

    Hey, we want a nice model railroad layout, not Versailles! Symmetry is a stylistic element of baroque architecture. It should not be a stylistic element of a layout.

  • Double slip switches are evil

    Oh, how they like derailments!

  • Curved switches are evil

    Oh, how they like derailments!

  • Radius R1 is evil

    Tight radii like R1 look lousy.

  • Sharp zigzag routes are evil

    Looks lousy. May cause derailments.

  • Elevation staggering from front to back

    Not vice versa. So define your preferred viewpoint.

  • Track planning

Creating a model railroad track plan

For me, track planning is more than just putting a few tracks or ovals together. Instead, I have a complete scenery in my head which is largely designed through to give a clearly recognizable model railroad theme. In concrete terms, this means:

  • Landscape

    Do mountains and landscape create a harmonious overall picture?

  • Tunnels

    Where is a tunnel located? Why exactly here and not there?

  • Bridges

    Where is a bridge located? Why here and not there?
    Does the bridge design fit in terms of landscape, era, and function?

  • Buildings & houses

    Where is a building located? Why here and not there?
    Does a model kit fit in terms of scenery, region, era, and function?

  • Lakes & rivers

    Where is water – and why? Where does it come from, where does it go?

  • Roads & streets

    Where does a road come from, where does it go?

  • Railroad operation

    Which train goes where and why?

Track planning software

Great tools! You should get one. Some are even freeware. Here some well-known tools:

But keep in mind: Grandpa did it without. And he also built a great model railroad layout. So the best track plan software won’t help if the idea is bad.

You wanna see results?

Here my finished layouts