My Future Milwaukee Road Iowa Division Update

I am planning my future layout,with the following theme.Milwaukee Road Iowa Division from Council Bluffs,Iowa to Savanna,Illinois from 1979 to the present,as if the Milwaukee Road was still running on the Iowa Division and the track was rebuilt with 132 pound rail.The mainline will be 24'x24' u shaped with 30" radius and a branch line coming off the main with 24" radius.The mainline will have 2 spurs to serve industries for switching,and the branch line will have 4-6 spurs to serve the industries.The main yard will be double ended with 8 tracks and the secondary yard will also be double ended with 6 tracks.The yards will hold my motive power,cabooses and cars.I have tried to draw the plan with both Atlas Right track software,X Trax Cad and with MS Paint Shop and can't get it to come out right.I was wondering if any one would be willing to help me draw out the plan.I have photos on my other thread in the HO Scale section of this forum.Any help will be greatly appreciated.Thanks again to all of you that have replied to my other thread,it is greatly appreciated.I will include the swing truss draw bridge at Sabula,Iowa which will include 4 plat truss bridge and a plate girder bridge,total length of the entire bridge will be 12'-14' long in HO Scale.Rolling stock will be 90 freight cars,5 bay window cabooses,3 MP15AC's and 6 SD40-2's.I would like to have the plan have operations so I can switch all the industries and have the yards in classification of the cars,have a caboose track,a track for the auto racks and piggyback flats unless you think I could have a couple of spurs for them,and a track for the motive power and a track for servicing the motive power.Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated and incorporated in the track plan to make the layout both fun and realistic to operate.
 
Industries are going to be Oscar Meyer for the meat packing plant,Cargill for the corn processing plant including a grain elevator and silos for the tank cars,Denniston Partridge for the lumber yard,Portland Cement Plant,Nash Finch,another grain elevator,Auto Rack unloading off the mainline,piggyback flat car unloading off the mainline.These are the industries I am going use for the layout.If you have any other suggestions feel free to let me know.
 
My Future Milwaukee Road Iowa Division Layout Update

This is the plan I drew with paint shop,that I can't get to work with X Trax Cad or Atlas Right track software,I am looking for someone who would redraw the plan for me that can work with cad.Thank You.
 

Attachments

  • Steve's Milwaukee Road Iowa Division Track Plan Test.GIF
    Steve's Milwaukee Road Iowa Division Track Plan Test.GIF
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hickstmj

Marcie
I also tried XTrkCad & Atlas but could not get them to work right. I will be using peco turnouts & they don't have templates for those in either of those programs. I am using good ole pencil & graph paper with Walthers turnout templates & I hope they are close enough to the Peco turnouts. Good Luck with your layout.
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
Marcie, if you want to draw it out full size, buy one left and one right of each size Peco turnout you will be using. Then use the actual turnout to make your template.
 

pgandw

Active Member
I also tried XTrkCad & Atlas but could not get them to work right. I will be using peco turnouts & they don't have templates for those in either of those programs. I am using good ole pencil & graph paper with Walthers turnout templates & I hope they are close enough to the Peco turnouts. Good Luck with your layout.

I can understand other complaints about XtrkCad. But XtrkCad does have Peco turnouts in all gauges, and virtually every other make of turnout and track, too. To me, that is one of the program's strengths - the extensive libraries and the constant updates of the libraries by volunteers. The library updates are generally posted in the files section of the Yahoo XtkCad users group (XTrkCad : XTrkCad) for downloading. Latest version of XtrkCad is here: The XTrkCAD Wiki: About XTrkCAD. And because the program is maintained and supported by volunteers, it doesn't cost (of course, volunteering time to maintain and support is always welcome).

Atlas's RTS software only uses Atlas track components. Atlas gives away RTS to promote their products. If you can live with that limitation, it's an excellent, easy-to-use tool. If you need other track libraries, XtrkCad is the other free program, although it has a steeper learning curve. In both cases, you need to do the tutorials to make the program work for you.

my thoughts, your choices
 
My Future Milwaukee Road Iowa Division Layout Update

So far Steven,no one has drawn up my track plan in X Trax Cad.I keep hoping someone will.I have tried but I can't get it to fit right at the turnouts.Have done the tutorials and they haven't helped.
 
I have a person who is going to draw up the plan for me in X Trax Cad,I will post it as soon as I receive it.That was really nice of him to do that for me.
 

Russ Bellinis

Active Member
So far Steven,no one has drawn up my track plan in X Trax Cad.I keep hoping someone will.I have tried but I can't get it to fit right at the turnouts.Have done the tutorials and they haven't helped.

Steve, I don't know how to use trkCad, but usually when someone has problems in the turnout area of a cad program, it is because they are trying to make the turnouts fit their space or force their preferred radius. The cad programs set up with a template for Peco will not allow you to change the configuration of the Peco turnout. If the turnouts and minimum radius of the plan you choose don't fit your space, you can't force it with a cad program.
 

viperman

Active Member
Steve, I look forward to seeing what your friend comes up with, I would like to see the final plan, and see some construction progress
 
Steven,I am unable to do any construction on the layout,since right now we are living on just the wife's income.I am waiting to hear on my disability,as I have arthritis in my back,and a bone in my back that didn't fully grow since my teens or an earlier age,when I get the report and x rays back I am going to fax it to Social Security,and hopefully get approved this time.This is the fourth time I have applied for benefits,and I have been turned down 5 times.I am unable to work and even my doctor says I am unable to work.As soon as I get approved hopefully this summer or fall,I hope to begin construction and I will be glad to post photos of the construction and progress of the layout.I wish I could now,but I am unable to begin construction now.I hope that changes soon.Thanks for the great reply viperman.
 
My Future Milwaukee Road Iowa Division Layout Update

This is what is done on the track plan so far,I really like how it is taking shape.Plenty of operations with this plan.Still left to do are the engine and caboose facilities,and the MOW facilities and the spur for the Oscar Meyer Plant.i will keep you up dated.
 

Attachments

  • Steve's Milwaukee Road Iowa Division Track Plan Test.jpg
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viperman

Active Member
Lots of room for yards there. I myself like scenery more than operations, but I can see this plan has lots of potential for some great operations
 
My Future Milwaukee Road Iowa Division Layout Update

Industries for the towns will have the proper freight cars for each structure.The MOW,engine and caboose facilities are being worked on for the track plan.The plan will be drawn with a little over 6' wide bench work at the two legs for 30" radius.These will be areas where access hatches will be put in.As soon as I get an update of the track plan I will post it.The person doing the track plan is making a list of all the locomotives,freight cars and cabooses I will have on the layout,along with a list of all the flex track and turnouts I will need.I am going with just one set of Griswold Crossing Signals with "A" frame gate arms,along with 8 single headed searchlight signals,I may add some double head searchlight signals for the layout to realistically signal the layout.Hopefully I will have another update with the updated track plan later today or tomorrow.
 
My Future Milwaukee Road Iowa Division Layout Update

This is the latest update to my track plan,the structures will be added to it in a day or two,that should be the finalized track plan,I really like the way the plan is coming along.
 

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  • Steve's Milwaukee Road Iowa Division Track Plan Test.jpeg
    Steve's Milwaukee Road Iowa Division Track Plan Test.jpeg
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