Layout design best way to get from head to design

[station master]

Morning gents,

Looking for some help and thoughts on the best way forward, so I have decided to re do a part done layout in my loft, approx 12 feet by 12feet and will be 3ft wide (only slight issue have a chimney breast in the way on one side!), I have all these great ideas of what I would like to see on my layout which will be DCC, but having trouble getting it down on paper/design.
I have in the past tried just starting with tracklaying and working it out as I go but this time would like to be a bit more organised and have some sort of design or plan to work from, maybe able to print it off and lay it on top of the boards so can bet a better visualisation of it.
So, suggestions please on how to move my mad ideas onto paper and onto the boards.

[RogerB]

I've used a PC based piece of design software called SCARM. Not for everyone but I like it.

https://www.scarm.info/index.php

R-

[Tricky Dicky]

I have used AnyRail which I find much more intuitive compared to some of the others. I eventually bought mine but you could use it for free but were limited to I think 50 track pieces. There were ways you could get round some of the limitations, worth having a look especially if the free trial version is still available.

Richard

[Steve M]

The danger with planning software is that users often become planners only and never get to lay any track - we've seen it many times on the forum.
Possibly a start point for you would be to list the ideas in your head then rank them as either must have or nice to have. Then based on the space discard those that may be impractical.
Narrow down your wish list then maybe sketch out a couple of rough ideas. An alternative is to download some track templates from Peco and push them a round on a baseboard (it's cheaper that way )

For example, for my layout, I wanted a double mainline through the countryside, a branchline and a four lane through station. I started by putting together the station throat in paper then bought and assembled the points for it. That meant I could slide it around as a unit to get the best board position and alignment. It also meant that all the points are on one board making wiring easier. The rest of the layout grew organically from that centre piece.

[Walkingthedog]

I always do what Steve suggests. Write down what I would like. Turntable, engine shed, good yard. Two continuous circuits. 5 sidings etc.
make a rough sketch, get some track and start laying it. No room for 5 sidings so just 3. Can't put the turntable there so how about there. For me it is important to get trains running then I can see what goes where.

[IanS]

Having spent literally years on the computer planning, my next one will be a 'Lay the tracks down' one. I've a picture in my head, I've put the picture onto the Anyrail software to see if it will fit in the space but now I know the idea is ok for the space available I'll be putting track down in the general layout of the plan but without referring to the plan whilst doing it.

I will be building it in stages, getting sections working end-to-end before joining it back to itself. It is expected to be a large horseshoe with loops at the ends.

[Chops]

Some preplanning I see here boggles the mind. Such minute care is taken with every millimeter that some creators have confidently ballasted out intricate point interchanges whilst still laying out tracks on barren baseboards. Meticulous preplanning would seem most useful if working in the confined environs of an attic, where only head and shoulders would rise over the works.

I've often found myself shooting from the hip, but I have later turned more and more to CAD designs before getting too far ahead of myself. This might come as blasphemy, but have you considered using track with a preattached roadbed, such as Unitrack, for example? The number of annoying derailments plummeted with the use of prefabbed roadbeds. The mere thought of leaning precariously into the attic trying to get the ballast from running amok, fouling points, and generally mucking up perfectly good rail chills me. Those who can do it under the best of circumstances, my hat is off to you, for in laying glue and ballast one has made a commitment that cannot be reversed without great expense, labor, and a vacuum cleaner.

In any event, I look forward to seeing your efforts, and I am sure they will be most excellent. I must declaim that I am forever a newbie.

[Del57]

I have tried both Anyrail and SCARM and, of the two, found SCARM much easier to use. There's also some very good tutorial videos on YT for SCARM.

[Too Tall]

I use SCARM in fact I liked it so much I bought a license
I designed my fathers OO layout with it, and my TT layout, and now my OO one.
I must admit , due to various factors I haven't got too much track down (just the goods yard/dock area). But that's good as I have been visualizing things and have amended the plan 3 or 4 times since. I think I have the final plan now.
I find it useful for helping me see the layout, and plan to allow for scenery, and my must haves etc.