Making good my mistakes, if possible?

[petercharlesfagg]

Friends,
As you are aware I tend NOT to plan ahead!  I have been like it ALL my life but nowadays I am beginning to pay the cost! (Old dog new tricks, comes to mind)

What I would like to do, eventually, is to have a control panel with all the switches, fuses etc. in one place, instead of a bit here and bit there, a switch here and a switch there!

Can someone think of a way of transferring a non-planned but fixed track system on to a paper former, or at least on to a PC in the first instance, so that switch mountings, point/turnout placings are correct etc?

I have tried, unsuccessfully to utilise Anyrail but the limitations placed on the free programme were soon exhausted! 

Other CAD programmes look interesting but I just cannot get the grey cells to remember one thing after another especially if I have to leave it for a couple of days!

Thoughts and ideas would be appreciated but criticisms can wait, I feel stupid enough already!

Regards, Peter.

[Malc]

You could try using a digital camera from above the layout and take many overlapping shots. I know your circumstances with regards to your railway room and don't think you could get far up above the layout to do one shot. Import the pictures into ms paint and magnify them to scale. Alternatively, give SCARM a try, I found it easy to use and there are plenty of tutorial videos. Plus it is all free.

[Newportnobby]

As Malc says, SCARM would probably do the trick, especially as you can select Peco set track (regardless of whether you have used it or not) and thus compress your actual layout into a smaller space.
Save the file as a 'Paint' file and then you can also play about with magnification etc until you have it at a size you could print out e.g. A4.
Then build your control box with a face A4 size, cover the print out with some thin acrylic sheet, and carefully drill through to fit switches etc.

[austinbob]

Thoughts and ideas would be appreciated but criticisms can wait, I feel stupid enough already!

I used Powerpoint to design a diagramatic representaton of my layout ( I use 3 panels in actual fact)

Some pictures here
http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=25611.msg276052#msg276052
Hope this helps

[austinbob]

Thoughts and ideas would be appreciated but criticisms can wait, I feel stupid enough already!

I used Powerpoint to design a diagramatic representaton of my layout ( I use 3 panels in actual fact)

Some pictures here
http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=25611.msg276052#msg276052
Hope this helps

I forgot to say that I transferred the powerpoint diagram to the control panel by gluing it to the panel and then piercing through where the holes should be for the switches and LEDs. |I removed the paper printout and then, after drilling out the holes, I stuck thin black tape between the holes to represent the track.
Another way would be to encapsulate the Powerpoint print out and glue it to the control panel. Then drill the holes.

[petercharlesfagg]

Thoughts and ideas would be appreciated but criticisms can wait, I feel stupid enough already!

I used Powerpoint to design a diagramatic representaton of my layout ( I use 3 panels in actual fact)

Some pictures here
http://www.ngaugeforum.co.uk/SMFN/index.php?topic=25611.msg276052#msg276052
Hope this helps

I forgot to say that I transferred the powerpoint diagram to the control panel by gluing it to the panel and then piercing through where the holes should be for the switches and LEDs. |I removed the paper printout and then, after drilling out the holes, I stuck thin black tape between the holes to represent the track.
Another way would be to encapsulate the Powerpoint print out and glue it to the control panel. Then drill the holes.

Thankyou but although your suggestions sound fantastic, I have never used Powerpoint, so would probably get very disheartened very quickly because of not knowing what I am doing?

Warmest regards, Peter.

[petercharlesfagg]

You could try using a digital camera from above the layout and take many overlapping shots. I know your circumstances with regards to your railway room and don't think you could get far up above the layout to do one shot. Import the pictures into ms paint and magnify them to scale. Alternatively, give SCARM a try, I found it easy to use and there are plenty of tutorial videos. Plus it is all free.

Thankyou Malc, I will have to try your suggestion, though this is another case in point, I have never use MSpaint before!

Warmest regards, Peter.

[petercharlesfagg]

As Malc says, SCARM would probably do the trick, especially as you can select Peco set track (regardless of whether you have used it or not) and thus compress your actual layout into a smaller space.
Save the file as a 'Paint' file and then you can also play about with magnification etc until you have it at a size you could print out e.g. A4.
Then build your control box with a face A4 size, cover the print out with some thin acrylic sheet, and carefully drill through to fit switches etc.

Thankyou Nobby?

I will download Scarm and see what sort of 'male chicken' (changed by forum)-up I make using it, then I'll report back!

Wish me luck!

Warmest regards, Peter.

[austinbob]

Hi Peter
Both Powerpoint and Paint are pretty easy to use for simple applications. Might be worth experimenting for an hour or two, with a cup of coffee and a bun to hand!! Or something stronger if required!!

[petercharlesfagg]

Hi Peter
Both Powerpoint and Paint are pretty easy to use for simple applications. Might be worth experimenting for an hour or two, with a cup of coffee and a bun to hand!! Or something stronger if required!!

If I have ANYTHING stronger than tea I will NEVER remember the programming!!!   

Peter.

[austinbob]

Hi Peter
Both Powerpoint and Paint are pretty easy to use for simple applications. Might be worth experimenting for an hour or two, with a cup of coffee and a bun to hand!! Or something stronger if required!!

If I have ANYTHING stronger than tea I will NEVER remember the programming!!!   

Peter.

You're probably right - but, on the other hand you won't remember that you didn't remember the programming!!

[rhysapthomas]

Hi

I used rocrail to create a symbolic diagram of one of my layouts  There is no way to export it as an image like anyrail.  But if you can see it all on screen you can use the Windows 7 snipping tool to same an image.  It took me about an hour of so to create this

[Newportnobby]

As Malc says, SCARM would probably do the trick, especially as you can select Peco set track (regardless of whether you have used it or not) and thus compress your actual layout into a smaller space.
Save the file as a 'Paint' file and then you can also play about with magnification etc until you have it at a size you could print out e.g. A4.
Then build your control box with a face A4 size, cover the print out with some thin acrylic sheet, and carefully drill through to fit switches etc.

Thankyou Nobby?

I will download Scarm and see what sort of 'male chicken' (changed by forum)-up I make using it, then I'll report back!

Wish me luck!

Warmest regards, Peter.

The owner/designer of SCARM is a member of the forum, Peter, and he goes by the name of 'Mixy'
In the free layout planning section he has also posted updates, help and FAQs for the system.

[ozzie Bill.]

Peter, is it reasonable to assume you know what your layout looks like in plan? If yes, then draw it out freehand initially. Then use a ruler and pencil to create a more stylised diagram with straight lines etc.. You could do that on graph paper if that would help. Once you have a clear "architects" drawing, then transfer that to a template sized piece of graph paper that you can use to create your control board. It may be a simpler way around the MS/Paint etc. issues you mention!
Cheers, Bill.

[Bealman]

I did the two existing panels on my layout before the days of the fancy computer stuff completely by hand. The first was done with paint and masking tape, the second simply being a ruler and felt tip pen job!

They don't look as flash as some of the ones you see here, but they are functional and do the job.