How to make a track plan in seven steps
Benjamin | TrackDrawer.com · published 29 October 2026
A good track plan takes seven steps: measure your room, choose a scale and track system, fix the baseboard size, decide what the layout should do, design, check, and only then build. The order matters: if you start by buying track or by drawing, you often find out at the very end that the curves do not fit on the baseboard or that the back half is out of reach.
Below is each step, with the rules of thumb that always apply and where TrackDrawer can save you work.
Step 1: measure the room
Do not just measure the free floor, but also everything that limits it: doors that swing open, windows, radiators, a sloping ceiling, cupboards that must still open. Note the height you want the layout at as well; a baseboard at 90 to 110 cm is comfortable to work at, lower is better for children.
Then think about access. You need to reach every piece of track to rerail a wagon or clean a rail. How far you can reach depends on your arm length, but a baseboard deeper than you can comfortably reach needs a second free side or an access hatch. Leave room to walk along the baseboard too.
In TrackDrawer you set up the room with walls, doors and cupboards and enter your arm length. The check then reports which pieces of track are out of reach and whether any edge of the baseboard is still free.
Step 2: choose scale and track system
The scale determines almost everything that follows: how large the curves are, how much track fits on your baseboard and how big your trains are. If you already have track or trains, the choice is usually made. If you are starting fresh, read which scale fits your space.
Within one scale, track systems differ in radius, roadbed width and turnout geometry. Pieces from two systems rarely fit together just like that, so plan with one system.
Step 3: fix the baseboard size
The smallest curve sets the depth of your baseboard. A rule of thumb that always works:
depth of the smallest loop = 2 x radius + roadbed width, plus a margin to the edge on each side.
With Märklin C track R1 (360 mm, roadbed 40 mm) the loop is 760 mm wide. With 50 mm of margin on each side you get 860 mm. A baseboard 90 cm deep is therefore the minimum for a continuous run on R1.
The table gives the smallest square baseboard on which the TrackDrawer Auto-designer, with a typical box of track, actually laid a closed loop, in steps of 5 cm and with a 50 mm margin all round. With 5 cm less it did not work.
| Scale | System | Smallest radius | Roadbed | Calculated (2r + roadbed + 2 x 50 mm) | Smallest square baseboard with loop |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| H0 | Märklin C track | 360 mm | 40 mm | 860 mm | 90 x 90 cm |
| H0 | Piko A track | 360 mm | 43 mm | 863 mm | 90 x 90 cm |
| H0 | Roco GeoLine | 358 mm | 38.5 mm | 854.5 mm | 90 x 90 cm |
| H0 | Märklin K track | 295.4 mm | 32 mm | 722.8 mm | 75 x 75 cm |
| H0 | Märklin M track | 286 mm | 27 mm | 699 mm | 70 x 70 cm |
| H0 | Fleischmann Profi track | 356.5 mm | 25 mm | 838 mm | 85 x 85 cm |
| TT | Tillig TT | 267 mm | 20 mm | 654 mm | 70 x 70 cm |
| N | Minitrix | 194.6 mm | 16 mm | 505.2 mm | 55 x 55 cm |
| N | Fleischmann piccolo | 192 mm | 27 mm | 511 mm | 55 x 55 cm |
| N | Kato Unitrack N | 216 mm | 25 mm | 557 mm | 60 x 60 cm |
| Z | Märklin Z track | 145 mm | 16 mm | 406 mm | 45 x 45 cm |
Three remarks. The calculation is a lower bound, not a guarantee: the Auto-designer found a loop at that size for every system in the table, but not always as a circle; with Fleischmann Profi track (36° curves) it became an oval on 85 x 85 cm. The smallest sizes for K and M track come from the industrial radius, a very tight curve that only short stock can handle. And a loop is not yet a layout: an oval with a passing loop needs more width. With the same box, the Auto-designer laid its first station with two platforms for Märklin C track on 160 x 90 cm, for Märklin M track (industrial radius) on 145 x 70 cm and for Minitrix on 85 x 55 cm. What fits on the popular size of 180 x 90 cm is covered in an H0 layout on 180 x 90 cm.
Step 4: decide what the layout should do
Write down what you want to do with the layout before you draw a single line. Most wishes fall into four groups:
- Continuous running: a train that keeps going while you watch. An oval is enough.
- Several trains at once: a passing loop or double track, so one train waits while the other runs.
- Station and shunting: a passing loop and sidings with buffer stops to drop off and pick up wagons.
- Variety: sidings, a figure eight or a dogbone instead of a bare oval.
Each of those wishes costs space and turnouts. A passing loop needs a straight side long enough for two turnouts; with C track that is at least 72 cm. If you want everything on a small baseboard, you often end up with a plan in which nothing works well. Decide what matters most.
Step 5: design
You can design by hand on squared paper, to scale: draw the curves with a compass first and then fill in the straights. Or you can leave the arithmetic to software.
In TrackDrawer you first enter your stock, by part number or by starter set, and the baseboard size. The Auto-designer then lays variants from exactly those pieces: ovals, passing loops, stations, yards, double track, dogbones, polygons and figure eights. Pick the variant closest to your wishes from step 4 and work it out further in the editor.
Step 6: check
A plan on paper soon looks fine. The mistakes are in the details:
- Closing. In a loop, the last piece must meet the first one exactly. A gap of a few millimetres is invisible on paper and a problem on the baseboard.
- Collisions. Two tracks that overlap, or a building standing on the track.
- Track spacing. Where two tracks run side by side, they must be far enough apart, especially in curves. The NEM standards give minimum distances; more in track spacing.
- Gradients and clearance. If one track passes over another, the gradient must be manageable and the clearance sufficient.
- Radius and rolling stock. Long coaches need wider curves than short wagons.
TrackDrawer checks all of this while you draw: closing gaps, collisions, gradients, clearance and NEM track spacing. If you choose your rolling stock, it also warns about curves tighter than your trains can handle. Then look at the plan in 3D and run a train over it; you often spot something you missed in the top view.
Step 7: print and build
Do not fix anything down straight away. Lay the plan loosely on the baseboard first and run trains on it for a few evenings. That shows you where a turnout sits badly or where you cannot reach.
A full-size print helps here: you lay the track on the paper and see at once whether everything is right. TrackDrawer produces a PDF to scale; with Pro you print the plan 1:1 on A4 tiles with alignment marks. Print at 100 percent, not "fit to page". Then check the parts list: what you use, what you have and what is still missing.
Only when everything has run without trouble for a while do you screw or glue the track down and start on the scenery.
Frequently asked questions
How big does a baseboard need to be for a first layout?
For H0 with the smallest common radius of around 360 mm, 90 cm deep is the minimum for a loop. Width gives running length and room for turnouts; 180 x 90 cm is a popular size.
Should I buy track first or design first?
Design first, starting from the track you already have. That way you only buy what the plan really needs.
Get started
Measure your room, enter your track and your baseboard size and let the Auto-designer lay a first plan that fits and closes.
