Printable kit · 10 worksheets
The Model Railroad Layout Planner
Measure the space you actually have, pick a scale and radius that fits it, plan the grades and clearances before you cut lumber, size the wiring before you solder a single feeder, and keep a running roster and budget instead of a shoebox of receipts: worksheets built on this site's own minimum radius, grade, turnout, NMRA car weight and DCC power math.
- 10 fill-in worksheets, 34 print pages
- 2 filled-in examples to copy the format from
- Companion Excel / Google Sheets tracker with a grade and clearance calculator
- Online buyer guide with current prices, by scale and budget tier
Replaces the graph paper sketch that never made it past a first draft, the grade nobody checked until a helix stalled a train, and the lumber list guessed twice because the first one came up short.
30-day money-back guarantee. Use it all; if it doesn't help, every dollar back.
Look inside
Real pages from the PDF you download, including both filled-in examples. Swipe or scroll.
What's in it
See all 10 worksheet titles
- My Layout At A Glance
- Space & Layout Fit Sheet
- Track Plan Grid
- Benchwork Build Planner
- Grade & Clearance Check
- Wiring & DCC Planner
- Rolling Stock & Locomotive Inventory
- Scenery Build Sequence
- Operating Session Log
- Budget Planner By Phase
Also included
- 2 filled-in example worksheets. Space & Layout Fit Sheet and Grade & Clearance Check, filled in for a hypothetical layout, clearly marked as an example, so you can see a finished page before you start.
- 1 bonus printable. Quick Reference: Scales & Minimum Radii: Ratios, track gauges, minimum radius classes and turnout angles, cut down to shirt-pocket size
- 1 companion spreadsheet. An editable workbook: a grade and clearance calculator using this site's own formulas, a budget tracker by phase with a running total, and a rolling stock and locomotive inventory. Tabs: Grade and clearance calculator, Budget by phase, Rolling stock inventory.
- 1 start-here page. The four sheets to fill in the first 20 minutes, and which sheet to reach for at benchwork, at wiring, or before the next operating session.
Plus the online buyer guide
Three complete HO layout builds, beginner through expert, every item priced and linked, plus every product the kit names, kept current on this site. Your kit links straight to it, so the prices you plan with are today's, not the day the PDF was printed.
Who it's for
- Anyone planning a first layout who wants the space, scale and radius decisions checked before benchwork gets cut
- Anyone who wants grades and clearances calculated correctly before a helix or duckunder gets built, not discovered after
- Anyone wiring a layout who wants the bus gauge and booster count sized to real current draw, not guessed
- A layout more than one person builds or operates, where the roster, the wiring plan and the budget need to be written down somewhere everyone can check
- Anyone comparing scales or planning phases who wants a real decision process instead of a forum thread
Who made this
Built by the ModelRailCalc team from the same scale, radius, grade, turnout, car-weight and DCC power formulas the free site's calculators run on, laid out as a workbook to plan and build from rather than a page to read.
30-day money-back guarantee
Use the whole kit. If it doesn't help, fill in the refund form within 30 days and you get every dollar back. No questions asked. Refund form.
Questions
Does this replace the free site?
No. The free site has the calculators, reviews and layout builds; the kit is where your own layout's numbers get written down, dated and reused, plus the budget tracker, inventory and session log the free pages do not carry.
Does this give me a track plan?
No. The Track Plan Grid gives you scale-appropriate graph paper to sketch your own plan on, and the Space & Layout Fit Sheet checks your space against your scale's real minimum radius and turnout sizes. It does not draw a plan for you.
Does it cover DCC wiring in detail?
The Wiring & DCC Planner covers bus sizing, feeder spacing, power districts and booster count using this site's own calculators. It is planning and record keeping, not a substitute for your DCC system's own installation manual, and electrical work should follow the manufacturer's instructions.
I already have track planning software. Is this still useful?
Most track planning software will not check your aisle width, reach-in depth, benchwork lumber list, wiring bus sizing or your budget by phase. This kit is built to sit next to whatever you plan the track itself in.
What if it does not help?
Use the whole kit for 30 days. If it does not help, the refund form on the contact page gets every dollar back, no questions asked. Refund form.
Printable or fillable on screen?
Both. Print it and write by hand, or open a worksheet PDF in a reader that supports typing and fill it on a tablet or phone.
The Model Railroad Layout Planner
10 worksheets · 34 pages · examples, workbook and online buyer guide