Answers.Body: <p>For software layout options there's <a href="http://bluebrick.lswproject.com/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">BlueBrick</a> as mentioned in this <a href="https://bricks.stackexchange.com/a/2775/56">related answer</a></p>
  <p>Alternatively both SCARM and Winrail support LEGO 4.5V and LEGO 9V layouts, while SCARM also supports LEGO RC:</p>
  <p><a href="https://www.scarm.info/index.php#libs" rel="nofollow noreferrer">SCARM Library List</a></p>
  <p><a href="https://www.winrail.com/products.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">WinRail Library</a></p>
  <p>It's been a while since I've used either, but WinRail seems to be somewhat dormant now.</p>
  
Answers.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Answers.CreationDate: 2022-10-01T19:42:08.933Z
Answers.LastActivityDate: 2022-10-01T19:55:22.560Z
Answers.LastEditDate: 2022-10-01T19:55:22.560Z
Answers.UserDisplayName: Zhaph - Ben Duguid
Body: <p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/Wp9WV.jpg" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/Wp9WV.jpg" alt="Rail track layout" /></a></p>
  <p>I'd 2 circles of original blue railway track, lost 1 inner, bought mixed batch of track off eBay, as more inner than outer bought more track &amp; to get discount 12 outer &amp; 4 inner to bring N° of outer &amp; inner = at 1 pair short of 4 circles. So I set myself the challenge of using all in 1 layout with no dead ends. I'm emptying old caravan so room there. 63 curved, 14 straight pairs, 2 crossing &amp; 2 points.</p>
  <p>My question, is there a maths equation or computer program to say if track layout meets up? Instead of trial-&amp;-error method. R10L4XS2R8S1PR1XS2R12PXR1L2XR7S3R4S1R1S1P were R=right, L=left, S=straight, X=crossing &amp; P=points.</p>
  <p>Noticed in Ideas book, 3/4 circle, then 2 other way then 1 straight, Then other end 1 same way, then 3 other to become touch & parallel to other to go to points.
  
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2022-09-28T21:12:27.567Z
Comments.Text: It would have been an idea to give some indication of where on the picture your textual description starts. I also think it's wrong, the short stretch between the two crosses are noted as "R1L2", but there are four pieces on the picture (as far as I can see, it becomes "R1L2S1" in your notation). Your textual description also misses a bit of the layout. But a train would get stuck on the last part of the description.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Henrik supports the community
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2022-09-28T21:16:09.673Z
Comments.Text: As railroad switches have three connections, a notation like yours is not really possible.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Henrik supports the community
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2022-09-28T22:57:02.440Z
Comments.Text: This might get a better theoretical response from MathematicsSE.  They've got a bunch of train-related questions already, but I didn't see this one asked yet.  https://math.stackexchange.com/search?q=train
Comments.UserDisplayName: chicks
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2022-10-02T17:56:39.720Z
Comments.Text: @chicks Yes, this seems like a combinatorics style question. With a finite amount of rail pieces you can built X many valid routes. These problems can be quite complicated but it's easy to identify a few rules that must be followed such as using a minimum of 8 track pieces to form a loop. Straight pieces, switches and crossovers all add a lot of complexity.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Ambo100
Comments.ContentLicense: CC BY-SA 4.0
Comments.CreationDate: 2024-01-23T13:26:26.077Z
Comments.Text: Yes, I made an error, sorry.
Comments.UserDisplayName: Andrew Hodson
Tags: <trains>
Title: Railway track layout - is there a method to say if track layout meets up
UserDisplayName: Andrew Hodson
ThreadText: # Railway track layout - is there a method to say if track layout meets up
  
  (Asked by: username_0 on 2022-09-25)
  
  [![Rail track layout](https://i.sstatic.net/Wp9WV.jpg)](https://i.sstatic.net/Wp9WV.jpg)
  
  I'd 2 circles of original blue railway track, lost 1 inner, bought mixed batch of track off eBay, as more inner than outer bought more track & to get discount 12 outer & 4 inner to bring N° of outer & inner = at 1 pair short of 4 circles. So I set myself the challenge of using all in 1 layout with no dead ends. I'm emptying old caravan so room there. 63 curved, 14 straight pairs, 2 crossing & 2 points.
  
  My question, is there a maths equation or computer program to say if track layout meets up? Instead of trial-&-error method. R10L4XS2R8S1PR1XS2R12PXR1L2XR7S3R4S1R1S1P were R=right, L=left, S=straight, X=crossing & P=points.
  
  Noticed in Ideas book, 3/4 circle, then 2 other way then 1 straight, Then other end 1 same way, then 3 other to become touch & parallel to other to go to points.
  
  **Tags:** trains
  > **Comments:**
  > **username_1**: It would have been an idea to give some indication of where on the picture your textual description starts. I also think it's wrong, the short stretch between the two crosses are noted as "R1L2", but there are four pieces on the picture (as far as I can see, it becomes "R1L2S1" in your notation). Your textual description also misses a bit of the layout. But a train would get stuck on the last part of the description.  
  > **username_1**: As railroad switches have three connections, a notation like yours is not really possible.  
  > **username_2**: This might get a better theoretical response from MathematicsSE.  They've got a bunch of train-related questions already, but I didn't see this one asked yet.  https://math.stackexchange.com/search?q=train  
  > **username_3**: @chicks Yes, this seems like a combinatorics style question. With a finite amount of rail pieces you can built X many valid routes. These problems can be quite complicated but it's easy to identify a few rules that must be followed such as using a minimum of 8 track pieces to form a loop. Straight pieces, switches and crossovers all add a lot of complexity.  
  > **username_0**: Yes, I made an error, sorry.  
  
  ---
  
  ## 1 answers
  
  ### Answer by username_4 on 2022-10-01. Score: 3
  
  For software layout options there's [BlueBrick](http://bluebrick.lswproject.com/) as mentioned in this [related answer](https://bricks.stackexchange.com/a/2775/56)
  
  Alternatively both SCARM and Winrail support LEGO 4.5V and LEGO 9V layouts, while SCARM also supports LEGO RC:
  
  [SCARM Library List](https://www.scarm.info/index.php#libs)
  
  [WinRail Library](https://www.winrail.com/products.html)
  
  It's been a while since I've used either, but WinRail seems to be somewhat dormant now.
  
  
  ---
  
  