How much space would be needed.

[Johnmay]

Good idea Richard.

[jed10]

There's a free download that will allow you to use 50 pieces of track. £47 is a lot of money for something most will only need to use once, so I would suggest creating a series of layouts that just happen to match up when stuck together

Sorry, I have to disagree. £47 is not a lot of money at all in the bigger picture of things. Think of the cost of the track that will be laid, the cost of the wood to build the baseboards, the cost of wiring, the cost of point motors, the cost of a controller - and that's all before you buy a single loco which alone will cost two to three times that or more. Actually £47 is quite a cheap expense and can be vital to help you in the planning stages. Not only the obvious design benefits, such as working out what will fit in the available space but also things like making sure you don't have support battens running under your points just where you want to install a motor. Gradients are another thing it will work out for you.

Download the free version to play with (it's a full working version with a limit of 50 track pieces) and then pay to unlock its unlimited use once you have figured it out and realise how much it will help you. It could be the best £47 you spend and one of the lower cost elements of what you are about to invest if builing a new layout.

[Johnmay]

Good observations. I’ll have a play around with the free stuff then decide on the paid version, but I tend to agree now it’s not a big cost in the grand scheme of things.