AnyRail

There are people in the world who are interested in knowing the deepest secrets of the universe, people who are passionate about history and there are some people who just like trains. If you find yourself in the latter category, you may be interested what AnyRail can do for you. This simple piece of software gives you the possibility of designing a model railway network, complete with buildings and flora. Though it's not the only program of its kind on the Internet, AnyRail is one of the easiest-to-use.

The software is free to try, without any noticeable restrictions. It is compatible with all modern Windows systems and it takes only a few seconds to install it. You don't have to install special tools or services and you don't need to sacrifice a significant amount of memory or storage space.

When you look at the user interface for the first time, you will say that you're working in MS Word, due to the similar colors, ribbon menus and layout. However, instead of options for aligning text fragments and changing font and heading settings, you get options for inserting various objects, from track to buildings. The software places a vast range of track types at your disposal. You can find an entire ribbon menu with track categories, so you can make your network exactly the way you imagine it.

Regardless of what object category you select, the objects themselves always appear on the left side of the interface and you can insert them in the working area just by clicking them. Once you insert an object, you can move it and rotate it by clicking and dragging. The best part is how easy it is to connect tracks of the same type. You only need to move a piece of track over an existing one, until you see a colored dot appear, let go of the mouse button, and the software will automatically align the track pieces.

AnyRail lets you create any scenery you can think of. Besides placing your tracks however you want, you can also create surfaces, put railway signals next to the track, add buildings and much more. You shouldn't expect anything more than a simple top-down representation of a railway network when you finish, but you can certainly represent a scene accurately. The software is an excellent solution if you plan to construct a physical model since it can help you see how much space you would need to create the network you are thinking of.

If you are planning to build a railroad diorama, AnyRail can help you visualize it and avoid any surprises.