Edit Track Segment

Track Segments and Connecting Points

A Track Segment is a piece of straight track stretching between two connection points. Connection points are drawn as small red or green squares. Connection points are found on turnouts, anchor points, end bumpers, and level crossings. Each turnout has three or four connection points, each accepting one connection. Each anchor point has one connection point that can accept two connections. An end bumper is similar, but only accepts one connection. Level crossings have four connection points, each accepting one connection. A connection point that can accept a connecting track segment is drawn red. When a connection point has its capacity of connections, its color is changed to green. When all connection points are green, a track diagram is complete, with all connections defined.

Line Styles

Track segments are normally drawn as solid lines. but you can designate that a track segment be drawn dashed to show tunnels or tracks crossing at different grades. You can request a dashed line for a track segment by checking Dashed in the tool bar before the track segment is created, or you can change a track segment to Dashed in the Edit Track Segment dialog. (More anchor points can be added to get the dashed part of your track to cover the exact area desired.) You can also designate a track segment as hidden so it's displayed only when edit mode is active. Hidden track segments are useful for track diagrams drawn as multiple rows where the end of one row connects to the beginning of the same or another row. To make a track segment hidden, check Hide Track in the Edit Track Segment dialog.

Mainline Track and Side Track

Optionally, track segments are used to designate mainline track or side track. The legs of turnouts and level crossings are set to mainline track or side track according to the designations of track segments that are connected to them. See the discussion of continuing routes in the above section on turnouts for information on how a mainline is tracked through a turnout.

If Mainline is checked in the tool bar when a track segment is created, that track segment is designated as mainline track, otherwise it is considered side track. You can change from mainline track to side track, or vice versa, in the Edit Track dialog. Mainline track and side track may be drawn with different width lines. Track widths for each are set using the Set Track Width... item in the Options menu.

Track Blocks

Optionally, you can designate which Block a track segment is in--either by entering a block name in the Block: Name field of the tool bar prior to creating each track segment, or by entering a block name in the Edit Track Segment dialog at a later time. The Edit Track Segment dialog also allows an Edit Block dialog to be requested, so information for the track segment's block may be entered or changed. Blocks are discussed more fully in the help page of the Create/Edit Block dialog.

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