Maps and aerial images are often useful as a background guide to track planning. Templot can fetch tiled maps from the internet for you, and scale them to match your current model scale. The map is comprised of several square tiles, each of which becomes a separate picture shape in your list of background picture shapes. There are functions to combine such tiles into a single map, and to position and twist the maps to suit your track planning.

This video shows you how to get an historic background map from the NLS web site, and align tracks over it:

This video below is a clip from an earlier live demo in 2020, showing how to align templates over a map. The map is a 50“/mile more modern map than the one in the video above, which makes it easier to align the tracks. The make diamond-crossing function has been changed since then, but the results are still the same:

This is another 50”/mile map, showing how tracks can be aligned very accurately. Here a curved crossover aligns to the switch-toe marks on the map perfectly. The turnouts are 1:10 CLM with 15ft straight switches: