I would vote for TurboCad. You can get the 'deluxe' version for less than $100 at Staples, and it does most of what you need to do. Basically their deluxe version leaves out a lot of the 3-d specific tools. If you want the professional version which has all the bells and whistles a trip to eBay will usually yield a not-the-latest-version for a lot less money than the current one.
Warning:IMHO 3D is more than 3 times the complication of 2D.
As with any complex software, there's a learning curve, but once you learn the 'tricks' an exact drawing can be easily made. Unfortunately I have not found a really good tutorial, but there are a few available on line.

I'm hearing several people mention that they're using old DOS sofware and maintaining a very old PC and very old Windows for that purpose.

Let me introduce you to DOSBox. http://www.dosbox.com/

It's free. It's a software emulator that gives you DOS on a modern computer, by running in a window in emulation. They have it for Windows and MacOS. Yes, you can run DOS on a PowerMac :)

DOSBox is intended to allow old computer games to run, so I expect its emulation is quite good and it would probably handle your CAD program. I strongly encourage you to try it, and if possible, move your work over to it. That old PC won't run forever, don't wait for it to break. [/b]

Hi,
Thanks for the tip.
Doug vV

<insert tongue in cheek>

O heavens, what are you saying? Work on historical projects using historical techniques? Here's an idea. Go get an old drafting machine and set up in the museum, and you can be part of the exhibit while drawing your part.....

</insert tongue in cheek>

I have two T-squares and two sets of triangles and one light table.

DvV

I use Autocad LT and Solidworks. The 3D capability of Solidworks raises the prospect of railroad modeling in 3D cad. Physical railroad scale models are primarily visual, and a 3D cad model captures all of the detail, which can then be outputted in graphic images of the utmost highest quality. I have begun, but not finished, an endeavor to create Solidworks models and assemblies for a “Z” braced Quincy & Torch Lake ore car. This has required about 40 hours of work measuring and sketching the prototype ruins at Hancock, Michigan. I am also modeling an 1880-era M&StL caboose. I conducted a scaling project on several photographs of the caboose and its close relatives to produce an Autocad orthographic layout. From this, I pull the dimensions for the 3D models.