Added Benchwork

Model Railroader Layouts and layout building
1

Here’s the best thing I’ve built for my layout.

  1. New benchwork minus foam board.

  2. With foam board in place with a great fit.

  3. Swing gate.

  4. Swings down.

  5. An idea for anyone. If you need a little extra thickness of styrofoam, the flat part of meat packages works well. Plus most of the packages are the same thickness as cork. The meat packages in the picture are the red and others next to it.

  6. Closeup of the boards that hold the 2" thick foam board.

Hope my pictures work.

2

Wow, BB-Michigan! You’re a good carpenter. That looks like it’ll serve you well. I once did the same thing with the inset foam on an old layout, then changed my mind and saved some foam by using it only under the tracks and trackside areas. Either way, foam is very good, and you obviously are good at using it. One question: How do you latch that swing section when it’s up?

3

Thanks! Taken 2 yrs of woodshop in high school and now in a building trades class building a residential home. The biggest pay off is having the right tools like a power miter saw.

Here’s how the gate is held up. Forgot to add them to the first pictures.

  1. I have two “barrel bolts” on each end. Just have to slide the bolt into the hole on the face of the board.

  2. Close-up

If I feel like it, maybe I’ll paint the gate and other benchwork.

4

Hi B-Michigan! Some really great work on the benchwork. I may try doing exactly what you have shown here when I expand the SLO&W into the next room (which isn’t there quite yet). One question, Why do you need the swing gate? Just curious.
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5

Hey Thanks. The gate allows me to walk between the wall and layout. There isn’t much room but enough to walk around the layout.

6

Here’s a not to scale drawing from paint I made. The gray area is where I can walk.

7

Here’s what has been added to my new benchwork.

The tracks and forms for a road.

The curved leg of the wye where it goes from gate to layout.

Lower the gate and track separates nicely.

Lowered further.

Here is the paved roadway. I used DAP® Plaster of Paris which worked great. First time I’ve used Plaster of Paris, always have used drywall compound before (mixed stuff).

Grade crossing. I used 1/16" balsa strips against the inside rails to keep the flangeways clear of plaster. I used Liquid Nails Lightweight One-Step Spackling in this grade crossing and on other spots on the roadway, first time also and with great results. Trick is to put Vaseline or oil on the balsa strip so the plaster doesn’t stick to it.

Roadway painted.

Wiring

Since the gate is isulated from the rest of the layout it needs to be powered.

Here is a DPDT (Double Pole Double Throw) switch under the gate used to chang