10’ 7" w x 8’ deep. 27" deep bench top, around the room with a 30" lift off bridge
Contructed with furring strips, which is a 1x3 ( just shy of 3/4" thick, not a true 1x3 ). Used the ladder frame top on 16" centers. Bench top is 1/2" smooth one side plywood ( 4 ply ). Not going to use a foam top. Bridge is a pine 1x8 ( 7.25"x.75" true size ). I used aluminum 1.5"x1.5"x1/8" angle to keep the bridge from bowing. Also used a couple of 4.5" pieces of the cutoff ( was two 36" long pieces ) across the bottom side-to-side to help prevent cupping.
You can see to the right, I have added a background " wall " in front of some windows. It’s 24" tall. I have cut and painted more to do the front, on each side of the bridge, but I wonder if i should enclose the layout this way. Total height with background is 5’ 1". No one would be able to see the layout, unless they were inside the layout, which is roughly 6’x3.5’. I think it would look better while inside the layout. Your thoughts on this?
The carpentry is impressive and I don’t mean to take anything away from what you’ve accomplished, but it would be helpful to see your track plan, or at least a sketch of it. It is hard to tell from the picture, but it looks like a wide expanse of table top to the left. I guess from your dimensions that that space is 8 feet deep. If so, how are you going to reach the farthest corner of it? Also, are you planning a flat table with hills built up around the track to give the appearance of natural topography? Without foam, foam risers, or some other means it is difficult to elevate areas of roadbed. So more details would help.
With regard to your question about adding 24" backdrop board across the front, I would make them no more than 10"-12" high. From inside the layout it will help define the space but it will leave it visible for the casual visitor.
I should have added that if the front back drops (front drops?) are in the 10" - 12" range it would enable someone who (like me) is partially disabled and unable to get under duckunders to still operate trains (assuming you use radio throttles or can put a throttle plug on the outside ).
By looking at the above plan, you can better understand the layout benchwork. Yes, I can reach the 2 back corners, amittingly they are a strech. I can reach where I am placing the curves, fairly well.
I’m not sure on what/how I am going to add hill’s/ect. I am working on getting the track planned out 1st, which I can not do until I figure out what I want to put up top in the " industries " section. No track work will be elevated, except by cork roadbed.
I have the track and turnouts to do the outter main line. I want to paint the back drops 1st, then paint the top of the benchwork brown. Then I can lay the mainline to see how it works out. Once all this is done, I plan on ordering some Midwest Cork bed, and laying it under the mainline. Due to money contraints, I am planning on laying the track for everything to the right ( with buildings ) in 1 stage. The the upper industries in the next stage, then the city, then the homes.
They are 1x3’s, not 2x4’s. Being that the bench work is up against 3 walls, it’s pretty solid. The walls prvent the legs from moving. I am planning on a few braces on the front legs, where a person could accidently kick them. But wanted to wait until I got done crawling around under there doing the wiring.
The bridge is a " lift off " , so a person can get inside the layout. I dont have many people over, so visitor’s will be limited to a cousin who visit’s a few times a year. Mainly the 2 grandkids and the wife, and several times a year I have a cousin who visits. Other then that, it’s just me. 12" background up front might work.
Nice work, those front legs could also be attached to the floor w/ “L” brackets and leave any bracing out.
The yard would be better placed along the long rear wall. If you wanted longer yard tracks, they could curve around to the side(s), double ended rather than stub, The yard ladder can be built along a side to eliminate troublesome curved ladder turnouts. Any curving tracks can be placed on 45 degree corners if nec. if closer to the pit.
Nothing wrong with a flattop in that size range. Rather than taking up space climbing and falling back down, you can worry more about meeting other needs.
1x3 for legs can be sketchy. At the corners, I recommend adding another 1x3 or 1x2 and making Ls out of them. You have to be careful drilling in the side to attach the extra piece to make an L, but it works.
You can cut some short plywood gussets to attch at the top and gain most of what you would in stiffness with a longer stick brace attching to the bottom of the leg and angling up getting in your way underneath.
I do have a specific recomendation if you do add the backdrop on the outside. Don’t make it straight across at the top. That tends to lead the eye too directly and doesn’t let the scene lead the eye into thinking the space is larger than it is.
Instead, let the backdrop become virtual scenery. There are three basic options. For mountains, an angular backdrop top edge works well. Here are a couple that I use on my layout. The paint is dead simple.
The first example is right above the roof of the building in the foreground… The fuel tanks are right in front of it.
It curves to follow the layout edge. You may have to look closely to pick it out of the background, which is OK as that shows how well they blend in.
The next pic shows two of them. The second one on the left behind the silver smelter buildings has them butted right up against it. If they were next toi the asile like that, they’d always be getting knocked around. Instead they’re protected by the backdrop.
Maybe you need hills instead? Then cut them as gently rolling or however you want them to be and paint appropriately.
But it sound like you’re modeling someplace more urban. For this, try cutting the backdr
Good show on the L legs.[Y] Things were a bit fuzzy, talking about my eyes that is[;)]
BTW, do I recall you mentioning the deck height? Looks to be relatively low, so the plywood gussets will serve you well if the legs do need them.
Found a couple of better angles on my aisle side backdops. They’re made from 1/4" hardboard. I paint the back side dark green to match my facsia. Note how it works well as a viewblock.
If you have track near the edge but still want to see the train along it, a piece of plexiglass works well.
Here’s another idea that provides some decent mountains, foam mountains cut and layered, then painted. It all of two inches deep, but looks much deeper.
I love looking at nice benchwork - my favorite part of layout construction. May I make a constructive suggestion - actually two of them.
On the inside corners of my room filling layout with a big center opening, I installed 8x8 triangles in each. They are simply plywood with 1x4s around the bottom edges. These are screwed into the inside corners and all of a sudden the room for curved track is greatly increased. It makes a huge difference, and looks better (IMO of course).
I see you have 1x4 as horizontal leg supports, mounted near the bottom of the legs. You may find it easier in the long run if you raise them a couple of feet. This will allow you to crawl in there, slide boxes into the spaces, and more easily sweep or vacuum underneath. Of course its a personal preference.
Yeah, it’s a Buff. Probably not any flying out of Scott, though, it’s a transport base and not much of that since the aeromedical evac mission evolved to other means. There are a few C-21 still based there, but that’s most of what’s left of the flying mission AFAIK.
Got radios. I can hear B-52s every once in awhile, their training routes are elsewhere, but sometimes they do pick up a refueling track on their way through to somewhere else.
B-2s I get all the time, flying out of Whiteman. But they’re not seen, almost always flying at night.
I found a better pic to show how the aisle-side backdrops look from a low angle.
Down by the refinery loading racks.
A view of the stockyards and packing plant.
In the background distance is the ASARCO Mill, and its various operations. Note how the aisle side backdrop creates a space for these buldings in your mind.
