It looks like the best design I have come up with uses 2 hinged dropleaves for the return loops. These will be about 5 feet long and 2 feet wide and will hinge down when not in use. It will be attached to a 2 foot wide shelf and I assume some kind of leg system will have to be used to support it when in use. Any recommendations as to places on the web that show ideas for this kind of drop leaf? - Nevin
If the edge of your benchworl is or can be made of solid 3/4" material or plywood, 3/4" cabinet grade birch plywood can be hinged with several types of cabinet hinges. Ones comonly used for a drop-leaf table should work well as long as you dont plan to add more than 30 lbs of plaster scenery to it!! The plywood can be purchased in 4x8’ sheets in Home Depot or a lumber yard, the hinges at a cabinet supply or good tool store. You can also google “cabinet hinges” to find additional suppliers. Good luck![:)]
My second N Scale layout build circa 1983 was based on a modified HO Railroad That Grows; Linn Westcott had built this with a 2 X 8 drop-leaf yard which I never got around to incorporating in mine as they layout had to be - actually it didn’t have to be but I elected to have it - demolished during a house remodeling project.
By a quirk I happen to have the HO Railroad That Grows out at this time; this railroad was constructed on a 4 X 8 platform and was designed to be moved. If you are figuring that you will ever want to - or have to - move yours then Linn Westcott advocated using hinges with removeable pins so that the drop-leafs can be removed.