What do you recomend for the height of Fascia
around a model railroad layout?
John
High enough to fit with the scenery you’re doing. Mock up some scenery shapes with boxes, foam scraps, newspapers, or whatever and get an idea of how tall your finished scenery will be. The fascia will vary in height depending on what’s happening in any particular area of the layout (lower along a yard, taller adjacent to a deep cut or tunnel). I’ve built fascias from a few inches to over two feet tall. A big mistake many beginners make is to create fascia that is the same height everywhere, making no allowances for variations in terrain. If in doubt as to what the final contour will be, err on the side of initially making the fascia too tall and cut it down later.
wp8thsub,
What hieght would you recomend for the Fascia (plan to use Formica) on the front of the layout to cover up underneath?
John
John:
I need some help understanding what effect you’re after. By “covering up underneath” do you mean the area under the benchwork (i.e. any stuff stored under the railroad) or the area between the underside of the roadbed and the benchwork or…?
The answer can depend on how wide the benchwork is, how high the roadbed is above the benchwork base level, how thoroughly you can control viewing angles, is the layout attached to the walls or free standing, etc. I usually make the fascia flush with the bottom of the benchwork and hide the underside of the layout with curtains made from dark, solid color fabric. For a look at how this effect works, check out the article on Ted York’s Cajon Pass layout in the 2004 issue of “Model Railroad Planning.” Ted attached black curtains to the underside of the benchwork with velcro added at regular intervals. His fascia is Masonite but Formica could give a similar effect.
Hello, I used 1/8 masonite, at Home Depot I had them cut it 8 inches so i got 6 - 8inch by 8 ft length, this bends easily to the contour of your bench work, then with velcro strips a curtain can be added to the floor to cover the underneath of the layout,
Thanks for the suggestions.
In about 2 months I’ll be starting a new layout design.
I’ve been looking at photos of layouts with Fascia
on the front of the layout and it seems to help draw you eyes to the layout as well as make it look more professional. Most of the pictures I’ve seen you can’t tell how big they are.
John
John,
When setting a lower set dimension for your fascia, make sure you measure your wiring and switch machines ( you’ll be surprised on how low all of your wiring and switch machines sit below your framework). Make sure your lower edge is straight and flat so that a curtain can be attached at anytime. As mentioned above your fascia can aid you in creating the visual effect your looking for. I have my fascia extend both above the rail line (to create the illussion of a cut in the side of a hill) and below the rail line (to create the illussion of running along a bank). When choosing a material to use for the fascia, think about how you want to present your layout. I’ve used the cheap dark paneling from Home Depot, trimmed out with stained wood, but as mentioned above you can use painted masonite or several other type’s of material. As you can see there is no right or wrong way for dealing with fascia’s
I had Home Depot cut a 4x8 sheet of quarter inch Masonite into four 1x8 strips which makes for a nice fascia. My layout is a switching layout so there are not the “ups and downs” of scenery that you’d find on a layout depicting open country.
Ed
John and Rob,
Another method I’ve seen of mounting the black curtains is used by Roger Kujawa on his AGW layout. Roger has hot glued spring clothes pins to the back of his fascia to hold the material in place.