Why not? The trains look great when you get them up to eye level!
(Click image to enlarge)
This is Rice Hill summit on my HO Siskiyou Line and I tell you what, it really feels like a summit when you are looking up at the trains! My operators love it.
My whole layout distance from the floor is in the 50" to 65" range and I’m delighted with how nice the trains look on a layout that’s on the high side. Here’s a panoramic view of the layout entry:
As you can see, much of my layout is chest height or higher. I really don’t enjoy feeling like I’m in a helicopter when I’m running trains. For more about my layout, just click the link in my signature to go to my web site.
I’m 6’1" and my base benchwork is 45", which not only gives me room to lean over and reach into my main yard when necessary, but also room to get under the layout comfortably when I need to check the spaghetti factory (wiring). The highest elevation (Yuba Pass) on the layout is 70", and like Joe Fugate mentioned, trains at eye-level REALLY look like they’re cresting a summit.
Tom[:D]
In the background, where the wall meets the slope of the ceiling is about 41"
Having a height restriction in the room necessitated low benchwork & I have to literally crawl under, no ducking here!
I’m not complaining about what I have built, I knew it was going to be low before I started building.
I would not go lower than what you are suggesting.
When I move, I plan on making the benchwork at least 48" off the ground & I’m 6’ tall!
My Layout is 36" off the floor. It’s comfortable to sit in a chair and run. It’s less comfortable to get in under and work on, but that’s ok since I only get onder there to do wiring initially and (hopefully) never again after that (if I do my work correctly).
