I’m getting close to putting buildings into my first major layout. How does everyone do this? Permanately? Temporarily? Easily removable? Glue? drilled holes? Putty? Appreciate responses!
Hal
Like almost everything in model railroading, it comes down to personal preference whether to attach your buildings permanently to your layout.
If you have lighted buildings, or are planning on lighting your buildings, temporary placement will allow you access to the lights for bulb replacement.
If your layout was designed for portability, how often you move the layout may determine how permanent the attachments should be. With a lot of structures on a layout, permanent attachment makes the layout easier to get ready for transport, although it exposes the structures to damage during the move. Taking structures off the layout prior to moving can be time-consuming and means you need a way to safely store the structures while off the layout.
Where structures are permanently attached to the layout, realism is enhanced if you insure that the structure LOOKS like is is IN the ground, rather than resting on TOP of the ground. This is usually accomplished by scenicking right up to the foundation of the structure.
HOW to attach the structures is also a personal choice. I suspect most permanent structures are glued in place. Use any method of attachment that works for your situation.
It always amazes me how many different responses are offered for a particular question. In model railroading, the problem-solving abilities of modelers is unsurpassed.
Darrell, quiet…for now
For plastic kits, I generally use Elmer’s white glue because it will hold the building in place but if I decide to move it, which is not uncommon, it is easy to break the plastic free from the Elmer’s.
If it’s not a portable layout or module, you may not need to attach all the structures. Buildings in a city area with streets and sidewalks will prety much stay in place just sitting there. For rural structures of buildings with landscape around them I find the landscaping itself (ie grass, turf, gravel) as it is blended in to the structure is usually enough to hold the structure in place. So the landscape cement/white glue/matte medium used for the landscaping works fine.
Since I leave my roofs removeable, I drill holes through the building’s base, and screw it to the tabletop.
This seams to me to be a little extreme, however, you must have a reason. Would you care to share? I do not mean to sound rude. I can see this for a modular layout, but you stat the roofs are removable, so what have you gained? Thanks 
I build a little “foundation” using stripwood. I make it in an ‘L’ shape, with the longer leg on the horizontal, and the shorter leg vertical on the interior. Color it “concrete.” This allows the structure to “rest” on the foundation, making it easily removable while quite stable on the layout.
I’ve found that in order to prevent light leakage at the base it helps to use an adhesive caulking bead around the inside edge of the structure’s base.
dgwinup and tilden (above) make a very good point.
I make a “footprint” of the building (w/o or w/) base from trimmed masking tape strips. The ground cover is added overrunning part of the footprint. After drying, I lift out the tape, do some light trimming if needed, drop in the structure, and Voila! An in-the-ground building. If I think It needs some additional anchoring, I use the tacky type adhesive; a twist will remove it. By the way, dusting or repainting removable (not ‘temporary’–“mock-ups” are temporary) buildings are infinitely easier at the bench!
Have fun.
Over the years I’ve found that there’s no real need to fasten the buildings to the layout.
They’ll pretty much just sit there. Leaving them loose gives you flexability if you want to move them to another location, add lighting or take them back to the workbench for upgrading or additional details. With buildings that come with bases that extend beyond the walls my favorite trick is to paint the part of the base that’s going to show with some cheap latex and sprinkle landscaping material on the paint before it drys.
Choose lasndscaping material that’s going to blend with what’s on the ground at the place you plan to site your structure. A little more landscaping sprinkled after the building is sited will hide the seam where the base meets the ground. If you really want to anchor the building I’d suggest placing a “key” made of cardboard or quarter inch plywood at the site so that it fits the interior walls of the stuucture. That’ll hold it when the cat brushes against it.
An idea that I am going to use:
I bought some CORK 12x12 squares and will mount the building to those. I will cut the cork to match the footprint. This will giave .125" foundation under the structure. I can then use that mass to stiffen the building when it is picked up to move around.
Plans are to detail all the foreground buildings and using this I feel I get a “floor” to work with. Will use the removable roof trick OR use a dowel loction method for removing the structure for bulbs etc.
As was stated it is your idea, this is what I am trying.
Take Care
George P.
I use homasote for my top benchwork layer, which holds a nail very well. I drill one or two very small holes in an out of the way place in the foundation plate (where I can still get to them) and put a track nail through the holes, just like spiking down my track. If I put the holes in the right place, it is easy to remove the nails if the building needs to be moved.
I use two methods to mount buildings. Some say there is no need, but when my grandson brings his cousins from Colorado by to see the layout, the need for (semi)permanancy is obvious. Method 1 is the use of Elmer’s Acid Free rubber cement. Make sure it is acid free or it will, in time, distort plastic buildings, especially those that come equipped with sidewalks. The rubber cement works for a strong bond to hold in place, yet weak enough to easily remove the building.
My second method is a watered-down version of Elmer’s white School Glue (not the standars white glue). This method requires the building (or object) to “set” overnight, but makes a strong bond which is easily broken from the plastic to remove, but leaves a ridge on the surface of the layout that can be somewhat difficult to remove if it’s in a hard to reach spot.
Just placing a building on a layout works for some, but a dab of glue on the four corners provides security.
Hope this helps and Good luck.
For structures with plastic foundations, white glue, like Elmer’s is best, because the white glue does not bond with the plastic. For wooden structures, however, Elmer’s glue will bond with the wood, and removing the strcture from the layout after gluing will probably cause damage. For wooden structures, I simply put the structure on the layout, apply scenice material all around it and spray scenic cement all around it. While this will bond to the wooden structure, it is diluted enough to help minimize damage. For metal structures, us low temperature hot melt glue or superglue. For plastic buildings with badly warped bases, I use low temperature hot melt glue to get a flat bonding to the layout. Yes, it could be a problem to get the structure off, but it will look good while it’s on the layout. Use a flat metal scraper to remove the structures from the layout, and that should help minimize damage.
Thanks so much for the many great ideas, and they really all work becuase you use them on your layouts. Wonderful forum, to be able to get helpful answers like this. Thanks!
Hal
I use blocks of foam, like from the Athearn train boxes. Mount them on the layout with glue inside the structure on opposite corners, and then place the structure over it. They hold it down and allow it to move a little in case it is bumped.
The only structures that I tack down (glue in place), are those near the edge of the layout that can be knocked off easily. All the others, I use Newton’s Law, aka Gravity to do the job. Amazing how gravity alone can hold a building secure in one place for sometimes years at a time…
This is similar to how I set the structures. In addition to building the footprint, I will place locating blocks or dowel/pins to hold the position in case it gets nudged, but won’t be damaged by and accidental hit. I would never anchor, glue or screw down a building unless it was on a module for transporting. Structures are always in need of repairs or added details and painting. Easy removal to the workbench really helps.
Bob K.
I use a very thin bead of clear silicone caulking around the base. It hold well, but if necessary, I can remove the structure without damage by sliding a putty knife under the edges.
Do you leave a space to scrape? If you detail UP to the sturcture how can you slip under the knife, X-Acto chisle blade? This sounds better than my cork. Onand 027 layout my dad made blocks of wood thet the building would slip over. We would take down the trains after Christmas and when we put them up the buildings just dropped over the blocks.
Good Thread!