My job has me currently working on fixing a problem office in the Northwest, but my wife and I are both from the Southwest and know we want to return to the Southwest sooner, rather than later! The good news is that we are renting a remodel home with a semi-bare basement to do some model railroading for the first time. I first built a 4 by 8 and now have expanded into a larger 9’ by 11’ open room in the basement.
I want to design and build a nice layout that can be portable and easily moved. But this could be something that may need to be moved by the end of this summer. The current layout original intent was to do so, but as I got into the nuts and bolts of putting it together, I ended up not making an easily movable layout. So, back to the drawing board.
Based on this: What suggestions does anyone have? I have read on modular designs, but it seems to say to go 3’ by 6’ sections. And when you do such design, how do you make sure track pieces do not cross over the modules?
My room basically is an a drywall only (No tape and texture) room with a 45" opening to get into the room (Doorway with no door) on the front and a 6’ picture window on the back! I have options to not use this 9’ by 11’ room and go into the other parts of the basement, but it seems to get more water.
You should consider building modules. The most well known standard is N-trak, and there are also module standards in other scales. Most of them are based on 2’ by 4’ modules, but there are often variations. Even if you never intend to join with a module group, they are portable so you can take them with you when you move.
Im Kind of in the same boat ryno, as I know I wont stay in this house more than a year, probably only 9months max, I designed a sectional layout, with the thought of dismantling in the near future.
Any scenes are contained within only one section, ie: the town, the harbour, trestle, engine facilities and so on, when I get more space I can add more sections between existing ones without too much trouble or disrupting the flow. room is currently 12x12
check out www.ntrak.org Thats is the website for the Ntrak standards. They have a complete book available on the website for $12 shipping included that is all about the standards. btw this is for N-Scale Hope this helps.
Mike
I belong to two HO module groups and am building a 14x16 modular layout now. The specs for these specify that your track ends start exactly 4 1/2 inches from the edge so that you can use a standard piece of 9" straight track as a “span track”. You then just remove them if you need to move them. My layout will be totally portable because I too will be moving in a couple of years. Another advantage is that even if your layout is built up against a wall it is relatively easy to disconnect a module, move it into the room and work on it from both sides.
Our group is participating in a big show this weekend where we have 130 HO modules. The layout takes up an entire middle school gym. I’ll take some photos of some examples and post them to the forum during the week if anybody wants to see them.
other wise you could build a cabinat that would house 2 4x8 sheets that would fold out into a layout and have shelves under it for storage so it would be like moving a amore or something when you do move and it would be nice and safe for a long road trip… I have a MRR with a plan like this and it uses a point in the ceiling for a asist for folding it up into the cabinate…
and the 4x8’s are mounted together on the long ends and thats where they fold… so the cab is 8ft wide and about 7-8ft tall and about 21inches deep… how ever you could just change it to anysize you want and that way its easy for you to move and travel with. because IM guessing your going to probably use a uhaul when you move and that way all your hard work doesnt go to waist then when it brakes in the way to your new home…
These are great ideas by everyone. I really like the 4 1/2 concept. Just going to take some very careful planning to make that work. I like the UKguy plan as well, but sizes seem large. I figure the larger the “modules”, the more likely losses will happen upon a move.
This is an HO scale plan. So, can only use the concepts of N-trak.
After doing a good deal of playing around with the Atlas Right Track software, the Old Dog has come to the conclusion that miost of the modules will need to be at least six feet assuming HO scale and the use of #6 turnouts. Using a eight inch wide road bed would allow three tracks spaced three inches a part or four tracks spaced two inches a part. Six feet will allow two interweaved siding off a central main track. One would probably want to allow four or six inches for scenery allong the back.
Call me crazy, but why 6 feet long? Why not 3? I am just trying to figure this all out, and I always want to know “why.” I could see the benefit of turnouts and such using 6 verus 3, but in my case, it would result in 3, 6 foot modules for my room size (9’ by 11’3") and curves on the corners.
Also, tabletop material suggestions? I was thinking about using the plywood base with a insulating foam top. Not sure about the long term durability of foam and attaching track can be a challenge on foam. I would think I could then eliminate the corkbed since the top would soft???
“Standard” HO modules are 2’ x 4’. You would be surprised as to the amount of scenery and/or track you can fit in that space, especially two of them end to end. Of course the concept of the HO modules standard is less based upon moving the layout and more based upon transporting the module(s) to meets. So the four foot length is more practical for fitting into cars than 6 foot. Also, laying the track out is not as difficult as you might think. With a 48" module, subtract 9" (4 1/2 each end) and your 39" remainder is just a piece of 36" flex track and a 3" Atlas straight. Once you have one track correct on one module, then you just “plan” the rest of them by butting them up to the one you already have built.
rynoexpress, here are two very recent forum threads on benchwork. There are a multitude of ways.
There have been some who used only 2" extruded foam for the base structure; no plywood. Since you are currently in the NW, you should be able to aquire this material. Here in the south 2" is very rare.
Don’t forget about using hollow core doors as a possibility.
Thanks for all the suggestions and ideas. I think I will try again using the 2" foam board, 2’ by 4’ modules. I can make three of them and the work the corners to make a circular track. I like the link from UKguy on transporting as that will allow me to think about how I want to work it. I have about 6 Kalmbach books and my first layout was based on the Set to Scenary using the foam and 1 by 4s. Taking that same concept of 1 by 4’s surounding the foam and then using the edge of the 1 by 4’s as the connecting edge. Just will need to figure that into my design.
Thanks again to everyone. I live in a small town with no hobby store and no knowledge of a club to bounce ideas off of.
This is a bit radical, but you should consider using hollow-core doors (about $25 apeice around here) on crude A-frame trestles, with a high-quality secitonal track system that has built-in ballast, such as Kato UniTrack or Fleischmann Profi-track. You’ll have fun, you’ll learn a lot about, as John Armstrong would have put it, your “givens and druthers”, and you’ll spend most of your remaining time at your current location running trains instead of doing trackwork that will simply be pulled out later. WHen you are ready to move to a more permanenet scenario, you’ll get a good price on E-Bay for the track.
I think you’ll be disappointed if you really try going to the trouble and expense of making your layout portable. You’ll have to make too many compromises, shipping damage is highly likely, and after all that, as likely as not it simply won’t suit your new space.
If you check out the ntrak.org website, they will also have a template for building the corner framework that is pretty easy. N or HO makes no difference, the benchwork dimensions are the same generally. I took some photos of a couple of more exotic modules at a show this weekend and will try to post them this week. I will use the title of Module Photos.
Remember that layouts eat length like crazy. Allowing for the connections, six feet seems to be the minimum for the three track interweaved siding configuration that I was thinking of using. One of my requirements is that all three tracks must be connected on each module so that the modulars can be placed in any order. One usually seems to run out of length with four feet. Four foot seems to be just too short, but could be used.
As for road bed, I’m thinking of tacking the track with small amounts of white glue. If you use spikes, make sure the material is soft enough so you drive the spikes but hard enough to hold them in place.
Thanks for all the suggestions. Since I already have a working layout and I am satisfied with it for now, I will leave everything alone and am concentrating on getting the move to happen sooner. I start looking yesterday for a new position and am interviewing for a new job before the end of the week. I may experiment with a partial sheet of foam board I have in the basement with building a module, but I think I am better off now going too crazy. The last time I was this serious about looking for a new job, I had one within a month.
However, if I do move back to the SW, may need some ideas for an attic design!!!
