I have a 12 X 13 room that is now my train room…with the space I have how high should I make the layout?
Most builders rely on the old formula of placing the most of your track at the height of your breastbone, or sternum. If you know you will have to reach into the layout often, maybe a bit lower. If you are building shelving for your layout, you can get away with a higher setup if youknow you don’t have to reach more than 28"
Finally, if you are going to have two levels, one above the other, then you must lower the first and raise the top layers accordingly. You will need about 26" of separation as a minimum if you want to enjoy both surfaces, but particularly the bottom one.
My last layout was built in a 10 X 15 foot room. 36" high. It was a bit low for me. I am now building everything “Modular Style” ad David Barrow did on his Cat Mountain and Santa Fe layout. 40" high is just about right for me. Use what is comfortable.
schom,
That’s entirely a subjective preference, with a few stipulations:
How tall are you?
How wide is your layout going to be at it’s widest point?
How high are your ceilings?
Will you have/want more than one level on your layout?
Will there be any smaller/younger kids wanting to view or run your layout?
I have a typical 4 x 8 layout in my basement. I’m 6’-4" and have my table height at 42" - about belt high. I tried 48"…then 45"…then finally settled on 42". That’s a nice height for me to both view AND to reach over and work on my layout comfortably.
My basement ceiling is only 2" higher than my head. If I had made it any higher, it would have been much more difficult to reach over my layout to do things. (Kinda like trying to work on your layout in the bottom bunk of a bunk bed.)
schom, you’ll get a wide variety of answers here. It really depends what your constraints are. Start at 42" and move up or down from there.
Tom
Mine is set at 42" also[^] It’s a good standard height. 12x16 with a max reach out of 24 ".
I put mine at 36". This is a ood height for me so my kids can help me work on it. It’s about waist high on me.
My layout is 48" to the top of the bench work. I have another inch of foam on top
of that. This is nice for viewing, but a tad too tall for working. I have a small platform
that I can move around that is about a foot high. This makes it easier to work on
the layout.
I am starting a new layout and will probably go with a height of around 40-42 inches.
The new layout will also have a second level for staging. Dave
Mine is 50" at baseline. I’m exactly 6’ tall. I find any lower than that a pain in the tuckus. I have to bend over too much to work on top, and I have to squat down WAY too far to work underneath.
50" isn’t actualy that high, basically 4’… My wife is 5’2" and viewing the layout is quite comfortable for her (and she actually has a better eye-ish level view than I do, I have to come down a bit to get the eye-level thing…)
I’d say there’s no way to tell better than trying: Take a tape measure out and play. Set up some shelves at different heights if you can. Nothing beats reality.
I too built a platform (2 x 3 x 1 foot high) to stand on when I need to work/reach toward the back. I can reach easily into about 20" depth without it, and can easily reach 36" back (the deepest the layout goes). It was initially just a box, but I ended adding a ‘handrail’ to the front, so I can lean on that as needed rather than the layout edges.
Standing on it. It has also proved useful for kids and very short people.
My layout is always designed at a height where I can run it sitting down. I had a job for 7 years I stood at for 8,12, 16 hours a day on a production line. I wouldn’t design mine for standing unless it was like a bar stool sitting height, or for creating a duck under by a door way. So 36" has been good for me, but a duckunder I would probably consider 48".
As mentioned, this can be subjective, and depends on your height. I am 5’ 8" tall, and my layout base benchwork height 45". The lowest track is 48", and the highest track is 54" - Works very well for me. Most of the layout is from 24" to 30" in width, and I do need to step up on a combination step stool/toolbox made by Rubbermaid when work is needed that far back.
Jim Bernier
I am 6-2 and I have mine at 52". I have a duckunder layout in a 9.5X9.5 room. The layout is 9.5X8.5. Most people cringe when I say duckunder, but I have found using a roll around mechanic’s seat makes getting in and out a breeze.
29" I sit down to run trains on a rolling stool. My kids (6 and 8) can reach the entire layout, and I can reach the underside of the layout comfortably on my back. Plus, there is room to add an upper deck if I want to in the future.
Hi,
I have mine at 48". I can run trains sitting on a stool or standing. Most kids are tall enough to see the trains just fine. The younger ones sit on a stool. This limits their wandering fingers.
On my current layout the track is at 58" (I’m 5’11"). This is a good level for viewing and the duckunder into the room. But a 2 step stool is required for working on it. One of the interesting effects is that with multiple occupied tracks you can only see the tops of the cars on the tracks in back. However, I have decided that overall this is too high and I plan to build my next one, which won’t have a duckunder, at 48" .
Enjoy
Paul
I’m planning mine at 54" which is about my breastbone. I could be convinced to change.
Mine is 48" and I’m 6’4" tall. For me its the perfect height.