I am currently in the planning stages of a new layout in n-scale. It’ll be an around the room, shelf type layout. I am unsure if I want to build it to sit or stand at the layout & would like some input from people that have been there/done that.
How tall is the benchwork on your layout & do you sit or stand?
What would you do differently if you had to start over?
I know this is a personal preferance thing, but I’m sure it can help avoid problems bu pointing out things other modelers like or dislike about their own layouts.
Mine is 4 feet from the floor so I can easily access the wiring, switch machines, signaling and track detection. I use an old office chair that I can drop down and can roll under without hitting my head and do whatever I need to do. Mine is a shelf around the wall design with 2 large islands that takes up about 520 sq. ft in a finished basement so I am very glad I built it this way. There will be pros and cons for both ways ,but you will have to build a mock up and see what suits you.Glad your on board and take your time and enjoy ,Jim.
Thanks for the input. The room I’ve chosen for my layout is only about 132 sq. ft. and needs some serious prep work before I can actually start buildong benchwork but I think the height of the layout might play a role in how the room gets prepped. I can actuallly expand into the rest of the basement if I choose to but I think if I did that I might get overwhelmed with the size of the project.
Mine is 40 inches at the surface, but the subway is 4 inches below that. I don’t have to get under it for maintenance because all my electrical connections and electronic stuff are mounted on swing down boards at the front edge.
Micheal, how do you for see running the layout, sit back and watch or switching? I like a lower track so I can sit back and see most of the layout. My current layout is 32 inch tall, and is a little short. My next layout will be right around 40 inches.
With me sitting in my offices chair that will put the layout about 8 inches below my line of sight. With the grades I planing to use I will still be able to see the trains at the back of the bench.
If I was into switching, I would build the layout at eye level. It does make the train’s look more real.
I will probably be doing both. I like the idea of switching & “hands on” operation but I’m sure there will be times that I just want to sit back & watch it go around. I was originally thinking that I would use an office chair to sit in for operating but as I sit here at my computer desk I get the feeling that it might not work as I’d planned. I do like the stools that we have at out snack bar in the kitchen & I don’t really think the wife would notice they’re missing…
Another good point. I actually am having thoughts about going back to HO Scale for the simple fact that I’m not getting any younger, but that’s a very remote possibility. I really like the idea of what I can do in the space with N scale and as of now (40ish) I still have 20/20 vision.
In part, it depends on how tall you are and the scale of your layout.
I am 6 foot tall, and my HO scale layout is 36 inches high. That proves to be to low to be able to sit on the floor and work under the layout when wiring or installing under layout switch machines.
In a recent post I mentioned my layout is 48 inches high. I stand nearly all the time to work on it and operate it. At 47, my legs do begin to get tired standing all the time. I’m wondering what will happen when I’m 60.
My next layout, whenever that is, I would seriously consider making it low enough to where I can sit in a rolling chair or something and work/operate it from that vantage point. I don’t know exactly what height that is.
Of course other issues like, ducking under to enter a central pit, working under a layout, or the need for storage under a layout, does present decisions as well.
I’m just saying that I didn’t consider how tired my legs would get when I thought about the height of this layout. Next time I will.
I am 6’ tall as well (6’ 1/2" actually) and I can see getting under a 36" layout for wiring/repairs being a problem. Sitting in this office chair & operating trains at that height would seem quite comfortable though.
I’ll have to take that into consideration as well. I stand almost all day at work every day and my legs can be quite tired by then end of the day. Not sure if I would want to come home after 10 hours & stand in front of a train table for several more. I know that some standing is unavoidable but I want to be able to sit & operate for part of the time.
Yessir, that’s exactly what I do, sit in an office chair on wheels which also rotates 360 degrees. Perfect height for viewing and operating trains. Also, it is a lot easier to open the mini-fridge to get another beer. [B]
Mine is 48" high - good for standing and operating / viewing and I also use a rolling steno chair for any under layout work. It makes my duck-under easier too.
48" (or close to it) seems to be a pretty popular height. I’m not real sure about the whold duckunder thing though. There are 2 doors in the room I want to use and I hadn’t planned on crossing them because the water heater is located on one wall in that room. While I was down there measuring last night I found the install tag on the water heater & it said 1988! Thinking I will probably have to replace it soon anyway, I might just move it to the other side of the wall & then have the entire room for my layout & go all the way around the room. (I was originally thinking a double back at each end of an L shaped layout.) But as far as crossing in front of the doors, I was thinking along the lines of a drop or swing bridge as opposed to a duckunder. I found some good plans for them while I was looking for track plan ideas in old MR issues last night. (About 5 years worth)
Something that hasn’t been touched on - just how much height difference is there on visible trackage over the area of the railroad? Mine runs from about 40 inches to just under 60 inches. That’s railhead height above the floor. The main yard was planned to be 42 inches high, but is actually coming in closer to 44 - I didn’t allow for the slope of the garage floor, and the main yard runs right across the door.
Some time in the future, there may be an abbreviated narrow gauge empire at roughly 60 inches over the area where the present level is planned to be 40 inches.
I am NOT a giant, and 60 inches is several inches above my wife’s eye level. Periscope, anyone?
My railhead height varies between 48" - 52". I’m in HO and my height is six ft. I use a stool on wheels to move around under the layout. The depth on my layout is 2’ - 3’ except where the two islands are, where access is from both sides. I use a foot stool at times to work on the rear parts of the layout on top.
I find the height to be just right for my preference in viewing the scenery and trains. It gives a view more like a real life perspective, as against an unusual looking down on a train or scenery.
There have been many threads on this topic in the past, and you may want to search those for even more helpful comments.
Thanks for bringing that up. I hadn’t thought of that before either but it should be considered as well. I’ll have to nail down a track plan before I consider grades & different levels of trackage but a good thing to keep in mind.
