I am contemplating setting a future layout on top of two or three 4-drawer lateral filing cabinets in an office room. Using cabinets 36 inches wide, a layout with a 48 inch width would overhang by 6 inches on each end.
The question is how would the opening and closing of the drawers several or many times a day (not while a train is running) impact the layout? Would the vibrations cause damage such as glue loosening, tree/ bush scenery coming loose, structures experiencing earthquakes, track separating? Should some type of shock absorber be used between the cabinet and the layout, such as rubber or big springs? Does anyone have actual experience with a layout on active operating cabinets?
The advantages would be to use otherwise empty airspace, get a layout at standing viewer-height, avoid the need to build legs and cross-members, avoid the need to damage the wall with brackets, etc.
No experience with the points you raised.
One concern not mentioned, namely the need to get under the layout, ot else turn up on an edge, to do/repair wiring. Wiring will go wrong every now and then.
Dave
I would think the vibration of openign and closign the drawers, especially closing when you forget to guide it all the way in and just let them slide shut, will knock structures around and definitely knock rolling stock off the rails. A fully loaded drawer in one of thsoe has some significant weight and the whole thing shakes pretty good when the drawers close.
WHile the use of the “air space” is tempting - I’d install legs and keep the layout structure physically isolated from the cabinets. A 4 foot span is not too far between legs. If you make L girders, you can span even further, so if you have two cabinets right next to each other, you only need legs on the outside.
–Randy
My thoughts exactly. Build the layout over the file cabinets.
Rich