I read about risers this and risers that…please tell me. what is a riser, and what does it do, or when
will I use it?
risers are used to elevate the trackbed above the framework. Think of an extention ladder laying flat on the ground. That represents the framework. Now place some track roadbed down the center. If you wanted a flat layout with no rise/fall in elevation and no valleys for bridges, then you would just attach the bed to each rung. If you wanted to make the track go uphill, you would use a riser. It is just a block of wood that you attach to the bottom of the roadbed at each rung and push upward until you get where you want and attach to the rung from the side with screws, leaving a little extra to be able to adjust if needed. Hope you follow me.
A riser is a vertical structural member that supports the subgrade* at some level above the tops of the benchwork joists. It is usually used in conjunction with cookie-cut L-girder or open-grid construction rather than flat-table design.
- I designate my cookie-cut plywood as ‘subgrade’ to differentiate it from the fan-fold underlayment (10mm extruded foam) ‘roadbed’ to which my flex track and wood ties are fastened with grey latex caulk. This removes the semantic conflict between ‘plywood roadbed’ and ‘cork roadbed.’
I make risers from appropriate lengths of steel stud material, clipped and bent at the top to form screwing flanges. Some of mine support subgrade at two different levels.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - on steel stud ‘C acts like L’ girder benchwork)
Look on the Woodland Scenic web sight and you can see pictures of risers. A picture is worth a thousand words Gary
Yes, and don’t be fooled into thinking they are meant for a grade. They are meant to sustain your roadbed and tracks at a certain level, with some variation I suppose, but the idea is that they keep spline roadbed or cookie cutter roadbed elevated. You don’t need ‘risers’, for example, when you lay track on a plywood slab, as you would on a 4X8 foot sheet of plywood. Risers are usually screwed onto the faces of joists and other frame members so that they are upright…they don’t sit on plywood like the foam ramp sections do that you get from Woodland Scenics or Walthers.
-Crandell
Risers are vertical members holding the roadbed, etc. above the frame work. They are noticeable in the photo below, with risers visible in the front left and the back right. In this case, I believe they are 1by4-inch boards.
Often/typically, one adds extra stringers (horizontal framework members) to one’s “basic” framework so the risers can be placed for adequate support of the subroadbed and to control the subroadbed’s grade (upsy/downsy).
Mark
I have three different ways of doing risers on my layout. It was and is a case of what ever works.
In this photo you can see the risers holding up the spline roadbed. From right to left the spline is just going from a 2% grade to level. The terrain will be built up to the spline and above after the trackwork is finished. With the way I built my benchwork, it is easy to find a spot to attach a riser to. However as Mark stated, you can attach a horizontal cross member wherever it may be needed.
Here is a photo of an area after the foam has been added.
Here is the only spot on the layout where I have plywood. The rest is grid type benchwork. You can see how I made some “L” shaped risers to be placed on top of the plywood.
Last but not least I used steel risers to hold up this steel stud. It sits on cement board that is used to line fireplaces with. It keeps everything very cool on top. Overkill I know but it works well.
Brent
And risers can be used to elevate entire scenes or landforms…
As well as the subroadbed as others have shown…
Model railroader has a book out there called “Building Model Railroad Benchwork” or something to that effect that really helped me alot thru the use of excellent drawings and photos.
Matt