I am starting my first layout and it is going to be u shaped and it is going to be 3 sections, 2 of them are 8’x3’ and the third is 6’x3’. The frams for each are nerley complete then I’m starting on nailing the top on. Since this is my first layout I am willing to take any helping coments and I will be posting qustions as I go. Thanks.
Gidday redcameroguy, [#welcome] to the forum.
A few more clues on what you’re up to and want to achieve would help regarding helpful comments. I’m assuming you’re modelling N ?
Regarding “nailing” your top on, I use screws on all my bench work. It’s easier to disassemble if plans and/or ideas, change or need alterations.
Cheers, the Bear.
…I, also, assume this is to be an N scale layout, unless it is point to point, with a round house at both ends. 3ft. would allow only a radius of 14" for the turn around, which is too small a radius for HO scale. Is the U to be accessible from all sides? A 28" reach is maximum Also, use screws,(not nails)! I happen to have an around the 24’x24’ room HO layout. With undulating layout top, so that one can reach any part of the railroad tracks. I used a pull-out drawer for access to one area that exceeded a 28" reach. (Note the sawmill complex photo below.) Do you know how to Post a photo? For “Forum photos” one must use a Host "ie.“Photobucket.com Once you have established a free account with Photobucket, and set up a MR dedicated Album, you can then download photos to this album. With the new “upgrade ???”, they have changed the way that one transfers a photo and text to Trains.com/forum. “Oh my!” This is lengthy! Assuming that you have a photobucket MR Album of photos to"login” to. 1. Type: "photobucket.com login… 2. Several choices will appear. Click on: Image hosting free photo sharing … 3. Click on: “Share with friends". Your entire Album appears in rows 4. Scroll down and click on desired photo… 5. The word “Copied” will appear momentarily (with yellow background) 6.Go to Internet “Google” type in"trains.com/forum”…o 7. Click on “Model Railroader”… 8.Go to desired Forum to Start a Thread, or Reply… 9. For Reply, click on pencil icon (lower left0… 10.Type in text, and click “enter enter” to leave space… 11.Click on “ctrlV”, and lengthy phot code will appear … 12.Scroll down and click on Post the text and photo appear at Thread
I had thought that it would be better to start with a track plan and some limits on the benchwork, then build the benchwork needed for the trackplan and any structures.
if you want some track to be elevated, you may need to think of the benchwork less as a bench as in tool bench, and more as a framework to support the track. L-girder benchwork
The layout vision website may also be useful – http://www.layoutvision.com/
Add a 45-degree triangle to each inside corner of the U-shaped layout. This benchwork will make any curve radius much easier for trackplanning and tracklaying. Plus, curve transitions for operations will be smoother, let alone for eventual scenery construction.
Start with some paper templates to determine how large to make the triangles – Equilateral sides coming out of the 90-degree angle portion of the triangle at 12" – Try 18" – Try 6" – Etc.
Thanks for all the great posts and yes it is a n scale and I have been useing screws to put the bench work togethet but I was going to use nails for the top but now that its mentioned it does sound like it would be a lot easier if I had to take it all apart
Hi Camaro lover,
maybe you should reconsider using a flat table top at all. If your layout has to become totally flat, without rivers and streams, without grades a flat top might be the answer.
You should think twice about the minimum radius as well if you dreams are about modern long freight cars and / or passenger cars. The width of your table might be just to small since18’ would be the (IMHO) appropriate minimum radius.
Have you considered building a donut type trackplan?
Smile
Paul
18" radius in N scale is equivalent to more than 33" in HO scale. This radius looks great, but is probably broader than is absolutely necessary for full length passenger cars.
I haven’t yet found an N scale engine or car that won’t run on 15.5" radius curves (roughly equivalent to 28" in HO scale). So the Original Poster’s 3-foot-wide benchwork could be fine for anything he would like to run. Of course, we don’t know anything about his era, type of modeling, interests, etc., so everyone is guessing about how to help him.
And as noted above, it’s usually better to have a track plan first and then build benchwork to fit. For one thing, if the tables he is building are against a wall, the corners will be much to deep to reach (30" is about the deepest a person can reach over a scenicked layout). And again as others have noted, flat tabletops are typically not the best way to build model railroad benchwork.
If the Original Poster were to write us more about his interests and intentions, he would help Paul and everyone else who is trying to help him.Even better, a sketch of the existing benchwork and how it fits into the room will help a lot.
Although this N scale U-shaped layout is probably not a good fit for the Original Poster’s interests, it does show what may be accomplished in about the same space.
I think that we need more information on what the OP wants from this layout and on the place where it will be situated. What era is to be modelled, and what kind of operation? Unlike seemingly everyone else, I thought that this would be an HO scale layout, with point-to-point operation. Unless he wants to watch trains go around in circles, the 3’ depth is unnecessary, and even for a layout with loops at each end, simple bump-outs would suffice.
The size of the three benchwork components suggests that the available space is 8’x12’. Is there a possibility of making it an around-the-room style, with a lift-out at the doorway? Or how about a double-decked layout, with each deck independent?
The suggestion to go with open framework, either L-girder or open grid, is a good one if changes in elevation are desired.
I also think that the aim should be to obtain the widest radii possible. Working with minimums only leads to cramming stuff in where it shouldn’t be.
If Stein were here, he would have already come up with several brilliant trackplans and a bunch of helpful suggestions and insights.
Wayne