Simple base for Christmas tree layout

When setting the tree up on carpet, I use a piece of 1/8" masonite cut into a circle for both the tree and train track to rest on (I only put a circle under my tree). The 1/8" masonite is strong enough to support the 7' tree and heavy O gauge train on the floor without warping, and it's light enough that it can be easily moved for storage.

The board is only necessary for soft surfaces like carpet. If the setup is going on a hard floor, a board isn't needed.

Hi!

I had a rather large Christmas layout for a couple of years, and used a sheet of 1/2 inch plywood (actually 1 1/2 sheets) with 1x2 bracing to get it off the ground  (about an inch) so the wiring could be funneled underneath.  The tree sat on the plywood directly.  In hindsight, I could have cut a hole in the plywood and have the tree stand rest on the carpet.

I ran my Lionel postwar trains on the layout, and I had a ball as they were being run for the first time after sitting on display for several years.  When some of the grandkids came over and ran a couple of trains, I suddenly realized that the typical train (at THAT time) was valued at over $1k!  So, I pulled the valuable stuff off and replaced them with "runners". 

Ha, if I was really smart, I would have sold those trains on Ebay then, for now they are worth about 1/4 of what they were........

Sorry, I digress............. 

You do not specify whether your temporary Christmas layout will be set up on bare floor, or carpeting, which is of at least of some minor consideration. I used to have a modest Lionel train display I'd set up at Christmastime mainly for the benefit of my children and later, my grandchildren. In the process, I learned several valuable lessons.

It is a particularly good idea when setting up on a carpeted floor, but even so on bare floor, to raise the trains somewhat above the level of the floor. This helps to: (1) avoid carpet fibers and other household fine debris from get on the tracks and into the mechanisms of the locomotives and gumming up the works, (2) create a raised barrier preventing anyone from inadvertently stepping on the track/kicking a train when approaching the Christmas tree and (3) allows you to run any needed wiring out of the way underneath the trainboard out of sight and away from potential damage.

I built a simple, light weight, box frame of 1x4's, topped with a sheet of 1/2-inch plywood. If the trainboard won't be used to actually support the Christmas tree (i.e. having a center cut-out for the tree), you could probably get away with 1/4-inch plywood. If it will support the tree, you could add 1x4 cross bracing to the frame. Tacking the plywood to the frame-edge will straigthen any slightly warped plywood, prevent any future warping of the plywood while in storage, as well as making the trainboard capable of being safely stored year to year with less potential for damage, or deterioration.

Although my Lionel trainboard was certainly more involved then what you indicate you are planning, the approaches outlined above would still be very good practices to follow for any sort of simple  Christmastime train display, regardless of scale, or complexity.

CNJ831

I used a pallet with a solid top surface and a 4' x4' piece of insullating foam, spray painted it white and then glued the road bed, tacked down a circle of track and it looks great.

With the tree in the center and using fiber 'snow' to conceal the pallet I then placed frosted pine trees (Wal-Mart, $1.00 each) that looks realistic enough and then used the fiber snow to conceal the base of the tree.

Only problem is keeping the train on the track as I have 3 cats at the office where I set it up and they are ALL avid train fans !

:

I built a 44" x 60" 1x3 picture frame, and glued 1.5" blue extruded foam flush with the bottom of the frame.  I glued 1/4" plywood on top of the foam so I could easily screw Lionel track to the layout, and not have to worry about dents in the foam.  Since the plywood/foam sandwich sat on the floor, it could support the weight of a 7ft tree in the middle without problems.  The 1x3s extended about 3/4" above the plywood surface as a containment fence.  I painted the whole thing a pleasant forest green, and had lots of fun with it.

With such a light base, I transported it to work and would also set up a layout there on the peninsula in my cube as my winning entry for the "decorate your cube" contest.  I would simply set the base on the desk and go from there.

When not in use, the base stood vertically against the wall in the basement.  Track could be left mounted since the containment walls protected the track.

just my thoughts and experiences

Fred W

For my Christmas layouts I use a product that is made specificaly for basement sub-floors.  You should be able to find it at most home centers. 

It's consists of 2ft by 2ft OSB panels with a molded plastic sheet attached to the bottom side.  The plastic has 3/4-inch "bumps" molded into it, that serve as spacers to keep the OSB up off the concrete floor.  The panels lock together with tongue and groove connections.  You can use them on wood, tile, or carpet.

Strategically placed holes in the OSB allow me to pass power cords up to the track, tree, and various lighted buildings.  The panels are pricey, but you will not need that many.  I used only 6 of them to create a 4ft x 6ft platform.  They also provide a very stable base for the tree stand.  When the layout comes down the panels break apart and are stored up over the garage. 

Thanks for all the great advice.  I have a few pallets but they're so tall I think I'm going to use plywood with short bracing.  If I remember my father's set correctly, all the wiring was on the surface tastefully hidden by glue and lichen.

And we haven't decided where the tree will be--it could be on carpet *or* on hardwood flooring.

My main goal is for the plywood to not have a "curling" problem so the bracing of 1-by-3 boards would satisfy that goal.  Ideally, the pallets would work, but the pallet boards are too tall.

Thanks again...!!

Hi, here's an update.  We put the tree up in a room with a hardwood floor and decided for now to put the EZ-Track on the floor directly.  It works well and gave me a better idea of how large the layout can be and how tight the curves shouldn't be.  The HO Acela set has tight curves, probably just at the limit of what the train set can handle, but luckily it can handle full speed without derailing.

Thanks for all the advice.