Ray,
Thank you for sharing your details, sounds like a great layout. I am actually going the other way, I currently have a 5 X 10 table. I built the very simple benchwork from 1x3 & 1x4 select pine, and 5/8 plywood.
I would like this layout to be a U shape around three walls. The dimensions will be about 11 feet wide with one 16 foot leg and one 12 foot leg. I want to use the Mianne benchwork to get me to laying track and scenery faster. That should keep me busy for a long while.
As noted their stuff is nice, but pricey. I posted hoping to hear from others who have used it.
Thank you,
George
Bob,
Thank you for the reply. I have just re-read the series in the early 2011 issues using the Mianne benchwork and was very impressed with it, the finished layout is pretty nice as well.
Looking forward to making my decision.
George,
I downsized the layout from my prior considerably to open up the room as a playroom. It is 6 feet wide by 8 feet long. As far as track plan, we have an outer 042 circle with a passing/ parking siding, and an inner 031 circle with figure-8 and parking siding. Underneath, using the horizontal bracing for the bench work, I was able to place two parking areas for additional trains. They run longways, along the 8 foot run, and are each two feet wide. I situated them on the outside, leaving a middle, two foot wide "aisle" underneath that permits me and the boys to shuffle the trains from parking to running etc. Relatively speaking, it is a modest layout compared to what I have done in the past, but it looks professional and is actually a good deal of fun. Hth.
We've used it for two layout projects (a layout and an extension) and it made me a believer in terms of ease of use (I had been a 2x4 guy). There is one point where four hands are needed, but the rest can be done by a lone individual.
Look around the website, I believe there should be at least two videos showing us assembling sections of the benchwork. I believe it was for the Reader's Choice RR layout.
http://ctt.trains.com/Operating/How%20To/2012/03/All%20about%20the%20Readers%20Choice%20RR.aspx
http://ctt.trains.com/Operating/How%20To/2011/05/Assembling%20Mianne%20benchwork.aspx
Bob Keller
Hi, and thank you for the response. It does look professional, and is pricey, but I am leaning towards going with it because it is fast to assemble and will get me going more quickly.
What size is your layout and what configuration?
We used it for our most recent layout. The reason was how it looked -- my wife was OK with a train layout in the kid's playroom now that our two boys are at the age where they can enjoy such things. The condition was that the benchwork had to look professional, and I am no carpenter. So we went with the Mianne benchwork. What is also very nice about it is that the configuration of the legs and supports underneath accomodates additional tables that are useful for storage. We are very pleased with it, but yes, it wasn't cheap.
I do not personally own it, but what I have seen is very nice. They can custom make pieces for you in any configuration you desire. It is all held together with screws and easy to assemble. A man I know built his railroad out of it and its very nice. They set up at York each time.
Roger
.
Hi again,
I have found some Utube videos of Mianne benchwork, and it looks really nice. Pricey but nice. Anybody have experience with with it? What are your likes and dislikes?
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