building benchwork that can be reasembled

[Anonymous]

looking through my december issue of MR i think i have a layout to run with springfield on the frisco----i'm an n-gauge modeler of 12 years now and need to design benchwork that i can disasemble as i am currently renting a home and will probably buy on in 2 to 3 years with luck either one of my teens will have moved out or i'm buying a 4 bedroom home

would love to hear of some tricks,materials,hardware used by others to make there layouts moveable Patricks layout appears to vary from 2.5' to 3' wide and it appears there may be some tricky spots as well as i am going to put elevation in some areas possibly goin over nichols junction by bridge (one issue at a time though) and double track in a few areas and need all of this to realign after its move now I would want to build the benchwork into 4 sections


love to hear some thoughts

also if anyone knows patrick or has his atlas right track plan could i kindly get a copy of it

thanks

[Anonymous]

Standards for modular layouts have been around for a while. This link is to my local HO modular group, but if you look under their links page, you will find more info on N and HO modules.

www.hotrak.ca

Having seen the HO and N scale modules in action, I would say this is definitely the way to go if you're going to have to move. The immediate benefit is also that you can take your module(s) to a meet, hook them up, and you have a whole new layout to play with!

This is a step-by-step about building modules. It is for HO, but the same principles apply:

http://www.railwaybob.com/Modules/ModuleConstruction/ModConstr01.htm


Andrew

[dehusman]

Look at open grid benchwork.

Open grid is a series of similarly sized frames, usually made from 1x4's, that have two sides and ends, with crossbraces every 16-24 inches so they look kinda like ladders. Typical sizes are 18-30 in wide and 24-72 inches long. Most modular layouts and "dominoes" are this same construction. Just make sure the roadbed has joints at the table edges and if you design a removable piece of track at the table joints you will be able to break it apart.

Dave H.

[Anonymous]

you could try this: http://www.sieversbenchwork.com/Index.html

They come in a variety of sized sections that bolt together.

Jay.

[Anonymous]

Check out the N-track standards. http://ntrak.mv.com

Module standards can also be found on the NMRA website www.nmra.com

MR had an article about modules called dominos within the past few years you may also want to look at.

These are all designed to be portable.

If you are not going to attach your modules to anyone elses (such as at a train show), then you don't necessarily have to follow the standards to the letter (track spacing, elevation, electrical hookup, etc). You can instead use the module standards as a guide as you build your own modules, and set your own standards.

However, if you would like your modules to participate in an Ntrak layout, then you will have to follow the Ntrak module standards or there will be problems trying to interface your module with Ntrak modules built by others.


Dale B.

[Bikerdad]

Use knock-down hardware. Check this site: www.leevalley.com for a wide selection.

Most modules use a rudimentary form of knock-down with their bolts into t-nuts for attaching the legs, but you can go farther than that. You can use knock-down to attach the layout to the walls, taking advantage of the structural strength that will give you, and saving you the complication and space munching that legs can present. By carefully planning your "separation points", you can deal with the issues of "separation anxiety." Examples would include putting your separation points under buildings that can easily be removed. This saves you the trouble of repairing the scenery when you separate. You could put them into canyons or rivers, i.e, simple flat repair points. For the track, you can use a less robust method than normal modular standards, simply because you won't be moving it frequently. Just use unsoldered railjoiners at the breakpoints and power the track on both sides.

Try asking this question over at this site, with a little explanation of what "benchwork" is: www.sawmillcreek.org There's a lot of sharp woodworkers over there, and methinks a fair number of them would be intrigued by the problem and give you some good feedback.