I'm a newbie so here's a newbie situation and question-
Situation-
3 years ago got a HO train kit for a gift from Dad, hadn't had one in 20 years when we built a simple layout on a 4x8 sheet of ply. Problem is I haven't got the basement finished yet. So I have nowhere to build a permanent table. So in the meantime LOML and I have come up with the following-
build a table to place under a Christmas tree that we set up in the kitchen, I know, I know not exactly high end model railroading but it's the best I can do right now.
I've got room for a 85" x 46" layout (it sets in a bay window), the max height on table is 6", and it has to be portable so I can put it out of the way after holidays (probably May), when I start to finish basement.
Questions-
What is the best way to construct such a low table? I was thinking some kind of torsion box, I've built a large one for a woodworking bench, it would be rigid but light.
What are some good books to pick up to get me back in this hobby?
Any mags worth subscribing to?
Welcome to the forum
Model Railroader is my favorite mag.
I buy their special books as I begin work on a scene. Just bought the engine servicing book, in that will be my winter project
For the table, consider a piece of strofoam, 2 inches thick. Build some light saw horses to sit it on. Glue your roadbed and track to the foam with latex caulk. It really is that simple and light weight.
You can add mountains and gullies with more caulk and a steak knife to carve it with. Any artist acrylics will paint it wonderfully.
For more detailed scenery, follow the threads here and ask specific questions. You will get more answers than you can deal with.
101 track plans will give some goos ideas on track plans. Spacemouse's web site also has some good ideas.
Keep us posted, we are all learning together.
I would get it up a few more inches, if it were up to me, and I would have many supports under it. My idea is that you will want a lighted winter scene.....?.....which means many cords and junctions to extension cords. So, you'll want to be able to drop the cords directly below the surface via 1" holes over which your lighted buildings will sit. That is why you need elevation, and why a box resting fully on the ground will be both heavier and restrictive in terms of ease of wiring.
So, I would use no heavier than half-inch plywood, good quality, and place at least 10-15 leg supports near 9-12" high so that you can fish under the plywood to get at cords. Bottom line, go light, go simple, the rest should be all a carefully contrived illusion.
Why not use pink or blue foam? Cut and glue together 2" foam to the size you want. Then cut two pieces of foam 4" wide and as long as the long edges and glue them along the edges of the big sheet and you will have your legs.
This way you can make a little pond in your scenery and maybe a little creek. And if you choose to make a winter landscape you can have a couple of skaters on the ponds ice.
I think a 2"X4'X8' sheet of foam insulation would work well. Cut it to the size you have space for and use the extra pieces to build hills, etc.
One work of caution, if you are going to be moving it you should protect the edges. You could make a frame work to fit around it (make the frame to fit the space and the foam to fit inside) and have a couple of straps across underneath, they can be 1"X3" on their side, so will only raise your table 3/4"
My experience with plywood is it needs more framing than the 2" foam, but it would provide you with a solid table.
Have fun,
The foam won't stand up to handling over time...boot toes, small hands, gouges from movement around corners....they'll all take a quick toll. So, you would want to protect this investment with a frame around the periphery, and that adds cost, weight, and complexity. Not that foam isn't a super idea...I agree with the reasoning...but it still needs to be kept in good condition, and that won't happen without some cladding. And, in order to do the lighting, you'll still need a array of stilts or pedestals below it to stabilize it in such a way that it is at a pleasing height and allows access to the cords below.
That's the way I sees it.
nof wrote: Why not use pink or blue foam? Cut and glue together 2" foam to the size you want. Then cut two pieces of foam 4" wide and as long as the long edges and glue them along the edges of the big sheet and you will have your legs.
This sounds like my ever evolving plan for my small (42"x72") sits-on-a-tabletop layout. My plan is to build a slab of 2 laminated sheets of 2" extruded foam, glued together with tile adhesive. The scrap from the 4'x8' sheets will make long risers under the long edges of the slab, and stratigically placed support blocks under the rest of the slab. Right now I'm leaning towards strips of 1/8" moisture resistant masonite-like material glued to the edges for gouge protection...and possibly wider/taller strips doing double duty as a backdrop in some areas.
Now I just need to figure out how to neatly precut the slab sheets before transporting, since full 4' sheets will not fit in the vehicle...my 42" width will....just barely. The sheets are stored in a shed with no electricity, and no good working space. <shrug>
Reality...an interesting concept with no successful applications, that should always be accompanied by a "Do not try this at home" warning.
Hundreds of years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove...But the world may be different because I did something so bafflingly crazy that my ruins become a tourist attraction.
"Oooh...ahhhh...that's how this all starts...but then there's running...and screaming..."
Subscribe to Model Railroader - our host, but also the best magazine on the hobby.
"Track Planning for Realistic Operation" by John Armstrong is the book to buy.
One thought. Since you have a basement you're going to finish, you could build a layout down there on wheels with a cover. You can roll the layout around when you're finishing the basement and you could build it bigger - say 5x10.
Enjoy
Paul