I spoken about my layout buiding project here before and even shown photos of the room but I haven't shown the benchwork plan previously. So here it is:
This plan is based on using the Woodland Scenics Mod-U-Rail system stands. I will most likely use some of the modules made by Woodland Scenics and 2" extruded foam to produce the final layout. I don't have a finalized track plan yet but I do have some ideas which I'd like to present for the readers here to consider and comment on.
First let me describe the room this benchwork plan is designed to fit. The room measure 12 feet 3 inches along the top of the diagram. It is also 15 feet long along the right and left sides. Not all of this 15 feet is usable or either side.
As you can see the benchwork runs along the walls on 3 sides of the room with the bottom portions freestanding. The benchwork runs for 11 feet on the left side and it also runs for 9 feet 7 inches along the right wall. Those runs are limited by doors and walking space to enable one to come into the train room along the left wall and walk thru the room and enter the laundry room which is on the other side of the right wall.
I had originally envisioned using 12 along the left wall but this was precluded by two things. First, there is a doorway to rear of the room that can be shut by a door that requires a large area to swing closed. The second thing is I need leave space for my 96 year old mother-in-law to walk thru the room so she can do her laundry. There is a nother entrance to the laundry room but she insists on going this way and I am not going to fight with her and my wife over this.
So I lose at least 7 1/2 square feet of possible layout space tha way but I get to have a layout anyway plus I get the benefit of a quieter life.
As you can see the bechwork itself is laid out in the form of the letter G. If you look at the lower right hand side of the benchwork you will notice that there is space between the the center penninsula and the right bottom of the benchwork. This space is 21 inches wide and measures 18 inches in length. I've tested this space and it is possible for most people (including me and I am not exactly skinny) to pass thru. However I intend to bridge this gap to allow for some continuous running when people come over. The gap will be closed then since most of the time I won't want people to enter the layout area itself.
Now look at the upper middle part of the layout and you'll notice another gap between the benchwork against the fron wall and the top of the center peninsula. This gap measures 24 inches but will actually be less since there is a cabinet that measures 64 inches in length and 20 inches and width that will fit under the benchwork along that wall. I have used this cabinet (which used to have a mirror that hung from a wall when it was located in the master bedroom upstairs) to store my N-Scale locomotives, cars and assorted other things since we relocated it to the basement back in 1982. It's a heavy item and isn't easily moved so it's going to stay where it is at least for now. The problem this cabinet presents is that will stick out from beneath the benchwork by two inches for it's entire length. So I will make the layout 20 inches wide at that point along the wall. This will reduce the width of the gap to 22 inches. This should be workable for the 40" width of the center peninsula.
The center peninsula measures 36 inches wide on the diagram. I wil make it 40" simply because I want to have a a half loop of track with a 19" radius in that era to show off my passenger equipment for photos. It'll also be functional since it will give me an opportunity to have may trains retrace the path they took to get to this poib when they run from right to left. But to understand what I am talking about you will need to se my prelimnary track plan which I am not going to show you now especially since all it's designed to de is give me a place to run trains will i fiddle with the trackplane and scenery.
So let's here your comments, suggestions and criticisms. They will be cheerfully accepted and possibly replied to.
Irv
Corsair, since you model in N scale, your bench work will give you some nice space. But I would widen the two narrow points up a little by making the peninsula shorter on the top end and narrower just at the lower right corner by four inches each. The passage space you gain will make it easier for you to pass through these areas without worrying about contacting any scenery or knocking something off the layout.
Johnnny_reb Once a word is spoken it can not be unspoken!
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Irv,
What scale are you going to build this in? With HO, you will need that 'bridge' for a continuous run connection.
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
Johnnny_reb wrote: Corsair, since you model in N scale, your bench work will give you some nice space. But I would widen the two narrow points up a little by making the peninsula shorter on the top end and narrower just at the lower right corner by four inches each. The passage space you gain will make it easier for you to pass through these areas without worrying about contacting any scenery or knocking something off the layout.
I've been playing the design tosee what can be done and I've found a couple of ways to get some extra room both on the layout itself as well eliminating the two narrow passages. I'll post version 3 shortly.
jrbernier wrote: Irv, What scale are you going to build this in? With HO, you will need that 'bridge' for a continuous run connection. Jim
I am modeling in N-Scale. I am in process of revising this plan again to eliminate the choke points in the aisles and to provide more surface area on the layout itself.
Hi Irv. That's a nice sized room for N-scale. All those legs will really cramp what you can do under the layout. Have you considered removing all the legs on the sections that are along the walls and replacing them with brackets screwed to the walls? That would give you a lot of space for cabinetry and movable workbenches, etc. Makes floor cleaning easier too.
Can I suggest that you round off the 90 degree corners along the people-access way? You and your visitors will do less accidental earthquake creating, and suffer fewer gouges in the ribs or hip. Fewer bumps happen if the legs are set back from the deck's edge for toe space. The suggested plexiglass guards will pay off if people carry loose bundles nearby, and it can be bent around the corners; some types may benefit from a hot-water dip before bending sharply. "Lexan" can be bent 90 degrees or more without trouble.
Have fun, George
lvanhen wrote:I'll second the suggestion about the 21" aisle. Even the 24" wide areas may be a problem - not with fitting through, but with brushing against the scenery etc and causing damage. Also, you may fit now, but we don't tend to get "skinnyer" with age!! At 66YO, I'm just a tad wider than I was at 18 or 20!! One precaution for this may be adding plexiglass around the edges of the layout where damage may occur. This would also be a safety for any track running close to the edge - locos don't take well to falling off a layout!! My
I am 59 now so I am already not as skinny as I was at 18.
I had planed on putting plexiglass around the layout on those sides that aren't built against a wall. I did this not only to protect scenery from damage or trains making unscheduled trips to the floor, but also to keep my young grandchildren from using their hands to explore the layout. I am sure you know how that goes. I don't want to have to yell at them when they touch the untouchable and examine the unexaminable.
As for the tight passages, they are gone on the latest iteration of this plan. I am stil playing with it so I haven't posted it yet. It still the same basic shape but the 21 inch gap is gone and replaced with a 36 inch aisle. The 22 inch gape will become a 24 inch aisle in my altest redering to give me wider benchwork along the top.
BigG wrote: Hi Irv. That's a nice sized room for N-scale. All those legs will really cramp what you can do under the layout. Have you considered removing all the legs on the sections that are along the walls and replacing them with brackets screwed to the walls? That would give you a lot of space for cabinetry and movable workbenches, etc. Makes floor cleaning easier too. Can I suggest that you round off the 90 degree corners along the people-access way? You and your visitors will do less accidental earthquake creating, and suffer fewer gouges in the ribs or hip. Fewer bumps happen if the legs are set back from the deck's edge for toe space. The suggested plexiglass guards will pay off if people carry loose bundles nearby, and it can be bent around the corners; some types may benefit from a hot-water dip before bending sharply. "Lexan" can be bent 90 degrees or more without trouble. Have fun, George
Have fun,
George
There's not much I can do about the legs as the Woodland Scenics stands I'll be using depend on them for stability. Besides I like the idea that I can move them away from the wall if I need to without disrupting the integrity of the rest of the layout.
The construction of the stands lends itself to the insertion of plywood shelving right on the bracing (a suggestion I've already forwarded to Woodland Scenics). I intend to make this modification to all of my stands. This will alow me to store various stuff under the layout. I've even looked at those drawer units on wheels (I'll remove the wheels) and put them on the shelves. Since these are about 12 inches wide I figure I can put two of them on each shelf and still have room for books. magazines and other things under each module. These will be hidden at some point by some form of skirting (my wife' department).
I don't know what I'll be able to do about the corners at this point. I'll be getting 3rd Planit shortly so I am leaving that discussion alone for the time. Most of my aisles will be 36 inches wide at this point but there is no reason I can' reduce to 30 inches to allow for rounding of corners.