One added comment. Don't use nails - use screws. They give you strong joints and allow for easy tear down when you want to make changes. And believe me you will make changes.
Joe (who is still making changes after 40 years)
Here's an example of L girder on this site
http://mrr.trains.com/How%20To/Articles/Layout%20Construction/2010/02/Layout%20construction.aspx
and an all plywood
http://mrr.trains.com/How%20To/Articles/ABCs%20of%20Model%20Railroading/2011/11/Benchwork%20for%20your%20model%20railroad.aspx
also on this site.
Good luck
Paul
hi young man,
you may find it weird, very solid advice was given to you. You should be more willing to listen.
1) buy a good book about building benchwork. The shop department of our host has some good ones. If you can read english and are able to look at the awesome drawings you will find your way. Never believe the one who thinks he is able to show you a "how to" in a few lines.
2)Before buying wood or foam, think hard about a trackplan. The most important issue is the kind of equipment you want to use. Modern freight cars and coaches are 89 feet long, one feet in HO. They require 30" radii and #6 switches at least. OTOH older freightcars and engines from the 50's are 50 ft long at most; they require 18" radii and #4 switches. The minimum radius is the most important design factor, you have to know what you want before going to the drawing board.
3)More serious help on here might be given after you made a drawing of your room, with all obstacles, like doors and windows indicated. Of course the 10x6 space you are talking about should be in the drawing.
4) Tidying up your room is mandatory, ask your oparents for help. BTW i do not like you to talk about my house. One advice was to build the layout at chest level. A very solid advice again, leaves you with ample space for storage under the layout. To get it neat, help and support from your parents is needed. Building a railroad doesn't come cheap, make it a family project. I would be very pleased to work with my son or grandson on a model railroad.
5)Trackplanning is not easy too. Track Planning For Realistic Operation by John Armstrong is written 50 years ago. Still a best buy. How real railroads work and how to translate it into a model railroad is what it is about. Most newbies want to much, usually you have to skip a lot of your wishes. Learning your priorities is often the hardest part.
A good book by a respected and knowlegde-able author learns you probably more then some random postings on the web.
Have fun, clean up your room first.
Grandad Paul
Benchwork on my coming (N Scale) U-Shaped layout has outer benchwork dimensions of apx. 5'x9'x5'. CR&T benchwork must be free-standing -- Without any wall-attachment.
Primary "outer-benchwork" will be Box-Grid with inside trackwork using L-Girder and Cookie-Cutter. Screws only -- No glue.
"Internal-benchwork" layout-bracing (= more "box-gridding") will be on no greater than 24" centers. I won't hesitate to provide additional bracing as needed. Wiring-holes will be pre-drilled before layout-top attachment to avoid later complications.
1st = Legs will be 1"x4" lumber -- Each leg will be (2) 1"x4" pieces in an "L-configuration" -- Secured with 3-5 wood screws.
2nd = A leg will be attached -- Flush with the top-edge of each inside-layout corner, or outer-layout corner = No less than (8) legs. Each leg's side will have (3) carriage bolts meaning a total of (6) carriage bolts at each leg's top with the benchwork corner. Carriage bolt-heads will be recessed enough for flush-mounting of layout fascia.
As CR&T is multi-level -- Helix benchwork in the back-left-corner also provides extra support. This also means the legs (and supports) in the back must be stable enough to support at least 2 levels (still thinking about adding a 3rd staging level). Plus, CR&T's U-Shape only adds more stability.
The layout base will be plywood and/or homasote necessary to secure traction poles for overhead wire. Therefore, foam will only be used as a base for scenery carving.
In case you haven't noticed -- CR&T will have what it takes to make things rock-solid!
Conemaugh Road & Traction circa 1956
For simple and sturdy, make your table top from plywood, 3/4" thick is good, but thinner plywood will work. Support the table top with legs, and if possible, by nailing it to the walls. Legs can be 2 by 4, 2 by 3, or just plain 4 inch boards. Brace your legs with diagonal pieces of board. You want to have a leg every 3 or 4 feet.
Run a 1 by 4 inch board horizontally along the tops of the legs. Nail the legs to this board (call it the fascia). Lay the table top on top of the fascia.
If you can nail into the walls, run a piece of 1 by 4 inch wood horizontally, nail it to the wall, and lay the plywood on top of it. If you cannot nail into the wall (like it's concrete or something) then run legs along the wall side of the table too.
You can do all this with ordinary hand tools, a saw, hammer, ruler and a square.
To lay track, get a sheet of Homasote and cover the top of the table with it. The Homasote is soft enough to take track nails, and deadens the sound of the trains running. The glue layers in plywood are so hard that you cannot drive track nails into them.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
Hello, I have been on the "general discussion" forum and have been trying to find out what (I guess) features a layout should have.(era, shape, features, and other things.)
My question is "What is the best and cheapest way to build a 6 foot by 10 foot U-shaped layout.
if possible can anyone show me some simple steps because I am not good with a lot of forms of language. (if you read my "layout size" post you will know I'm talking about the model railroad lingo.)
If you didn't I hope you know I'm talking about woodworking lingo.
In advance Thanx to all who help.