Just wondering how much you's that did fascia board whether on solid top benchwork or grid style like I'm doing, how much did you's cut the outside corners back to wrap the fascia board around? What worked best?
Lynn
Present Layout progress
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/p/290127/3372174.aspx#3372174
If vertical corners, LION had good luck of setting it up, draw a line following the contour, and then cutting it flat on the bench with a jig saw.
Curves around the table, just mont it on one side and keep working until it is all up.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
The space outside of a curve might be a good place to put an industry and siding, but you don't want your layout to be a total cliche and have this same arrangement at EVERY corner. So on some corners, keep the benchwork square and bend the fascia around, on others, cut it back to round off the corner (handy in narrow areas - it makes the aisle wider). Mix and match. If the fascia does not extend above the base level, make sure there is sufficient space between the track and the edge so that a derailing loco or car won't dive into the monster canyon. That's really your guide point as to how far back to cut things - leave enough space to prevent disasters and also fill in some scenery, anything else would be in many cases just wasted space. Even lopping the corner off at a 45 degree angle can save a lot of space, although it will be harder to make a curved corner. A 45 degree flat isn't really so bad. A sharp 90 degree corner though - that's an accident waiting to happen when someone gets jostled into the sharp edge. Avoid at all costs.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
wickman Just wondering how much you's that did fascia board whether on solid top benchwork or grid style like I'm doing, how much did you's cut the outside corners back to wrap the fascia board around? What worked best?
rrinker...If the fascia does not extend above the base level, make sure there is sufficient space between the track and the edge so that a derailing loco or car won't dive into the monster canyon....
Thanks guys, all good input and very helpful. Wayne your photos really helped.
Wayne just curious, how high is your layout benchwork?
Lynn, the benchwork (support structure for the 1"x4" open grid) is mostly 2"x4"s leftover from when I built this house and it's 31" high. The 3/4" subroadbed is on risers pretty-well everywhere, but at many varying levels in order to get to either the upper or lower levels. The partial second level is supported mostly on brackets lag-bolted to the wall studs, and its top surface is at about 59". Track there is on cork or directly atop the plywood - no grades worth mentioning.
Wayne
Thanks Wayne again very helpful. After my wife had made a comment of the new layout benchwork looking like it was higher than the last , I did a reassessment and decided to lower the main benchwork.
Pretty-well all of the lower level of my layout can be operated from a rolling office-type chair, and that would include the long grade up to the partial second level, although I usually walk, following the train, for that latter part.The second level requires operators to stand (there's currently not much more than the track in place, but it is operational) and to work on the upper level requires a step stool or step ladder.
I think the only reason needed to make benchwork high to start with is if lower staging or modeling level is required. I'm so much happier that I lowered the benchwork, and this time around I'm going to cut the corners back before laying track and roadbed, so many lessons learned.
My wider peninsula has a 'half an octagon' end, hard corners at 45 degree angles. It has to support the two Main (CTC analog) panels and the main electrical distribution panel.
My narrower peninsula will have (approximately) one foot radius circular corners, when I get to the 'install fascia' line on the construction checklist. The main scenic element is a high, steep ridge; no turnouts or anything along that stretch.
At the other end of the room the main entry aisle passes between two 90 degree corners, one hard and one with a short radius curve formed from an 8 inch diameter cardboard tube. Since the hard corner is my cassette dock I can't do much about it.
In all cases hard corners (including hard inside corners) are directly supported by framework, while the round corners are only supported at their points of tangency.
Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)