We went with 42" with the highest track elevation at 53". My husband is 6'2" and I am 5'3". I use a stool to reach the back of the layout. It was a compromise. The old layout was taller.
Sue
Anything is possible if you do not know what you are talking about.
42" is the base height for my Yuba River Sub, but it doesn't stay there very long. For the most part, it's between 50" and 60" high. In fact, Yuba Pass is right at eye-level for me (I'm 6'1"). I suppose if I had it to do over again, I'd lower the base level to about 36" or so, because that's where the yard is, and at my age, it's getting harder and harder to lean over and inspect things. But that would lower Yuba Pass, and I wouldn't want that. Either that, or change my 2% grades to 3% to make the elevation change and I like LONG trains, LOL!
Tom
Tom View my layout photos! http://s299.photobucket.com/albums/mm310/TWhite-014/Rio%20Grande%20Yuba%20River%20Sub One can NEVER have too many Articulateds!
Everybody wants a formula, so here it is:
Sit down in a comfy chair with wheels, lean slightly forward and extend your arm, then have a friend or significant other measure from your armpit to the floor and subtract 4". That is the real world-spending-hours-on-end-for-years-enjoying-your-railroad-height.
The Dixie D Short Line "Lux Lucet In Tenebris Nihil Igitur Mors Est Ad Nos 2001"
I think it depends on the width of your layout. For around the wall or narrow peninsula sections, chest high is nice. But for table top layouts lower seems better.
I've had both. My present table top (6' x 18') is 32" high. This gives you a better view of everything, kind of a panoramic view which I really like. It's also easier to easily reach farther into the layout.
Because of my age I am able to sit in a comfortable chair most of the time and still get a good view of everything. When following a train around, switching, etc., I stand and walk around and like being able to see the whole layout better so I can control another train at the far end of the layout if necessary.
Jerry
Rio Grande vs. Santa Fe.....the battle is over but the glory remains!
johncolley wrote: That said I would like to add that only rarely, unless on a bridge or hill, do we look down on trains. jc5729 john Colley, Port Townsend, WA
That said I would like to add that only rarely, unless on a bridge or hill, do we look down on trains. jc5729 john Colley, Port Townsend, WA
Unless you grew up in the mountains, in which case you were almost always looking down on trains.
Chip
Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.
For what its worth. I recall that the best height is between the elbow and the shoulder. for someone who is still growing I would suggest shoulder height, that way it will still be in the range as they grow taller. That said I would like to add that only rarely, unless on a bridge or hill, do we look down on trains. The usual viewing height, depending on the roadbed height, would be around the door sill. Think scale around 5 feet above where you are standing.
jc5729 john Colley, Port Townsend, WA
My current layout is 58" (I'm 5'11"), I'm in the process of building a new one at 50" high.
Pluses at 58" are:
Minuses are:
Enjoy
Paul
I like between 48" and 52", which is mid-chest for me. As previously stated 48" is efficient, because an 8' board cut in half yields two 48" legs.
It's also a nice height to work on from underneath, and allows for plenty of storage space.
Nick
Take a Ride on the Reading with the: Reading Company Technical & Historical Society http://www.readingrailroad.org/
Right now, it's stands about 30" off the ground due to ceiling height restrictions in my attic.
Which is great, for my kids.
When I move next month, I plan to have it at least 48" off the ground. Which is great, for me!
Gordon
Brought to you by the letters C.P.R. as well as D&H!
K1a - all the way
Mine is about 40". That is perfect since I like to look at the trains from above and my kids can play with to.
Magnus
Dr. Frankendiesel aka Scott Running BearSpace Mouse for president!15 year veteran fire fighterCollector of Apple //e'sRunning Bear EnterprisesHistory Channel Club life member.beatus homo qui invenit sapientiam
Our clubs modular layout is 37" and seems pretty comfortable. Linn Westcott's benchwork book reccommends 42" for most table top/island layouts--though my layout will be a variant of an around the walls layout, 42" is what I'll probably do. One of the reasons I think I need to have it this high is I plan to do L-girder benchwork, which therefore extends deeper under the layout and thus would need more working room when working underneath the layout.
As you can see from this and the other discussions above, the are a lot of considerations in benchwork height and some of these may be a higher priority to you than others.
Jim
My suggestion is to get a piece of plywood or foam about 30" wide and set it on a high table or bench. Put a piece of track, a piece of rolling stock and a structure to reach over. Use books or blocks to raise it or lower it until it feels right. Then measure.
I settled on 50"
Another consideration is when you operate your trains will you sit or stand. If I did it again I would have considered lowering my yard so that I may be able to sit on a normal/confortable chair, but I do like eye or chest level when running the mainline. Currently I use a tall stool.
I have been to layouts like this and the guys who struggle to stand for a long period can work the yards where they can sit, and the rest of us can run towns and mainlines.
John
The ideal height is the one YOU like best.
One way to find out what YOU like is to prop up a module at varying heights (assuming you already have a module.) I did this with my 8-foot 'end of the line' module, using shelving tracks and supports, which allowed me to check from 24" to 80" in 1.5" increments.
A quick and dirty sub for a module would be anything reasonably flat and big enough to hold a length of flex track and a building (which could be a cardboard box.) You want to check how hard it would be to work on as well as how it looks.
What height did I choose? Consider that from the depths of the netherworld (hidden staging) my rails will eventually climb about 500mm to the end of the line, with details rising above the rails up there...
Suffice it to say that I lowered my initial height to less than it had been!
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
I prefer near eye level for my layouts, which is sort of hard for me to achieve a lot of times, as I also like multi-deck layouts. I'm 6'2", so for me the optimal height is between 58" and 62".
I just mocked up short decks to figure out the optimal heights of my new layout, with the lower deck set at 48" and the upper at 62". 48" seems like a good height for my lower level, switching intense deck, while 62" seems a tad low for my upper level, open running deck.
Ray Breyer
Modeling the NKP's Peoria Division, circa 1943
I built my RR chest high for me ( 6'3" ) and find I need a stool to work on some areas. I don't have a hard time with that at all, but my Dad moved in and he actaully looks up at the trains, but he can just about see everything. He is not a MRR and he has commented on how good it looks at that angle.
Its up to you man.
Try a search and you will see plenty of opinions.
srud,
You're going to get as many infinite answers as their are infinite numbers. What's right for one person is either too low or too high for someone else.
My layout height happens to be 42". I don't know whether that is "perfect" or not. What I do know is that it allows me to both see my layout, as well as work on it comfortably. Since my basement ceiling is only an inch or so taller than myself (I'm 6'-4"), I don't want my layout much higher. If it were, it would feel like I was operating my trains in the bottom bunk of a bunk bed. (In other words, very cramped.)
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
open question to everyone out there what is your perfect height of your model rail road is it eye height looking down or in between the two ?