Benchwork

[Anonymous]

Do any of you guys have any good ideas, or sites.. or anything that can help me out with basic benchwork. The last railroad i did was just a piece of plywood on sawhorses.. but thats cause i had to be mobile with it. I want to settle in on this one and build a nice table. Can anyone help me with some advise , tips and whatnot?

[Anonymous]

TexanSoldier:

Check out "How to Build Model Railroad Benchwork" by Linn Westcott. It's a gem of a resource.[8D]

Tom

[Anonymous]

There is some great input at the topic" Benchwork" down the page. I also had a question and got the answer I needed. You can see a picture of benchwork that a member downloaded on that page that may help. I also bought the book How to Build Model Railroad Benchwork by Linn Westcott which has been alot of help and his step by step procedure in the book makes the process a breeze. I paid $5.50 for that book. There are other books such as Model Railroad Benchwork by Kalmbach which is priced at $16.95 and Tables for Your Trains published by Model Railroader priced at $7.95. I have'nt read these since Linn Westcotts book worked for me so I can't give an opinion on the quality of the others. Remember, measure twice(even three times) and cut once. I learned the hard way. Gee I was sure that was 16".
Jerry

[Tom Bryant_MR]

Texansoldier, here is the link to the other thread about benchwork; many opinions and many ways to skin a cat.

http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?page=2&TOPIC_ID=60676

Have fun.

[jbloch]

I've read all the prev. discussions. I'm going to be constructing a 6 X 12 foot table, based on plan 39 in Wescott's 101 Track Plan's book(exc. with broad curves). My question is: is foam over plywood the best root to go. A couple of the track laying books/articles I've read just show laying the cork roadbed and gluing it on the plywood. Advantages vs. disadvantages? Ideal thickness of foam? I do plan on plutting in a turntable, so don't know if that also would be an issue.

Thanks,

Jim

[chateauricher]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jbloch
(...) My question is: is foam over plywood the best root to go. A couple of the track laying books/articles I've read just show laying the cork roadbed and gluing it on the plywood. Advantages vs. disadvantages? Ideal thickness of foam? I do plan on plutting in a turntable, so don't know if that also would be an issue.

I am currently building my layout using extruded foam, and this is what I know about using foam. Note: Be sure to use the pink or blue extruded foam. The white stuff is far too weak and doesn't shape well for modeling purposes.

The main advantages ...

it is light-weight;

it is easily carved for landscape features (ditches, streams, rock faces, etc.);

above-grade features (hills, mountains, etc) are easily built in stacked "wedding cake"-style;

it is easily painted with latex paints;

it is relatively inexpensive.

The main disadvantages ...

it is not very strong; and will flex, bend and even break if not properly supported;

it can dent easily (but this can be an advantage if you want to create shallow undulations in the terrain);

in warmer regions, it can be difficult to find;

installing under-table switch-machines (eg: tortoises) is a bit of a challenge; but some have reported success using various methods;

you must use a foam-friendly adhesive (latex or silicone caulking, and some construction adhesives work well).

There is some debate about its ability to dampen sound. Some claim it works as a good sound damper; others say it amplifies sound.

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As for an ideal thickness... That depends on the support you use underneath. You can use foam as thin as ½" to 1" provided you have at least ¼" plywood over the support frame underneath. If you use 2" foam (or thicker), you can forego the plywood as long as the support frame is built on 18" centres.

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As for your turntable... Know how deep the pit AND the mechanisms will be BEFORE you build the benchwork. You'll have to make sure you have the space to fit it all in. In my case, (1" foam over ¼" plywood and a 1x3 frame) I had to leave a hole in the plywood for the mechanism to fit through since the total depth was greater than 1". The 1x3 frame will easily conceal the mechanism (since it is on the upper deck). Fortunately, I found out before I built that part of the deck.

[ATSFCLIFF]

I will have to agree with Tom, the best reference for building benchwork is the book by Linn Westcott. It has many tips and ideas, one good book for the library!
Cheers,
Cliff
http://cliffordconceicao3310.fotopic.net/c328807.html

[Anonymous]

I just started in the hobby so I faced the same issue you did. Ultimatley I decided against horses. I built some quality benchwork using plans from the January issue of Model Railroader. It is part of a series called "Building the Stony Creek". Very happy with the results. Sturdy and has casters so you can pu***he bench around while you work on it. Make sure you get casters that lock the wheels for when you dont want it to move.