Baseboard Kits in use

[Gilbert]

This is an unashamed request for advice.

 

I am contemplating using a commercial baseboard kit for my next layout. In terms of size I'm probably doing about 5' x 1' with a small staging yard/shunting lead of up to 2' (so I have just one joint between boards and that is off stage).

 

I now see the kits are available with an integral backscene and fascia option which must add to the structural strength in use but must make some of the construction of the layout itself quite problematic - I like to make all the ply bits up at the beginning but only paint and add the backscene, fascia  etc when the dirty bits and track laying and wiring are successfully accomplished. How have people got on?

 

I'm also interested in how robust in use the various materials are - for example is 6mm MDF man enough for repeated exhibition handling and has anyone had experience of warping etc? Do people seal or paint the boards after putting them together but before starting the layout work?

 

I would be glad of any comments or recommendations. I will be using Cobalt PMs so need a fair bit of depth.

 

So far I've come across the following suppliers:

 

Grainge & Hodder 5.5mm ply

Tim Horn 6mm mdf or ply

Elite Baseboards - looks like 9mm only but I can't tell from website

Model Railway Solutions - ply but can't tell what dimensions from a quick scan of website

 

Any more recommendations?

 

Thanks in advance

[Guest]

I know this doesn't answer your questions, but bear with me. I've often been tempted by baseboard kits but somehow I can't bring myself to do it.

 

If you want to add fascias and backscenes at a later date and need to make sure frame depth is sufficient for Cobalts*, I have to ask... wouldn't it make more sense to build the board yourself? The few simple tools required will be offset by the saving in the future should you need to make more boards.

I'm one of those folk who consider soldering a bit of a "black art" to be avoided wherever possible, and I guess some people might view carpentry in the same way, but it's really not difficult with a little planning and quality materials. You're not limited to 6mm ply or fixed dimensions either.

Having said all that, I'd certainly be interested to hear how folk have got on with kits.

 

Edit: * I made a board a while back with a 100mm frame and then discovered that Cobalts needed a little more clearance, so had to add about 25mm to the frame depth. I guess you'd be looking at a minimum of 125 or 150mm ideally.

Edited November 17, 2017 by Pete 75C

[Gilbert]

Pete

Thanks

I do usually make my own boards - and have even made them for others - I am fortunate to live near a decent timber supplier who will cut a 4' x 8' sheet of decent ply so I virtually have a kit anyway - I was just attracted by the speed and accuracy these kits seem to provide and if a 6mm board is robust in use?

ATB

Chris

[rob D2]

I have MRS boards,

I think you can specify 6 or 9mm ply for the top surface. They are pretty solid boards.

[timbowilts]

There is another option, one that I have used.

 

There is a firm called “Woodshop Direct” based in Falmouth. They will cut whatever you want from ply. You enter the dimensions on their website and they do the rest. I have the bits for two 1200x450 boards awaiting retirement in my garage.

 

Hope that helps,

 

Tim T

[dhjgreen]

I have 4 Grainge and Hodder boards that went together very nicely, not very good instructions though, did not mention the essential to fit diagonal brace.

 

They smelled of smoked haddock for several weeks!

[Nick G]

I have 2 layouts using Tim Horn laser cut baseboards. I have done 5 exhibitions in 6 months with one layout, very robust, light and good quality.

[phoenix160]

Elite boards are all made from birch ply with a 9mm top and frames from 12mm. They will make boards to the spec and size you require and ship boards complete and made up not as a kit. best to contact and ask for a quote.. very pleased with there product hope this helps

[Nearholmer]

Personally, I wouldn't touch baseboards made of MDF.

 

It's a very dense (= heavy) material, unpleasant to work, for example drill, not very robust if accidentally bashed, and if you store the layout in an unheated place it's worth bearing in mind that MDF has a tendency to absorb moisture from the air, and swell, unless very well sealed indeed.

 

My gut feel is that it is a material that suits manufacturers, but not their customers.

 

Having got that off my chest ...... I've looked very closely at Elite plywood baseboards, spending ages at an exhibition prodding and poking, and to me they look absolutely first class. They are beautifully made, from excellent material. Again not exactly featherweight, but I'd expect them to last a lifetime, even in arduous exhibition service. If I ever need a 'standard' baseboard, rather than the oddities I tend to knock together, I'd definitely order from them.

[Izzy]

The only observation I would make, having in recent years built several small layouts of the size proposed by the OP - indeed my current 4mm layout is a single board 60"x10" with a 30"x 10" FY bolted on - is that the laser cut open box type kit baseboard designs with integral backscene and fascia pelmet are probably made that way to help offset any longtitudinal twisting that can occur when thinner sheet material is used to keep overall weight down to reasonable and manageble levels. I have never used them personally but no matter how many support struts I have used in those I have made myself along similar lines I have found very considerable difference between the use of 9/12mm ply and 4/6mm thickness in this respect, whatever the grades used.

 

So long as you are aware of this and careful when moving the boards around, as well as having a good leg system as support when erected so it all stays flat and not twisted, it is not a problem. Indeed, needing to keep my layouts are light as possible I have now moved to using layered mountboard or a foamcore/mountboard sandwich construction because they are no less strong than the thinner plys, but much lighter, (the layout mentioned is around 5kgs all up).

 

Izzy

Edited November 18, 2017 by Izzy

[Quarryscapes]

There is another option, one that I have used.

 

There is a firm called “Woodshop Direct” based in Falmouth. They will cut whatever you want from ply. You enter the dimensions on their website and they do the rest. I have the bits for two 1200x450 boards awaiting retirement in my garage.

 

Hope that helps,

 

Tim T

DON'T DO IT! They are freaking terrible. Used them for the oak faced MDF and Marine ply that I built my kitchen from and they couldn't have been a worse company to deal with. Took 2 months before everything was finally received from them, could not get hold of them by phone or email, and their facebook page contained many other unhappy customers in the same boat. 

[Nick G]

Ply boards from Tim Horn.

[86902]

Second thumbs up for Tim Horns boards, I have 3 layouts and they are solid.

My modern image layout is 5 foot scenic all enclosed which makes it solid, then 30 inch fiddle yard for each side.

The man himself posing in the second pic at the layouts first show.

Cheers

Bob

[William Bruce]

I have just started my latest layout. I have gone for Elite Baseboards, mainly because I was able to see them at a show and had hands on play with them, a friend in a wheelchair has some suspended from the ceiling too so he can roll around under them. They are not overly heavy, a standard 4'x2' board comes in under 9kg, also willing to accommodate disabilities too.

 

I was impressed by the strength, they claim you can tap dance on them. The boards are all Birch Plywood, top is 9mm with a 3mm slot all the way around and across where the braces go, these are spaced every foot, or the metric equivalent. The sides are 12mm, as are the braces. There are many options for legs other than their standard, they also make backscenes to order, which can either be bolt on, or come as part of the board if needed.

 

I found they took a couple of weeks longer than advertised, but when you look at what they produce, it is well worth the wait. I did not want to go down the MDF route, I also called several companies and found Giles and John to be the most helpful, and knowledgable as they come from an exhibition layout background.

 

Give them a ring and go and see them in the Lydney Unit, I was surprised at how many people have full layout built, over 60 so far they tell me, I can well believe it too. They also seem to have cornered the market on multi level layouts as well.

 

I will be starting my project in the new year, and hope to start a blog, once I figure out what to do. Hope this helps.

[Gilbert]

Thanks to those who have provided all this info.

 

I will have a look at G&H board  at NEC - as they are there but they have a limited range of board sizes.

 

I will also consider TH and Elite (who are relatively local to me).

 

I think I'd just prefer to add the fascia and back-scene after a lot of the work has been done but maybe the enclosed TH board is an option.

Chris

[Western Star]

We have bought Elite made to our specification.  Recommended.

 

If you buy from Elite, ask about these optional add-ons:-

 

* hardwood end strips to the top surface;

* supplied with cork surface;

* supplied with all surfaces finished in spray acrylic varnish to seal the surface.

 

Graham

[TonyA]

Looking at Tim Horn and Elite websites, TH quotes thickness of materials but not weight whilst Elite quotes weight but not thickness! (Thanks to phoenix160 for the Elite information)

 

Can anyone give me a rough idea of the weight of a TH full scenic 122cm x 30cm board? My guess would be about 8kg but would like confirmation. I am starting to find my lifting abilities decreasing with age.

 

Also does anyone have any tips on building the layout when it is effectively inside a box? It looks a bit like making a ship in a bottle. 

 

Many thanks,

 

Tony

[Talltim]

Another question. The layouts I want to build have odd shaped boards, often vertically as well as in plan as well as having things like curved edges. Does anyone do custom design boards of the same standard as Tim Horn/Elite/etc?  Elite only seem to show rectangular boards while Tim does have a pic of a geometrically curved board.

I can build them myself, but I don't enjoy it.

Edited November 23, 2017 by Talltim

[Nick G]

Another question. The layouts I want to build have odd shaped boards, often vertically as well as in plan as well as having things like curved edges. Does anyone do custom design boards of the same standard as Tim Horn/Elite/etc?  Elite only seem to show rectangular boards while Tim does have a pic of a geometrically curved board.

I can build them myself, but I don't enjoy it.

 

 

Tim does bespoke boards.

[Gordon A]

Another vote for Tim Horn.

Here is a picture of my baseboard which is the scenic section of Newbridge Engineering, my cameo entry:

 

 

Further pictures in my Newbridge Engineering thread.

 

If you have specific requirements it is worth picking up the phone and speaking to Tim.

 

Gordon A

 

[Western Star]

Does anyone do custom design boards of the same standard as Tim Horn/Elite/etc?  Elite only seem to show rectangular boards ...

Whilst talking to Ian Pope this afternoon I asked him about custom boards from Elite.  Why Ian you ask?  Because Ian is a director of Elite and hence able to provide an appropriate and relevant answer.

 

Elite does offer a custom board service...  just not advertised on the web-site because the web-site is in need of update (the lads in Lydney are busy with making baseboards!).

[298]

+1 for Tim Horn. If you particularly enjoy baseboard construction or have a proven history like other aspects of the hobby then there is little to consider, but in terms of getting a flat pack kit delivered to your door that takes hours to build where anything else would take days by the time you've designed it, collected the wood, and sucessfully cut it to size. It alkso mneans less mess and the quick build is a great start for progressing the layout.

[Gilbert]

I had a long chat to G&H at NEC about some bespoke boards (no backscene or fascia )and ordered shortly afterwards - package has turned up by courier today and is yet to be opened but so far I've had very good communications and service.I've had some 3mm Birch ply cut to size locally for backscenes etc.

Thanks again for all the advice - I will report on progress.

Chris

[PhilJ W]

I have one of Tim Horns baseboard kits obtained at a reduced price (cancelled order). I now need to order a fiddle yard extension.

[Gilbert]

I had a long chat to G&H at NEC about some bespoke boards (no backscene or fascia )and ordered shortly afterwards - package has turned up by courier today and is yet to be opened but so far I've had very good communications and service.I've had some 3mm Birch ply cut to size locally for backscenes etc.

Thanks again for all the advice - I will report on progress.

Chris

 

As promised here are some photos of progress on my G&H based layout.