Layouts

[Ray H]

I built the current layout with detachable legs for ease of transportation. It was thus relatively easy whilst the track was being laid to turn a board over as required if I wanted to fit point motors or wiring. However, once the wiring was completed and a start made on the scenery, the three boards got bolted together. If push came to shove I could still delve around underneath if I needed to by simply moving the piles of boxes or whatever that somehow then found themselves on the floor under the layout.

 

In due course we moved the layout to another location and it currently rests on three storage/shelf units which are both reasonably full and bolted together. I've already had two point motors fail - my fault - and had to replace them. I did so by slidng the layout part way off the shelves and propping up the front end - one of the three baseboards has an eight road traverser with all the stock on and I was loathe to remove the stock. The problem is compounded by the fact that the layout is almost an exact lengthways fit into its current position.

 

This inconvenience has made me rethink the layout. I think the shelving units will go and I'll resort to supporting the layout on legs. However, I suspect that I'll need to find space under the layout for much of what is there at present. I'm also considering repositioning the point motors on top of the baseboard covered with scenery or removable structures for ease of access.

 

Do other people have similar storage problems and how do they overcome them and do most people work on the underside of their baseboards in situ or generally extract the board(s) and either turn them over or on their side to work on?

[tetsudofan]

First started building my layout in 1999 after I returned to the UK after spending 33 years in the Far East. At that time I had a shed (about 18ft x 9ft) built at the end of the garden. The layout was not to leave home but I decided to make it so that it could be taken apart if need be. At that time I could find much information about baseboards but very little about baseboards and legs. Maybe I over-engineered things but decided to build baseboards into which the legs plugged in place. They were so strong that I had no problem working on top of the baseboards......

 

Work on the layout continued for about 5 years after which I got hooked on 45mm in the garden so all attention was given to the garden. In order that I could still run trains indoors a 6ft 6in x 4ft baseboard was made to rest on the beds in the guest bedroom. Fast forward another 6 years and I decided to have an extenstion put on the back of the house which would give me a room of 29ft by about 12ft to play with.

 

Couple of weeks ago I started demolishing the boards in the shed. Apart from a couple of hidden screws they came apart quite easily. First of all the baseboards tops were removed and frames:

 

 

 

Left in the sheds were the legs and bracing:

 

 

 

Legs were then made for the baseboard (that was on the beds in the guest bedroom) and this was placed in position today in the train room.

 

 

 

I decided to standarize on legs 900mm in height (as 44mm x 44mm PSE comes in 1800 lengths so no wastage) which was shorter than the legs used on the original baseboards. Some of the baseboard frames removed from the shed can be seen behind the "bedroom" baseboard now on its new legs. Next job is to shorten the legs of the old modules but that is no big problem.

 

Using legs 900mm high means that there is adequate headroom for me to crawl around fiddling about with wiring etc. Adequate headroom is provided under the layout for storage boxes I've been accumulating (everytime they are on offer at Wickes!!). Boxes being standard sizes means that everything can look neat and tidy.

 

The previous layout in the shed had a duckunder to get into the centre of the layout. This time round I've decided no duckunder. Being 185cm tall and of advancing years my head has taken enough bumps and bruises so the new layout will have space to walk around - although clearances at the rear will be tighter than at the front.

 

It is planned that the new layout will never leave home. Hopefully I'll leave in my cardboard box first. Just wish the person or persons that have to demolish the layouts both indoors and outdoors an enjoyable time.

 

In the meantime must think about a track plan.....got some ideas but never been one for sitting down and drawing up detailed plans. The garden layout just evolved .....and think this is what will happen indoors. In the meantime I'll be looking at many of the fantastic layouts on RM Web and pinching some of the great ideas I keep on seeing...........

 

Keith

[Edwin_m]

I designed my layout to sit on removeable shelving brackets round the walls, or trestles where there is no convenient wall. Each board will tip up onto its back, resting on what will eventually be backscene supports, sitting on the same brackets/trestles so that the underside is vertical and the wiring easily accessible. The wire bundles linking each board to the next are attached near the back of the board and long enough that they can stay attached when either board is tipped up, so I can also power things up for testing while the undersides are accessible.

 

At least that's the theory - a few bits of wood aren't quite right so some boards have to be clamped upright to prevent them wobbling when they are tipped up, and some of the cables turned out a bit too short. With some boards having several levels of woodwork they are also now pretty heavy to lift out and tip back. Another disadvantage is that I can't use dowels to join baseboards, because I'd have to push the ones either side outwards somehow when lifting an intermediate board. However if I was doing this again I'd do moreorless the same, as I can keep other things underneath, and most importantly I don't need to solder in semi-darkness above my head with the risk of hot metal dropping in my eye!

[Kenton]

All my layouts either sit on trestles or on standalone metal shelving. All are designed to be portable and can be accessed by turning on their back-panels or even have detachable legs to sit upside down on a workbench. Generally speaking it is very rare event to go under the board when track has been laid - I try to get that over and bullet proof before any scenery goes on (my least favourite task in model railwaying). I find trestles perfect for the job. can be adjusted to my favourite height and on a bolted together layout can be placed almost anywhere to give support.

 

Most of my storage is in the garage loft except for those boxes of ready to hand junk, bulk buy items/cans, tools and oddments of wood pending the next layout and stock not in use/keeping with current theme/etc all of which just finds its way under the layout. I never solder anything with the iron above my head. I always wear safety goggles. Sight is my most valuable asset, how would I model without it? So the risk is not worth taking.

[scouser]

Hello, I did the same as you and built my layout so it would sit on recycled cupboards, really useful for storage. The first time I wanted to change some wiring the problems showed up, awkward to say the least. I have now raised the layout by 200mm. This gives me a better viewing height and means I can get under for repairs etc. I simpy used 200mm legs at strategic places to achieve the lift, nothing fancy. Actually, rough is probably more accurate, but hey it works!!

Paul L

[lmsforever]

My layout sits in the back room with integral legs ,it can taken apart easily ,underneath are various storage units ,luckily I dont have to move it so it stays put.A three foot fiddle yard sits along from the last board,this is demountable as the boss needs acces to a wardrobe everry now and theen.When I start on the next layout I will make it portable possibly with foam board tops and ply sides etc but this will nt be till next year.

[pointstaken]

On my recent layout I used piano hinges about 3 inches from the rear of the layout. Admittedly it would have been necessary to remove any scenery (if there had been any) but it did save bending.

 

Dennis

[lordhinton]

hi my layout is build to size to rest on 2 sets of cloths draws with support beams underneath the layout purposely placed in places where they will be sitting

thanks

dan

[Ray H]

Thanks for all the above.

 

I like the idea of tilting (or turning) the board through 90 degrees. That then brings forth the next asumption/question.

 

I presume the boards are normally connected together in some way that ensures correct alignment of tracks. What connectors do people use between boards that both allow one board to be extracted from the middle of a set of boards whilst leaving the remaining boards in their previous position and yet ensure track alignment is always maintained when the boards are connected up?

[roundhouse]

I have used three different methods of alignment.

 

The first system I used is the most crude but so far proved the most reliable. Basically its a picture frame plate that is flat and comes with three pre drilled holes, two countersunk on one side and one on the other side. The can be obtained from most DIY stores. These plates are rebated into the baseboards two per joint. Once fixed a hole sid drilled through the centre of the plate and htrough the timber frame, This hole is first drilled smaller than that which will eventually be needed.

 

The two baseboards are then clamped together and alighned. Once aligned, the same size drill bit is then used to drill from inside the board frame through the already drilled hole nito the other basebaord.

 

The baseboards are then separated and a number 10 screw (can be brass or steel) with the screw thread only going part way up its length is then screwed part way into the board that has just had the hole drilled in it (ie the one without the plates). The screw head is cut off and then the hole drilled in the other board with the picture frame plates is now drilled out to the exact diameter of the projecting screw shaft.

 

The boards can now be test fited together.

 

Fort Myers was built with this system and the layout is now 18 years old. The boards still align perfectly after many shows.

 

I have reverted to this method on both Santa barbar and Banbury after having use brass dowels made for joining basebaords but found them to move after only a few shows. I have laso used the C & L cast dowels which once set up seem to be fine but I have had problems installing them plus they are more expensive than the frame plates and screws.

 

I will take some photos of this system tomorrow if it helps make it clearer.

 

Ian

[Donw]

I too favour storage boxes they are easy to remove if you need access. I prefer to make my baseboards removable. I find split hinges are a good cheap way of joining baseboards but along with most other ways of joining boards you do need about 10mm space either side to remove them. I make the legs a free standing item under the main baseboard and piggy back the others off that, the boards then sit on the top.

 

I can thus take boards away to work on.

If you are building a fixed baseboard I would suggest extending the wiring to the front and making connections there just covering it with a removeable fascia. I would also consider bringing any point motors to the front (use rodding to connect to the turnouts) behind the fascia to allow easy access. Mind you I am 63 and expect my abililty to crawl under baseboards to reduce from now on.

One warning if you reuse kitchen units. I can advise from my days as a plumber that the contorsions to reach over the plinth and upwards to work on the underside of a top ( e.g. for replacing monotaps) if not a comfortable position.

Don

[Edwin_m]

I have the ends of each board resting on bolts fitted into T-nuts (? - those things you get in Ikea furniture when a bolt goes into a flat board) to give a bit of vertical adjustment. The boards are held together with bolts through brass tubes fitted into a hole drilled through both end pieces. Although the bolt is reasonably tight fitting this doesn't give good enough alignment on its own but the tracks can be aligned by eye and once everything it tightened up the friction between the boards should keep them in place.

 

As suggested, something like this is necessary to allow a board to be lifted out from between two others. The gaps in rails and scenery probably need to be a bit wider too, so they can be separated vertically without damage.

[Ray H]

Ongoing thanks for the latest ideas.

 

Unfortunately any securing device passing between boards other than on the top or front of the boards would mean delving underneath to detach the two boards. That's not a problem but anything that is permanently protruding from one board and locates into a hole or recess on the adjacent board would require sideways movement of the boards to separate them making it difficult to extract the middle board in, say, a series of five (or even a corner board).

 

I'm trying to discover whether there is a board coupling system (other than nuts and bolts through the framework) that can simply be undone/released so that the required board can be either lifted out or tilted and worked on.

[Kenton]

On one layout with 3 boards + a SP they are held together using simple G clamps They also have small alignment dowels but being on trestles the boards are easily moved. With portable layouts that require frequently to be broken down and transported the ease of assembly/disassembly has to be considered. Anything more than 5 minutes to break a layout apart is seriously going to delay other more favourable activities.