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Make your
model railway layout permanent (by Chris Ellis)
Newcomers to the hobby and particularly model railway layout,
especially youngsters, often start running trains by laying
the train set track on the floor or on a large table if they
have one big enough. These layouts can only be temporary and
have to be taken up after operating.
 1.
Assembly is done by simply butting frame sections together and
securing with screws. Optionally you can reinforce the joints
with PVA wood glue. The wood here is 25mm square the cross
pieces are usually placed at 12inch (30cm) spacing
The natural
progression, therefore, is a need for somewhere that can take
the model railway layout in a permanent manner. At this point,
some inexperienced young
modellers (or their parents) go wrong, for it is easy enough
to buy a big sheet of 6ft x 4 ft or 8 ft x 4 ft chipboard,
hardboard or plywood at a DIY store, take it home, put it on
trestles and pin the track on top of it. Problems soon arise,
however, for big sheets like this without lots of bracing
start to warp, distort the track and derail the trains. Aside
from that, such large sheets are unwieldy things to move about
and in the case of chipboard, are very heavy too.
 2.
Here is a completed unit 4ft x 1ft long
The much better
arrangement is to make a proper baseboard framing on which a
suitable surface material can be screwed. This framing keeps
the baseboard firm and stable and makes a much better surface
for the track and for the scenic work you may want to add
later. Obviously, the size of the baseboard varies with the
space you have available but it is a very good idea to make
both the framing and the board in sub-units that can be bolted
together rather than in one huge construction. If you are
working with a layout area 6ft x 4 ft or less, a single unit
is just about feasible but bigger than this, break it into
sections as shown in one of the diagrams. This will make it
much easier to take down if you move rooms or house, or want
to extend the layout later on. You can unbolt the sections and
re-assemble the layout in its new site.
 3.
The surface material cut to the size of the sub unit, is then
secured to the top of the framing with screws. Here Sundela is
used.
Many modellers use nominal 2” x I” (50 mm x 25 mm) planed
white wood for the framing, as sold in all DIY shops. But if
you are working in 00 or HO gauge you can also use nominal I”
(25 mm) planed wood which is also lighter and cheaper to buy.
The word ‘nominal’ is used because the wood is actually rather
smaller in most cases than the dimensions stated. Very
typically 19 mm square is the nearest you get to 25 mm but it
works just as well. Follow the pictures to see how this is cut
and assembled. You need minimal tools, no more than a power
drill, hack-saw, screwdriver, screws and some PVA wood glue.
You don’t need more than basic woodworking skills. However, it
is best to assemble the framing on the floor (or outdoors on
the path) to ensure each section is assembled flat without any
built-in ‘warp’. When assembling the sub-units, a spirit level
is useful to ensure the baseboard is set up flat and not on a
slight slope.
 4.
Adjacent units can be held together with ordinary nuts and
bolts through large holes drilled through the cross pieces at
the ends. Note that this layout is being extended and already
has a scenic section complete on the larger board.
Surface
Materials
The actual
baseboard top on which rails, structures and scenery are
placed is most often made from Sundeala Hobbyboard, stocked by
larger model railway shops and mostly done in 4 ft x 2 ft
panels, so that the framing sections could also be made to
this size. Wood suppliers sell larger sheets of Sundeala. An
alternative — and cheaper is MDF board, sold in all DIY
stores. The 6 mm thickness is ideal. However, get the DIY
store to cut the size you want as there have been health
warnings about the dust from this material. If you have to cut
or drill it, it is best done outdoors. Sundeala is soft enough
for track pins to be pushed in with pliers. With MDF, you have
to drill a pilot hole for each pin, using a ‘pin vice’ hand
drill through the hole in the sleeper.
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5. The above left diagram
shows how a typical larger layout can be made up in four
sub units bolted together, each unit 4ft x 2ft, leaving
an operating well in the middle. this would be better
than making a solid 6ft x 6ft base board. |
6. A 6ft x
4ft layout is about the biggest that can be comfortably
made with a single unit frame and surface. this can be
supported on trestles or on legs of a desired height
(use at least 3" (75mm) square wood for the main legs,
with diagonal struts. Both options are drawn here |
Simple layout
for your model railway scenery and scenics by Chris Ellis.
Thanks to
Chris Ellis for this article. If you have any
secret tips that you would like to share with us, then
please drop us an email at
feedback@stocktonmodeller.co.uk,
include your web address and we will link to you.
Cheers
Stockton Modeller Team
feedback@stocktonmodeller.co.uk
Stockists of Hornby, Bachmann and Heljan Model Trains, Coaches and
Wagons.
Also stock all accessories to compliment your set with full
kits available.
http://www.stocktonmodeller.co.uk
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