I don't think the blue or pink are toxic as long as they are from a name brand such as Dow or Owens. I was wondering if I use 1x3 for the frame do I really need 1/2 plywood? Could I go with 1/4 or 1/8 on top then an 1" or 2" of foam? What is the rule of them for cross braces, every 1'?
If you are using two inch thick blue foam you don’t even need plywood underneath it the foam is structurally sound enough that it won’t sag of collapse as long as the cross braces are close enough. Twelve inch spacing is way to close 16 or even 18 inches would be good enough with a two inch foam substrate.
...or you could build the layout largely out of cardboard, reducing wood, weight and cost. ("Spine-and-rib" cardboard construction, circa 1980.) Scott
I am starting to work on my layout design. I was wondering if there was a recommended distance between the edge of the bench work and the track?
Something to keep in mind if any of you are considering using the white "beaded" foam; it is flammable, and will burn very nicely.
Thank You Josh. Are you a memeber of http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Model_Railroads_Of_Southern_California/ There are self guided tours where I could end up at your layout or you at mine. Get to meet some new otherwise unknown modelers and have many opportunities to strike up relationships with like minded folks.
Hey John, i am a member of that group. Ive never been on any of the tours, but im thinking about trying to do one of them sometime. It would be neat to see others layouts in Southern California, and too meet some new folks around here. I see you live in Riverside, not too far from me, im just on the other side of Saddleback Mountain in Rancho Santa Margarita, Orange County
I have to put in another vote for foam. It is so much faster than cookie cutter and lighter when all is said and done if you have to move the layout later. Here is a 4x8 that was done for a customer at our shop. There are more pictures here if you need ideas: http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/showgallery.php/cat/1426 The entire layout as seen was built in a couple months. He basically wanted the track laid and basic landscaping done, he was going to finish the scenery. Unfortunately the final owner never got around to finishing it. The whole layout could be picked up by one person. There was a basic furring strip sub frame under the layout and it was designed to fit into an existing table. After building this, I have no desire build a hard shell layout. It's so much easier to run wires, place scenery and make changes if needed in the foam. If you want to make a creek, carve a valley. If you don't like the shape of a hill, cut it down or add some more. As mentioned above, 2" of foam as a base with a 2' x 2' grid below is plenty strong for anything N scale and I use it for HO also.
Allow me to chime in here. I don't believe there is an absolute wrong way to build a model railroad. That said allow me to continue by saying you need to build to your needs and aspirations. You are only limited by your imagination. Some sound advice shared here. Here you have a number of excellent methods or choices to help you decide. I fully support JoshM.'s thoughts and believe his ideas and procedures would build you a solid layout. TonyH. has given you a good example of how to build a multi-level layout with foam. Getting the foam in San Diego appears to be a problem. Not sure why? I would hardly think the green minded ones would oppose using insulation. I've seen John's layout, aka Spidge. Very nicely done. He has foam supported scenery and track. His is a good example of what you can do. Sturdy, movable and has a high level of survivability. As for most of my layouts that I've built over the years. I choose and utilized the cookie cutter system using 3/4 inch plywood or partical board for my sub roadbed. For the layout currently under construction, I chose to use partical board. Why? Only, because when I use plywood, I have trouble cutting it and nailing in those track nails. And, I've seen plywood warp, slip and undo itself when exposed to a lot of humidity. For my benchwork, I use 1x4's. It needs to be sturdy enough, should I be required to move it. I built it to be stand alone, built in sections and can be easily taken apart. I may have to move here in the near future and I wanted to make sure it goes with me. One other thing that determined the choice of construction materials was the fact that this layout would be housed in a tin shed. Basically an outdoor railroad for all practical purposes. So, far it's survived a mini avalanche of snow from off my neighbors roof pushing in the northern wall. Let's not forget the temperatures that get into the minuses. Brrrrrr, cold up here on this hill. The carboard construction as illustrated by Scott, I've seen that work and work well. A small layout I made in this fashion didn't survive a move I made. Not very well...most of it collapsed in on itself. It didn't help that the load in the truck shifted and nailed it right nice. A no fault situation for the layout. All in all, I gave up on it and ended up going to a wood supported bench work and sub roadbed. Historical note...backing up to one of my first layouts...if not the first. For reasons very clear to me: It attracted an interesting beetle and larvae (baby bugs) and I could never get rid of them until the layout was taken down and burned. Try that today. I wouldn't advise using paper mache made from flour. Those bugs thought they'd hit the jack pot. LUNCH! I hope this helps.
I've always used foam. Why? Cuz it's the way I learned. I first built the WS Scenic Ridge kit and learned a lot about the building process and some landscaping. Nothing like some of the really nice layouts I see here but there is a heck of a lot of experience on this board and it's a great place to learn. Here a a couple of shots of what I'm doing with my current layout...
I used to have a layout that resembled this one. Train Kid, I had a layout similar to the one you built here. I eventually got permission from the head CEO to build a larger one. Funny thing, mom wanted me to hold down the dust and noise. Now how was I going to do that? Simple a vacuum cleaner running all the time...white noise and no saw dust. It worked. Looking good.cool:
On my new layout I used 1/2 inch plywood cut into strips to make my modules. I used 2x2s for the legs. On top of that I used 1/2 plywood tops. Then applied pink foam of different thicknesses depending on what kind of toporaphy I was going for. The mountains got an application of plaster soaked papertowels before weathering. Brian
Funny thing is Rick that I wish I would have built an "L" shaped or "U" shaped layout and a lot bigger. It's difficult when the CEO gets involved as you said. Anyway I have to be satisfied with what I have now and try and make something out of it with landscaping and small scenes. I'm now trying my hand art building laser kits -- just completed my first one to get my feet wet.
