hi I am having to downsize and now will have to share a bedroom with a bed and dresser I will also have to go with n scale I have around 10 feet along one wall and can only be 18 in wide also can not fasten to wall and can't have too many legs Any suggestions? August
Standard L-girders, dimensioned so you don't need so many legs. Say the L made from a 1x4 and a 1x3, which gives outer dimensions of 5" x 3" - ought to be plenty with three sets of legs for something that big - say 18" from the right wall, 18" from the left wall and in the middle - that gives a longest spans of about 3 1/2 feet, and an overhang of 18". Smile, Stein
I would suggest a frame made out of 1x2's with a piece of 2" pink/blue insulation foam on top as the base. The frame could be set upon (or even attached to with metal brackets) a pair of 3' wide, 12" deep, 30" to 4' high bookshelves (depending if you like sitting or standing). The bookshelves could be set in a bit so the maximum span/overhang wouldn't be any more than a couple feet. The shelves allow for easy storage of equipment/supplies and since they are narrower than the layout , you can attach fabric curtain skirting (attached with velcro) to the layout front to cover the "mess". This combined with a backdrop and appropiate fascia, would create a very nice professional/furniture quality look just fine for a bedroom. Peter
If I were in your position, I'd go with two 5' modules constructed from 1X4 premium pine L-girders that face each other (so the vertical "flats" of the "L"'s are both facing outward, and the other "flats" are on top, forming two horizontal surfaces). I'd use 3/4" "finished-one-side" plywood for the module ends, glued and screwed to the ends of the "L" girders, with 16 1/2" long 1x4's (6ea.) glued and screwed to the bottom surface of your top, horizontal "L" girders at the module ends, AND those same 1x4's glued and screwed to the vertical surface of your 3/4" plywood module ends, plus one in the middle of each 5' module. Drill holes through both module ends while they're properly clamped up, and use bolts, washers and T-nuts to clamp them semi-permanently together (until you have to move and take your layout with you). For legs, I'd use 6ea. 2X2 redwood "balusters" which are nice and straight, knot free and lightweight. I'd drill a hole in the bottom of each one and with a T-nut and carriage bolt, make height-adjusters to level your layout. Position a pair on either end of your layout, braced with an "X" for stability with a cross-brace at the bottom of the "X". I'd also position a pair attached to one module at the center of your span, with the same braces as your end legs for stability. (I've found that excellent quality and cheap braces can be made from The Home Depot yardsticks!) On the backside, near the wall, I'd attach 3' braces that comes up from the lower portion of each leg and attach to the inside of your rearmost "L" girder. Do this with all the back legs, bracing the center-back leg both ways if you can. This will allow you to have a sturdy, fairly stable benchwork platform that will be easily removable if you have to move. You can glue 2" extruded Styrofoam insulation to the top for your scenery base, making sure you cut it at the joint between the two 5' modules. Simply glue your Styrofoam sheets to the top, horizontal surfaces of your "L" girders. For a front fascia simply attach two 5' long pieces of hardboard (cut to whatever height that is appropriate for your scenery) to the vertical leg of your front "L" girder by gluing and clamping (so you don't have to fill any screw-holes). For a skyboard, you can attach two 5' pieces of 1/8" hardboard directly to the rear vertical leg of your rearmost "L" girders, cut to whatever height you want for your skyboard. With a little ingenuity, you could easily use your skyboards as a support for a removable lighting valence, especially if you "coved" the two outermost skyboard corners by bending and bracing the 1/8" hardboard skyboard material there, and running the electrical cord down through the space your "coving" would create between the curved back of the skyboard and the walls, to the nearest outlet. I you have to fit a bed or dresser under the layout, you can remove the front, center leg and (if possible) run a sturdy brace from the front of the layout diagonally down to the rear, center leg. This won't be as steady, but it will be better than no brace. Hope this gives you some helpful ideas. Wish you could screw into the wall! That would make things a LOT easier!...and eliminate any legs. As a side note, if you haven't decided and bought your track yet, I am going to suggest you go with Micro Engineering code 55 because of its superior detailing. If you were going to make your own turnouts, I would suggest using ME code 40 for your less-traveled sidings. If you're purchasing your turnouts, go with Atlas 55 turnouts, and if you can, stick with the #7's for reliability's sake. If you can find ME #6's...I'd go with them, but...they are difficult to find, but have a nice over-center manual throw feature so you can just switch 'em using your finger if you want. If you're going to use roadbed, use Midwest cork. I use one strip of HO scale cork for the mainlines, and two strips of N scale cork for the sidings, and blend the short grade between them by sanding with a homemade sanding block and 220 grit paper. Goes quick! Cheers! Bob Gilmore
