| So you've decided to bite the bullet and construct | | | | plywood, you'll still want to consider having each |
| your own model railway layout, and necessarily, | | | | piece no larger than that for easier transport |
| the table the railway sits upon. Many people start | | | | should you have to move the layout. Assemble all |
| by building their first layouts on a table top, and | | | | the joints between the bench work cross |
| while this is simplicity personified, it does have its | | | | members as well as the support risers with wood |
| limitations. The biggest of these drawbacks is that | | | | screws accessible from beneath the layout. This |
| everything must be on top, and nothing can be | | | | way, you don't have to ruin scenery when looking |
| below ground level (or table level) that's when | | | | for some random screw lost in the trees! Make |
| most modelers realize the need to build their own | | | | doubly careful not to split the wood in your |
| tables to be able to accommodate any sort of | | | | supports by either using too large of screws or |
| scenery and landscape they could dream up. | | | | by poor placement of same. |
| First, you need to plan carefully the size, relative | | | | Carefully locate any cuts you want to make for |
| weight of different sections, and design of your | | | | either access or for scenery, and make sure |
| new layout. If one section is more scenery | | | | these fit into your overall support scheme. There |
| intensive, it will require more attention as to | | | | are varying schools of thought as to whether to |
| support. An L-girder support system has become | | | | saw your holes in the tabletop after the track is |
| the standard way to support your model layout, | | | | in place or before. For me, I think it is better to |
| and can be adapted to almost any configuration, | | | | do it all beforehand, as the very act of sawing, |
| thus providing you with all the strength your | | | | regardless of the quality of your tool, can possibly |
| layout will need. L-girder bench work is very | | | | send enough vibrations through your layout to |
| strong, and still about as inexpensive as you can | | | | loosen track and ballast, making your previously a |
| do. It's a very functional structure, and is easily | | | | smoothly running operation into a clackety-clack |
| put together. It is a platform consisting of girders, | | | | mess. Just my 2 cents. |
| cross braces and joists, all working together to do | | | | Most tabletop layouts are at about 48 to 55 |
| the job. Most of the time the joists are about 18 | | | | inches high. Obviously, this is something you can |
| inches apart, but they do not need to be equally | | | | control, and if you've bolted the main support legs |
| spaced. | | | | in place, (instead of screws or nails) you can even |
| Try and use care when selecting the lumber for | | | | change it at the drop of a wrench! You'll want to |
| both the support as well as the actual tabletop. | | | | try and make it so that even the tops of the |
| Obviously you'll want flat pieces that will carry | | | | highest hills and grades are visible without a |
| your roadbed without problem. Take care in the | | | | step-stool. |
| support pieces as well. Cheaper grades of lumber | | | | Building a killer train table is nothing if not |
| will warp over time, and I don't have to tell you | | | | pre-planning. Take some time with yours and you'll |
| what that could mean to your layout. If your | | | | be most pleased! |
| layout is larger than a standard 4 X 8 piece of | | | | |