Building That Extra Special Model Railway Table | Hobbies

By BillMurphy
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Word Count: 521

So you've decided to bite the bullet and construct your own model railway, and along with it, the model train table it sits upon. Many people start by building their first layouts on a table top or a simple sheet of plywood, and while this is simplicity personified, it does have its limitations.

The biggest of these drawbacks is that everything must be on top, and nothing can be below ground level (or table level). That's when most modelers realize the need to build their own tables to be able to accommodate any sort of model train scenery and landscape they could dream up.

You need to start by planning the size, weight and design of your layout. If one section has more scenery, it will need more support. An L-girder support system is the choice for model layouts. It can give you all the strength needed as well as being very adaptable.

L-girder bench work is very strong, and still about as inexpensive as you can get. It's a very functional structure, and is easily put together. It is a platform consisting of girders, cross braces and joists, all working together to do the job. Most of the time the joists are about 18 inches apart, but they do not need to be equally spaced.

Be careful in choosing the lumber for the table top as well as for the support system. You will need a flat piece for your roadbed to avoid any problems but take care in choosing the support pieces as well. Cheaper grades of lumber may eventually warp and that could spell disaster for your project.

If your layout is larger that 4 x 8 you should still keep the pieces to that size to make them easier to transport in case you want to move your layout. Use wood screws from underneath to assemble the bench work cross members as well as the support risers.

By doing this you will spare the scenery if you happen to loose a screw. Try not to split the wood by using screws that are too large or by placing them in the wrong spots.

Carefully locate any cuts you want to make either for access or for scenery, and make sure these fit into your overall support scheme. There are varying schools of thought as to whether to saw your holes in the tabletop after the track is in place or before.

Personally, I think it's better to do so before the track is added so that the vibration from sawing doesn't loosen the track or ballast and ruin the smooth run of your operation. This is just my opinion though.

Most tabletop layouts are at about 48 to 55 inches high,. Obviously, this is something you can control, and if you've bolted the main support legs in place, (instead of screws or nails) you can even change it at the drop of a wrench! You'll want to try and make it so that even the tops of the highest hills and grades are visible without a step-stool.

Building a killer train table is nothing if not pre-planning. Take some time with yours and you'll be most pleased!

About the Author

Are you looking for information about model trains such as why dcc vs analogue control is better? Find out more about getting your model railroad layout running the way you want on The Model Railroader website

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