Thread: Model train base

I had a HO scale railroad in the garage. We used ordinary construction exterior plywood over a frame. Could not keep the tracks from collecting rust. Today the table saw, jointer, planer and band saw do not collect rust although I do wax the cast iron every several months.

I do not know what was causing the rust of the tracks.

By definition, the formply has a very slippery surface and, with my limited experience of laying out model track, I think that would make it very difficult and frustrating to get the track to stay put before and during fixing? Also, it would be an unsympathetic base in both slipperiness and colour for landscaping?

fletty

The form ply will make it difficult to glue things to the base if that is your intention due to the non stick coating. I would look at ply over the other alternatives.

Originally Posted by rick_rine

I am building a medium size train set in one third of my 3 car garage. It is going to be insulated and lined. It has a concrete floor.
The train rail base will be 700mm above the floor. I was going to use 16mm or 19mm MDF but a friend suggested concreting formwork, the 19mm ply that is black. I thought it sounded like a good idea but thought I would ask for other's opinions. Any comments or suggestions welcome.

Firstly, it must always be called a "Model railway" never a train set.
If you are able, it would be better if lifted to at least 900mm unless you are catering for children. This will be easier on your back when working on it and also you will be looking at it rather than down onto it and the visual effect will be much better.
If you have the opportunity, go to a Model Railway exhibition to get the idea or buy, or visit your library, and read the Australian Model Railway Magazine (AMRM) where you see some examples albeit rather elaborate in some cases.
I used 12mm chipboard for mine because I had it but marine ply is often used. 12mm is plenty thick enough if you build the supporting frame correctly - usually from 42mm x 19mm pine in a "T" girder format. The June AMRM, which is just out, has a photo on page 37 of a frame construction. I would agree that the concreting formwork ply would make gluing anything down very difficult.

Welcome to another slippery slope as model railways are never really finished and like any hobby can be expensive but give you great pleasure.

Hope that helps.

YES, Model Railway is the way to go...I only have a table to 6' x 4' HO Scale layout.
Mine is on 12mm ply with a 3" x 1" rib construction frame under that at 18" centres...Light yet strong, also allows for wiring under the ply.
[it's about 800 off the floor and yes I'd concur that 900 would have been better height]
I lay a sheet of wood stain floor vinyl on top of the ply to cushion the track....
Cheers, crowie

Originally Posted by crowie

I lay a sheet of wood stain floor vinyl on top of the ply to cushion the track....
Cheers, crowie

I should have added that I have used cork under the track on mine - 1/8 inch thick or metric equivalent.
You can buy it ready cut but much cheaper if you can buy a sheet and cut it into strips of the right width.
It will bend to fit under the curves in the track and can be pinned down with the track.

Thanks guys. Yes I subscribe to AMR. Thanks for the tips. I admit I didn't think how slippery the ply would be but that is why I thought I'd ask others'opinions . I have a 4x8 on 6mm MDF with Canite and cork to minimise noise. I like it and it has worked well but I have experimented with a 4x8 MDF temporary set-up in the garage and it seems really quiet with nothing else.
I have some new DCC locos with sound and am very excited.. They put a whole new feel to the model railway!
The wife won''t let me enlarge the 4x8 in the guest room so I am building a 5.7m x 3m room. It is a bit too small so I am really thinking hard about plans for layouts, using Anyrail as well as lots of pen and paper. The problem is that I can get a good layout with a .6 bench along the wall, a 1.2m wide bench, and two 0.6m aisles. This is great to access everything but minimises the amount of scenery. I am thinking that to maximise layout build a U shape, one 0.6m aisle down the middle and with two 1.2m deep benches, curved out in places to get closer, but it really involves leaning over to access the track etcetera. This is why I was thinking of a low layout.
I also wanted 16-19mm base to minimise framework. Whenever I want to put in a Tortise Motor or wiring I hit a support beam ) 16-19mm base would minimise the supports needed.

Rick
Sorry if I have tried to tell you how to suck eggs but I had the impression from your original post that you were just starting out.
I envy you with the space that will have.
I would still consider raising it and then when necessary using a stool or similar to reach over it. Mine is actually about 1100mm high, because of other constraints, and that is what I need to do.

No offence taken Tom. Calling it a train set would definitely have given that impression . I am putting a lot of thought into it as it will be a huge project, I only work on it for a few months during winters.
I am leaning towards a simpler layout , the one with two access aisles, as it will be easier to model. It is only a bit under 4 times a 4x8 but the outer track will run about 25m in a loop. I will still only be able to run three locomotives. The U shape model would give me the same track outer length but I could run 4 engines, an extra loop on one of the 'tables'.
There are no model railway exhibitions near me, nor clubs unfortunately. It would make things much more interesting to be able to talk to others.
My existing layout is 740 high and that's worked well for me. I understand that the higher up it is the better it will be to view models on and perhaps work on as well but 900 does seem high.
As I said in a previous post the idea of the thicker base would be to make it easier to drill through without hitting supports but I think I was just unlucky with my first layout. I might go 12-mm ply. The MDF test bench is very quiet. The new DCC locos make a lot of noise from the sound cards.
I thought the MDF only will work quite well but a bit worried about swelling. If I used marine ply I was thinking about buying cork tiles and just doing the whole base in one go? I have not tried the track that already has the (plastic) ballast attached, perhaps this would be better. I have a lot of trouble with the cheaper engines derailing over the points and I think this may be because of the ballast rocks I applied.

You have been there more recently than me by the sound of it, but a few quick suggestions based on prior experience.

Plywood may be better than MDF because it has a more consistent cross section density. MDF has a pair of hard skins and then is fairly soft between them as the inner material is really only there to keep the skins at uniform spacing. Pinning down track is tougher with MDF because of the tough skin and softer core, and pin retention is not as good as it would be for ply.

I think good exterior ply would be adequate for the application, and you do not need to go to marine ply. Primary difference is that exterior ply allows for voids in the core where marine does not but can be close to twice the price.

If you plan on developing the model or operating it over a longer period, I think 900H would be a better option in terms of access beneath for wiring and maintenance. Much lower and you are limited to lying on your back and reaching up all of the time. If you are particularly tall, higher still may be better.

Screenshot (8).jpg Screenshot (9).png IMG_0475.jpgIMG_0476.jpg
On the left is the plan I am thinking of most seriously. Although there is not as much room for scenery all parts of the layout are within 0.6 metres of the aisles. The plan on the right requires 1.2 metres of reach.
I have also included some photos of the existing 4 x 8 layout and 4 of the new DCC locomotives with sound. It is great to program them and have them speed up and slow down as real trains would.

Requiring 0.6m reach sound like it will be easier to construct and maintain. You could always construct a removable scenery panel to fill the middle aisle later if you wanted to. (Not sure if an airstrip would fit, if not a big mountain or farm might be suitable.)

Make the height what suits you, are you likely to drive it sitting or standing?

Yes the sound cards add a lot of realism to the operation. The trains I operate have authentic sounds, no surprise there as they are 1000mm:1metre.

Look forward to seeing the construction.

Originally Posted by Handyjack

The trains I operate have authentic sounds, no surprise there as they are 1000mm:1metre.

That's great!