Bench Work


I ripped out the L-girder monster and decided to keep it simple this time.


Even though I am a carpenter with the tools and know how to build any type of bench work you can imagine, I just wanted something simple and not over kill. Most of the layout's I see are designed to either bear the weight of a full scale tank or be portable just in case we move to a new home with the exact same size room down to the window and closet locations. In my case it will never happen, if I have to move a new railroad will be constructed in the new home.

With that in mind I went and purchased some Dual-Trak shelf standards and brackets along with 6 sheets of 3/4 inch plywood. A day and a half later I have a fully finished shelf railroad ready for a backdrop and facia.

   
 

The longest shelf bracket is 20 inches and supports a 24 inch deep shelf. You will need to shim the longer shelf brackets in the rear to be level. I tried to keep the brackets 3 - 4 inches back from the front edge so I would have room for wiring without having to loop the wires under each bracket.

The last picture shows a close up of how I dropped the plywood for the bridge at Bethesda.

   
 

Installation of the upper valence, lighting and painted backdrop are complete. The camera made the hot spots appear to be very strong, to my eye they are barley noticeable.

  

The removable bridge is left over from the original layout and built out of 3/4" tall spline. It drops into a holder made out of 3/4" pine in the closet, and a simple metal bracket on the other end allows height adjustment as well as lateral adjustment as needed. The electrical connection is simple sheet brass cut and bent to make electrical contacts. I added some masonite to the sides so the trains would not fall to the floor. It is not real pretty but it is reliable and the kids don't care as long as the trains keep running!


     

   
























  
 The Backdrop

I will again use aluminum trim coil for the backdrop. This material is available in 18 inch and 2 foot x 50 foot rolls from your local building or gutter supply. I choose this material for several reasons.

  • It is very easy to curve.
  • It is available in 50 foot rolls (no joints to fill).
  • It can be glued to the frame eliminating the need to fill nail or screw holes.
  • It takes paint well.
  • It is easy to cut, score and snap.

The trim coil can be purchased in 18" rather then 2 foot so I will skip the details on how I cut my aluminum coil down from 2 foot to 18". After I had the proper size coil I screwed 3/4" strips of wood (left over from the L-girder monster)directly to the shelf standards. The screws can go into the slots of the shelf standard and hold the strips of wood with no problem. Next I removed the upper shelf and brackets and ran a bead of glue down both wood strips. I then unrolled the aluminum coil pushing it into the glue as I went along. Once the coil is in place you can start to cut the slots for the shelf brackets, it's not real hard to do, it just takes a little time. Once the slots are all cut install the shelf brackets and replace the upper shelf. Your done, the backdrop is now installed and ready for paint.