Trying Your Hand With Your Benchwork Techniques!

The foundation or structure of the model railroad layout is referred to as the benchwork. While many beginner track start out on the floor, the desire to move the layout up to a bench quickly becomes apparent. A common starting point for benchwork is the standard 4' x 8' sheet of plywood found in hardware stores. But consider 30" x 60" sections screwed together. Now the sections can be disassembled and moved through standard doorways. A 30" section allows for easy reach from the front. And sections can be arranged around the perimeter of a space or around the walls for broader curves and longer track sections. Another reason to consider sections is to support different elevations.

Good model railroad benchwork is modular, relatively lightweight, and easy to work with. For benchtops, avoid dense, heavy materials such as particle board, homasote, or OSB (oriented-stranded board).

Another factor to consider for realism is the height of the layout. With model trains, tracks set waist high or chest high are easier to work with and add realism.

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