Model Railway Forum

Hello

I’m a complete newbie to all of this! I have lovely memories of “being in charge” of my big brothers train set in the 1970s, but was never allowed to have anything like it as a mere girl.

As my husband has always wanted a model train set, now is as good a time as any, and we’ve decided to have a bit of fun making landscapes, models & buildings to make our new interest even more fun.

We’ve set aside a spare bedroom (which is tiny) but it’s just about large enough to have something about 8ft x 4ft (2440 x 1220 in new money ) and have got a carpenter coming to build the platform (baseboard?) for us to start during the Christmas holidays (we’d do it ourselves, but it would be wonkier than a slalom slope ) and would appreciate and advice or input .

So, the baseboard - 9mm ply, single sheet?
Legs, a PAR frame, free standing, supported at 600 centres, do we need to brace? The ply will be screwed to it. Height to be decided (argued)
Sealing? Advised or not? We we have some fairly interesting & ambitious plans for landscaping (hills, vegetation, tunnel) and don’t want to do anything on the surface which might cause bowing.

As I say, we are just starting out, and we’re a bit slow, but really want to get the base right.

Thanks in advance

I meant to say, I’m a keen amateur photographer so will be boring you all with our build

Hi Maria,

Welcome to the forum - you have come to the right place for friendly advice and there is a good mixture of experience to be tapped into.

Sounds like you have an interesting project ahead but beware it can become compulsive....... in response to your question re sealing I think it is always good practice with any wooden structure to add some protection even if it is only some cheap emulsion....... I bought some earth colour emulsion from B&Q and it doubled up as a sealer but also a good base colour for subsequent scenery work.

Wish you every success with your project and remember there are no silly questions on this forum as they have all been asked already ( including some from me for sure).

Enjoy......

Welcome to the friendly forum. I seal my boards too. I used a grey emulsion - just what I had available at the time. It depends how much surface you have but for hills and other areas, cheap match pots are a good starting point.

Hi Maria and welcome to our forum.

Hi Maria and welcome to the forum.

Yes, bracing is advised. Have a read through some of the threads and you will see we enjoy photos of peoples layouts.

Hello Maria
I have only just picked up on this post and just a small bit of advice for you.
Most people can only reach over a layout without damaging any features close to the edges at 3 feet wide so keep that in mind when you are building your platform allowing access all around within your reach from any edge.
Hope you enjoy creating your layout and look forward to the pics.
Puddles

Hi Maria

A warm welcome to you.

You seem to have the basics already but anything you need just ask and Im sure you will get plenty of replies.

Layout construction, wiring etc you may find my web site of some help? (Blowing own trumpet now!) https://www.brian-lambert.co.uk/Layout_Building.html

Hi Maria

Welcome to the forum. If you have already "booked" your carpenter so be it - but Model Railway Solutions in Poole produce baseboards in kit form, and offer numerous sizes. Just to give you an idea, I built a 6x2 board in an hour - and I am no carpenter . I have no connection with MRS - but they are good and helpful. You mention 8x4 if that is one sheet, you will have difficulty reaching over four feet, unless your room gives to access all round. My layout is in the "small bedroom" 10x7 and the boards are two feet wide running around three walls - it's an end-to-end layout rather than a circuit(s).
I sealed my boards with a 50/50 mix of water and PVA. Most important thing is advance planning - and if your not sure - ask on here. BB

Hello Maria

Welcome to the forum. As others have said, 6 x 4 foot is a big layout if you have to reach over it. I have just dismantled something similar and rebuilt it as an L shape. I used two separate sheets (2440 x 610) and I am glad I did as it made reshaping it a lot easier.

You definitely need to brace the ply. By 'seal it' do you mean with varnish or the like? If so then I would say not, but painting with some plain emulsion is a good idea.

Based on my recent experience, I would recommend you go on the Metcalf models website and look at some of their railway buildings. For example:
https://www.metcalfemodels.com/product/ ... y-station/
Look at the 'SCALE SIZE & DETAILS' tab and cut out some shapes from old cardboard boxes to those sizes. You can then place them around your board to give an idea of how much space you have.