Model
Railroad Benchwork:
What is model railroad benchwork?
Benchwork is the support structure that you
build your model railroad layout on. It could be
as simple as a piece of plywood or MDF on a
table, or it could be more complex such as open
grid work with "l" girder construction.
Benchwork usually consists of legs, some sort of framework or
structure, sub road bed which is attached to the framework, the
roadbed, and track which are laid on the sub roadbed.
Why build benchwork?
Benchwork will give you a permanent structure to which you
can attach your sub roadbed, track and scenery. With the proper
planning it will allow you to consider future expansion right
from the beginning, which will make it much easier when the time
comes.
When should you build your benchwork?
As soon as you are far enough along in the design stage to know
pretty much what your railroad will look like, you can begin to
build your benchwork. Be sure to take into consideration your
track plan and any scenery elements that may effect the
placement of the girders or the cross joists.
Where should build your benchwork?
You could precut most everything in your shop if you have one,
or have the timber yard cut it for you. You can assemble as much
as possible in your shop, however the major portion of the
benchwork will most likely need to be assembled in the room
where the railroad will be.
How do you build model railroad benchwork?
Start by doing research to determine which type of benchwork is
best suited to your situation. If your layout is a temporary or
seasonal layout, you may get along just fine with a piece of
plywood or MDF. If you are planning a more permanent display or
are going to include scenery, you will want a more substantial
structure such as "l" girder construction.
The open grid work will allow more flexibility and will
contribute to a more realistic looking railroad.
Visit other layouts in your area and take notes on what you did
or did not like. You can learn from their mistakes and their
successes as well.
You could combine some of both techniques by using what is
called the cookie cutter method. This is where you use a flat
board over open benchwork and cut out the sub road bed directly
from the flat board and leave the rest of the board in place.
You would then raise the sub roadbed up on risers to what ever
level you wanted. The risers are attached to the joists.
You could also cut out areas where lakes or rivers would be.
With the cookie cutter method you are still limited by the flat
board. It will hinder both maintenance and wiring and also limit
future expansion.
The simplest type of open grid work is the butted grid work
method. This requires
1"x4" or 25mm x 100mm timber
to be used both for the girders and also for the cross joists.
The cross joists are glued and screwed together between the
girders approximately every 24" or 600mm apart. You can use this
butted grid work to either fasten your flat board, cookie cutter
top or you could attach the risers directly to the open grid
work.
Legs can be made from
2"x2"
or 50mm x 50mm timber
and bolted to the girders, or what is called the keeper joists,
with 1/4"
or 6mm x 75mm
carriage bolts, nuts and washers. As an alternate method you
could screw the legs to the benchwork using wood screws.
The "l" girder open benchwork method is really easy and will
allow the best overall support for your railroad. It will also
allow for the best overall finished appearance when your
railroad is completed.
The "l" girders are made by gluing and screwing a
1"x2" or 25mm x 50mm
piece of timber to the edge of a
1"x4" or 25mm x 100mm
piece of timber. With the "l" inverted so that the
1"x2" or 25mm x 50mm
is on the top. The
2"x2" or 50mm x 50mm
legs can be bolted to the girders. Once the legs are attached,
1"x2" or 25mm x 50mm
cross braces can be attached to the legs to hold the two girders
up approximately parallel to each other.
An alternate method would be to bolt keeper joists to the top of
the legs and then attach the cross braces to the legs. You would
then stand up the legs with the keeper joists and fasten the "l"
girder to the bottom of the keeper joists, from the bottom of
the
1"x2" or 25mm x 50mm
which forms the top of the "l" girder. The rest of the joists
would be attached as described below.
The joists are made of
1"x4" or 25mm x 100mm timber
and are placed on top of the "l" girders. They are screwed in
place from under the
1"x2" or 25mm x 50mm timber
on the top of the "l" girder, up into the bottom edge of the
joists. The joists can be placed at any distance from each other
as necessary for the scenery or track risers, however every 24"
or 600mm should be sufficient.
Next comes the sub roadbed. Probably the easiest way of
determining the size and location of the sub roadbed is to lay
the track out, or make a full size drawing. You can use the full
size drawing to cut out paper patterns which can be transferred
to the plywood or other sub roadbed material.
The sub roadbed can then be cut on a band saw or with a sabre
saw. The sub roadbed should be wide enough to allow for the
track or multiple tracks, cork or other roadbed, and around 1"
or 25mm on either side of the track to allow you to attach the
scenery to the sub roadbed.
Once the sub roadbed pieces are cut they can be attached to the
risers with cleats attached to them. You can splice the pieces
of sub roadbed together with a scrap piece of the same width and
thickness as the sub roadbed. Screws and glue can be used to
attach them together.
Materials, tools and other equipment
1) 1"x4" or 25mm x 100mm timber (for girders, joists and risers)
2) 1"x2" or 25mm x 50mm timber (for the top of the "l" girders
and cross braces)
3) 2"x2" or 50mm x 50mm timber (for legs)
4) carpenters glue and wood screws
5) 1/4"x3" or 6mm x 75mm carriage bolts, nuts, and washers
6) Pencil and paper, and drawing equipment such as a scale
ruler, compass or string and pencil, framing square, etc.
7) Carpentry tools including a hand saw, saber saw, screw
driver, and various wood clamps, etc.
Be sure to read our article on
model railroading safety
when working with tools.