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Back2Basics
PART 4 - BENCHWORK Section 2: portable and modular layouts Tom Winlow
In Section 1 of this guide we looked at benchwork for fixed layouts. In this second section we will address portable and modular layouts and end with a brief look at backdrops.
Portable and modular layouts will be considered together. Modular layouts are just a special case of portable ones in which the module specification has added some constraints.
As a reminder... if you don’t want to build your own bench work there are several companies who will build it for you. There were details at the end of Section 1. Alternatively, a local joiner may be able to do the work .
“Tools”
The tools required are essentially the same as for the permanent layouts described in Section 1 and are mostly normal DIY tools. However, there are a couple of additional items.
Not strictly a tool but you will need a flat surface large enough to assemble the boards. A large workbench is ideal or something like a garage floor can be used if it is flat. The second item is some sort of “workmate” style workbench/vice.
If you fit pattern maker’s dowels for alignment you will need special drills as explained later.
First things first - transportation
As with permanent layouts, portable benchwork must provide a flat and stable base for the track. Portable layouts, of course, must also be transportable. This affects two areas of the design - the sizes of the pieces of layout to be transported and the weight.
It is a good idea if you can arrange pairs of boards to be mirror-images of each other. They can then be “boxed up” as pairs as shown in 1. Arranging the boards face-to-face as shown protects the track, buildings and scenery during transport.
The boards are joined by connection
panels fixed to their ends, which hold
them a suitable distance apart. These
can be fixed to the ends of the two
layout boards using bolts. One way is
to have T-nuts inside the ends of the
boards. If hexagonal-headed bolts
are used, a socket in a cordless drill or
a ratchet wrench can be used to tighten them. Alternatively hand-wheel bolts can be used (see 14) and this removes the need for special tools. Bolts and wing-nuts are also a possibility but are more fiddly.
Photo 1 also shows a portable sack truck. These are reasonably priced and make moving layouts around much easier. When folded flat as shown they are very compact. They are available from DIY and other outlets
A major consideration in designing a portable layout is the size of the car or van that will be used to transport it. One critical dimension is the space between the rear wheel arches. As a rough guide, this is around one metre (39 inches) in most family hatchbacks and estate cars. This means two 18 inch-wide units can be carried side by side. Most cars can also accommodate four-feet long boards lengthwise. This means that two “boxes” each 18 inches wide and four feet long can be carried, which is 16 feet of railroad. Of course there are other things that need to be transported, such as legs, which we will address later.
This arrangement is very convenient for 18 inch-wide boards. The Freemo HO module specification encourages this width but doesn’t insist on it. But what if your design demands wider boards? One solution might be to make the boards three feet long and carry them arranged transversely. When considering space, don’t forget that you don’t need to be restricted to rectangular boards, although this “basics” guide will only address rectangular ones.
Be sure to measure your car carefully and don’t rely on my dimensions above. There must be few things more annoying than building a board one inch too long!
Weight
Weight is obviously a critical consideration for portable layouts, although using a sack truck as mentioned earlier can make things easier. The critical operation is getting the layout into the car at home and unloading it there. At the venues there are always people who will help.
One situation where weight isn’t quite so critical is when a set of portable units are used to build a fixed layout. The attraction of this approach is that you can up-end them to work on their undersides, which makes fitting switch machines and wiring much easier. The work is a lot pleasanter than crawling around underneath a fixed layout. This is especially true of soldering under-baseboard wiring. The weight of sectional units isn’t so critical in this application as, once in place, they won’t be moved again unless a fault develops . The trade- off is that it is more expensive and more work to build a group of individual, moveable, boards than a fixed layout.
Possible board designs
L-girder baseboards were described In Section 1 of this guide . These are ideal for fixed layouts but tend to be too deep and heavy to work well as portable units.
Frame layouts as described in Section 1 are very suitable for portable layouts. For 18” wide Freemo boards it has been found that a very simple version of frame layouts works well. In this case, because the unit is very narrow, it is possible to omit the interior framing and make what amounts to an inverted plywood box as shown. The diagram shows all the pieces as
top: 9mm ply 914mm x 457mm (36" x 18")
2
ends: 12mm ply 439mm x 93mm (17.25" x 3-5/8")
Sides: 9mm ply 914mm x 93mm (36" x 3-5/8")
1
plywood but an alternative would be to make the sides and ends from softwood. The deck could also be chipboard or MDF. Both need to be well sealed against moisture. MDF is very hard and is heavier than plywood.
For anything wider than about 18 inches, some sort of internal bracing of the deck will be needed, which will turn the box back into a typical frame design. The wood used for this should be at least one inch deep and mounted on edge. Plywood or softwood can be used and its thickness is not critical.