Re: HO 4x8 Layout

Good question Jon, I see others have posted some great links.

Here's a layout I've been playing with for my 4x8 bench.

HTH

Pord...

"Pord Frefect" wrote in news:M9eOa.89431 $ snipped-for-privacy@news01.bloor.is.net.cable.rogers.com:

Hey Pord; I like your screen name and address. Have you seen Arthur lately?

Nice little layout. Do you have any photos of it?

So long, farewell and thanks for the fish!

Dan Harriman

Move up one level and look around.

This image does not look like the layout under discussion.

Some day (why am I still saying this after 3 years?) I'll probably try another 4 X 8 ft in the rather limited space in my basement. Conditions to be met would be the ability to store it out of the way in the crawlspace. I also would make it where I could add an expansion piece (modular style). Prime considerations are space, storability, wife, and most of all giant (1:1 scale) cat's detructiver potential to 1/87 scale people, trains and structures. I'm easily satisfied (to some brain dead) to have fun with my trains goinf around an oval with maybe a switch or two.

Dave Use commemorative stamps on ALL your mail. Introduce the hobby of collecting stamps to someone. Above all, enjoy your hobby regardless of what you collect!

How long is your crawl space? How far from the basement floor is the floor of the crawl space? How tall is the crawl space?

Build a drawer that will slide into the crawl space. Pull the drawer out when you want to run trains. A couple castor wheels on the edges of the layout will allow you to pull and push the "drawer" in and out. A 2x4 running the length will be where the wheels will run on, maybe a 1x4 along the edges to prevent the drawer from twisting off as it goes in and out. Don't forget to have an end stop on the far end to prevent the layout from coming completely out and you can use the edge to support that end. A couple of removable legs to support the layout when it is out.

Some plastic sheeting to make a box in the crawl space will keep the dust off of it.

Build a modular end so that you can store it right under the main layout and have on it a loop so that you can have fun going around an oval:-)

Do it now before the crawl space gets taken up with SWMBO storage. Just get the drawer made and working with some track on it. Actual track design can be expansions of the empire:-) Donald