Bonjour

[paule23]

Well, that's exhausted my French.....

Quick hello from me. My wife bought me a Hornby Flying Scotsman Train set last Christmas, and apart from a quick test run it's been stuck back in the box for over a year. Definitely time to get it out and build myself a layout. Space in the house is at a premium so I'm banished to the loft (and all the associated temperature issues!) but at least I'll have a fairly decent amount of space up there. Current thoughts are for a roundy, 8 x 4 or 5ish. Baseboards will be 6mm ply and 2 x 1 soft wood frames, which I'm hoping to start making this weekend.

[End2end]

Hi and welcome to the forum.
Thanks
End2end

[Lancastrian]

Hi and welcome.

Just get stuck in and enjoy.

[NakatsuHime]

Konban-wa

[Bufferstop]

Welcome to the forum. If you are going up into the loft don't think in terms of a solid 8' by 4' board, one, you will have to build the frame in the loft, won't make you very popular down below; two, you'll have to make up the top surface from smaller pieces as the full sheet won't go through the trap, and three, if you put it in the middle and try to walk around it, you'll get a pain in your neck. You need to be in the middle where there's most headroom with the trains going round you. It also easier to support the backs of the boards by fastening them to purlins or the gable walls.

[lozstlouis]

Many a good time is had in lofts...

[Emettman]

Hello and welcome.

I jump in, given what you've just said.

As with Bufferstop, I'd caution against an 8x4 (The Devil's Tablecloth, 6x4 too) unless you are SURE that is what you want to do in which case
the overriding rule is "It's my railway and I'll have it my way."

If you look at the space you have available, access and operating space needs considering as well as the layout area itself.
Ideally an 8x4 needs access on all sides, and it then often turns out that in the same total area a much better layout results from putting the layout to the outer part of the area and with the access and operating area inside.

Not always, though!
Design suggestions can be offered for 8x4, if requested.

Chris

[paule23]

Hi All and thanks for the welcome/replies.

I know I cannot have a single 8 x 4 sheet, the plan is to build 4 4 x 2 board and put them together. I am a little torn about whether to put them all together to make the 8 x 4 slab, or leave a well in the middle and expand to run around the edges of the loft (I do have access all round the board if I go 8 x 4 slab).

I know you lose/waste space using an 8 x 4, but I do like the idea of a single scene in front of you. For me this layout model will be as much about creating the scenery as it is about running the trains. It's a personal preference thing but having the full scene in front of me, seeing the trains run across the front and through the back, is what I had in mind. Battling this is all the experienced modellers saying this is not a good idea (although I think this is more about best use of space than the aesthetics).

So, I'm still looking at a slab 8 x 4 with no opening, but still open to persuasion!

I'm drafting a plan and will put it in the layout section for comments shortly.

[glencairn]

Hello and welcome to the Forum.

Glencairn