under layout shelving

[buz]

Hi all
Any one got any bright ideas on the best way to suspend or fix some shelves under a layout.
the layout is well under construction to the point of being fully operational.
I am not a carpentry genius although I can put a nice solid train table together.
I need to to have somewhere convenient to put the over flow of stock that often ends
up over crowding the layout.
Some how fixing it to the layout seems the best way to go.
It would have a measure of protection under the layout so seems to make even more sense.
regards John

[Lofty]

Are you on about a permanent or portable layout?

[thebritfarmer]

Have scroll down and see what Jas did to his layout.

http://www.newrailwaymodellers.co.uk/Fo ... &start=345

[buz]

Hi lofty
To all intents and purposes it is a permanent layout.
Although the legs can be removed to get it out of the room should I move house.
It is to BEEEEEEP!!!! heavy to be a transportable layout
The removalists will hate me if I ever move house with it.
regards John

[buz]

Hi thebritfarmer
That looks pretty good.
regards John

[Stanier]

When I was planning my layout I intended to use the usual legs to support it with planks across to make crude shelves. I priced it all out and was about to buy the wood (fabulously expensive in those days for good timber), when my wife did a few sums on a the back of an envelope and pointed out that I could buy enough cheap flatpack kitchen units (sans worktops) to support the whole thing (it's a big roundy - roundy - see MRF for pictures) for less than the wood, and it would be easier to build. We bought seven units, and had them built in the time between lunch and teatime. The last one took 6 minutes. All my spare stock, track, kits, books,drawings, etc are neatly stored out of sight and free of dust, and the layout has been sitting on these units for ten years now. Much more stable than legs and planks. I suggest you consider this idea.

The layout itself is rather revolutionary in that it is made from 4mm ply egg-boxed - with big lightening/access holes, and weighs a lot less that the the chipboard or composition board horrors which seem to be the norm.

[sleepy_chef]

Hi lofty
To all intents and purposes it is a permanent layout.
Although the legs can be removed to get it out of the room should I move house.
It is to BEEEEEEP!!!! heavy to be a transportable layout
The removalists will hate me if I ever move house with it.
regards John

Im in the same boat.... My legs are made from a pair of saw horses... the fold down... but I think ill just not bother moving anywhere for at least 3 years.. by then im hoping I will want a new layout

also,
what kind of room do you have underneath? what configuration is your table?

[buz]

Hi sleepy_chief
From the floor to the base of the fascia 35 1/2" the
legs are set back 6" front and back from the internal edge of the fascia board,
fascias are T&G lining boards
The legs are 3" 6" apart from front to back and 24 1/2" from side to side.
The whole layout is only 4'6" square
The legs are 3" X 2" dressed.
The top is two bits of 50 x 50 x 3 aluminum angle's providing the main
structural strength the legs are bolted and Gusseted to that
The cross beams are 2'X1" spaced at a max if 12" apart these are screwed to the aluminum angle.
Two cross beams have gussets for the legs all gussets are 3mm aluminum sheet and bolted so the legs can be removed.
Like the rest overkill the top is 18mm melamine (it was free)
Normally I would not have a solid top but this one has because of its small size and the top was the right price.
The whole construction is very heavy and meets my personal Std if I can't jump up and down on it
It isn't strong enough.
I might add I would have preferred open frame construction with 12mm toping as needed like I used on the last big layout I built.
But it still has to pass the jump test before I will build on it.
No namby pamby lightweight bench work for my home layouts.
I am only going to make the layout bench work once and solid so I don't have hassles with it later.
Over kill maybe but I have never had any bench work do funny things on me.
Have had problems else where but not the bench work
regards John
PS I don't succeed to well at light weight exhibition bench work

[b308]

An old method was to use old kitchen units minus the worktop, you can also use them as the support for the baseboards but it may be a little too late for that!