Building Layout table

I suggest picking up one of these books. They will answer all your questions along with pictures.

@yanksali posted:

Hi

It is has been a long  time since I had a O scale train layout. I am looking for suggestions on how to build a 4 x 8 train layout table.
1. Use 1/2 plywood for top or 3/4 inches?

2.  Is styrofoam on top of plywood top necessary and if so what thickness

3. Should leges be made out of a single 2 x 4 ?  Double 2 x 4  for strength? Or some other dimensional wood for the legs like 1 x 4?

4. is there another method to build a stole where you don’t use a plywood top?  

5. Any suggestions on methods to add  a partial second level to elevate tracks other than just using an exposed store bought trestle set?    For example has anyone elevated tracks where they made their own wood piers or trestles and then concealed the trestles so they were not visible with scenery surrounding the trestles so it looks like tracks are on a natural hill Esther than a made made trestle?  If so how did you do it?

Replies are always appreciated.

Congrats on getting started!  Be aware that many people overbuild their benchwork.  You're not building a battleship, and most people don't walk on their layouts.  Make it "strong enough" and don't waste time and material - save your money for more trains.

1/2 plywood is plenty.  Insulating foam is a personal preference, and some people like homasote - lots of opinions in threads on here.  Decision partly depends on how you feel about noise and what kind of scenery you plan to do.  I've used foam for small layouts, but would not use it for O gauge (would use it for landforms, but not under the track).  I used homasote on my current layout; in hindsight I would not use it again, as any benefits are outweighed by the effort, expense, and mess IMO.  2x4 legs are fully sufficient - anything larger is overkill and waste of materials - 2x2 is plenty if properly braced (that's what I use). 

@NJCJOE's book recommendations above are excellent.  Also, see the thread about his benchwork - https://ogrforum.com/...6#173034318223089256.  His thread is a great tutorial on building benchwork and it includes a lot of pictures.

personal preference, like mallard said 1/2 inch is fine, 2x4 legs single is enough , that's what I used. I used homasote but foam will help with the noise. as for frame I used 1x3 but I have hatches to get to parts of the layout that can't be reached im not getting on top of mine.

Another source is Jim Barrett’s book from OGR on how he built his layout with 1x3s and 2x2s. Of course, the information applies regardless of what size wood you choose. A lot of times it simply depends on what’s available and cost.

Congrats on the new layout @yanksali.

As everyone has alluded to theres a lot of personal preference in building a layout. I'll give you some personal details from the layout I've built, with some learnings too.

1. I used 3/4 in plywood, which, in hindsight was overkill.  I probably would've gone for 1/2in if I built it again

2. I'm a firm believer in homasote. I've used it on my Christmas layouts and now on my permanent layout. Foam, I use for scenery pretty much exclusively. This, again, is personal preference.

3. I used just a 2x4 attached to a caster at the bottom without dimensional wood. I'm actually now debating on going back and adding some additional dimensional supports on the legs just because the weight of the items on the layout is increasing. I just think its worth a little extra knowing how much money is sitting on top o fit.

4. I've seen some folks use just 2in foam, but I don't think that would be strong enough for me.

5. I'm using the woodland scenics risers and I have to tell you, they're great! My outerloop elevates along the back of layout to add some more dynamic elements to the overall layout. I toyed with building my own, but Figure the frustration wouldn't be worth it and just paid for the risers.

Good luck on your build!

The following is all IMHO

My  current layout uses 2x4 for legs in L configuration and single configuration

1/2 plywood which I prefer to osb board for top and bottom

bottom being storage

the first level is 1” pink board glued to plywood.

The second level is built up pink board to give a layer 5 inches thick,( 2+2+1 thickness).

On top of that level was installed Woodland Scenic incline risers with Woodland Scenic Shaper Sheets for a single track with elevation under and up an incline to a bridge. I probably didn’t have to but used Shaper Sheet plaster. To this was added Rit liquid dye to give color to the plaster and skip a step painting . Because there was excess flexibility on some of the contours with the shaper sheets I shot low expanding foam inside the incline to strengthen the sides of the incline. Very messy stuff but the foam worked well.

On a previous layout I used metal studs horizontally which Worked well and provided a natural channel for wires

Your 4x8 layout could probably use 1x4 for legs and 3/8 top plywood. Is the a large price difference between 1x4 and 2x4s?
I found 2x4 easier to work with.

A suggestion is do not make the table height to low because extra height will lessen back strain and the height will make getting under layout easier ,think wiring.

A  further suggestion is set up the track soon in the process so you can run trains early on.

I  sure you’ll do fine regardless of the material selections

Have fun it’s your empire

Steven T

yanksali

Just a thought.  One can order plywood in 5ft x 9ft, ping pong size, for a little bigger layout and allowing rails a little further from the table edge.

Just a note, the below one level track plan is on 5'9" x 11"2" layout, in two pieces to allow moving.  Photo of Control Panel, Main train board.

Details on how I built this 44 year layout, with $10 homemade turntable, are below with table of contents at bottom of the page 1, post 1.

https://ogrforum.com/...ra-027-layout?page=1

Charlie

@train steve posted:

The following is all IMHO

My  current layout uses 2x4 for legs in L configuration and single configuration

1/2 plywood which I prefer to osb board for top and bottom

bottom being storage

the first level is 1” pink board glued to plywood.

The second level is built up pink board to give a layer 5 inches thick,( 2+2+1 thickness).

On top of that level was installed Woodland Scenic incline risers with Woodland Scenic Shaper Sheets for a single track with elevation under and up an incline to a bridge. I probably didn’t have to but used Shaper Sheet plaster. To this was added Rit liquid dye to give color to the plaster and skip a step painting . Because there was excess flexibility on some of the contours with the shaper sheets I shot low expanding foam inside the incline to strengthen the sides of the incline. Very messy stuff but the foam worked well.

On a previous layout I used metal studs horizontally which Worked well and provided a natural channel for wires

Your 4x8 layout could probably use 1x4 for legs and 3/8 top plywood. Is the a large price difference between 1x4 and 2x4s?
I found 2x4 easier to work with.

A suggestion is do not make the table height to low because extra height will lessen back strain and the height will make getting under layout easier ,think wiring.

A  further suggestion is set up the track soon in the process so you can run trains early on.

I  sure you’ll do fine regardless of the material selections

Have fun it’s your empire

Steven T

Thanks.  Is there a standard height for train table?

@Tall J posted:

Congrats on the new layout @yanksali.

As everyone has alluded to theres a lot of personal preference in building a layout. I'll give you some personal details from the layout I've built, with some learnings too.

1. I used 3/4 in plywood, which, in hindsight was overkill.  I probably would've gone for 1/2in if I built it again

2. I'm a firm believer in homasote. I've used it on my Christmas layouts and now on my permanent layout. Foam, I use for scenery pretty much exclusively. This, again, is personal preference.

3. I used just a 2x4 attached to a caster at the bottom without dimensional wood. I'm actually now debating on going back and adding some additional dimensional supports on the legs just because the weight of the items on the layout is increasing. I just think its worth a little extra knowing how much money is sitting on top o fit.

4. I've seen some folks use just 2in foam, but I don't think that would be strong enough for me.

5. I'm using the woodland scenics risers and I have to tell you, they're great! My outerloop elevates along the back of layout to add some more dynamic elements to the overall layout. I toyed with building my own, but Figure the frustration wouldn't be worth it and just paid for the risers.

Good luck on your build!

Thank you for your insight

@Choo Choo Charlie posted:

yanksali

Just a thought.  One can order plywood in 5ft x 9ft, ping pong size, for a little bigger layout and allowing rails a little further from the table edge.

Just a note, the below one level track plan is on 5'9" x 11"2" layout, in two pieces to allow moving.  Photo of Control Panel, Main train board.

Details on how I built this 44 year layout, with $10 homemade turntable, are below with table of contents at bottom of the page 1, post 1.

https://ogrforum.com/...ra-027-layout?page=1

Charlie

Thanks for replying

@DoubleDAZ posted:

Another source is Jim Barrett’s book from OGR on how he built his layout with 1x3s and 2x2s. Of course, the information applies regardless of what size wood you choose. A lot of times it simply depends on what’s available and cost.

Thanks for replying will check it out

@NJCJOE posted:

I suggest picking up one of these books. They will answer all your questions along with pictures.

Great books. I found them in my local library, as well. The one on the left has a great primer on building a standard, 4x8 table for beginners. It's a great place to get started.

Thanks

I would keep in mind the purpose of the construction plan. I'm an overbuilder, too. I want to make certain that if I ever have to crawl on the layout, it will hold me.

J

I was building mine when plywood prices were high.  Found a cheap alternative by using hollow core  doors and porch posts from a Habitat recycle store.  Entire layout was cheaper than the price of 4 sheets of plywood.

I did install homasote over the top.  The track noise is reasonable considering that I used Fastrack.

Clever idea to save money

@GregK posted:

Great books. I found them in my local library, as well. The one on the left has a great primer on building a standard, 4x8 table for beginners. It's a great place to get started.

Thank you will see if I can find them

@yanksali posted:

Thanks.  Is there a standard height for train table?

This is a "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" type of situation.  My layout is a little bit higher so that I have adequate storage for our home Christmas decor underneath.  If you will have an abundance of little ones looking at your layout (kids, grandkids, etc), you will either want something shorter or have a secure method for the kids to see the layout.  Take arm length into consideration.  With my taller layout (roughly 42"), I have to stand on something to reach the back of my layout should a derailment occur.

BTW, my layout has 2x4 T-shaped legs and is lagged to the wall on 3 sides.  I also have a 1/2" top but no sound deadening.

Another suggestion is Mianne Benchwork. There are many advantages to Mianne:

-Ease of construction; no power tools necessary

-Mianne Benchwork can be assembled much quicker than normal benchwork.

-Light weight but strong enough to walk on top of layout

-Easy to add additional tables or an upper level

-Easy to take apart if you move

-Most importantly: high quality material (no more warped pieces of wood)

-A bit less expensive than regular benchwork

-Add-ons: a lift-gate (no more ducking under the layout to get to the middle), transformer shelf (quick and easy control panel that uses the same materials and building techniques as the benchwork)

-Benchwork design: Mianne will make and ship everything you need to build your layout benchwork; all you need to add is the plywood top. Send in your track plan and/or room dimensions and they'll make what you need.

More info can be found at their website; just look up Mianne Benchwork on the internet.

Hindsight Is Always 20/20 ...

I designed and built my current 15x19-feet L-shaped layout before Mianne came into being. I used hollow-core doors as platforms, covered them with green patio carpeting, and supported the platforms with SKIL plastic sawhorses held in place with quarter-round "guides" on the undersides  All sections were tightly clamped together with small but adequate C-clamps.  Years later, the layout is still in regular use. Admittedly, it's not strong enough to walk on it, but I don't want/need to do that.

If I decided to build another layout (unlikely since I'm now 83), I would choose Mianne Benchwork.

Mike Mottler    LCCA 12394

@Mike H Mottler posted:

Hindsight Is Always 20/20 ...

I designed and built my current 15x19-feet L-shaped layout before Mianne came into being. I used hollow-core doors as platforms, covered them with green patio carpeting, and supported the platforms with SKIL plastic sawhorses held in place with quarter-round "guides" on the undersides  All sections were tightly clamped together with small but adequate C-clamps.  Years later, the layout is still in regular use. Admittedly, it's not strong enough to walk on it, but I don't want/need to do that.

If I decided to build another layout (unlikely since I'm now 83), I would choose Mianne Benchwork.

Mike Mottler    LCCA 12394

Is Mianne a customized table you buy?

Mianne was my choice. I am devoid of carpentry skills. For me, it was a great choice.

When I tore down my original Mianne layout (2011-2021), the pieces came apart and stacked. I sent Tim Foley (Mianne’s owner) my new layout plan, and he pulled up my original order on his computer and sold me the parts I needed for the new layout.  It goes together with a screw driver. In fact, go to the Mianne website ( up top, they are Forum sponsors) and there is a video of them building a 4x8 with one of their standard layout kits.

You can use a standard kit or submit your own plan.

Here are pics from earlier this year at my home:

Now

Peter

@Putnam Division posted:

Peter, don't forget the head protectors for the lift bridge!   Those beams are sharp, and they're very hard on the head if you don't duck!  I used split pipe insulation just stuck over the beams, it's saved my head more than once.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Peter, don't forget the head protectors for the lift bridge!   Those beams are sharp, and they're very hard on the head if you don't duck!  I used split pipe insulation just stuck over the beams, it's saved my head more than once.

Thanks for the “heads-up”!

Peter

I recommend two books, both of which I own:

Building a Layout by OGR's own Jim Barrett:

https://ogaugerr.com/products/...ayout-by-jim-barrett

Realistic Modeling for Toy Trains by forum sponsor Dennis Brennan:

https://www.brennansmodelrr.co...c-modeling-book.html

They have everything you'll need to know and I followed their advice on my current layout.   The choice between plywood and foam top comes down to 2 questions:

1) Will you be walking on the layout?

2) What is your noise tolerance?

Personally, my layout will never need to support my weight and the added noise does not bother me as trains are loud in real life so I went with 2" thick extruded styrofoam.  The benefit to me is it makes scenery so much easier as you can carve it vs having to cut plywood with a saw.  With respect to inclines - most people either cut their own supports or Woodland Scenics has prefabricated risers which you can see in some pics of the early construction phase of my current layout.  Hope this helps.

-Greg

Looks Great Peter, I was looking at your photos and what you said about Tim being such great help, I bet if you talked to him he could come up with a second section for your lift section so you don't have to duck. From where I am sitting it looks like all it would take is another set of slides and pully's with just one longer cable.

Just a thought! Either way it looks great!

I know mine is overkill but I planned to be up on the table and possibly with a helper that seems to be growing every day.  I used 3/4 inch plywood with 1/2 homasote ontop.  I ended up using 4x4 legs mainly out of laziness and frustration in finding straight pieces of lumber, originally I had planned a L with a 1x4 and a 1x3 but I decided to just skip to the 4x4.  It sure isn't going anywhere.  To answer your edge question I used a single 2x4 with a kind of bracket as I had to attach 2 end to end. 

As others have said there are a lot of great books and if you don't plan to get on the table you can definitely get by with much smaller lumber than you think. 

Using foam has pros and cons, being able to carve is nice but it also shows dents if you ever put a elbow or a palm on it.

Good luck and have fun with the build.

Thanks for the advice

@train steve do you have any pictures showing how you used the metal studs?

EAW

Sadly no pictures

that layout was long ago made 12x8  overall from 3  4x8 ft pcs of 1/2 plywood the sheets were laid side to side to total 12 ft wide

the metal studs ran under the 8 ft dimension where the plywood butted together the metal studs were screwed directly into the top surface I remember no pre-drilling was needed which I thought was pretty neat

the rest of the bench work was 1x4 framing and 2x4 legs glued screwed and lag bolted lag bolted together

when we moved I had to disassemble the layout with a sledgehammer and saws all and I cried

Hope this helps,(I mean not the crying part)

Steven Taylor

@Tall J posted:

Congrats on the new layout @yanksali.

As everyone has alluded to theres a lot of personal preference in building a layout. I'll give you some personal details from the layout I've built, with some learnings too.

1. I used 3/4 in plywood, which, in hindsight was overkill.  I probably would've gone for 1/2in if I built it again

2. I'm a firm believer in homasote. I've used it on my Christmas layouts and now on my permanent layout. Foam, I use for scenery pretty much exclusively. This, again, is personal preference.

3. I used just a 2x4 attached to a caster at the bottom without dimensional wood. I'm actually now debating on going back and adding some additional dimensional supports on the legs just because the weight of the items on the layout is increasing. I just think its worth a little extra knowing how much money is sitting on top o fit.

4. I've seen some folks use just 2in foam, but I don't think that would be strong enough for me.

5. I'm using the woodland scenics risers and I have to tell you, they're great! My outerloop elevates along the back of layout to add some more dynamic elements to the overall layout. I toyed with building my own, but Figure the frustration wouldn't be worth it and just paid for the risers.

Good luck on your build!

Thanks for replying

@train steve posted:

The following is all IMHO

My  current layout uses 2x4 for legs in L configuration and single configuration

1/2 plywood which I prefer to osb board for top and bottom

bottom being storage

the first level is 1” pink board glued to plywood.

The second level is built up pink board to give a layer 5 inches thick,( 2+2+1 thickness).

On top of that level was installed Woodland Scenic incline risers with Woodland Scenic Shaper Sheets for a single track with elevation under and up an incline to a bridge. I probably didn’t have to but used Shaper Sheet plaster. To this was added Rit liquid dye to give color to the plaster and skip a step painting . Because there was excess flexibility on some of the contours with the shaper sheets I shot low expanding foam inside the incline to strengthen the sides of the incline. Very messy stuff but the foam worked well.

On a previous layout I used metal studs horizontally which Worked well and provided a natural channel for wires

Your 4x8 layout could probably use 1x4 for legs and 3/8 top plywood. Is the a large price difference between 1x4 and 2x4s?
I found 2x4 easier to work with.

A suggestion is do not make the table height to low because extra height will lessen back strain and the height will make getting under layout easier ,think wiring.

A  further suggestion is set up the track soon in the process so you can run trains early on.

I  sure you’ll do fine regardless of the material selections

Have fun it’s your empire

Steven T

Thanks for taking  the time to reply with your advice