After 25+ years collecting O-gauge CB&Q trains, I am finally building a home layout. Here is an introduction to my project. I will add onto this thread as time allows. Because I based many of my materials & decisions on information from OGR forum posts, I am sharing my project & experiences here to help other forum members who may be as inexperienced with bench work construction as me.
My layout will be double track FasTrack ovals with an inner O-72 oval and an outer O-84 oval.
LCCA FasTrack Modular kits will be used to create the bench tops. The kits are available for Straight Modules, Large Full Corner Modules, & Large Reversible Corner Modules. LCCA is an OGR Forum sponsor. The LCCA modular kits have been the subject of several posts over the past 9 years. Details of their modular system are on their website lionelcollectors.org/. Each module is designed to easily fit into the back seat of most cars. The modules are physically connected together via two (2) roto-lock sets at each end and electrically via an 8-wire harness. Each module will have a male end and a female end. the male end of any module can be mated with the female end of the next module.
Legs & I-beams are from Mianne Benchwork. The legs are made of kiln-dried poplar wood and are 1-3/4" x 1-3/4". Their I-beams are made of an MDF web board with top caps & end caps made of poplar wood. The I-beams connect to their legs with steel pins & cam-locks. The Mianne system has been the subject of several posts over the years. Details of this system are on their website miannebenchwork.com. Although not originally intended for use with the LCCA FasTrack modules, my kit bash idea is to use these Mianne components with the LCCA modular system for my home layout.
Initially, may layout has four (4) LCCA Straight Modules (SM). Each SM is 45" long x 30" wide and forms the frame for the module top. Each of these SMs will support two (2) 40" pieces of FasTrack (5" pieces will connect on each end to the next module for a total track length of 45" per SM module). The 45" side pieces are finger-jointed 3/4" pine with a rabbit grove on the top and pre-drilled screw holes & wood biscuit slots. The the 28-1/2" end pieces are made from 3/4" birch veneer plywood and have biscuit slots with cut-outs for the roto-locks.
My layout has six (6) LCCA Full Large Corner Modules (FLCM). Each FLCM represents a 45° turn while supporting the O-72 & O-84 FasTrack curves. Because eight (8) FLCMs are required to create a 360° circle, my six FLCMs will allow a 270° of a circle. Four of these FLCMs will be connected between two of the SMs. Each FLCM is roughly pie-shaped with a "bite" missing from the inner side. To give an idea of the size of the FLCM, the footprint of each FLCM will fit into a rectangle of about 32" x 40".
There are also two (2) Large Reversible NarrowCorner Modules (LRNCM). Each LRCM also represents a 45° turn while supporting the O-72 & O-84 FasTrack curves. Although eight (8) LRNCMs are required to create a 360° circle, my layout only needs two (2) LRCMs to complete 90° (the eight FLCMs above achieve the other the other 270°). Each LRNCM is roughly pie-crust-shaped with and much thinner than the FLCMs. To give you an idea of the size of the RNLCM, the footprint each LRNCM fits into a rectangle of about 16" x 38". Each LRNCM is just under 13" wide. These LRNCMs will provide crawl-under access to the interior of the assembled layout.
Each LCCA module kit comes with hardware (screws, nails, wood biscuits, paper template, corner leg brackets & bolts, electric wiring harness & plastic wire clips, and roto-locks with allen wrench key). Available separately from LCCA is a plastic template to assist in the placement of FasTrack and holes for roto-lock screws & allen key access. I bought two (2) of these plastic templates.
Each LCCA module kit also comes with pre-sawn & rabbited sides of finger-jointed pine and pre-sawn end pieces of birch veneer plywood with cut-outs for the roto-locks.
The material for the module tops does not come with the kits. I used 1/2" birch veneer plywood of the A/B grade to match the quality LCCA end piece birch veneer plywood.
Each module will be supported by four (4) 48" legs from Mianne Custom Benchwork.
For the SMs, custom-sized Mianne I-beams will connect to the legs on both the ends (25" x 3-5/8" I-beams) and & sides (40" x 3-5/8" I-beams) of each SM. The I-beams will be attached to the legs 12" above the bottom of each leg. On my own, I have built a lower shelf for each SM which will rest on top of the four (4) I-beams.
For the FLCMs, custom-sized I-beams will connect to the legs only on the ends (25" x 3-5/8" I-beams). The I-beams will be attached to the legs 12" above the bottom of each leg. On my own, I have built a lower shelf for each FLCM which will rest on top of the two (2) I-beams on each end. Each shelf will also be supported by two (2) 1-1/8" poplar wood dowels (each dowel will be suspended from the underside of each module's top).
For the LRNCM's, custom-sized I-beams will connect to the legs only on the ends (8" x 3-5/8" I-beams). The I-beams will be attached to the legs 12" above the bottom of each leg. Because the LRNCMs will provide crawl-under access to the interior of the layout, no shelves will be placed across their I-beams.
There are also two (2) Mianne transformer shelf (TS) kits that are 40" x 12". The Mianne TS brackets mount to the legs 12" below the tops of two (2) of the SMs on the interior side of the layout.
