Work is ongoing on the train room bench work. My layout room is 15’ x 29’. I’m building a U shaped walk in folded dog bone layout. I only have one way into the room from the center of one of the short walls that is offset due to the hot water heater. I framed out the walls and built a box beam out of steel studs along the walls. I installed a piece of 1 X 3 along the top of this box to support one side of the L-girder. I built my layout using 1 X 3 (3/4" X 2-1/2&rdquo
plywood that, I purchased from a Builders Surplus Store.
The pieces were 16’ long and I doubled the lower part of the L. I used yellow wood glue and several drywall screws to hold them together and glued and screwed the top of the L. My layout design goes around three walls 3’ wide and one side is attached to the wall and the inside of the U is attached to a single L-girder. One side is 29’ and the other is 25’. I used the same 1X3’s as cross pieces spaced 12” apart.
I put a leg about every 6’. The bench work is very sturdy. I at one time had all the lumber stacked on one side while I built the other two sides, and even climbed on top myself. I’m a big guy 300lbs. There are pictures in a thread call I’ve been working on the railroad room. I have completed the bench work around the room and one of the bump out for the return loops. I built a separate table and connected it with more 1” X 3” x 8’
Jim Miller
Havre de Grace Maryland.
