Mianne Benchwork - Looking for Layout tips

Paul.....I sent you a few pics.......

After planning a 25X25 layout, the reality of private college tuitions and future retirement set in and I opted for a 6X16 layout. I have 3 levels.

1. A 6X8 dual main line subway. Timplate track (won't be seen).
2. A 6X16 dual line main level with Atlas O track and RossBed.
3. A 2X16 3rd level which is an engine staging yard/maintainance facility.

Mianne allows me to do this with ease.



You can see where all 3 levels will be in this pic.


Peter (and, they are great people to work with!)

Here's a few videos and all 3 levels are visible at some point. Plywood on top.











Peter

I have seen Mianne Benchwork in person and while it is nicely done I still prefer benchwork made of 100% wood (clear 1 x 4 pine). Why? My basement is a high humidity location. Mianne uses support members made partially of masonite which is similar to a pressed cardboard. While its fairly strong, Masonite will deteriorate over time in humid/moist locations. Also my benchwork is supported by 3" x 3" laminated pine legs. You could walk on it all day without a problem. The cost of my all wood benchwork was about 1/2 that of Mianne and it was made by a local carpenter.
Nothing wrong with Mianne and I am not trying to knock the product but give a personal opinion. In a dry application it should last a long time but IMO its questionable for a moist/humid environment. Perhaps I am too fussy but I choose to err on the side of caution.

Hi Peter

Thanks very much for the videos. That was very helpful. Do you have three concentric loops or are there any sidings on your layout?

Is the upper level used as storage, or is it a point to point switching operation?

I need to figure out my wants for a track plan and determine the size of the benchwork needed to accomplish my initial goals.

Thanks again Peter. I always liked your tag line "I have York fever all year long".

All the best,

Paul

I use Mianne benchwork for two layouts in my home and am 100% satisfied with the product. It's not only easy to assemble (and even re-configure or expand if necessary), it's actually fun--and fast--to put together.

At present, both of my layouts are topped with plywood, but I will be doing some cookie-cutter type modifications to the larger layout in the future, and likely will add a second level to that layout.

I weigh 200+ lbs. (prefer to be 195 ), and have walked atop my layouts at one time or another without any problem.

quote:

I weigh 200+ lbs. (prefer to be 195 ),

Yes Allan;Don't we all! I checked out the Mianne Benchwork at Springfield yesterday and if I had to do it again I would go with it. Very nice stuff and rock solid steady.

I have always checked out the Mianne benchwork at York. The quality has always amazed me. I had reason to view the finished product on the layout of Barry Broskowitz. You could park your car on it. This is one very good system. Barry stated to me that it went together very smoothly.

I used it on my layout that is in my garage and it is only heated or has A/c when I am down there. After 3 years it is still as good as the day I put it up. Very easy to put together and very strong. Highly recommended.


Dave

Nice layout Peter. You have a lot of train action going on and the multiple levels at a lot of visual impact to your layout.

The Mianne benchwork looks clean and sturdy and gives you the option to make changes as necessary. If I was just starting over to build a layout I would give Mianne serious consideration.

Do you plan to leave it as is or are you looking into adding scenery to your layout? It's awesome right now but scenery will make it look even better!

I recently saw Dr. Minkove for my annual checkup and he told me to give you his regards!

Steve Tapper

Paul...thanks for your comments.

The upper leaving is engine switching and maintainance....but, in reality, pure storage and display of engines/accessories/buildings. An out-of-the-box ready track.


Steve....thanks for your comments. I'm still working on infrastructure (wiring mostly), then scenery. 2-3 years of work, I suspect.

quote:

Mianne uses support members made partially of masonite which is similar to a pressed cardboard. While its fairly strong, Masonite will deteriorate over time in humid/moist locations

Yeah, Masonite is similar to pressed cardboard in the sense that they both originally came from a tree. Yes, unpainted Masonite will deteriorate in an external environment but so does wood, if left in its natural state. Unless the benchwork is physically in contact with water, the use of Masonite is no less a problem than anything else.

quote:

Nothing wrong with Mianne and I am not trying to knock the product but give a personal opinion. In a dry application it should last a long time but IMO its questionable for a moist/humid environment. Perhaps I am too fussy but I choose to err on the side of caution.

Seriously? How can you say that with a straight face? Couching your denigration of a company's product under the guise of a personal opinion does not make it Ok to do so.

By the way, how are your scratch built cardboard buildings holding up?

If a basement or other room where I kept my trains had anywhere near enough humidity to impact Mianne benchwork, I sure as heck wouldn't have ANY trains in that room, and/or I would invest in one heck of a fine dehumidifier.

Allan, are you wearing your Godzilla suit when you're up there?

quote:

Originally posted by DennisB:
[QUOTE]
By the way, how are your scratch built cardboard buildings holding up?

I certainly would not want my benchwork to experience the same warpage that the illustration board structures on my layout have.
FYI I called Mianne and told them about my sometimes moist basement environment and they told me not to use their product. As for masonite, (like my structures) if it gets moist or wet there is an effect.
As for my opinion of a product; whether you like it or not I am entited to it and I will continue to express it. Notice that I never talk negatively about any person on this forum. Those that decide to talk about people and not trains are IMO idiots.

quote:

FYI I called Mianne and told them about my sometimes moist basement environment and they told me not to use their product.

They gave you very sound advice! Not sure what I would use for layout construction in that sort of moist environment, but I guess it wouldn't be a problem for me in the first place because I would never subject my trains to those conditions.

My Large Scale trains running in the garage are about as close as I am willing to come to a "moist" and variable operating environment. But those trains are made for such conditions.

John

What are "stress skin panels"? Any pictures?

Thanks,


Paul

Our layout is 6 X 15 in size. We used all Ross sectional track and switches along with 6 Gargraves uncoupling/unloading tracks. The outer loop is O-64 and the inner loop is O-54. All the switches except those on the passing siding are # 4. The passing siding uses O-54. (The O-64 loop was a trade-off of the largest curve we could fit in the space available for the layout.)



We used 3/4" plywood and 1/2" Homasote on it which provided a nice sound-proof top surface. (My Dalmatian who hates thunderstorms will testify (testi-bark ?) that he will lie under the layout when the trains are running and not hear the "rolling thunder" sound that so many O-guage layouts encounter. The photo below illustrates the plywood-Homasote sandwich and Mick's testimony about the sound deadening situation.



Stop by my web site, Bluejeans Place, to see more pix and text from when we set up our Mianne benchwork.

Bluejeans Place

quote:

Originally posted by Dennis LaGrua:

...As for my opinion of a product; whether you like it or not I am entited to it and I will continue to express it. Notice that I never talk negatively about any person on this forum. Those that decide to talk about people and not trains are IMO idiots.

HMMM. It seems to me that you just called me an idiot.


And what I said was, "Couching your denigration of a company's product under the guise of a personal opinion does not make it Ok to do so."

You do this all the time and I'm not the only one who sees it. When you tout your negative "opinions" on various products you are doing their manufacturers, and the hobby a big disservice. And, I dare say, almost every time you do this it has to do with money. Even your latest missive is no exception:

quote:

The cost of my all wood benchwork was about 1/2 that of Mianne and it was made by a local carpenter.

Exactly what was the point of that remark?

Yes, everyone is entitled to their opinion. However, opinions are not facts and sometimes it's best to keep them to yourself.


Here are some facts directly from the Mianne website:

Q. Why not just use solid wood for frame members instead of I-beams?

A. There are a few of reasons for utilizing a built up I-beam instead of solid wood.

1) Stability - every piece of wood is different and therefore reacts to seasonal changes differently. Our I-beams have a MDF core, with a hardwood frame. This creates consistent seasonal movement in all pieces. More stability equals more reliable trackwork and running of trains.

2) Consistency - the I-beams are produced on dedicated machines and are therefore consistent in tolerance. This makes for easy and reliable assembly.

3) Weight - we have achieved great strength with low weight. This makes for easy construction and helps keep shipping costs down.

Pat, that was an excellent write-up on your layout build progression. Very cool. However the links to download the track diagram gave me an out of date error message. Anyway - thanks for sharing that process.

Paul

Paul,

I'm sure you'll be quite happy with your Mianne benchwork. They've been around for quite a few years and they make a quality product. From a 1997 review in Model Railroad Craftsman:

"It uses the same construction methods as cabinets and furniture, which is no surprise since it was developed by a cabinet maker."

That tells you everything you need to know right there about stability.