Recommendation for Prebuilt Platforms

Check out Mianne.

https://miannebenchwork.com/

You may want to consider those white plastic folding banquet tables. JohnA

@texgeekboy posted:

I'm looking at a maximum rectangle of 6' by 18'........

Maybe look at hollow core bi-fold doors

Mianne would probably be my first choice.  I saw a video of a nice HO layout built in an attic. He used bookshelves or bookcases from IKEA to support the RR. I went once to one with my daughter and was sort of overwhelmed picking  pieces out of bins to build what she wanted. It seemed well made and went together well. They may even deliver. You also could build it into endless configurations as it’s pretty much modular as far as length and height. Best part was when done. You had ready made shelves to store things and it has the look of furniture.

You still would need to top this off. It’s not easy lugging plywood through a living space. Hollow core doors as mentioned or foam could be an option.

Thanks all.

@DoubleDAZ,

I was aware of them, and I had looked at their catalog recently.  I am leaning that way, but didn't want to say so in my initial post, wanting to keep it general.  Do you know anyone that has used them?  I value honest reviews that look at the product in a big-picture sense.  They have some 'standard' ones in their catalog that will work.  I guess I could give them a call and see what they have and how long it takes to get it.  I'm about 2 months out from install (we'll be recarpeting the upstairs first).

@Dave_C,

You must have written this the same time I was writing my post.  I had assumed the track could, if desired, be laid on top of it.  I'll have to look into that more.

Hollow core doors are a good option as they come in standard widths and are lightweight. You can crosscut them shorter and then put in a wood filler piece to cover the exposed inner cardboard sandwich filler.

You then need legs. We have used adjustable height folding legs for portable display models. You have to attach the legs to a piece of 1/2" plywood that is cut the width of the table as you have only an in inch or two of solid wood that runs the perimeter of the door. You should not screw the leg brackets to the just the outer hollow core door layer as it has no strength. You can get away with plywood strips that are a little over the width of the legs attachment brackets, Make sure to use three screws on each side/end of each plywood strip to fasten it to the door. Then use 3/4" panhead screws to fasten the leg brackets to the strips. A little heavy, yes as the legs add weight. Functional, yes as you now have a table surface that you can attach your roadbed and track to.

We purchase our folding table legs from https://www.tablelegsonline.co...s/height-adjustable/

@texgeekboy posted:

Thanks all.

@DoubleDAZ,

I was aware of them, and I had looked at their catalog recently.  I am leaning that way, but didn't want to say so in my initial post, wanting to keep it general.  Do you know anyone that has used them?  I value honest reviews that look at the product in a big-picture sense.  They have some 'standard' ones in their catalog that will work.  I guess I could give them a call and see what they have and how long it takes to get it.  I'm about 2 months out from install (we'll be recarpeting the upstairs first).

There have been dozens of threads here about using Mianne benchwork and you should be able to find them through the Search feature.

My layout was built a number of years back using one of the Mianne kits. It is a quality product, easy to assemble, and makes a strong and solid layout foundation. Tim (owner) will work with you, too. You can purchase a kit, as is, or he will work with you to customize, if needed. He answered a few of my questions post-purchase and was very helpful.

Don't quote me on it, but I think there was a fairly recent thread saying the order to delivery time has increased because of supply issues. Again, I'd give them a call to verify that.

Edit: Btw, a quick hint. Mianne used to have a policy of free shipping if you made the purchase at the York Meet. That's what I did and it was quite a savings. Not sure if that's still their policy.

Others have used a ping pong table as a layout base. You may want to investigate sizes and features, like rolling wheels/casters.

@johnstrains,

Thanks for the info.  Normally I do searches before I post, but I guessed most platforms are scratch built, at least that's the impression I got from looking at everyone's pics.

What did you put on top of for the base of the track?

Was your delivery via UPS?

Going to York isn't an option for me.  I don't think my wife would consider going there as a vacation.  I'm already on the edge.

Update: Wow, there was a lot of stuff on Mianne.  Some posts were from members who I could have sworn built their own, maybe they had some of theirs and bought some.

Based on what I found, I think I have all my answers.  Thanks again.

@texgeekboy,

I have similar plans, although they'll probably end up in an around-the-room format, rather than in a rectangle, but I think that the process, and construction details would be similar.

Follow this forum link as a start:

   Benchwork for Portable Layout | CARGUYZM19

As Dave and John mentioned above Mianne benchwork is an excellent example of a prefabricated solution, however I don't think that it can be assembled on your driveway, or in your garage, then carried upstairs to its final destination.

I'm thinking "foldable legs", but I haven't been able to find anything prebuilt with foldable or removable legs, except for common folding tables.  There are however clubs with members on this forum that use them extensively for traveling layouts.  You might try entering "folding tables" in the 'Exact Phrase Match' search box on the forum search page and see what comes up.

There was a two-piece modular table-style layout  with removable legs that was up on eBay at one time by seller modelrailscenes.  This seller apparently makes layouts like the one your searching for, but they're very expensive.

Here's a good around-the-room modular layout plan by fellow forumite and master layout artist @Ken-Oscale:

   8X14 Layout idea from 2X6 modules | Ken-Oscale

See: https://ogrforum.com/...70#73791479765406570

My plan is to make the modules, as simply and inexpensively as possible, but also to ensure that they're sturdy and have a measure of flexibility that common folding table do not, for horizontal and vertical features like valleys, and bump-outs.

So, pulling from the extensive history on this forum, and elsewhere, here are some building blocks:

1.) @Tom Tee'sstick-framed style structure and materials -- Stringers made out of Baltic birch plywood; relatively lightweight but strong; easily supports vertical and horizontal extensions.  I'd like to build 3 to 4 foot wide modules, perhaps 5 to 6 feet long, longer if narrower, that fasten to adjacent modules at the ends.  Note the pre-drilled holes for wiring.  You could contact Tom about making these for you.  I'm also seen Sievers or Model Railroad Benchwork examples, and others, that would support this kind of modularity.  One of these sources could probably custom-make them for you.

See: https://ogrforum.com/...7#143467552946965637

2.) Foldable and/or removable legs -- Must be foldable or at least easily installed and removed.  There are foldable mechanisms and leg assemblies (like those under common rectangular folding tables) available online, for example on eBay and from Amazon.  One example of brackets for removable legs is Leg-o-matic from BMI Supply Co.   For hardware to make folding legs, try seller moinhardwareinc on eBay.

Leg-o-matic (BMI Supply, Inc.)

Folding Leg Bracket (moinwardwareinc)

3.) Module Standardization -- If you have interested in taking some of one or more of your modules to join up with a club's portable layout at some point, for instance at shows or holiday events, it would be wise to make sure that yours can couple, mechanically and electrically, with theirs.  There are several existing standards for doing so, including those from Lionel itself, and modular groups like North Penn O-Gaugers, Independent HiRailers, and National Capital Trackers.  Here's a link to the Lionel Fastrack Modular Railroad Specification, and one for a kit for building a straight section (you must provide the plywood for the top):

    Lionel FasTrack Modular Railroad Specification Manual, Ver 2.0 | Lionel

   Fastrack Modular Railroad Straight Section Kit | Lionel

FasTrack Modular Railroad Straight Section Kit (Lionel)

4.) Joining together -- You can use plain old bolts and nuts to hold the sections aligned and securely held together, or something fancier, like Coffin Locks, which are featured in the FasTrack Modular Specification, which uses two sets of this kit, to join adjacent modules:

Coffin Locks (Musson Theatrical)

A clever method for alignment, that was mentioned in a previous thread on this forum, I believe by Tom in fact, uses Square Head Brass Dowels, with a male square head threaded into a hole on one module and the same-sized female hole threaded into a hole on the adjacent module:

Square Head Brass Dowels (Freeman Manufacturing & Supply Co.)

Whichever way you approach this good luck with it.  You're going to be busy whether you make or buy.

I'm a ways off from starting mine.  Just gathering information now.

Mike

@texgeekboy posted:

@johnstrains,

Thanks for the info.  Normally I do searches before I post, but I guessed most platforms are scratch built, at least that's the impression I got from looking at everyone's pics.

What did you put on top of for the base of the track?

Was your delivery via UPS?

Going to York isn't an option for me.  I don't think my wife would consider going there as a vacation.  I'm already on the edge.

Update: Wow, there was a lot of stuff on Mianne.  Some posts were from members who I could have sworn built their own, maybe they had some of theirs and bought some.

Based on what I found, I think I have all my answers.  Thanks again.

1/2 inch plywood. Pretty much standard I'd say. Mianne includes brackets and other hardware for attaching it to the benchwork frame. Once the plywood goes on you'll have a rock solid foundation.

Don't recall the delivery method as it was 7-8 years ago.

@Mellow Hudson Mike,

Thanks for the very clear (and numerous) details on this project.  Re the Mianne stuff, I haven't checked but I kinda assumed that it would come in UPS shippable packages and have to be assembled on site.  I planned on taking those packages (again assuming they're not too big) upstairs and assembling them in my future train room.  I can get a couple of local kids to help me bring them upstairs if they're heavy, but the packages still need to be not too big.  That then leads into a question of whether or not I can actually lay the train track on the Mianne benchwork, or does it need some sort of base on top of it.  If it needs a base, I'll have to look into the lightest weight options for that.

Once it's there, it's not going anywhere until we move, so portability isn't a factor.

I looked at the thread you mentioned.  Really nice stuff.

While I like woodworking, I'm not very good at it and I don't have many nifty tools (not even a circular saw!), so a scratchbuilt for me is not an option.

I have seen a number of shelf layouts built on top of Ikea Ivar units. https://www.ikea.com/us/en/p/ivar-side-unit-53755809/

They come in a number of heights and I think 2 widths (12" and 20"). There's some pre configured units or just buy all the parts and assemble what you need.  You still need to build a support structure for the top.

I needed a somewhat finished looking base for part of my layout but the height didnt match any of the ikea sizes, so i built my own copy.

I used 1x4s for stringers and attached 1x2s as girders to support the top every 16" or so.