Std gauge Christmas layout build

Sam, while I haven't done this exactly, experience would tell me that if your plywood is going to warp or cup, it will happen when it's in storage.  Will it be in a climate controlled area when not in use?

Even if it does warp, if the weight of the tree will be on it, then as long as it bends in the right direction, then it should straighten out when you lay it down.  Alternatively, is the area for the layout carpeted?  If so, then even if the plywood warps somewhat, you could tack down the corners with small nails.  When you pull them out, it would be undetectable.

Some good 4x6 plans here:

http://www.thortrains.net/marx/46std1.html

I now use 1/2" Homasote to try to cut down the noise a bit, but I've used plywood in the past and it works well. I raise the board off the floor and give it more stability using 1/2" rubber self-adhesive furniture grip pads spaced evenly on the underside. This also allows me to run my track and accessory wiring underneath the board to keep things as neat as possible. I cover the board with a cheap white tablecloth and staple the cloth to the underside before running my wires and screwing down the track. 

Here's what I had last year - that's a 72" loop on the outside, but, as you can see in the above link, 4' x 6' can make a very nice standard gauge layout:

beachhead2 posted:

Sam, while I haven't done this exactly, experience would tell me that if your plywood is going to warp or cup, it will happen when it's in storage.  Will it be in a climate controlled area when not in use?

Even if it does warp, if the weight of the tree will be on it, then as long as it bends in the right direction, then it should straighten out when you lay it down.  Alternatively, is the area for the layout carpeted?  If so, then even if the plywood warps somewhat, you could tack down the corners with small nails.  When you pull them out, it would be undetectable.

Thanks for the feedback, storage would be in my finished basement which is also my home office so it's pretty climate controlled. The area where it will go is hardwood floors so no taking unfortunately.  

asmith1440 posted:

Some good 4x6 plans here:

http://www.thortrains.net/marx/46std1.html

I now use 1/2" Homasote to try to cut down the noise a bit, but I've used plywood in the past and it works well. I raise the board off the floor and give it more stability using 1/2" rubber self-adhesive furniture grip pads spaced evenly on the underside. This also allows me to run my track and accessory wiring underneath the board to keep things as neat as possible. I cover the board with a cheap white tablecloth and staple the cloth to the underside before running my wires and screwing down the track. 

Here's what I had last year - that's a 72" loop on the outside, but, as you can see in the above link, 4' x 6' can make a very nice standard gauge layout:

Very nice set up and I would be doing almost the same thing except 1 train.

More money but 3/4 inch cabinet grade plywood would work even better for this situation.

ChooChoo1972 posted:

More money but 3/4 inch cabinet grade plywood would work even better for this situation.

I was thinking about that too like birch 3/4 but the weight is the bigger concern. Even at a 4x6 piece, it's going to be difficult to manage when putting it away and taking it back out. I still might look into it however. I'm going plywood shopping tomorrow.

I used 1" by 1" lumber for framing and Plywood door-skin (about 1/4 inch) for a base.

Covered by green marine carpet for sound reduction.

I made it in two pieces for easy moving

No warping so far, but don't stand on it.

You might look at baltic birch plywood for a lumber store.  Not much more money, but its 7 or 9 plys and very stable. Supported with kiln dried 1 x 4's it'll be light weight...and stable.

Rob English posted:

You might look at baltic birch plywood for a lumber store.  Not much more money, but its 7 or 9 plys and very stable. Supported with kiln dried 1 x 4's it'll be light weight...and stable.

Good idea but this will lay flat on the floor so no need to have the 1x4 frame. I also don't have the ceiling space to have anymore then an inch of thickness for this layout. The star of on top of he tree already touches the ceiling and the tree will sit on top of the layout.

Sam~

I did something similar a few years ago.  Will be setting it up in a few weeks.

https://ogrforum.com/...tandard-gauge-layout

I did use cabinet grade 3/4" plywood but 1/2 or 5/8 would be fine. Baltic birch is very nice but not always easy to find.

Lesser grades of plywood probably would warp a bit.  MDF is another option, its stable and a lot of people want to use it but I prefer not to. The density varies from brand to brand and I despise putting fasteners into it.  If you plan to keep the layout for a few years, bite the bullet and get good plywood. 

Having the plywood only under the track made it a little lighter and easier to store away. I would paint both sides. I used white to blend with "snow" blanket. 

~Bill

So I went with a piece of 1/2 BC grade plywood. It was flat enough for my needs and with the tree on top, it should be stable. Also, I covered it in a white heavy gauge cloth, think of sail cloth, but not as good. I'll grab some pictures later, my wife is busy painting the houses for the village and the kids are trying to pull the tree out from under the layout,

And the Christmas village is done for the most part. My wife painted and decorated a few wooden birdhouses from Michaels and we added so figures and trees. Hopefully this will grow over the years.

Under my Christmas tree I once had a 54" circle of mth track that I placed on a 4 inch  platform made of 2 inch pink insulation foam stacked and glued. I rounded the corners and cut a hole in the middle for the tree stand, then sawed the platform in half for easy carrying and storage.  I used a wood rasp to sculpt rough the outer perimeter edge to look like rock and painted it with brown paint and then white for a snowy scene.  It's still in the attic just in case I want to put a train under the tree again.  Fun project.

Edit: BTW, the lamination of two 2 inch thick foam pieces insured no problem with warping for me.  But perhaps if you want to lay track permanently gluing some cork roadbed would help.