hello
has anyone placed caster wheels on their train table layout to permit it to be moved?
if so would so would like to hear your comments about the size of the caster wheels for a 4 x 8 table were used , (3 inch, 4 inch etc) what material caster wheels were made from (rubber, or hard plastic)
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My table is 5 foot X 10 foot with a 2X4 base and 1X3 top framework. 1/2" sound board over 1/2" OSB. I used 6 2" rubber casters from Home Depot and they work fine on a hard surface floor.
My layouts have always had castors due to room size, so I could work around the layout. 3 in wheels on swivel castors should be more than adequate. My current garage layout is 15 X 9 and I have to be able to move it so that i can get the attic ladder down.
My layout is a little larger...8 ft on the left, 24 ft across the back, 18 ft on the right...and is fully casterized. I used 2 1/2 inch hard rubber casters and at 74 I can still roll it out by myself by alternately rolling each side away from the wall about a foot at a time. Because of the weight, all 2x4 construction, I do have to manually rotate the casters back in the direction of the return move...certainly a smaller layout should glide in and out with ease. 
If you only need to move in one direction, I would recommend rigid instead of swivel casters. It takes a lot of muscle to turn swivels around to go in the opposite direction, especially on carpet. I had this 10X13 layout on rigid casters to get to the back side. Worked well.
Thanks for the replies and photos. Looks like like 3 inch caster wheels are more than sufficient. I was considering 4 inch wheelw but based on your experiences not needed.
Mine would be in the garage so it would roll on concrete. Any one have idea which material is best to roll on concrete. Rubber or hard plastic
There were times I needed to clear the bolted on bump out fingers away from their fastened position to the main layout.
At time of construction I needed two functions. Height adjustment AND portability. So I multitasked the bottom of the legs. I used a factory dolly or built a dolly of sorts, mounted wooden coaster type cups and used Monaco levelers seated in each cup.
For a boxie, squareish platform you can use a conventional furniture dolly.
For free form modules just make a frame to suit.
Each leg may be fully adjustable yet portable.
I mount 1 1/2" sockets within the module.
Sockets are just pieces of 2 x 4 material caught sleeping on the miter saw.
Glue two of them together for added stability.
Bore 1 1/2" holes on a drill press for plumb centerlines.
When selecting 1 1/2" dowel stock take a piece of scrap with a 1 1/2" hole bored in it to size up your purchase. You will find a slop of 1 1/2" material sizing in at +/- 1/16". You want snug or over size and hand sand to fit.
A tight 90 degree elbow makes a nice saw dust shroud. I good vac will control the mess.
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