After completing the grid benchwork and attaching it to the existing benchwork, the next step is to add the hardboard backdrop. Hardboard makes a nice smooth backdrop, can be easily painted, inexpensive, and easy to work worth. Some model railroaders are using sheet styrene but I have never worked with it.

My backdrop extends approximately 44″ inches above the layout to extend almost to the ceiling. The first step installing the backdrop is to attach vertical supports to the grid benchwork. These can be spaced apart 18-24″. I make mine by attaching two 1 X 2’s together into an L shape. This gives the supports quite a bit more rigidity. I use yellow glue and a brad nailer with 1 1/4″ nails to do this. I find myself using glue and nails versus screws and glue much more often these days. The glue provides the real strength and the nail or screw really just holds things together until the glue dries.

I did use screws and glue to attach the uprights to the benchwork. There is quite a bit of stress to support the corners since the springiness of the hardboard is trying to return the board back to its natural and flat state. One thing I had to deal with was some low hanging duct work. I used a scrap narrow piece of hardboard to determine where the backdrop needed to be lowered.

These measurements were transferred to the full size piece and cut appropriately. The hardboard is attached using my brad nailer and lots of yellow glue as well as clamps. Glue is most important.

I will later finish the seams and any nail holes with drywall compound. Here is a nice shot of the entire section:

The next post will cover cutting and fitting the plywood subroadbed as well as the Homasote roadbed.

I threw together a Digg style site called Model Railroad Crossing for model railroaders to share their favorite Model Railroad content with others. The community probably doesn’t yet have the critical mass to support it, but it only took a few hours and we’ll see how it goes.

I have recently uncovered several blogs similar to mine with lots of good content. Blogs are exploding and perhaps Model Railroad Crossing can provide a vehicle to gain viewers and engagement to provide incentive to keep on blogging.

I still have much to learn about managing the site, so let me know if you see something amiss or have questions.

http://www.modelrailroadcrossing.com

I was happy to receive the DVD I ordered from Paul Scoles called “Advanced Techniques for Realistic Scenery” during the holidays because I had some time to watch it. Overall, I think the video is worth the investment. The introductory shots of his layout were certainly inspirational.

Rock Casting and Painting - I have read many articles about casting rock faces using latex molds but none of them can match how helpful it was to actually watch Paul DO it essentially live. Particularly useful to me was watching him use a dental pick to pick away at the edges to blend them. Coloring rocks is something I have struggled with over the years. I feel like I can use his three color washes as he demonstrates and actually obtain the color I have in my mind.

Ground Cover - I am looking forward to spring so I can get up in the mountains and gather some decomposed granite. I am fortunate to live in Denver, so the mountains are right up the road but unfortunately covered with feets of snow currently. I also now know why the material is so good and why it doesn’t have any clay content. Seeing his technique for applying the ground cover was also great. I always felt like I “shouldn’t” build up the material too thick but he shows how to nicely blend the ground cover into the rock castings by building up the ground cover. His technique is simple and reproducible.

Sometimes it did plod along in a little too much detail or repetition but for the most part it had good pace. I think that carving the fir tree trunks with an x-acto is slow and dangerous. A wood rasp does the job faster and safer.

It was helpful that he provided specific product names and web site addresses where applicable. I can go and get the exact same material if I want.

You can order the DVD from his website, www.paulscoles.com.

I am looking forward to ordering volume 2 in the coming weeks.

I have recently picked up SketchUp again as a tool for layout design. I had previously considered CadRail and 3d Plan-It but instead opted for graph paper for the initial planning iteration. While trying to better communicate about building my model railroad on the blog, I have found SketchUp to be quite useful. Here is the latest work I have completed while preparing to add the plywood sub roadbed to the latest bench work section.

I will draw a grid and print the drawing from above to assist with cutting the plywood. Dealing with elevation change is very difficult and I have not yet mastered that yet. Currently the drawing illustrates a constant +6 (54″) elevation along this section. Google has added the landscape tools into the free version so I am looking forward to trying that functionality out as well.

I have also began experimenting with structure mock ups and design using the tool. You can even create a walk through to visualize the layout design from multiple angles. The tool is free as in beer, the documentation is great including video tutorials, and makes is a great addition to my modeling tool box.

This post will cover adding legs to the grid section constructed in Part 1. I use 48″ as the base height for my layout which conveniently results in a normal 8′ 2 X 4 providing two legs. Cut 2 X 4 material to desired leg length. For me this was 48″. For my 30″ bench work, I plan on the legs being 24″ apart in order to allow 6″ in the front for toe room. I also cut a 24″ horizontal brace from the 1 X 4 material. We will cut the diagonal brace later as I did not feel like doing trigonometry. Here is the overall design:

In order to provide leveling adjustment to account for the typical differences in concrete floors, a T-Nut and Carriage Bolt combination is used. I use 2 1/2″ long X 5/16″ carriage bolts with 5/16″ T-Nuts. Drawing diagonals from corner to corner in the bottom of the legs makes it is easy to find center. Drill a 3/8″ hole at least 3 inches deep and seat the T-Nut with a hammer. Thread the carriage bolt into the T-Nut until there is about an inch protruding.

At this point you should have a couple of nice 2 X 4’s with carriage bolts protruding from one end. Lay these down 24″ apart (outside) and using a framing square to ensure squareness, attach the horizontal and diagonal bracing as depicted above.

Attach the completed leg section to one end of the layout section. In my case I am adding to existing bench work so I only attach one leg section and attach the other end to the existing benchwork.

Level the layout section by screwing the carriage bolts in or out until the section is level left to right and front to back. The section now looks like this:

Everyone’s situation will vary according to their actual design but in general remember to use the carriage bolts for leveling and ensure to leave room in the front for a toe kick area. For the peninsula section of my layout I also added additional diagonal bracing along the long axis.

Part 3 will cover how I add the plywood sub roadbed according to the track plan and dealing with the elevation.

I wrote this post to break down exactly how I built the last section of benchwork for phase 1 of my model railroad. Many of the visitors to this blog are often searching for “how to” do various things so I purposely broke this down into extreme detail in hopes of helping answer whatever questions people may have. As usual, please comment or ask any questions.

The section of bench work that I am building is 30″ x 80″. It is the final section along the wall. An overall bench work diagram is located here.

The first step is to cut the 1 x 4 boards to the proper sizes. Many model railroaders have shifted to ripped plywood for bench work but I stayed with the tried and tried 1 x 4 board construction. I do not enjoy ripping large sheets of plywood and I trust the strength of screws and glue. I use a 12″ power miter saw but any power miter would suffice and if necessary, an old school miter box and back saw would work as well.

After the pieces are cut, I then mark the front and back boards in order to center the cross pieces 16″ on center. I use 16″ because I use 3/4″ plywood for subroadbed. If you are using 1/2″ then 12″ would be more appropriate. For 16″ I make marks at every 16x - 3/8″ or 15 5/8″, 31 5/8″, etc. I also mark an X where the center of the board should be at 16″, 32″, etc. Finally, I use a framing square to transfer the marks to the second long piece. Since my boards had a slight warp to them, I also marked the side I wanted to face up when I was complete.

Now that everything is marked, it is time to assemble. I use 1 5/8″ gold screws and yellow glue. Drywall screws can also be used but I like the additional strength that the gold screws provide. Because the ends will split by driving screws for the end pieces, I always drill 1/8″ pilot holes in the ends.

I attach all the cross pieces to the one side first then flip it over and attach the other long piece. Make sure you check for square by measuring the diagonals or using a framing square.

The grid section of the bench work is now complete. In Part 2 I’ll discuss how to make and attach legs.

Do you have a compelling story to share about your experiences with building model trains and want to share with others?

Looking at the site analytics over the last few weeks has demonstrated that many people come here to find examples of how to do various things like wiring, bench work, and scenery.

If you already have an web site or blog then I can provide a snippet of your content and link off to your site. Alternatively, if you don’t have an existing site, I can provide you an account here. Send me an email at mgminton AT gmail.com if you are interested.

During the Holiday slowdown I thought it would be interesting to show you some of the tools that I use to build bench work. Since I also spend quite a bit of time during the warmer months wood working, I tend to have more and better tools then the average home owner. Things like dust collection, large table saws, 12″ miter saws, band saws, large clamps and the like.

Jigsaws have never been a priority and I have suffered along with a homeowner quality Craftsmen for the last ten years. It did the job as expected and cutting corners was simply a matter of withstanding the vibration and noise long enough to wear the 3/4″ plywood down into submission. Cutting a 30″ radius 180 degree turn for model railroading seemed to take weeks.

This jigsaw on the left, the Bosch, has made all the difference in the world. As I began working on the current model railroad, the Craftsman finally gave up the ghost. With the pungent odor of burnt electrical in the air, I knew it was time to upgrade.

After some quick googling, I knew it had to be a Bosch. The reviews were outstanding. I had it down to two models: The 6.4 Amp 1590 or the 5 amp 1587. As much as I wanted the bigger, more powerful 1590, I knew that the 1587 would more than suffice. It probably didn’t hurt that the local Lowe’s was out of the 1590 and I was itching to get back to work as soon as possible.

I was simply amazed at how quick it cut through the 3/4″ plywood. Using the full orbital setting it chews very rapidly. When cutting Homasote, I have found that if I set the orbital setting back to off or one, that I am able to get a very clean edge. I am unsure why people often use a knife edge blade to cut the Homasote. Dust is often a complaint but since I do all of my cutting in the garage, it is not an issue for me. To cut masonite hardboard for the profile boards and backdrops, I drop back to the smaller profile 10 TPI blade with low orbital setting to get a nice smooth edge and rapid cut.

I have often found myself using the Bosch Jigsaw where previously I would have used a circular saw. I simply clamp a straight edge offset 1.25″ and cut.

Spending $125 or more for a jigsaw is quite an investment but if you are planning anything more than a 4 x 8 then it might be worth taking a look at a Bosch as it will save significant amounts of time and aggravation.