Frame It Up

To get going on this project, first off I had to find a flat spot to build on. I live in a small apartment with limited space. To make this work in the space available the RR must occupy the same space as my desk. A simple solution was readily at a hand - build a table over the top of the desk. Further, it had to be small enough to get in and out of the narrow hallways in the building but big enough to provide fun operation. It also needed to be light weight for the sake of portability. To accomplish this I went with the lightest wood I could that still provided the strength I needed to support the weight of the layout. The tabletop is 1x3 lumber topped with 3/8" plywood. I cut these to size during a lunch hour circular sawing session so as not to distress the neighbors (!)

It is supported by 48" tall legs also made of 1x3 lumber - bolstered with angle braces and lateral bracing on the ends. These legs are held on with one nut/bolt and one screw at each of the four corners & are easily removable for transport.

The plywood tabletop is itself topped with 3" thick foam - the kind used for camping pads. This is easy to cut and shape with a simple steak knife. The top is pieced together from several smaller pieces. As you can see from the pic, the dimensions are 41" x 76". This is the maximum height (when the RR is stood on end/edge) to get in and out of elevators in the building without needing to cut the RR into smaller pieces. Just the right size for this project - and easily expandable later on. Here's the completed table sitting over the top of my computer desk. Works great and is very light - easy to move out from the wall when working on the back portion of the layout. Foundation : Check!

Next Time: The Track Plan