# My bench plans



## Shortliner (Aug 22, 2013)

So after taking a bunch of measurements of the room and the closet, this is the bench layout that I've come up with. The measurements are in inches and honestly as much as I'd like to, I doubt I'd be able to do a second level because there's just no room for a helix or a corkscrew. However, I think I have plenty of space for what I want to do with the layout.

What do you guys think?

Now I just have to decide which scale fits my plans better, HO or N.


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## broox (Apr 13, 2012)

Is that 27x81 in another room?

Edit...
I should learn to read. Haha.

Good starting point.
Have you made any rough sketches/plans for the track layout yet? What about era and style?

Looks like there could be lots of fun had there. Any you can get twice the mainline run in with N


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## Shortliner (Aug 22, 2013)

I may have to redo the bench plans, apparently the plans won't handle a 15 in. radius turn in HO, dunno how it'd do on N scale. 

Here is my goal. My goal is to model a fictional short line that runs in the Appalachia mountains in the Fall of 1990, the route will have an Interchange yard with Norfolk Southern, a couple of towns with industries, and a mine that is the primary customer for the railroad. The route will also host it's own steam and diesel excursion trains. 

I have no problem with tight curves, they just have to be realistically tight.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Welcome to the site. 

What is the small gap in between the 27x81 and the 24x120 pieces?
So your room is 14'x13' approximately?

Closet on the bottom door entry on the top?
Or the other way around?

If you don't have any trains yet and you have good eyes I would go with N.
You can fit a lot more on the table with N.


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## michelle (May 12, 2013)

The bench work will work for n scale. The smallest curve they sell is around 10".


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## Shortliner (Aug 22, 2013)

big ed said:


> Welcome to the site.
> 
> What is the small gap in between the 27x81 and the 24x120 pieces?
> So your room is 14'x13' approximately?


That's the space between the closet proper and the room itself.



> Closet on the bottom door entry on the top?
> Or the other way around?


Other way around. 



> If you don't have any trains yet and you have good eyes I would go with N.
> You can fit a lot more on the table with N.


I wear glasses, although my eyesight isn't too bad. I just don't have a steady hand, so detailing, painting and weathering in N scale would be a challenge.



michelle said:


> The bench work will work for n scale. The smallest curve they sell is around 10".


Huh, I wonder if I can make a complete loop that goes from the 24x120 section to the 24x108 section and back. 

Would I be able to get a lot of good mainline run in N scale and have the industries spread out?


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

OH, that is the closet up there, then knock the wall board down and get it out of the way. If it is a load bearing wall there are ways to do it right. 

So the room is around 14' x 13'?
You have no trains yet?

Detailing and weathering and painting would be the easy part, actually working on the engine and couplers etc would be the hard part. But a good bench to work set up with a magnifying glass, tweezers and a good light helps a lot with N scale things. But for sure you would be able to fit more N then HO on your plan, it is your RR and it is up to you.
I am not trying to sway you one way or another.

Did you think about some kind of work station/bench in the room for working on trains and for making buildings? You might be able to make one that rolls under the layout when you don't need it therefor saving on room.

I would think by your plan you could squeeze 2 mainlines of N into it.
I may be wrong and I am not an expert on anything, others should be able to tell you for sure.
Or you can use a track planning program and fool around making your layout with the computer if you want.


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## Shortliner (Aug 22, 2013)

big ed said:


> OH, that is the closet up there, then knock the wall board down and get it out of the way. If it is a load bearing wall there are ways to do it right.


lol, that won't be happening, the house was built in the 1950s and it has plaster walls instead of drywall. 



> So the room is around 14' x 13'?


The room is 11'10"x13'



> You have no trains yet?


I have some old HO scale stuff back when I was a kid (90s Bachmann). Thought about converting them to DCC but apparently 90s era Bachmann engines have pancake motors instead of can, so can't convert them.



> Detailing and weathering and painting would be the easy part, actually working on the engine and couplers etc would be the hard part. But a good bench to work set up with a magnifying glass, tweezers and a good light helps a lot with N scale things. But for sure you would be able to fit more N then HO on your plan, it is your RR and it is up to you.
> I am not trying to sway you one way or another.


Well I may be going with N scale anyways, tried to make an HO scale bench in the room, can barely fit the bench in there. The route has to have 15 in radius curves at the tightest for HO scale. 



> Did you think about some kind of work station/bench in the room for working on trains and for making buildings? You might be able to make one that rolls under the layout when you don't need it therefor saving on room.


I actually thought about getting my own hobby shop that I can put next to the house, it'll have electricity, an AC/Heat unit that goes in the window, lighting, etc. 



> I would think by your plan you could squeeze 2 mainlines of N into it.
> I may be wrong and I am not an expert on anything, others should be able to tell you for sure.


Well the route is a short line, so for the most part it'll be a single track mainline, which I like because that means the train can run through pretty nice mountain scenery.



> Or you can use a track planning program and fool around making your layout with the computer if you want.


This was created by AnyRail.


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## Shortliner (Aug 22, 2013)

Did a comparison between N scale and HO scale on my bench plans, this is what I found out.

Yep, I'll def be going N scale on this one.


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## Gordon the big engine (Aug 31, 2013)

I think it looks good, considering my layout is only three and a half feet by six and a half feet!


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## Gordon the big engine (Aug 31, 2013)

big ed said:


> Welcome to the site.
> 
> What is the small gap in between the 27x81 and the 24x120 pieces?
> So your room is 14'x13' approximately?
> ...


N is nice, but I would go with HO, easier to work with.

THANKS!


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## Shortliner (Aug 22, 2013)

Gordon the big engine said:


> N is nice, but I would go with HO, easier to work with.
> 
> THANKS!


I would go HO, but I just don't have the room for it without having to compress a lot of my layout.


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