NO, NO, NO,  Brian, the fridge/freezer goes in one corner, the layout boards go around the rest of the room and everything else fits under the boards :!:  :!:  :!:
Tell her she's got the rest of the house, the garage is yours.

If her eyes start to glisten and her cheeks go red,
RUN

Coward, i wear the trousers in my house i tell you, she just says what colour to wear  :oops:
Phill

Hi Jim, sounds as if you are off to a good start with 4x2 sheets as I presume this is going to be your baseboard size. How big is the area you have to work in with this shed?
It would also be good if you could just click on the Welcome section and you will see a topic there with Welcome Oldman on it. Click on that and just write a few words about yourself and then the members can say hello.

Great to read all the replies - it makes me think what I've already done. I just assembled a board with overall size of 8'x6', built in two sections. my son and I plan a walkround layout with not too much happening in th middle. No possiblilty of a central operating area - the antique dining table gets in the way! The manager might complain if we cut holes in the table.
The board is braced at 2' centres, although I maight have to tighten that up a bit. The sundeala is moving a bit. Before assembly i covered both faces of the board with varnish mixed with odds & ends of vearious dark colours to give it a nice dirty finish. This stops the boards from taking in any moisture.

BT

Hi BT.
My layout is built using sundeala and I'm finding it the best surface I've ever used.
One point must be stressed though, Sundeala is less horizontally stable than MDF of ply and must have adequate support. I've seen too many layouts where the track ends up like a big dipper to compromise on this :!:
Go for approx. 12" to 15" centres (which will give you some leeway to avoid having points over any struts) and you'll be fine. Remember that you'll need to have these running L to R and back to front on a 4ft x 8ft surface.
You have done the right thing by sealing the surface first, I use emulsion paint of a colour simular to the eventual ground cover underneath.
Good material, but treat it properly or you will have problems.

8x6 means a minimum reach of 3 feet. That's a lot by any standard unless you can easily separate the two sections when you want to work on the layout. Sundeala does need better support than you are giving it. I would say 15" maximum, depending on the thickness of the sundeala. If you do have to work on the layout in one piece then do whatever you are going to do in the centre first. Have you thought about how you are going to work on the underside, wiring, point motors, etc. if the board is resting on a table, which it sounds like. ? That's a big thing to be mauling about. Sorry to sound so negative but that's a big chunk of baseboard you have there.

BT   -  Mine's 9x5ft and it sure does make the legs and back ache when reaching into the middle for landscaping etc. Still, once it's done it's ok  
 You say not much will be happening in the middle. Are you planning on having a scenic divider running lengthwise through it? It's a pretty good method for separating towns and regions.

 Mike

Thanks for the comments guys. Your suggestions re supporting the boards will be acted upon. Luckily we only have a trial layout at present - nothing permanent like point motors. My son has all the ideas and I have to temper them and make it all fit together! Several requests have been made - it must have a roundy roundy section, preferably it must also have an end-to-end capability, stations (naturally) and also a goods yard. Also an engine shed/yard for all the locos we have. It would probably be a good idea if I studied (part-time) for a degree in logistics. Thankfully we don't run any tender locos, so platforms only need to be long enough for 2/3 coach trains + tank loco - eg Prairie.

I have the idea of dividing the board into two 6' x 4' sections - joined on their 6'. Each board could have a terminus/yard and the oval or roundy round part would be the only lines to cross the intersection of the two baords. With only four running lines between the two boards I should be able to reduce the consumption of asprin!

Personally- ie without my son! - I would love to make a layout based on the china clay docks and station at Fowey (in Cornwall). I went there for forty years and took many trips in the 50's on the push/pull between Fowey and Lostwithiel. I also have a love of LBSCR & SECR from the early days of the Bluebell Railway when I often drove (unofficially) Stepney and Bluebell - 1962/3.

Anywhere near the Costa Blanca Brian?

Les

Hi all, just joined and asking questions allready. I plan to build the layout in the loft. Every item that goes up there has to be no more than two foot wide, I'm looking to keep everything to three foot lengths, so if we ever move I don't have to nuke it. The boards I was thinking of using for laying the model on was loft board woodchip, the stuff that comes in packs of three. Do you think this would be a suitable materiel or are there any different ideas out there?
Many thanks in advance, trust me, this won't be the last question!

                  Mike.

Hi Mike!  Woodchip works well, is light, and is easily drilled and glued, but it wll need strengthening and bracing underneath.  I recommend a frame of (nominal) 2x1" with cross-bracing.

The frame that Tim is referring to looks like this Mike.

Thanks for adding that picture, Bob - I was trying to find a suitable one but you beat me to it

Mike - that's the sort of benchwork you should need… :wink:

Hi guys, many, many thanks, wasn't expecting replys that quick. I was looking at building a board with frames in the shape of a square A ( hope you understand ) these frames would be positioned about every 18 inches, so there would be 3 per 3 foot board, and then securing them all together with 4 long 2"x2" pieces of wood. I have to bear in mind that some day it could all have to come through a small hole!

           Mike

That sounds just the ticket, Mike, and very sturdy!

I'm sorry Mike but you have lost me there. It's not one of my better days. :roll:

Sorry Bob, kind of lost myself there! rest assured, I've used this type of framework before, and it works ok. If you will, it's like lots of trestles in a row, but all secured together, top and bottom by screws. Also, the boards wouls have the added support of being up against walls as I'm fortunate to have three foot high walls either side of the loft roof, as well as the main end roof wall.
 
             Mike

Got it. The wall support is a bonus.

Mike - I'm a bit late in catching up on this one - sorry !!

I know what you mean about the square "A" frames but why 2"x2" battens down the sides ?  2"x1" would be more than plenty - cheaper and lighter !!  You'd still have the 2" depth for support and the baseboard top screwed into the 1" section would stop any lateral movement.

On the point of the topping material - you said "loft board woodchip".  Is that the soft fibreboard or is it hard chipboard ?  If the former, I'd say, unless your loft is bone dry, it's a no-no.  It's like blotting paper and would bow unless you supported it at least every 12" in each direction.  If it's the latter, that's what I'm using and it's strong but has the disadvantage that you can't easily drive track pins in and it's pretty tough to drill and cut - blunts tools very quickly.  Much cheaper than Sundeala but, if funds would run to it, Sundeala is the stuff to go for. Either Jeff or Perry (can't remember which one  :oops: ) have sung it's praises elsewhere on the forum.  If Sundeala is out, then I'd go for chipboard (10 or 15mm thick)

Petermac

Petermac, many thanks for the input. I was looking at the latter, I know what you mean with the soft stuff, no way I'm using that. I see your point with woodchip, I thought of loftboards for a nuber of reasons. I have a restricted access to the loft which must stay as it is, so everything that goes through it has to be no wider than 2 foot wide. If the day comes when we move I want to break the layout down in to 3' x 2' sections, so I don't have to start all over again. Loft boards come already cut in those dimensions and also I believed that it would be suitable, but now I will take a look at Sundeala.

         Mike