How to pack a basebofor transport?

Hi All.   I am not expecting to have trains running (any day soon?) on my main baseboard , And in the meantime they the modules, that is, have just been too handy to use as workbenches.but it may be necessary to pack them together as if it was going to an exhibition. Because  it is, it takes up a lot of room(just doing nothing). But one day soon I hope to have it up and running, Each of the modules are 3ft 8 inches by 2 ft. I have seen them joined ( surface to surface) and bolted with plywood spacers, but, how far apart do they have to be for scenery?    all the best. Kevin

Sorry, but that is a piece of string question, as we don't know the vertical height of your scenery. You just need enough space between the boards so the scenery / buildings  / trees don't hit each other or other parts of the baseboards.

Hi Q. Sorry about that. But no Mountains, I began with a Kent scene, but it had been done before, I really wanted a London viaduct, enroute to London Bridge over ambitious ? Every idea needs more space than I have. Mostly though I imagine the tallest structure would be an overbridge, road or pedestrian . My choice being double o if I thought that I could of got along with N gauge? It could have worked.   all the best. Kevin

We'd still need to know the height of any scenery Kevin…………….. :roll:

An overbridge would be around 75mm above datum but surely, you'll have some landform or buildings at track level  :hmm

To work out how far apart the boards would need to be when packed face to face, is to measure the tallest bit of scenery/tree/building/telegraph pole etc. on each board then add, say,15mm for a safety margin and that's your distance.

For example, on the left hand board, you have a tree at track level - i.e. track level (to allow for the overbridge) is 75mm above datum, the tree is say another 75mm so that's 150mm total height above baseboard surface. Do the same calculation for the right hand board, add around 10 - 15mm for safety and that's your distance apart when packed face to face.  You can soon end up with a fairly hefty sandwich ……………….. ;-)

Hi Petermac thank you for your reply, you do have a valid point(or two) there. But I thought that the overbridge would be fairly high and my idea would be background scenery painted or whatever on a board. Rather like Smithy Lane as featured on the home page, which reminds me, most featured layouts never give dimensions and it is hard for a "newbie" like me It is hard to guess the size of the baseboards.    all the best. Kevin

Are you intending to have a backscene/board? The most common way of crating two boards together for transport is to set the two boards with the backboard towards the front fascia of the opposing board and the two boards bolted together with protective end plates.

I wouldn't worry about it too much, get your main scenic features done and then you can work out how big the end plates need to be.

Hi Woody.  Thank you for your reply, that is good advice. I just need a good plan otherwise I am just using the baseboards as benches, and not getting anywhere.   all the best. Kevin

Hi Kevin,

Backboards? Are you planning on having them? If so just make them removable.Make tall structures and trees removable as well. Otherwise you will need a pantechnicon to move them.

Nigel

Hi Nigel.  Thank you.  The only tall structure ? that I have taken seriously, up until now, was the yard lights, which have already been judged as "Too Modern" by my critics, these lights are "unplugable" which is why I chose them.I really did get "side tracked" with puzzle layouts, or there is a need for any buildings? they will be detachable so to speak with a base for location , I have seen a suitable way to fit backboards . all the best. Kevin

Who are these critics, Kevin?

Give me their names and addresses and I'll send someone around to sort them out.   :cool:

[user=269]MaxSouthOz[/user] wrote:

Who are these critics, Kevin?

Give me their names and addresses and I'll send someone around to sort them out.   :cool:

I'll bet they also use suitcase connectors …………………….. :pedal

[user=1632]BCDR[/user] wrote:

Hi Kevin,

Backboards? Are you planning on having them? If so just make them removable.Make tall structures and trees removable as well. Otherwise you will need a pantechnicon to move them.

Nigel

Kevin

I would disagree with Nigel on this matter. Having dismantled and stored my layout regularly between exhibitions and whilst working on it over the years, I would not make things removable for storage (to work on is a different matter). Every time you remove something the risk of damage is high and each bit has to be carefully stored and the same goes for when it is taken out of storage and replaced on the layout. All time consuming and it becomes a real chore.

 

Hi Max.  Thank you, I chose to ignore the critics , apart from a mention on YMR! And I must admit they are bright, but I went for the simplicity of being able to unplug them.    all the best. Kevin

Hi Woody.  Thank you, It is not so much as exhibiting that I am concerned about, it is just so that they don't take up so much space, and I can get away from using them as benches. If my work was exhibition standard? that would really be a problem, as I don't drive, due to  "Epilepsy" and that was really a "bolt from the blue" there was me on my last journey, of the shift, then next thing, I'm in an ambulance on the way to hospital . Which gave me the idea of easy to handle " toolbox size puzzle layouts" But then here's the thing, such a small (4ft x 9inches) layout could not be classed as "Exhibition material" mores the pity.   all the best. Kevin

Hi Kevin
I only mentioned exhibiting to make the point. I have had to take Much Murkle up and down many times and I'm always looking to minimise the work involved and the risk of damage. It would be no different if I was doing it in the home environment.   :) 

Hi Woody.  Thank you for your reply. I have admired "Much Murkle" for a while now, but I haven't got a clue to its size.Would you please give me an idea of the dimensions of the layout , packed and set up, and are the legs "plug in" so to speak? Because it looks so much bigger than my main layout( headache) which is eleven feet x two feet with an extra riight angle at the end.    all the best. Kevin

It is 3 boards each 4' x 2'. Yes the legs plug into sockets on the underside of the boards.
Each board is 5" deep and the backboard extends 10" above the top.

When crated, two boards bolt together with end plates as I described before and the box it makes is approx 4'1" x 2'3" x 2'. The third board has a front and end plates bolted to it to make a box which is approx 4' x 1'3" x 2'.

Despite what I said about not have things removable on the layout there are of course a myriad of other things that need to be boxed up when stored, controllers, stock, in my case, cassettes, lighting, legs etc.

The layout is erected at the moment getting it ready for a show so I can't photograph it packed away.

Hi Woody. Thank you. My baseboards were cut from an 8 x 4 sheet, But, I cut four inches off the end of each.But I used 2 x 1 timber as the framework so the legs are a bit wobbly, that is until I can fit wedges.
all the best. Kevin