All things considering the layout benchwork plans are described in this post, including height and depth considerations, minimum aisle spacing, modeling assumptions, construction materials and techniques, scenery, and structures.

Height and Depth Considerations

Excerpt from LDISG Primer:

It is very helpful to develop a set of personal standards for yourself. Important information to include is:

• Your own Height: Ryan 5’8” (68”) Monique 5’2” (62”) – Average is 65”
• Your Eye level: Ryan 5’2” (64”) Monique 4’10” (59”) – Average is 61 1/2”
• Distance from floor to your armpit: Ryan 50” Monique 48” Average 49”
• Reach from your armpit to wrist: Ryan 20” Monique 16” Average 18”
• Distance from floor to your elbow: Ryan 44” Monique 42” Average 43”
• Your depth ­ front to back ­ at waist and chest: Ryan 12” Monique 14” Average 13”
• It would be a good idea to have these dimensions for your crew and visitors as well. Try to decide how many people will need to be accommodated at one time. Will you or some of your operators or visitors have special or unusual access requirements or needs?

• Your own height and that of your tallest expected operator or visitor set the minimum overhead clearance requirement. 68”

• Your eye level minus three to four inches is the highest level at which track can be located while allowing you to see car numbers on a second track. If you are tall, this may have to be adjusted down a bit to allow for shorter operators. 54”

• The eye level of your shortest visitor needs to be considered when setting average layout height. If the short viewers are only occasional visitors (as opposed to regular operators), step boxes can be provided for them, but they are unhandy and can get in the way.

• The height from floor to your armpit is the highest level at which you can reach into the layout without resorting to a ladder or stool. 50”

• The height from floor to elbow is about the lowest level to mount a control panel for easy standing access without strain. If your layout is located below this level, you will have to bend when reaching into the layout. 44”

• The distance from your elbow to your wrist is your maximum convenient reach into a higher layout. You can actually reach in as far as the distance from your armpit to your wrist, but some contortion may be necessary to avoid damaging scenery, structures and rolling stock at the front of the layout. 10”

Lower level Benchwork top rail height 36”, depth 24”

Staging level width 4’6” (54-inches)

Upper level Benchwork top rail height 50”, depth 18”

14” separation between levels at 2.5% maximum grade requires a run of 46-feet (46)’.

Aisle minimum spacing 30”.

Shelf wall brackets 32-inch centers (every other vertical stud)

Joists on L-girders are 16-inch centers.

Modeling Assumptions

(Several are based on the article by John Vavra “A Tale of Two Railroads” in December 2021 Model Railroader magazine)

Construction

½” plywood sub-roadbed

Cork roadbed

Code 83 flextrak – Atlas and Walther’s

Minimum radius: 32”

Minimum turnout: No. 6 – Atlas and Walther’s  

Height: 45” – 57”

Maximum Grade: 2.5%

12-inch minimum clearance between tops of levels would need to be a run of 40-feet (40’)

https://www.trackplanning.com/helix_design.htm

Benchwork: L-girder 1”x3”

Double-track main spacing: 3” center on straights, 3 ½” on curves

Staging yards minimum of 8 tracks each 20’ long, double ended or stub ended.

Turnout switches Tortoise by Circuitron.

Passing sidings: 22’ length including turnouts at each end can hold a consist of 2 locomotives and 25 rolling stock of mixed freight.

Scenery

Mountain and Hills – wood framework with hardware wire stapled, wads of newspaper to give more shape. First layer scenery base is a layer paper towels sprayed with wet water to conform to the scenery form, then a layer of plaster impregnated cloth*, then rocks and rock castings are set in place. Once dried this is painted with a diluted base of a variety of earth tones, then sifted dirt and ground foam. Then real rocks, bushes and trees.

*OR Ground Goop.

Trees – John Vavra suggested McKenzie Brothers Timber Co. http://www.mckenziebrotherstimberco.com/

Ponds and lakes – Bottom layer of Hydrocal, painted appropriate color, with rocks and twigs added for natural look. Enviro-Tex Lite two-part resin for the water effect.

Moving water – Woodland Scenics Water Effects – https://woodlandscenics.woodlandscenics.com/show/item/C1212

Waterfalls – see page 43 in December 2021 Model Railroader issue (A Tale of Two Railroads)

I’ve got a couple of small lakes, ponds, creeks, and waterfalls on the layout. Water can be intimidating to model. For lakes and ponds, I formed the bottoms out of Hydrocal, painted them the appropriate colors, and added rocks and twigs for a natural look. When I was satisfied with the result, I used Enviro-Tex Lite two-part resin for the water. I like it because it dries clear and hard.

Moving water is more of a challenge. I used Woodland Scenics Water Effects to add ripples as needed, dry brushing the tips with white paint to get the whitewater foam effect I wanted.

Waterfalls were even harder, but after refining my technique over the years, I’m fairly pleased with my results. For higher falls, I cut a piece of clear window glazing material to the shape of the falls, then run ribbons of clear silicone caulk down the plastic. Before it dries, I tease the caulk to blend the ribbons together. After this, I drybrush the falls with white craft paint and glue it to place on the layout. A little Woodland Scenics Water Effects at the top and bottom blends it into the stream or lake. Smaller falls or rapids don’t need the clear plastic and were done with just caulk. Structures – Walther’s and (suggested) Design Preservation Models https://www.dallasmodelworks.com/products/productList.asp?Manufacturer=1Design+Preservation+Models1