020 The Augusta Railway - Benchwork Planning

Merry Christmas!  What a day!  Everyone is upstairs napping so I thought I'd play on the computer for a while.  I'm working on the backdrop this week and plan to start the benchwork before the holiday season is out.  So let's lay out the open grid design.  This layout must be removable so that I can take it to a new house if we build one this spring.  It will be sectional with interlocks so the track will line up.  Every section will need to fit through the doorways.

The first section will be the loop.  I'm going to use 1x3 stock for the framing.  In the very middle is a section that will be a lift out.  The area is big enough for me to stand up in.  Ok, Voelker, its not THAT big!  The roadbed will be spline pine.  This is the largest section, but still small enough to move easily.  We'll test it because we'll build it in the garage and haul it downstairs.  The frame will sit on L-girders mounted to the wall, and supported by either a leg or angled support.

Section 2 is a perfect rectangle, but the center beams are all spaced to accommodate turnout placement.  I want to be able to install switch machines on turnouts that are out of reach.  This one will be built to fit section 1.

Section 3 is the smallest section, and will have several angle cuts.  It will be made to fit the space exactly.

Here is how the benchwork will look in 3D.  Very simple and easy.

Here is an overhead of the full layout benchwork system.  I may revise it, but it is pretty close to where I want it now.  All I need to do is make a set of detail drawings.