Added Benchwork

[BB]

Built this addition for the layout last year in February and still looks the same now..lol.

Little warning, don't buy the white beaded foam board. It makes a mess and expands.

New benchwork minus foam board.


With foam board in place with a great fit.


Swing gate.


Swings down.


An idea for anyone. If you need a little extra thickness of styrofoam, the flat part of meat packages work well. Plus most of the packages are the same thickness as cork. The meat packages in the picture are the red and others next to it.


Close-up of the boards that hold the 2" thick foam board.




Here's how the gate is held up.

I have two "barrel bolts" on each end. Just have to slide the bolt into the hole on the face of the board.


Close-up


Here's what the new part looks to the main layout.

[Garry K]

Do you use the foam directly over the wooden grid without any plywood under the foam for strength? If so, have you ever had any accidents with anyone leaning on the foam too much and going right through?

I see some folks on some model RR forums who seem to just use foam right on very light-weight supports, and that would never work for me as sometimes I might lean on the wrong place and open a new hole through the foam to the floor!

[BB]

No accicents from leaning into the foam but I like the idea of the plywood.

[SousaKerry]

I used foam in a modular layout to take to shows frame was 1x4" with 2x2" stringers every 24 inches or so. It worked well but all the constant transport and setup teardown took it's toll on the frames. If i were to do it agin would use plywood/Luan. But the 2" blue extruded foam does work very well for home layouts and I would use it in that application again.


Sousa