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Support Your Benchwork on Brackets |
by Lionel Strang
Lionel dislikes legs at the edge of a layout, so to eliminate that problem on his own Allegheny, Lackawanna and Southern he designed this simple L-shaped bracket to support it
| | I’m going to show you how I built the easy L-shaped brackets that support the benchwork for my HO Allegheny & Lackawanna Southern. I originally designed the A&LS with one item high on my list of wants: the elimination of legs at the edge of the layout. Individual legs require lots of diagonal braces that seem always to be in the way when you’re trying to work under the layout.
My approach to layout design is a little different: I concentrate on the design of the benchwork and how it will fit into the available space first and worry about the track plan second. Once I’ve decided what form the benchwork will take I’ll finish the actual track plan.
Bracket design
Before I had installed a single piece of benchwork on my A&LS, I finished the view block walls and the basement perimeter walls using 2 x 4 studs covered with drywall. This gave me all the support I’d need to cantilever the layout from the walls using L-shaped brackets. I soon discovered this method of building model railroad layouts allowed me to get basic benchwork set up very quickly with the entire structure being tied to the wall, making it exceedingly stable.
I constructed the L portion of the brackets with 1 x 4s and the diagonal braces with 1 x 2s. I wanted the brackets to be able to support a reasonable amount of weight, and the wider surface of the 1 x 4s helps spread out the weight of the layout and provide a broad surface for mounting the bracket to the wall.
Several of these layout supports can be constructed in an evening, especially when two people work together. However, I could easily build six to 12 in an evening working alone.
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Measurements
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It's a good idea to use yellow carpenter's glue as well as drywall screws to assemble the supports. Click on photo for more information.
| | In the case of the A&LS, stringers made of 1 x 4s rest on top of the wall brackets. Risers fastened to the stringers support the roadbed. The railhead at its lowest point on the railroad is 42" from the floor or 10" from the top of the wall bracket. There’s a 3"-high piece of trim along the base of the wall to give the room a finished look.
Allowing for the thickness of the top piece of the bracket (it’s attached to the top of the wall portion), the wall section of the L-shaped bracket is always 281 1/4" long. On the A&LS most of the benchwork is two feet wide so I made the portion that extends into the room 22" long. The top can be any length depending on the width of the benchwork, but it’s advisable not to make it any longer than the wall side of the bracket.
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Construction
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A&LS operator Paul Burgess uses a four-foot level to draw a vertical line as a guide for attaching the bracket to the wall. Click on picture for more.
| | I usually cut enough lumber to build a half a dozen brackets at a time. To join the two pieces of 1 x 4 first drill small pilot holes for the screws to avoid splitting the wood. I use yellow carpenter’s glue and 2" drywall screws to fasten the 1 x 4s together. Before adding the diagonal braces make sure the inside corner of the bracket is square. If it’s not, adjust when adding the diagonal braces.
Mark a line 18" from the inside corner of the bracket on both parts of the L and then cut a piece of 1 x 2 long enough to hang over to both sides of the bracket. Now fasten the 1 x 2 using glue and drywall screws, then simply saw off the ends of the 1 x 2. This avoids having to figure out angles and speeds up the process. Cutting off the ends of the 1 x 2 is effortless with a good-quality hand saw. Pine is a soft wood that a sharp saw will cut easily.
Installation
After drawing a vertical line with a four-foot-long level, I lined up the bracket and anchored it to the wall with 3" coarse-thread drywall screws. If you’re concerned that the screws might pull out of the wood you could use lag bolts to ensure the brackets won’t budge. The lower wall anchor could be smaller because it doesn’t carry the load of the layout; it mostly helps keep the bracket vertical. By using 1 x 4s, the screws or lag bolts are easily accessible between the diagonal supports with a drill or ratchet wrench.
The legs must be fastened to a wall stud or concrete wall. Do not drive your lag bolts or screws only into the drywall. It may seem to work at the time but it won’t be long until the layout pulls away from the wall. If you’re fastening your brackets to a concrete wall I suggest drilling holes for masonry anchors and lag bolts.
This type of bracket will support a weight far greater than most model railroad layouts. In fact I’ve actually sat on my benchwork while installing lights in the train room. If your benchwork grows too wide these wall brackets can be used in conjunction with traditional benchwork legs, and you may find that combining wall brackets in some areas with the more traditional leg assemblies in others best serves your needs.
Lionel Strang writes the monthly column "Workin' on the Railroad" for Model Railroader magazine. This article is from the October 2001 issue.
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The above articles is the property of and is
the copyright of Kalmbach
Publishing Co. |
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