HOW TO BUILD AFFORDABLE MODEL RAILROAD BENCHWORK-OPEN GRID METHOD

MODEL RAILROAD BENCHWORK 3D RENDERING
MODEL RAILROAD BENCHWORK 3D RENDERING
Copyright 2023 Model Railway Techniques, All Rights Reserved
MODEL RAILROAD BENCHWORK 3D RENDERING
Copyright 2023 Model Railway Techniques, All Rights Reserved
MODEL RAILROAD BENCHWORK 3D RENDERING
Copyright 2023 Model Railway Techniques, All Rights Reserved

Last Updated on 2 years ago by James from Model Railway Techniques

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12 comments

  1. Hello! I just finished reading your article on How To Build Affordable Model Railroad Benchwork-Open Grid Method. Keep in mind I know absolutely zip nada about model train stuff as a subject. However, I must say I quite enjoyed your article overall! You offered a materials list for the materials you will need to build a model train benchwork setup, you offered very detailed steps on how to go about the process of actually building that benchwork setup. 

    And You offered very detailed and informative diagrams/ photos of how this all should be done or could be done depending on what uses you have for your model railroad benchwork. For those like me who have honestly 0 experience with carpentry, I would think this might be something I would be looking for if I was a beginner trying to build an affordable model railroad benchwork. 

    The only time I’ve ever encountered a model train setup was actually on a job with my dad. We went to someone’s home to do some home repairs together and the gentleman had I’d say quite a massive interest in model trains, and he had his entire basement dedicated to a model train railroad. I had never seen this before! And in such a large capacity too. I could see he had put a ton of work into the details of this.

     He talked to my dad for an hour about his interest in model trains. Unfortunately, he was looking for someone who might take this same interest. He had tried to get his own children into it as much as he was, but, they had no interest sadly. As he was getting older, he was looking for someone to pass his railroad on to in the end. He told us he had recently been diagnosed with a terminal illness and wanted his trains and railroad to go to someone who would put them to good use. 

    Honestly, this particular interest is not one you say too often anymore these days. In a way, it’s one of those arts/ crafts that’s slowly dying out. It was quite a beautiful sight to see though! And how he so loved to delight his guests with his huge indoor basement railroad. It was a very beautiful railroad and well-built too. I could tell he had put hours, maybe even years into maintaining, and designing such a huge display of his craft. Quite an amazing piece of art really. 

    Overall, I think you did a great job of explaining how to build one of your own railroad benchwork for model trains. 

    I really enjoyed your article! Thank you for teaching me something new! It was an excellent read. 🙂 

    1. Thanks Cal. Coming from someone who has no prior knowledge of building a layout or Model Railroading in general, I really appreciate the comments above. it was my goal to make the article as informative as possible so anyone would feel confident in their ability to do it themselves. I enjoyed your story about the gentleman with the basement empire, I really hope he found someone that appreciated the hobby as much as himself and was able to pass his trains along to them. Thanks you for stopping by Model Railway Techniques, James.

  2. Hey thank you for this post

    Though I am unaware of the different techniques of how railways function however trains as a vehicle is something which interests me therefore reading this gave me a great insight into how railway benchwork works. This step by step guide is clear and easy to understand for newbies or those who are an exert in this system. It was easy to follow along, and I like how the materials and other resources were mentioned thoughtfully.

    Thanks again and have a great day!

    1. Thank you for the comment, Sariyah. Making it clear and understandable, while also giving detailed information, was the main objective of this article. Often times articles of this nature really don’t go into enough detail to give the reader enough confidence to actually give it a try, or key points are left out which leads to disappointment or frustration. I’m really glad you enjoyed the article, James, Model Railway Techniques.

  3. This is a very informative article James on how to build an affordable model railroad benchwork and I appreciate the experience you impart regarding the varying ways to build such a structure.

    The list of necessary tools that you have listed will be extremely beneficial to others so they don’t get involved in a project without knowing beforehand what they will need to accomplish the job. I think for this project the carpenter’s square would be especially crucial.

    I have never heard of kiln dried lumber before but am glad to know that it will not warp like other forms of lumber or wood may.

    I think it is also important not only that you have designed the framework with braces but explain the purpose for their inclusion. Is it possible the weight of the bench will necessitate the inclusion of more braces?

    1. Hi Joseph, thanks for stopping in and leaving a comment. The braces as described in the article are more than enough to support and stabilize a layout of this size. If the layout is attached to a wall, then the diagonal braces can be omitted entirely since there is no chance of lateral movement. When I build my own benchwork in larger spaces, I usually will space the legs out about five feet. The total weight of that entire 3’x8′ section of benchwork is probably only 35 lbs at best, so you can reason how you really don’t need to overbuild the frame and supports, uselessly wasting money. James, Model Railway Techniques.

  4. This is a very helpful step-by-step guide on how to build an open grid benchwork for model railroads. The list of materials and tools that will be required for the project, means one can make sure you have all the tools before you embark on building the benchwork. 

    You mention that you are a carpenter. So how easy would it be for somebody that doesn’t have carpentry experience to build this benchwork? The photographs and diagrams are really useful to visualise the end result, but I am just wondering if it would be better for a carpenter to be building the benchwork? Thank you. 

    1. Thank you for the comment and question Line. Honestly, you don’t have to be a carpenter to build the benchwork described in the article. The methods and techniques used are quite simp[le. I referenced my carpentry background simply as a re-assurance that the size selection of the lumber used is more than adequate. Often times this lumber is unnecessarily oversized, resulting in un-needed extra cost. We appreciate the comments, thanks for visiting Model Railway Techniques, James.

  5. Thanks for your informative post on building a model railway benchwork. 

    You can clearly see that you are highly versed and experienced in building techniques for this niche, as your explanations and attention to detail is excellent. 

    The clear, step by step approach you have provided, with excellent images is very helpful and easy to follow. 

    I can see that you have also recommended your future article to finish the job with a suitable surface for the railway. I was really surprised at how cheap this was for the materials to do the job. 

    What would these cost if you were to purchase these fully completed? I would imagine you can save a lot of money for people if they follow your blog. 

    Well done!

    1. Thank you, Dale, we’re happy you found the article well written and informative There are sites that offer pre-built, or custom style services for this type of benchwork, and the costs for these services can easily triple or quadruple the cost of the basic framework described in the article. There are also ‘professional’ layout builders that will build a ‘complete’ Model Railroad for a considerable amount of money. There are long waiting periods for this however, and then the completed layout needs to be transported and installed. In our opinion that is not a hobby, but a purchase of convenience. our site is dedicated to the hobby itself, and the variety of skills you can gain from it by actually building all of the components involved. We do not promote, and in fact discourage seeking out ‘professional’ services for Model Railroading unless absolutely necessary, such as custom paint jobs on locomotives, as this removes the personal involvement of the hobby of Model Railroading. We thank you again for your comment and questions.

      James, Model Railway Techniques.

  6. Your title is very technical and informative. You have described every detail of building a railroad. The size and tools that might be needed all are mentioned here, I respect all your hard work. I will definitely share this informative post with others. Thank you for sharing this post with us. Way to go.

    1. Thanks Liam, we’re glad you found the article informative and interesting. We strive to make sure that all of our articles are presented in a way that it is truly useful to our readers. We appreciate the shares also. Thank you for visiting Model Railway Techniques, James.

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