Mounting HO set...

[davidl55]

I just got a Bachmann HO set for Christmas and I would like to mount it so that I don't have to keep putting it together and taking it apart when I use it. Does anyone of any suggestions on how I might accomplish this? Thank You.

[Jerrys HO]

david

What type of foundation are you planning to use?
Some suggestions would be plywood with foam board on top all glued down. (my favorite), some use homesote, or just use plywood by it self.

Securing the track to the foundation assuming you are using E-Z track whether it's steel or nickel silver can be done by hot gluing it down which is easy to remove if you have to.  Latex caulk, I have some pieces I drilled a small hole on the side of the roadbed and screwed down.

Check back periodically as others may post with other ideas that have worked for them.
Jerry

[Doneldon]

david-

You can also build a 1"x3" (on edge) frame with a few cross pieces (laid flat) and mount two-inch extruded foam insulation board on the cross pieces with
plastic-safe construction glue. Screw and glue your butt joints. This will give you an inexpensive and sufficiently rigid structure strong enough to allow safe movement and light enough to permit easy movement. You can put a thin piece of plywood in your frame first if you want a little more rigidity but you don't really need it. I would only add the plywood if I were going to suspend the layout from the ceiling or routinely transport it to another location like train shows or a model railroad club. Be sure to use either good quality straight lumber or regular lumber which you have carefully hand picked for straightness; you won't regret the added cost or extra work for the quality boards when you assemble your frame.

A much better solution would be to attach a narrow layout to the walls and run it around the room. However, I assume from your post that a permanent layout is not a possibility.

We can give you much better help if you tell us a bit about your intentions. Do you want mainly to run trains around an oval (that alone gets boring pretty fast) ?  Do you plan to do some switching? How about a small yard or engine servicing facility? What eras and areas interest you? Do you want a city setting? Mountains? Rivers and bridges? A major industry like a steel mill or barge terminal? Do you prefer freight or passenger operations? Or both? You obviously can't do all of these if you are starting with the most common beginner's set up, a 4'x8', but will be useful to us to know which of these possibilities interests you most.

Beyond that, welcome to model railroading and this board. I predict that you'll meet many good friends and find all sorts of projects and techniques to hold your interest. It's worked for me for more than 50 years.
                                                                                 -- D

[davidl55]

I guess I should clarify what I'm really wanting to do. What I would like to do is attach it to a sheet of plywood, with the intentions of adding buildings, gardens, figurines, more track and railroad related buildings to it, such as; a turn house, railroad stations, trees, platforms and such. Thank you.

[Jerrys HO]

david

I kind of thought that is where you were going. I posted some options, do you need more info? Books on table building and layout design and scenery are available to help.
This is a couple links to help you.

http://www.brian-lambert.co.uk/DCC.htm#Reversing%20Loops
http://www.building-your-model-railroad.com/index.html

Jerry

[JerryB]

A place to get free beginner information on everything from track plans, benchwork, structures, electrical and all manner of model railroad information is the National Model Railroad Association. The NMRA's beginner page is here:

http://www.nmra.org/beginner/

You do not have to be a member nor do any log in to use this extensive information.

As to wanting to ". . . attach it to a sheet of plywood . . .," a single sheet of plywood even 3/4" thick will be way too flexible when moved, causing continuous problems with your track assembly. And, that sheet of 3/4" plywood would weigh ~80 pounds! Thinner plywood is lighter, but way more flexible. A single thickness of plywood will not provide a stable base for your railroad, and is not conducive to being moved and stored. That's why various framing options are being suggested by the above responders. Light weight framing with plywood and / or foam (the modern and most desirable option) can provide the necessary stability and be easily moved for storage.

The NMRA website addresses lots of these issues and shows alternatives, even including materials lists and assembly instructions.

Hope this helps & Happy RRng,

Jerry