Baseboard height

[first timer]

Hi guys, shed has been ordered, how high would you say the baseboard should be from the ground? bearing in mind I have to sit for most of the time due to being partly disabled ( I have a swivel office type chair )

[railsquid]

Hi guys, shed has been ordered, how high would you say the baseboard should be from the ground? bearing in mind I have to sit for most of the time due to being partly disabled ( I have a swivel office type chair )

"Depends" - mainly on on what level of (dis)comfort is acceptable to reach the most inaccessible parts of the layout, and how much time you intend to spend underneath it. My layout is in my home "office", position of the windows restrict the baseboard height to about 75cm, which is also a good height for viewing from my chair. It is however 90cm deep, so the rear 30cm or so is only accessible when standing and leaning (most of the scenery is/will be detachable to mitigate that), but presumably in a shed you'd have the layout around the sides.

[first timer]

Hi, railsquid nice to talk to you, my layout is also 3ft wide along the back of a pent shed, I have no trouble in standing for short periods ie 15-20 mins then I need to sit for a while, that's when I can play trains.

[Newportnobby]

To be honest, I would advise you to decide how you like to view your trains e.g. eye level or slightly above and then measure how high your baseboard would need to be on the basis your swivel chair is of a fixed height. My layout is set at 44" height so I can get under it without murdering my back, but my seat is a height adjustable bar stool so I can go from eye level to 'eagle view'

[first timer]

That is also my concern as its my back that troubles me (ripped nerve endings in a accident ) and also a lot of damage to my upper torso but enough of me lets get back to N gauge. I think the best thing to do is to get everything set up in the shed sit on my chair and see what height is right for me, bearing in mind having to work underneath at times.

Les

[Newportnobby]

No bad idea, Les, as only you knows how you like to watch your trains.
The stool I have is similar, but not as luxurious, as the upholstered ones for £39 in Dunelm.
Of course, it depends how big your botty is, though.

http://www.dunelm.com/category/home-and-furniture/furniture/sofas-and-chairs/bar-stools#facet?scroll=344&pageSize=wide

[ntpntpntp]

Agreed, only you know best but it sounds to me like you'll probably be most comfortable sitting most of the time you're working or running the layout so that's the height to aim for.

I'd also advise designing the layout in manageably sized separate sections which can be tipped up to work on the underside wiring etc., rather than having to struggle underneath.

[The Q]

If you are modelling the layout you need to be able to reach across the top of the layout, but also if you have the wiring on the underside of the layout you need to work under there.
For running the layout, like some others I like to look at the layout as a human not as God from above. mind you that's a human on high ground..

I'm 6ft, the wife is 5ft 2inches. Your own personal Eye  height sitting down will make a great difference to the answer.

I would advise bring all the wiring to the front of the layout, messing around under a layout with a bad back is no fun.
If you don't have removable boards then Stand with your feet 3ft from the wall, then see what is a comfortable height to reach, NOT leaning forward as the board will be in the way, mark it on the wall with a pencil... then have a look at the mark from a chair...

I suspect a non removable for modelling 3ft board will be too much of a reach for you, it is for me with only minor back problems. I would reduce it to a two foot width board in the middle, possibly dog bone shape to give you more access, and hopefully if you can take the track round the shed to a 1ft board the other side .

[austinbob]

I've arranged my baseboards at 3' 6" height. They are 2' wide on three sides of the room and rest on a sturdy frame with legs and screwed to the wall. This means that..
# I get a better view of the trains especially if I sit on a tall kitchen chair.
# Most of the layout requires only a two foot reach (one corner is about two foot six.
# I don't have to stoop to reach any part of the layout
# All three baseboard can be lifted and rested on the frame near vertical, for wiring and maintenance - so I don't have to climb around under baseboard.
# Each base board has its own control mimic panel and wiring. Power connections are via cables run round the frame which plug into each mimic panel independently. This means there are no interconnections between baseboard and each one can be completely removed independent of the others.
All these things are important to me cos I'm not getting any younger and bending, stooping, crawling under baseboards are things I can do without.

[first timer]

Thanks for the info guys, I have a small 5ft x 2ft layout, because I want a runaround and not an end to end 2ft wide is a bit narrow (tight curves ) The shed is an 8 x 6 so inside is about 7ft 8in x 5ft 8in. it is a pent shed so sloping roof rather than apex so back wall and one side (L shaped ) to give me a bit of room for a small work bench under the windows (more light ) so perhaps 2ft 6in wide and a 1ft 6in fiddle yard on the 3rd side. What do you guys. P S. thinking of having the main board of 7ft 8ins on hinges so it can be lifted high enough to pull through the wires. Points will I think stay manual as understanding the wiring frightens the s<<t out of me.

[The Q]

Nothing wrong with using all manual points, I'd be quite happy with wire and tube or similar.

Since you are thinking of using 3 sides and you want a run-around  layout. What's stopping you having a lift up / lift out section past the door way. It doesn't  have to be scenic and can be dropped in in seconds. It only need be 4 inches wide and a door widths length...

[Newportnobby]

Since you are thinking of using 3 sides and you want a run-around  layout. What's stopping you having a lift up / lift out section past the door way. It doesn't  have to be scenic and can be dropped in in seconds. It only need be 4 inches wide and a door widths length...

That'd be my solution, too. Keep it simple with simple wiring connections e.g. pluggable choc block

[mattycoops43]

Nothing wrong with using all manual points, I'd be quite happy with wire and tube or similar.

My attic layout I will be sitting in the middle and it is a low ceiling, so I will probably stick to wire rods to the baseboard edge. Electric points are nice and I am used to them, but there is no logical place to have one control board as I am central, also, my 4yr old is extremely good at doing them by hand and knows how to set a route, so I think levers relative to each point might be the next step. a control board with lots of switches will make it unusable for him.

Personally, if it's not an exhibition layout, and it is for your own enjoyment, there is nothing wrong with the hand of God provided you an reach them all. zero maintenance and massive reduction in price sounds good to me.

Matt

[stevewalker]

If you need to sit for much of the time (like myself at times) there is an alternative. I have my board high enough for standing (and for sitting on a chair underneath while wiring) and will simply use a bar-stool rather than a normal one for operation while seated. As the board is 3' I do have to stand on a chair to reach the back though.

[Delboy]

Like Steve, I have started to build my layout at roughly eye level as I like to view it from there, can get underneath without much effort and can sit in comfort when wiring beneath. If I need to reach the rear of the scenery whilst building, I use a small 2 step ladder.