Hi All:

Any suggestions for the height of a 2 m x 1 m layout - in a bedroom - not for exhibitions.

I am thinking it has to be something where I can sit comfortably and operate it and lower heights would make reaching over buildings, telegraph poles, signals etc to the other side easier. Desk height?

Any thoughts/comments/help appreciated! 

My layout is also a 'sit down to watch the trains go by' thing and it is just below waist height - I can, by design, just slide an Ikea 2 box high storage unit under it. So it's higher than a desk - it's more at a level such that eye level is just above the board when I am sitting.
I'll stick a tape measure on it later when I get home.
Donald

I would suggest a lot depends on whether the layout is almost finished before being put into place. There's a lot of difference between a height for viewing/access to trains and a height for working, as the latter is contingent on your youth/state of your back etc. Due to my poor old back (aaaah) my main layout height is 44" above floor level and I have one of those gas operated bar stool type thingies which allows me to view at eye level or from above so I get the best of both worlds

My 1.6x0.8m is similar to what you describe - I haven't made it scenic as it's also pretending to be a desk which, like the rest of the room, is easy to clean if I need to hang drying negs up.

[smg id=22113]

The seating arrangement would dictate the height for me along with how high you need to be to sit comfortably. Using a height adjustable office chair I reckon somewhere between 70-80cm is most comfortable for me, with the lower height being easier to reach further over, but I could just raise the chair to reach over a slightly higher layout. 70-80cm is typical desk height if I recall.

To sit down and watch trains go by I prefer a higher board level, this is so that when I'm sat down my eyes are closer to track level. For this I am building my current layout at a 1m height which I find comfortable to work on standing up or from a bar stool, and gives trackside viewing from a chair.

I've just checked mine and its 850mm.
A little lower than I thought, and probably a little lower than I would go if doing it again. Maybe about 950 would be grand...
Donald

Quote from: mr magnolia on February 27, 2015, 07:17:27 PM
I've just checked mine and its 850mm.
A little lower than I thought, and probably a little lower than I would go if doing it again. Maybe about 950 would be grand...
Donald

I always thought 1000 was a grand

Hi All:

Many thanks for everyone for their input! 

It's certainly a work in progress at present and so I can imagine perhaps even raising it after most of the work is done. I certainly want to be able to sit whilst working on it but also like the idea of eye-level time watching the trains go by. 

Stand each leg on a bottle jack for the best of both worlds!

IMHO no real good answer

- If its low it is easy to reach over but you have to bend over to do things
- If its high you get a much more natural viewing angle and stand but cant' reach so well

If its reachable from all sides either might work well. If its only reachable from one side and 1m across then it might have to be low. You'd have to try with the bare board and imagine having lots of delicate objects all over it

I've ended up with 75cm height on a baseboard 90cm deep for a couple of reasons:

- layout is partially below some windows which I don't want to obscure
- I'll have to work on it in-situ
- it's in my office and just about the right height to watch the trains when sitting.

My simple rule for single level layouts for my own purposes is elbow height  hey it works for me 

I am thinking of 4 pullys in the ceiling and some sash cord - like the old clothes airer , then it can be out of the way when her outdoors comes to  hoover ..... (and its out of the way of the grand kids  )

Get a roomba, they fit under almost anything and need a lot less maintenance