Akihabara Station layout plan using Scarm

[ehtcom]

So I'm toying with the idea of building a cityscape layout based on Akihabara station. This will be my first layout build for over 40 years, and back then it was pretty simple. 

I'll most likely start with a much smaller layout (1200 x 600mm). I'm more of a railfan and enjoy watching the model trains as much as driving them. I'll stick with DC and use a  several Tomix TCS Autonomous Driving Units (Tomix 5574) to control the Shinkansen and Chuo-Sobu lines.
Anyway, below is my plan so far. Please feel free to offer up ideas to improve on this.

Thanks, Earle.

Complete Layout

 

Yamanote & Keihin Tohoku Lines.

 

Ueno Tokyo Line.

 

Akita Shinkansen line.

 

Chuo-Sobu line.

Edited August 12 by ehtcom

[cteno4]

Wow! 10 lines! That is going to be a site running! I love the Japanese crossing line stations like this. I had a large layout designed years ago with the center feature a crossed station at an angle with local lines below and shinkansen station above.

 

My only comment is a practical one with the layout at 3.3m x 1.8m in size, means you are going to have to be reaching in 90-100cm to work in the center sections. This can really be hard to do for even the shortest periods and dexterity is at a minimum working like this. Experiment some on a wider table like a dining room table trying to play with some bits at that distance. It’s also hard on your back and shoulders to work like this so beware if you have either of those issues. Once done just doing track maintenance, track cleaning, and rescuing detailed trains can be a challenge at that depth. Luckily with the right track cleaner dirty track is becoming less of an issue than it use to be.

 

There are frames you can buy that let you kind of lean way over the layout at an angle on your belly but they are bulky, expensive and just a pain to use (I used one on a friend’s layout to clean track at the back next to the wall).

 

Hatches are another method to get to the middle of big layouts but they require you do deal with making scenery to hid the edges of the hatch cover well and deal with stowing the hatch cover once you have popped up from one. I’ve seen folks devise raising mechanisms from below and also attachable cables from above to hold the hatch covers while you are using the hatch opening. But these can be complex and fiddly.

 

Another option to help is to make all the center scenery sections as removable modules you can plop in and out. But this can be a challenge around the areas of the raised track and station. Getting the modules in and out around the elevated tracks and getting the station in place will be a challenge, that’s going to be a large model.

 

the table will also be quite large, I would recommend maybe building the base in 3 sections and just bolting them together. Building a monstrous table in a room is not easy and it’s building a boat in a basement as it will need to be demolished to come out. Smaller tables could be pulled apart with a move if needed. Also just easier to build and deal with three smaller tables, you can build elsewhere and just carry in.

 

Sorry to bring this up but I did a ton of exhibit modeling at 3/4” scale when I was young and the models would get very, very big and we had to deal with these issues all the time with the models pulling apart, hatches, stepping places, and even trapezing in from above! Our old club sectional layout had modules at 50cm wide and that was kind of depth that you could comfortably work on something at the back of the module for some length of time.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[ehtcom]

Thanks for the in depth reply Jeff.

I had thought about this and am hoping because it's a city scape there won't be too much complex scenery. Just roads, the odd tree and buildings. 

 

To make matters even more challenging, this has to be a temporary setup as it's going into my active workshop. So it will be suspended from the ceiling via ropes and pulleys then slid onto the top of shelving in a corner when stored.  The shelving is 600mm deep, so there will be 2700mm x 1200mm overhang. I'll have a few droppers from the ceiling to support the edges.

To keep the benchwork as light as possible I have ripped down some 12mm plywood to 75mm strips. Seven of these will run the full 3300mm length spaced at 300mm centres. Then shorts will be screwed (pocket hole screws) every 300mm between. Creating a massive 3300mm x 1800mm grid of 300mm x 300mm squares. The border will also have a 250mm strip laminated to the 75mm strips for extra sag protection. Across the short width I may have to add some 50 ish mm  strips on the flat to creat a sort of I beam effect, again to help with sag. The long length through the centre if there is sag, I may have to add some metal strapping/cable and adjuster like a barrup truss. 

I'm not sure if I'll line the top with some 3mm plywood then 30mm foamboard, or just use the 30mm foamboard.

If this system works I should be able to tilt the layout to aid with initial scenery (road paths etc). But once the elevated track and buildings are on it will become too unstable. 

One very big advantage of this system, if it works, is cabling. I'll be able to walk under the bench :). I also plan to pre-drill plenty of holes in the plywood gridwork for cabling.

 

When the layout is in place, it will be supported by removable legs around the perimeter and the center will be supported by a 1800mm x 1000mm mobile workbench.

I must say that track saws really make things easy. Wish these were around 40 years ago.

 

You can just make out the black 17mm formply top of the bench the layout will eventually sit on.

Below is a piece of 2400 x 1200mm (8' x 4') ply. Just running some trains for fun.
 

 

Regards, Earle.

Edited August 12 by ehtcom

[cteno4]

Wow hauling up to the ceiling, that is a challenge.
 

Sounds like a plan with the grid. I’m a big fan of using ply strips to do grids for module bases like you are doing. I usually put half lap joints in the crossing pieces so they all lock together. Bit more work but when the cross pieces lock together they are super stable. You can make them even more rigid by gluing small blocks in the corners of the joints on diagonal corners for some or all joints.

 

I think you are spot on to just have to build and see how the sag is when suspended and try adding additional stabilization like you have outlined. More support wires could help but be more of a pain as well to wind. I’ve seen folks do large elevation systems like this using pipes along each side of the layout at the ceiling and rotating them to wind multiple cables around the pipe to lift them together. But always difficult do to in synchrony. Really will be great to see your experience with this as it’s one of those projects to make light weight it’s going to have to be an experiment. Love you are ready to just go at it in a stepwise experiment.

 

having a thin ply top will definitely help lock your grid together a lot. 3mm will probably be stiff enough not to sag in the center of each square on your 30cm grid. Would be harder to secure extruded foam board or your grid super firmly and I expect it may not give the same level of stiffness that well attached plywood might give. A layer of extruded foam well laminated to the ply might give you an extra bit of stiffness and gives you the ability to go down into it for scenery if desired.

 

track saws are such a nice tool! I cheat with a big table saw for most stuff, but love my track saw to do the big whacks at plywood sheets. But I have a woodworking friend that has gone over to only using the track saw and sold his table saw! He built a very adjustable table for cutting with lists of dog holes. I use mostly Baltic birch 7ply 12mm ply for a lot of my woodwork. But more expensive than standard ply but such straight and good wood it makes life a lot easier in the long run. I run it in end thru the joiner once on one side to just make sure totally flat then a couple of passes thru the planer on edge and it cleans up like high end dimensional lumber, but much lighter, stronger, and cheaper.

 

For the center scenery yes if flat maybe just drop in flat pieces of styrene with streets, small scenery elements, and such on it and drop them in and plunk down buildings on them. Magnets can be a great way to attach buildings down so they can be easily aligned at a distance and survive any jiggling when the layout is lifted.

 

I’m looking forward to your progress on this and what you learn! Please keep posting on it, it’s wonderful data to have!

 

cheers,

 

jeff