My salvation arrived when I took out the recycling one night and found four 2'x2' pieces of 1/2" particle board. Three of them had smooth finishes and the fourth was ugly, but I put it in the back corner anyway. Since I hope to move soon, the ability to tear this all down for moving was an asset. I screwed them all together and put down the track. Finally, I had a solid surface to work on. It was time to buy track nails and go crazy with a layout. Then I bought some cork roadbed and made it look even better. I was able to put in some lights, and even installed a few remote switches. Things seemed stable, as long as I vacuumed occasionally.
Unfortunately I still had a significant problem: everything had to sit on the surface of the board. Wires were starting to spread, and I was reading enviously (in N Scale Primer) of layouts built with real benchwork. I needed to elevate my layout enough to run wires underneath for switches, power, and anything else strange I could imagine. I found my childhood blocks and put them underneath the boards. Now I have about an inch of clearance to work with. I'd like more space, but my buildings are too tall to fit if I raise the board any further.
Because I started in a pretty random way, I had to figure all of this out as it happened. Underbed railroading doesn't give you the luxury of building elaborate layouts with multiple levels (unless perhaps you're working under a bunkbed with no bottom bunk), but you should make sure to at least give yourself a small basement underneath your board for wires and anything else that comes along. The extra elevation also keeps some of the dust off the set.
Copyright 1996 by Simon St.Laurent. All rights reserved. You may print this document for yourself or others at no charge, but commercial distribution without permission is prohibited.
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