What is the height of your layout?

[Roger Hensley]

40 inches going to a height of 54 inches and I am 5' 11". Several years ago I raised the layout 6 inches and I operate either from a tall chair or standing.

[FiatFan]

My benchwork is at 42" and I'm 5'8". This is the same height as my workbench. I can comfortably stand or sit on a 29" bar stool to work at either place.

That is also a good height for any of the younger great-grandchildren who come to visit. Putting them on the bar stool allows them to see the trains and I can set the stool far enough away that they can see but not touch the trains. They tend to grab at moving objects and this keeps them and the trains safe.

Tom

[jcj380]

48 inches for my HO layout.

48-in is an easy length to find for standard lumber and PVC pipe, which I use for legs in some sections. Also, since it's a donut plan, 48-in is still relatively easy to duck under. It's a good height for me to stand and work on the layout and it's also a good compromise viewing height if I sit down to operate. I'm 5'10" and my knees are still doing ok, but I might have to lower it and add a liftout section eventually.

[BR60103]

From above:
Layout height 51". My doctor tells me I'm now a bit below 6' tall.

[eightyeightfan1]

"Aleve" height.
How ever far the Aleve will allow me to bend.
About 40".

[nachoman]

My layout "legs" are 48", and atop that there is an L-Girder frame of 1x2 and plywood subroadbed, making the track level probably about 50" at it's lowest. The track climbs a grade, with the highest point about 9" above the lowest, if I recall, making the highest track about 59". And then there are buildings and mountains above that. The top of the highest mountain is probably around 70".

In hindsight, that is too high. I may someday lower the legs about 10". I'm a tall fellow, but visitors and kids have a hard time. And even myself had a hard time laying track that high up and using a skewer to uncouple cars. My feeling is that unless you have to have clearance underneath for furniture or other items, 50-55" is probably the highest you want to go for the highest track, especially if your layout is deep.

[doctorwayne]

Mine varies from 36" at its lowest to 59.5" for most of the second level. The height between those points varies, even though the supporting structure for all but the actual second level is only 31" high, with the open grid benchwork adding another 3.5", and everything else on risers of varying height - 0"-24". The lower level (the area below the partial second level) is meant to be operated from a rolling office chair, while the balance of the single level area can be operated either from the chair or standing. The second level, naturally, is for standees only, and, depending on where the track will be placed, operators may have to use step-stools to operate turnouts or perform uncoupling maneuvers.
My drivers licence says that I'm 6'....all I know is that I can still see over the steering wheel and my right foot can most definitely reach the accelerator pedal.

Wayne

[ezdays]

I determined that my old layout was 42" high, with scenery adding a few more inches to that. It was comfortable for me to work at while standing and I do have an old draftsman stool that I can sit at if need be. I've got a bed frame that I built for an air mattress when I converted my train room back into a bedroom when we thought we were going to sell our house. I am going to change out the legs and add a layer of extruded foam so that the new layout will be just about 42" high as well.

From the feedback here, there is no hard and fast rule, whatever works for each individual and for whatever reason, that is what they wind up with. As time goes by, 42" may be a bit higher than I'd like, so my design will allow me to cut the legs down as need be. I know one time I had made a base with adjustable legs, mostly because it was in a garage and had to be leveled each time I moved it, but it really wasn't that stable and I would have been better off leveling it a different way.

[dgaken]

My shelf layout is mounted on the wall at 50", it's been comfortable to work on (and below), and when viewed from a standing position looks attractive.

Huron & Eastern HO Scale Shelf Layout by dangaken, on Flickr

[Canadian Atlantic Railway]

Very nice setup dgaken

[ezdays]

Well, I finally put the legs on my layout base and as I suspected, 42" is going to be a bit higher than I like. I want to be able to reach everything without standing on a stool and I cannot. As I said, I can cut the legs down by as much as 5", but I think I'll settle for around 2". Let's face it, at my age, I need comfort before appearances and I want to be able to work on it either standing up or sitting on a high stool. I should be able to do that at 39 to 40". So, there goes my afternoon...

[BR60103]

I had some pins in the layout today, marking where track is going to go, and I caught one in the sleeve of my new sweater and pulled it out. I also made a snag in the sweater, but I teased that into invisibility.

So, maybe at least 6" lower than your outstretched arm.

Years ago, a fellow I worked with complimented us on having a layout at a show at a height his son could see. In those days, we just plunked the modules down on the lunch tables the hall provided.

[doctorwayne]

Yeah, "ideal" layout height can vary, even for the same layout. My youngest granddaughter is about 1 1/2 and quite interested in my trains and the details on the layout. However, she's not yet tall enough to see even the lower level, so I sit on a rolling office chair with her on my knee and we wheel around checking things out. The upper level is mostly empty, but the staging yard is complete and its tracks populated by various cars and locos - she usually picks the one she wants to run when we do the initial walk-around tour of the room.
An older granddaughter, 9, is often interested in the trains, too, and she's quite a careful operator. I've posted a few of the photos which she's taken, as they're pretty nicely-composed. She's tall enough to see all but the upper level, but often likes to view the lower level from a step-stool - perhaps a fan of Barney Secord's work.

Wayne