Baseboards

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Why do we need baseboards? The real railway has the ground to build on (or through, under or over!) but a model railway needs something to sit on so we build baseboards...

The simplest baseboard is a flat piece of board with enough framing to keep it flat and legs if it needs them - a simple table. Board of various types is easily available in sizes up to 4' x 8' and a baseboard of this size can be used for a large N gauge layout or a smallish 00 gauge one, provided an oval track plan is acceptable.

For anything more complicated or larger, several baseboards will be required. These can simply be smaller versions of the basic board assembled to give the shape required by the layout or much more complicated affairs. It gets really fun when dealing with exhibition layouts as the baseboard needs to be light and reasonably small whilst remaining stiff and this has lead to any number of variations using different materials.

It is probably true to say that there are as many views on baseboards and how to build them as there are people building them. It's a whole area of the hobby in it's own right and like many things whatever works for you is OK.

Links to baseboard related pages

• Baseboard Surface
• Baseboard Sides
• Baseboard Tools
• Glues