Martin Johnson Mfg. Domino Style Bench Work

[riverotter]

Has anyone had any experience with Martin Johnson Mfg.?

Model Railroad Accessories | Model Railroad Tables | Model Railroad Portable Tables | Model Railroad Hobbyists | Railroads

Their website advertises Modular Model Train Tables - 2' x 4' domino style bench work that can be set up, locked together in just minutes and without tools. The top is ½" fiber board supported by a custom extruded aluminum frame. The adjustable legs are made from welded 1-1/8" steel tubing. The legs are adjustable from 20" to 42". The 2 ft x 4 ft dominoes modules fold to a 2" thickness for storage. Domino Benchwork with standard ½" fiberboard top is $74.50

Sievers pre-fab benchwork is close to $100 for a 2' x 4' with fixed-length legs, and Mianne is over $120.

I have an 8' x 10' corner space where I could put a switching layout that might eventually be expanded in another location, so four portable 2'x4' modules would work well. If you've had any experience with this manufacturer's products, or even any anecdotal information, or even thoughts and impressions, I'd really appreciate your sharing.

Thanks!

[Kevinkrey]

Is there a reason you dont want to build your own?

[riverotter]

I am a Certified Handydork. I also carry the NATOPT* self-endangerment designation, which I earned with the assistance of a lawn mower several years ago.

* Not Allowed To Own Power Tools

[Kevinkrey]

Originally Posted by riverotter

I am a Certified Handydork. I also carry the NATOPT* self-endangerment designation, which I earned with the assistance of a lawn mower several years ago.

* Not Allowed To Own Power Tools

Ohhhhhh...........I see

I plan on attending carpentry school in a few years and already know most of the trade, I could not get by without my workshop. So to me the benchwork was my favorite part.

Have you looked at woodland scenics modular layout parts? they look pretty easy to use. Heres a link.
MUR

[MasonJar]

Otter,

The link you gave is not functional right now, but your description sounds good. The price is high compared with materials (pine + 2" pink styrofoam) to do it yourself, but all the work is done, so there's the value of your time to consider.

With your "special" certification , it sounds like this is the way for you to go.

Andrew

[riverotter]

Thanks for alerting me to the broken link. It seemed to be working for me this morning, but here's the raw link you can copy and paste directly into your browser: martinjohnsonmfg.com

[Kevinkrey]

Well, I dont know if you have purchased anything yet, but if not, take a look at this site, it appears to involve a bare minimum of work and might be cheaper, this is probably very similar to regular benchwork, only more work already done.

Benchwork, Sievers, model railroad, model trains, layout design, HO scale

[riverotter]

Originally Posted by Kevinkrey

Well, I dont know if you have purchased anything yet, but if not, take a look at this site, it appears to involve a bare minimum of work and might be cheaper, this is probably very similar to regular benchwork, only more work already done.

Benchwork, Sievers, model railroad, model trains, layout design, HO scale

Thanks for this information. I had previously purchased a couple of modules of both Sievers and Mianne pre-fab benchwork, and I found both of them to be flimsy and very expensive on a per-foot basis. Also, Mianne's benchwork is not truly modular, as adjoining sections share a leg assembly rather than each having its own, as Sievers' benchwork does.

I'm also exploring hollow-core doors as another alternative construct for layout modules.

[Kevinkrey]

Sorry about that post then, just see it all the time in MR mag and thought it looked ok. The nice thing about this site is you can hear these things and learn from other peoples misfortunes ( sorry it was you this time).

[MasonJar]

The hollow-core door idea is good, although they will require some sort of modification. Probably the simplest is the addition of a layer of foam to create landforms on the surface (are you allowed to use glue? ).

Other modifications can include cutting holes to run wiring and allow clamping end-to-end (or end-to-edge), addition of re-enforcements at leg attachment points.

Do you have a club nearby? You may be able to find someone to help you, or even to construct something for you, in return for payment or some sort of trade of skills or modelling "stuff".


Andrew