The Conrail "Sandbox Route"
N-scale railroad coffee table
My Favorite Links:
Consolidated Rail Corporation
I've always been a fan of trains running through mountains. I also don't have the room to set up a large railroad running through a lot of space. I also don't want to hide it under a bed or in the corner of a room all by itself. The den would be a great place for a conversation piece- but I only have about 4'x4' of space in my den. Enough room for a coffee table.

So, why not build a coffee table layout?

The obvious question is where do I start. Would I be able to find a piece of furniture to use for the frame? Would there be something I could recycle? Would a retail store carry something I could use?

I looked high and low for something appropriate to use. Most coffee tables have a piece of solid wood for the top of the table and exposed sides. That doesn't work well if you are supposed to look into it and see a railroad.

Then it hit me as I read through a Wal-Mart flier- A SANDBOX!!!

So I added a 1/2 think piece of plywood to the bottom to make it solid underneath- but it is still a sandbox. The sandbox has a great edge that will support a solid piece of glass too. I decided to model a prototype in a box with four sides that you can't see through- a valley.

My layout is set in the 1980's in the Allegany Mountains somwhere between Altoona and Johnstown. Conrail country!
Pardon the mess-

There is still A LOT of worki to be done on the layout!

Please check back often as new pictures are posted!
Here is a view from above-

You can see the sandbox has a nice ledge to support a glass top!
More about the Sandbox Route
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