Building the Baseboards

OK, so there are as many ways to build baseboards as there are to cook eggs! but we can all learn from the experience of others.  I built my base boards 2ft by 4ft 2"x1" timber framed leaving 1ft squares covered by a 2ft by 4ft board of Sundeala.  The rational is that they are quick to build, light and easy to work with.  From experience the down side is that the Sundeala boards warp and you are left with a hilly terain...

In retrospect I will now always build an outer frame of maybe 2ft by 6ft, two cross members accross the width (leaves 2ft x 2ft squares) and cover it with 9mm ply.  It is actually stronger, lighter and flatter.  A bonus here is that the cross members are less likely to interfere with the the installation of track, electrics and scenery...

The main thing to consider here is not the construction materials but how you fill the space?  90 deg corners are not conducive with large radius bends of track so fit angeled pieces in each corner so that you can utilise more of the base board.  Don't have the boards much wider than 2ft else you can't work easily on the construction and when completed the trains are harder to reach.

If you are considering an exhibition layout then you may think that by having a trimmed down shape to fit the track layout will save weight!  It will but at the expense of it being more difficult to fit into a support frame for transportation!