"what if I sat in an adjustable-height office chair, with the layout at 36" off of the floor.?  It seemed to be an OK height for a model railroad, from my eye's perspective.  But what about construction? Is bending over to work at 36" going to kill my back? "

      If you keep the benchwork reasonably narrow you should be able to work on it sitting down? You might need a a bit taller stool for construction than operating but I don't think it would be any worse than bending over a higher layout while standing? If I had a room with a smooth floor I'd be happy rolling around in an office chair to run trains.If they got tired of sitting one could always stand up for a while and pretend they are in a helicopter chasing trains....DaveB 

It does have a smooth laminate wood floor. The chairs roll around very nicely.

--Jon

I have a layout at 30 inch height from the floor. Rolling chair is just right for me.

If you build modules, you can turn each piece upside down to do the wiring, and why can't you then do the scenery while (mosty) sitting in the chair?

Do provide more chairs for visitors or operators, and allow aisle space for the rolling chairs.

DrJolS

I have thought that sitting and rolling would be much nicer than the train chasing that happens now. If I wanted to be running around I would play tennis I want to relax. I am sitting at a desk right now it is 30 inches deep. I can easily reach the back of it while sitting. If it is a bit of a stretch for some things standing up really extends that reach. You might find the chair thing to be real nice. One other thing you might look at are the auto mechanics chairs and creepers. some have very comfortable seats and some have a wide range of adjustment.

http://www.sears.com/search=craftsman%20creeper%20seat%20mechanics%20adj...

I have the one for 99 dollars and it will hold a large man with out breaking. If you don't check the load rating of ladders and things before you get on them you might be able to use the light duty ones. I know they begin to get springy before I put my full weight on them so I don't use them.

For what it is worth, I raised my desk to standing height at work so I am not sitting all the time. My layout is in a room with sloping ceilings similar to yours but not as large a space and the lowest yard is at 54" and rises to 72" above the floor. I really like the eye level view.

Working with a sloping ceiling has it's challenges but it is what it is. If I were to do it over ... It would be easier to deal with a backdrop if not sloping nor would I hit my head when closer than four feet to the wall. A false wall would address these problems and allow some hidden tracks and storage out of sight. 

If you ever wonder about sitting and how it affects your health check out the Kindle book "Scared Sitless". 

Neil

I think it depends on how much of anything you do Neil. I have seen folks that have had active lifestyles and been on their feet all their lives have lots of health issues as well as the sedentary types. I suspect the right thing is a mixture of activity and non activity. I know flat feet, arthritis, and blown out disks do not make standing and walking more comfortable but sitting and laying down feels lots better. There are also folks that have issues with sitting as well for various other reasons. I am just glad I do not have to deal with both.

Even if you go with the 54" height, that still gives you over 8' in the center of the room. I have 7 feet between my layout edges and do not feel cramped at all. I even have a table in the center of the room. 

Why not go with a height in between? Let's say 42" - 48"? Looking at the diagram you posted, you have more space on one side than the other. Your height is a factor as well. I'm 5'6" short so I want the height comfortable for me. The other consideration is depth of your layout. How far out from the walls will you go? If you're going out 18" or there about, then 54" may not be bad, and you may want to take advantage of the middle of the room for a small peninsula? Larger width frames do hinder reach to the back of the layout. I learned that lesson. Do you have a layout design in mind? Post that so others can give you more feedback.

Good luck!

Neal

I occasionally find myself in some British railway modeling forum and the traditional homes of England seem to lend themselves to tight attic spaces or garden sheds as the only place for empires to be built. I've seen quite a few sitting configured layouts. Though I can't point you to any particular one at the moment.

Building modularly at a workbench makes so much sense, and after that, it does not really matter how low the layout is, except if something goes wrong.

As a contingency measure, I would make sure that your layout is free and clear underneath so you can access it on a "shop creeper" to make repairs later.

Otherwise, I see no issues with your plan for rolling chair operation. It's a great solution to this problem.

But maybe avoid including a duckunder in your plan. ;)

Cheers!