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Throughout all of the debate over construction technique, the question of layout height also rages, with somewhat less agreement. There are advocates of low benchwork [Westcott 1964], high benchwork [Fiehmann 1969, Schaumburg 1984], and even those who argue it should be based on how much room you need to work, either under the layout [Schopp 1951] or above it [Nafford 1947]. Some argue that the ultimate design is that of the Model Railroad Club (of New Jersey) with 72-inch clearance under the roadbed and elevated operating platforms 36-inch below track level [Mallery 1984], but few individual modelers have the luxury of 16-foot ceilings in our basements.
A recent survey of experienced modelers showed a strong bias toward fairly high track. The median was 48-inch with a bias toward higher construction from those with lower heights [Long 1990]. This is not a modern trend, as this height has been touted by published experts for quite some time [Nafford 1947].
Most benchwork designs can be built to any height desired, and some even have adjustable or easily changed heights. The only significant point to be made here is that benchwork hung from overhead gets less bulky and expensive as the height increases, rather than more. Even wall-mounted cantilever designs are less expensive, as less backdrop height is needed. That said, these savings can easily be lost to a need for closer spacing of lighting components. As ever, there is no such thing as a free lunch.