Ceiling layout started, table layout to follow

Looks great !

Very impressive!  You're doing the project in the "right" order.

I designed and built a 15x19-feet L-shaped layout in the Train Room, but the layout platform is limited to O42 curves and switches.  The pricey locomotives in my Rock Island collection require larger curves; so they are "shelf queens" resting on display shelving because of that limitation.

I considered a ceiling layout with O72 curves, but installing an "around the walls" layout up there above the existing layout would be a challenge! With 20/20 hindsight, I  should have built the ceiling layout FIRST.

Live and learn ....

Mike M.   LCCA 12394

Work from the top down.

Very nice.

Bob

I like the pipe brackets.  How are you joining the wood where one piece end and another begins?

Wow!  Your ceiling layout looks great!  Far nicer than my Ceiling Central RR.  I did the same, building a small ceiling railroad in the basement, and then when our last to leave home daughter's room became available, I started building a table layout there.

@cbojanower posted:

I like the pipe brackets.  How are you joining the wood where one piece end and another begins?

Thanks! All straights are one solid board. The corners connect to the straight runs with half lap joints approx. 1" long in the wood and all land on the metal brackets. So when screwed underneath, it fully locks the two sections together.

@brewcrew posted:

As I wrap up building out my basement, I have started on my ceiling layout in the bar/tv room.

Curves are O-54 and will be Gargraves track. For now probably use newer Lionel Bluetooth locos to avoid and sort of command system on this layout. I’ll save my DCS and TMCC for the main layout.

The hangars I made from Poplar wood and the purchased the black pipe hangers. RJ Gabor on Etsy built the bridges for me. I have someone else CNC route the curved track base sections.

Will end up using the Clouse Metal Railing on the sides of the track base.

Also below is a layout of what the main area will be. Thanks to Richard Schutt for helping design that.

Great work. Ceiling layouts are both very satisfying and labor intensive.  I did one myself in 2021-22 (chronicled here on OGR) and I can tell you it was a lot of fun/s measuring and building while on a ladder and my neck at a 45-degree angle facing up all the time. .  But when it was done, oh man, what a pleasure to just sit and watch.  It was first a double track O with O-54 and O-63 Atlas track and then became O-63 on the outside and HO scale on the inside.

Best of luck on your project and I will be watching the progress.

Kevin is right, it was satisfying and literally a pain in the neck.  My ceiling is only 7’-4” high, so fitting everything above the 6’-8” doors was tricky.  I could have made it lower, but I wanted it to look presentable.  I took shortcuts that made mine not look as good, but it has been sturdy for almost 10 years.  My hat is off to you brewcrew for building something that is sturdy and looks great too!

Thanks for the kind words. This is actually my second ceiling layout. My first was a bit more “ornate” that I built in our last house for our infant son who is now 5.