New ceiling layout help requested...

I have a shelf layout that I’ve started in a spare room. All the items I’m using to build it I’ve managed to get from Home Depot. Here’s a link to my YouTube channel with some videos of progress! 

https://youtu.be/XUbOXn7aBHM

IndyBrian, I loved your opening sentences, I really got a charge when you said your wife took over your train room for her sewing room.  I had the exact same thing happen to me.  I had a 22 X 25' room that my better half promised me that when her dad passed away his room would be mine for my trains.  Well, he passed away about 5 years ago and I was doodling here and there, trying to come up with something workable, about 8 months went by and all of a sudden my wife comes in and says, are you going to build in my dad's room?  If not, I'm going to use if for my quilting and sewing business and also my embroidery business.  Kicked my can right out of there and all my trains just stayed on the walls for me to look at and wonder what it would have been like to have been able to build a layout in there.  I'm sorry, I don't have any good answers at this time but I wish you a lot of luck on  your new endeavors.

N&WGuy, very nice video, I like what you have started and I subscribed so I can keep up to date with what your are doing, it may come in handy for me down the road after I completed our move to the Dallas area.

Cheers Guys,

I did a ceiling layout in my baby son's room. I used 1/2" MDF for the base as it typically does not warp like some plywood can. I cut the straights into approximately 6" wide, and did angled corners.

I used Metal angle brackets to attached into walls along with some wood bracing blocks that the track supports are glued too. I then ran all my wiring under the track. What gives the final support is the wide crown molding attached to both the drywall and bottom of track supports.

I caulked, primed, and them painted. I also then ran dimmable led strips around the perimeter to light the room. All wiring goes through a hole through the wall into the closet where power resides. Transformer and lights are both connected to "smart plugs" so you can turn on and off the train and lights via Alexa. 

Train is a Lionchief starter set from Menards; works great with the remote set up.

Get yourself a good stud finder so you can locate where to put your support brackets. Studs should be 16 inches on center, but you never know!

Simon

Bryan,

Here is a quick video of my ceiling layout.  I recommend double-tracking, for added trains and entertainment. 

This shows my widest board, a 16X12.  It includes a long spur for parking trains in a small yard.  Most of the boards are 8X10, 3/4 inch pine.  You can see the 6 inch brackets that are screwed to the studs behind the wall.  All boards are doweled into each other, not glued.  Roadbed quiets the running sounds.  The layout is 7 1/2 inches from the ceiling.  The system is DCS, powered by one PW ZW.  I run four trains, on two tracks.

Backdrops hide the brackets, rope lights give a nice, striated effect and can't be see from below.  All wiring is bus, with power drops in all four corners of the 100 foot layout.

All boards are stained, sealed, and sanded three times.  The intent is to match the existing wood.

I've posted many times on ceiling/shelf layouts.  You'll find them with the forum search engine.

Gotta go, the guys are coming to redo my house electrical panel.  Hope this helps, gives you some ideas.

Best wishes,

Jerry

I'm putting a ceiling layout up with two tracks.  One track to store extra rolling stock, one to keep a prewar set busy.

brewcrew, I will use crown molding too. Your son's room looks great.

JerryG, Beautiful woodwork.  My I have a Irish Stout while I wait for the passenger train?

Bill

HAHA.  That is Watney's Cream Stout.  Best beer I ever tasted.  They no longer make it.  Pretty cool of you to pick that one out!!

Jerry

My shelf operation is in the wife's high ceiling Kitchen/Breakfast Room which she deeded me to get off her Den carpet. Since it is up above the cabinets she insisted I used decorative wood brackets (modified for strength) and stain everything to closely match her cabinets. I used 3/4" plywood for roadbed. Operation built in 1992, 14x32, 5 tracks Garrgraves Flex @ 7'-6" and 9' high,one long siding, operation demolished in 2008. Powered by 3 pw ZWs until TMCC then 5 180 watt PoHos linked to TPCs.