Howdy, all. I've been on OGR for years and years and never really had a chance to participate on the "model" side of things. I'm a large railroadiana collector and haven't had the space for an operating layout. However, my wife and I are about to move into a new home which I am going to construct a considerable amount of bookshelves, etc. to hold my " railroad junk." While constructing, the thought hit me to install a shelf layout around the top of the room. As a youngster, I had an O Gauge shelf layout and had one of the very early MTH PS1 C30-7s pulling trains...I'm thinking of building on that concept at my new home. Since I haven't "modeled" anything in over 15 years, I do have some questions I would love your feedback on:
1.) What track system would you recommend from an ease of maintenance stand point and most importantly, availability via online retailers? Sadly, there aren't any "local" hobby shops in my area within an hour drive. Clearly, I'm not worried about the rivet or tie plate count on a shelf layout.
2.) I am thinking of going a minimum of 072 on at least one of the tracks, does anyone have experience going with that "wide" of a radius on a shelf layout? I hope in the future to run articulateds such as a Y or A (the thought of a Hooter whistle echoing through the house makes me smile).
3.) Since I'm starting from "scratch" I'm not married to one single operating system, although I'm leaning towards Lionel's Legacy System because I'm a huge Southern Railway fan and love the newer Legacy PS4 and the quillable whistle features. I know this is a Ford/Chevy debate but what transformer should I consider? Knowing me, I will end up with both systems at some point because I also love MTH's model of "Southern 2716."
4.) I'm thinking of using 1x10s for the "shelving." I know this won't be wide enough for the 072 curves (I will have to cut out plywood there) but is this enough clearance for a double track main in your experience? Or should I go 1X12?
5.) Is 12 inches from the ceiling to the top of the shelving provide enough clearance for most of today's modern rolling stock (i.e. autoracks, double stacks)?
Any other suggestions you can provide, I certainly would appreciate! Again, I'm not trying to be the next Norm Charbonneau or something as large as Mr. Muffin; this shelf layout will be built simply to enjoy operating, hearing the sounds and providing the guests something to look at besides dozens of lanterns, books and other railroad hardware.
Thanks!
Chad
