I’m in the planning stages of a shelf-type layout in a 9’x20’ room. I’d like to use the space below the layout for storage, so I don’t plan to have any legs to the floor. The layout will be 30" wide along all 4 walls, except for the duck-under / drop section at the door into the room. I plan on using 2" extruded polystyrene insulation for my scenery base, over 1/4" something (plywood, masonite hardboard, etc.) for attaching screws to the layout bottom. I’ve read so many ideas for benchwork construction in different articles, that I’d like to find out what’s worked for somebody else - particularly in a similar situation. I’m not looking to spend a fortune on the benchwork (actually, I’d like it to be reasonbly inexpensive, but not “cheap”), and I plan to brace it to the wall for stability, but I still want it strong enough for me to get on top of (obviously prior to installing foam, trackwork, or scenery) to help me install my lighting and valances. It’s a tall order to fill for sure. Any ideas?
i haven’t really started mine yet, but i experimented with the cheap stamped steel shelf brackets screwed to the wall. they might work, but if i mount it to the wall permanently, i’d use the kind that have the slotted rail with the bracked that clicks in. They cost a little more but are probably way sturdier and you can put shelving underneath. they look nicer, too.
Get Linn Westcott’s book from “How to Build Model Railroad Benchwork”. Use his double arm wall brackets and 1x3+1x2 L-girders. You’ll only need 2 supports on the short walls, 3 on the long, plus whatever you need to handle the drop section (maybe one extra). Pretty cheap, very strong, very flexible. If you screw the supports into the studs properly it will support whatever you put on it, including you. Thirty inches is about the limit, but that’s what you said you sere doing. The brackets themselves will go most of the way to the floor, at an angle from the front of the layout, but there will not be anything else in the way at all. I need to take some pics…
I used the white wall brackets with the double slots and 24" white arms on every stud around three walls and it has worked really well. I used 2x8 1" sheets of blue foam (since 2" thick is not available around here in the SW) glued together two or three sheets depending on the amount of river cutting I needed. It rests right on the shelf brackets with no wood whatsoever. It has been up over a year and a half (no sagging, although I had a contingency plan if it had - gluing on aluminum L shaped along the lengths.) I put up a 24" high .60 styrene backdrop with stick on magnets which hold onto each shelf bracket. I am going to glue a thin wood or .60 styrene sheet for the facia face. I put up other brackets on top (painted sky blue) of each section to hold a similar two sheet thick blue foam that will form the top of my shadow-box. I will attach velcro to the top section’s face and hang curtains when I’m not running trains - to keep the dust out. I am going to run strings of white and blue christmas lights under the top sheets for day & night effects. The shelf brackets were not cheap at Home Depot but the white brackets make for a clean appearance and leaves the area under the layout free. Photos will be coming in the future.
Mike P ABQ,NM
The Old Dog would suggest that you might want to make a mock up of that width at the level you intend to use. Will you be able to reach the back of the layout without doing damage to items at the front? Also consider that 30" width means a 45" reach in the corners. The Old Dog would suggest a narrower shelf in most areas. That might also allow to go to multiple levels if you so desire.
Have fun
If you don’t use the adjustable shelf brackets, check the Stanley line of large, heavy-duty brackets, finished in white, simple in design and available at Home Depot and probably many similar sources: #257555 - 20"x13" White Heavy Duty Shelf Bracket. 20" is the horizontal dimension; they also have smaller sizes if you narrow your shelf. Dante
I have a double track around the walls 10’X18’ trainroom. I used a hinge swing gate rather that a drop leaf or removable section. I interlocked the latch on the gate with Normally Open microswitches that kill the power to 3’ sections on each side of the gate. I have a 30" wide bench down one of the 18’ walls with an eight track yard running parallel to the double track down the wall. I’m wheelchair bound, but have no trouble reaching the trackage by the wall. I don’t have any legs except for at the hinge point of the swing gate and the end of the gate for steardiness and goiod track alignment. I have gussets that 45 from the layout edge to the wall studs. It makes the shelf rock solid. The other 10’ and 18’ side are 24" wide as is the short (about 5’ long) section over to the swing gate. I used 3/8" thick blandex for the layout top & my mainline is laid on cork. The yard area was painted with an earth tone paint. I laid the yard track while the paint was still tacky so my ballast would stick without using the white glue/water mix. I have an old hand crank sausage grinder that I used to grind up kitty litter for the ballast. I also use it to pulverize the charcoal like that in an aquarium filter for coal in my steam loco tenders & loaded hopper cars. It brings the smal 34’ hoppers up to a good weight to run 75 & 80 car trains. I also use it in my coaling tower and as ground cover around my engine servicing facility. Tweet
You might want to check the series of articles by Don Spiro in Railroad Model Craftsman on building a wall-mounted shelf layout. He used shelf brackets from Home Depot to construct the shelf. I believe the article describing the actual construction of the shelf with the brackets was in either the August or September, 2005 issue.
I’m about to start on a new around-the-wall N scale layout in which I’ll be mounting 24" wide benchwork to the walls in my train room. Since this is most likely the last layout I’ll build, I will probably use the method described in the Westcott book, “How to Build Model Railroad Benchwork” 2nd. Edition, on page 22-23. As mentioned in one of the above posts, this approach gives extremely strong and stable benchwork and uses a minimal amount of lumber. Another point mentioned above is your 30" width. This should be the maximum, with 24" width or less more workable. I would try to avoid 30" near any corners, unless there will be no track or other items needing access or maintenance on the back corner. The maximum width that’s practical is dependent on the height of the layout off the floor. The higher it is, the shorter your reach will be without the aid of a stool or ladder.
Bob
Don Spiro’s article in which he describes the bench work made from a shelf system can be found in the October, 2005 issue of Railroad Model Craftsman starting on page 72. He used the Dorfile shelf system from Home Depot.
Bob