I was wanting some opinions on my benchwork.Im building a shelf layout around the perimeter of the second floor of my house.I started out thinking that it would be a simple,single track.Then I subscribed to MR,found this forum,started to go to train shows etc.Well,now Im thinking of something more like a layout around the upstairs.Anyway,my shelf was started by using a 1"x2" to make a “lip” around the room.I left a space in the lip where there where studs,for a 12"shelf bracket.I used 1/2"plywood for the shelf.,screwed into the lip and brackets.The brackets are 18" apart in most cases,24"in other areas(old house)The brackets are heavy duty,steel ones from Lowes.The self extends no more than 18" from the wall,except in the corners.The scenery will be foam covered in plaster cloth.Do you think its strong enough??I cant think of any way to stengthen it further without putting legs on it and I really dont want to use up that much of the rooms space that way.Comments??Also,what would be a good way to hide all the wiring??The shelf is 60" off the floor,so the bottom is really visible.Thanks
Hi Tim. If the brackets are screwed properly into the wall, they should be good for whatever the rated strength of that bracket is without bending, or coming loose. Some of the heavy duty brackets today can hold up to 1000 lbs with no trouble. If you are using 12 inch brackets and your layout is 18’ wide, you may want to switch out some of the brackets you are using with larger ones in places. I would also add a facia board along the outside (front) underneath the layout. this would give added stability and strength to the front edge to prevent warping the plywood, and serve to hide wiring and under table items like turnout motors, etc. An old friend who has used the shelf system for years, used to add a triangular brace every 4 foot or so to add strength and stability to the shelf. The brace went from the front edge of the layout and fastened to the wall near the floor.
Put a small fascia board along the front bottom of the shelf to hide the wiring.
I have just finished a shelf mounted layout. The shelf you describe will be plenty strong enough. The biggest problem I am experiencing is lighting the layout. If your shelf is high, (to clear doorways etc. ) then getting light up there is necessary. Track lighting seemed the obvious solution but I found them too bright, even at 15 watts per head. The effect just didn’t blend with the overall room lighting and dimming the track lights caused the color temperature to be too warm for my taste. My solution was to use 8 watt christmas tree lights mounted on a fascia style strip on the ceiling. Not as elegant as I wanted, but for me, the light value was just right. I even added some blue lights for a night section of the layout.
Rope light would work for lighting also, and wouldn’t be as scattered as Christmas lights. If your plywood isn’t down yet, I’d consider putting 2x4’s on edge at the front and back of the brackets underneath the plywood to prevent any sagging between the brackets. Sagging shouldn’t be a problem under normal conditions, but if you have much humidity or anything, 1/2 inch could show some sag over a few years’ time.
Greg