I want to install a two track wall mount mount layout and I’m wondering if anyone has any suggestions as to the best way of attaching brackets to the wall[?] I have a drop ceiling so I don’t want to hang the track from the ceiling. I was thinking about using 3/4" PVC as the vertical piece against the wall and a horizonal piece of PVC under the tracks with an elbow on each end. To stiffen the horizonal piece, I plan on inserting a wooden dowel inside. The layout will be approx. 24’ X 32’. Also, any suggestions as to how many power feeds I’ll need and approx. how far apart[?]
I would advise against PVC. I assume you intend to use pipe since I don’t know of any shapes. PVC is a wet noodle in my opinion. The two ways I would consider are 18-24" metal shelf brackets secured to the wall studs or a pair of 1 x 4’s attached to the wall about two vertical feetor more apart with a 1 x 4 horizontal member for the horizontal and a 1 x 2 or 4 angular member from the front edge back to the lower 1 x 4 attached at studs for structural support. Either metod would require some thought as to a backdrop and assumes there is drywall in place that could be painted sky colors.
That’s exactly what I did around the walls, had to put legs when I traversed the area in front of my garage door.
Screwed right into the wall studs its very secure.
I did mean 24 feet X 32 feet, Jerry. That’s the size of the room I want to run the trains around. I might alter the brace idea from ndbprr by cutting a 1 X 4 at 45 degree angles on each end and attaching it to the wall and the bottom of the track support. Which leads me to another question. Any ideas on what I can use to lay the track on. I would like to use something like plexiglass so the trains will be more visible since they will be about 7 feet from the floor but, plexiglass is too flexible. I plan on using MTH scale tracks because Realtrax, with the track bed, would block too much of the inner train view. Does anybody know of anything I could use under scale tracks that would be stiff enough to hold up the track and trains and not block too much of the two tracks?
Thanks Jerry. I’ll check with my local plastic suppliers. That just might be what I’m looking for.
Girders are built the way theyv are for a reason - stregnth. One of the things you learn in engineering is the maximum strenghth of a beam is needed at the top and bottom of a horizontal beam since that is where the maximum compression (top) and tension (bottom) are located. You also learn that a beam made of four 1x4’s into a box is infinitely stronger than a solid 4 x 4. If you built 24" wide by 4" deep boxes of plastic they should do fine. It would also give you a place to run wires.
Thanks for the info, ndbrr.
I used 1x4 pine glued and screwed in a "L " shape with supports that I cantilivered to the side wall studs about 48 inches apart for my 25x15 foot shelf railroad. The running surface is 24 inches wide but I could have gone wider.
I was asking this same question about 6 or 8 months ago on the atlasrr n-scale forum.
I had several great responses and the bottomline is that for n-scale, I built 2’ wide shelfs from plywood and mounted them on the wall with metal brackets that are commonly available at the do it yourself building supply places.
I used the 24" vertical brackets and 24" horizontal brackets.
The layout is just started. I have two adjacent shelves up.
This works great for n-scale.
There is storage room under the shelves. This is great because we moved here about 6 months ago, so unpacking is not complete.
Roger