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I have done what you are considering in my dining room. Of all the projects and enhancements that have been made to my home, I do believe this is the one that everyone enjoys the most. Can you see the trains? Of course you can see the trains. Can you see the scenery? Of course you can see the scenery. Is HO the best scale for this idea? It depends on the size of the room. My layout runs around a room that is 12X18.....HO scale fits well without being the main focal point in the room. My shelf is made of Melomene which is nothing more than partical board finished both sides with a very thin layer of formica. It is attached with screws at every stud thru the width of the shelf, was alot of work and requires good shop equipment to accomplish, but it was the only way to avoid any kind of angled supports or brackets. The background will be a border size wallpaper of bavarian mountain scenery as soon as I can find it. I do have a few buildings up there where they fit, in the corners mostly and along one 18 foot wall where I made the shelf 8 inches deep as opposed to 4 just for this purpose. <br />You will need to raise the buildings up around 3/4 of an inch to compensate for the angle that you are viewing from. Tips or tricks......the biggest problem that you will face with this layout is noise. Do everything in your power to isolate the track from the shelf surface. I highly recommend foam for roadbed and do not mechanically attach the track to the shelf. This layout is really a memorial to my father who left me his collection of bavarian style buildings and Roco rolling stock - anyone who has run Roco equipment knows that they are virtually silent in operation as they are precise little machines. If I run them any faster than "creep" you would swear that jets were flying over. If I run any of my other loco's up there the noise is just unacceptable. I did not even consider this when I was building it so let me say it again - do everything in your power to isolate the track from the shelf. Do not let this discourage you from what you are planning to do. When we are able to host family and friend type get togethers, there is no way that anyone would be happy unless the trains are running. And if you happen to have little ones in the house - the looks on their faces watching them run around the room is priceless.
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