Hi everyone. I have been interested in model rr for sometime and have just started getting serious. I am thinking of doing a shelf type layout that passes through walls into multiple rooms. Has anyone done this? Or could point me in the right direction to some info. I have already gotten a lot of info from this forum and look forward to your input. Thanks, Chris
Welcome aboard, Chris,
Layouts with trackwork that penetrates structural walls have been built in the past and will doubtless be built in the future - one layout, now history, had the main approach to the big terminal station run through both walls of a bathroom, crossing the space on a shelf above the toilet tank...
The things to watch for are behind the sheetrock - structural woodwork, electrical wiring, plumbing and so forth. Other than that, punching a hole through a wall big enough to run a train through isn't much different from punching a hole for a TV or internet cable connection except for size. Just use a keyhole saw, cut carefully and make sure the roadbed through the hole is level and securely anchored on both ends.
Of course, this assumes that you are a homeowner. If you are a renter your landlord might be less than happy...
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
Thanks Chuck. I do own and almost have my wife's approval. I have built several houses so the wall won't be much of a problem. How big (depth) were the shelves on the layouts that you have seen?
Most of the time, the wall is used as a tunnel. Through a bathroom, the shelf is only 2 tracks wide.
CPN, welcome ot the hobby and to the forum.
One of the cardinal rules of model railroading is that your reach must cover all operating parts of the layout. Turnouts (switches) you can't reach, where derailments happen or where the turnout fails mechanically and must be removed are a real bear. Placing things in such a way, and high enough, that your elbows knock things over or actually break them, is also something to avoid.
Therefore, as a general rule, but varying with your height and reach, and the shelf height, no shelf should be deeper than about 28".
Those penetrating walls, as stated earlier, are almost always single or double tracked only...so maybe 6" wide at most.
Thanks everyone. I maybe should have been a little more clear earlier, I have built real houses not too many scale houses. I was thinking about 12" to 18" for the shelf, so far I'm not to far off. Thanks again.