Shelf Layout Support Spacing

[rlandry6]

I'm going to be starting an around the room, "U" shape,shelf type, N Scale layout. I'm going to use the double hook, stud anchored metal shelving supports from Home Depot instead of wooden benchwork.That way, I can add shelving for storage underneath when necessary. General dimensions will be 24" deep and probably "36" at the ends for the turnarounds.(It'll be some sort of dogbone configuration). I plan to build the roadbed in domino blocks using 1X3 material for the framing and 1/4" birch plywood for a stable surface to connect terminal blocks and other hardware to, and then building up from there with 2" extruded foam for the rest of the roadbed and scenery. Assuming the wall stud spacing is 16", should I put asupport at every one, or would every other one offer enough support for N Scale. Also, given the above plan, is there anything that I might do different that would yield a better result. This is my first layout and i have plenty of time to do it. I just want to end up with a layout that is as maintainance free as possible..

[fwright]

The 1x3 framing (assuming 1x3s parallel to the wall) could withstand support every 32 inches without much problem. If the foam is glued to the plywood, and the plywood securely fastened to the frame (glue is best), both would add more rigidity.

So the critical point shifts to the weight bearing capacity of the brackets, tracks, and wall mounting fastenings. How much weight do they have to bear, especially given a 24 or 36in lever arm? Will there also ever be shelves above or below the layout attached to the tracks? Will those shelves have books? Will the layout ever get leaned on? Do you have kids who may inadvertantly pull or lean on the edge of the layout? How well fastened to the headers are the studs in your wall? Are the studs 2x4, 2x6 or 2x3? Since it will be quite difficult and a fair amount of extra work, but not impossible, to add shelf tracks and brackets later, I would recommend the 16in spacing at least for the 36in deep section. If you suspect you might have additional shelves or a leaning problem, go with 16in spacing everywhere, which will distribute and share the load much better than with 32in spacing. I think you would be heart broken to see a track pull out from the wall or a bracket bend or a portion of the wall pull in, with a cascading effect upon your layout alignment, track, and scenery for want of additional support.

Fred Wright

[fwright]

Had some more thoughts:

Another point to consider is that in the 36in deep portions, any slop in the bracket to track mount is going to magnified pretty significantly. You might want to consider adding a leg under these sections 9-12 inches in from the front edge. That could probably be done fairly easily after the fact, so I would try without a leg first.

Regardless, plan on spending time shimming the tracks to get the bracket tips at a consistent height. Walls are not perfectly veritcal or straight, and the brackets are not a consistent fit into the track. The other method to achieve the same result is to fasten dimensional lumber to the brackets, using the vertical surface of the lumber as your frame attaching point.

Yours in level shelf benchwork
Fred Wright

[rlandry6]

I'm basing this idea on the Walla Walla Valley RR that was in Great Railroads 2005. He used that same system and that one is HO. The shelf supports were of the double tab type so they wouldn't wobble laterally. I'll use a stud finder and screw the vertical supports to them with 2" screws. I know I'll have to shim it in places to get everything level, but I can hang everything so that will be kept to a minimum. Wedge shape shims will handle that nicely, similar to shimming windows and doors when you're installing tham. No small children at all, so everything is safe on that front. I'll probably want to hang shelves below everything for storage, and that's why I'm going with the type of shelf support system that I selected. I think the 16" spacing makes a lot od sense. That's cheap compared to time, materials, and rolling stock that will go into this..

[nbrodar]

I use 24" wide 2" foam mounted directly on plywood brackets. Because my house is 100 years old and the stud spacing is somewhat uncertain, I added to horizontal rails along the walls, and then screwed the brackets to the rails 24" apart.

Nick

[rlandry6]

I'm in a condo that I watched being built and have been in for 20 years, so I'm pretty comfortable with the construction. I'm going to use a stud finder to get exact locations and also use an anchor screw in every possible place..
I guess my original question pertained to how much support does the 2" foam actually need for a n scale layout of this type..

[SpaceMouse]

Fred is right on. The biggest factor in determining spacing is weight and the frther away from the wall the weight is located, the more it matters. Likewise the strength and size of the shelf brackets is a factor.

[dgwinup]

Using 2" foam for an N scale layout doesn't require all that much support. On 16" centers, you probably don't even need the dimensional lumber, or at the least, you could use smaller 1x2 lumber. I believe the longest shelf brackets available are 18", so much of your layout will be cantilevered. That adds to the support requirements, but we are not talking about a lot of layout weight. It's more for the stability of a cantilevered layout.

The weight of the layout may not be the reason for all the additional support capacity. As Fred said in his above post, the other items you may choose to hang on the shelf brackets are more important in determining support requirements than the trains.

I have a similar plan in mind using those two-legged shelf brackets, but I didn't plan on extending the brackets down to put more shelving under the layout. It's not a bad idea,and I think I will consider it, since I will need somewhere to go with my magazine collection.

One recommendation I will make is not to use a full cover piece of plywood on your box frame. I recommend cutting the plywood into 3" or 4" wide strips. Mount the strips on the front and back edges of your box frame and at least one strip down the middle. These strips will give you the ridgidity the layout needs and a place to mount wiring, etc. beneath the layout. It may not seem like much to you now, but you will be happier later on if you don't have plywood under the entire layout. At some time, you will want access to the foam from underneath the layout. It is difficult to wire the layout and accessories when you have to pass through 2" of foam AND a piece of plywood.

Good luck with your project. Keep us posted on your progress and post pictures as you go along.

Darrell, quiet...for now