Bedroom Border Ceiling Trains Q.

[Anonymous]

I have been busy designing and buying stuff for a shelf mount layout in my twin's bedroom. I opted for the O-gauge assuming it would be more visable to these little ones that haven't hit 3' tall yet.

In the early planning stages I had the idea to cut a thin slot in the shelving using a router and insert a thin piece of polycarbonate (aka Lexan) it to provide a transparent barrier to any derailment. I bought a Lionel New York Central Flyer set just prior to Christmas and I have been testing it on a small oval track layout (27"x62") on my workbench. Even though I will be using the tight 27"Ø curves the train has not derailed once when operated at a "reaonable" speed. Of course I had to see if I could make it derail and sure enough at about 13 volts it fell to the outside just as it was completing a turn. It seems unlikely that the train will fall to the inside since its momentum will always try to push it to the outside. At 22 months these little ones aren't ready to "control" the train so I don't have to worry about that now (but someday I will!). The locomotive in this set weights 2.5 pounds and would produce quite a nasty bump on the head and a visit to the ER should it come tumbling down! I will be using 4.5" wide pine shelving and since there is the possibility of the train coming off in the corners I have decided to install a small outside guard rail made by bending up some 1/8"Ø copper rod and sliding it into 1/8"Ø holes drilled into the outer edges of the corner shelf pieces.

I heard that these O27 track pieces don't have much electrical conductivity so I also plan on cutting a 3/8"x3/8" slot down the middle of the shelving on the top side to run some 16 gauge wires to provide power to the track in several places (there is a total of about 50 feet of track).

This train.com forum has been a great resouce in getting help with some of the technical questions I had - the people are really friendly and offer up their expertise and experiences for us newbies!

Please feel free to email me if you would like any details on the construction plans. So far this has been a real fun project!!

[Anonymous]

Thank you for all you help . I will post pictures of it when i have it all done..
Thank s again

[Vampire]

I did this in my home office, although I didn't attempt any scenery as such. Just 2 track platforms, one above the other, to run trains on (HO scale). I have a dual throttle power pack hidden in my desk that runs both levels. If you're running only one train you'll only need the one power pack in most cases.

Since I live in earthquake country I used clear plastic sheet to make a "Seismic Safety Zone" along one wall. I screwed the plastic to the edge of both track platforms to prevent trains from taking the plunge if the earth moves. This is where I park the trains when not running. You could do something similar with your shelves. Just leave room above the plastic shield to get your hands in when you need to fix something.

For the corners, I think you can get corner shelves to put up. There might be some wasted space in the very back, depending on how deep they are. In my case I made my own curved platforms and suspended them at mid-point from the ceiling.

Bridges are cool, but I don't know of too many bridge models that are curved. I used bridges in several places, either suspended from ceiling or between wall supports.
It's very eye catching.

Good luck with your project. I think you'll both be happy with it when it's up & running!

[Anonymous]

I just wanted to say im 20 and still wish i had one in my room.

[Anonymous]

Yes i would have him Control the train, at least untill he gets older. he will be 5 soon so, it might be alright.. So for the power would i be looking at 2 power boxes or what. i am used to putting one together in my garage for easy control... Now another q. would i be putting the train closer to the edge of the board to see, or the middle, just in case it does fall... i was thinking towards the edge... you had said fishing line as a rail, now height wise how how high should i make the rails to put on the 1x6 or 1x8s. As in if it does derail, this ouwl be the 1st for me and my son. And of course i have a hard hat handy incase... both of u guys have been very helpful so far. Thank you

[dragonriversteel]

Metal shelve brackets,screwed into the wall studs.Be sure to use,1X6 lumber or 1X8,to give you enough room. If you have a derailment,hopefully it won't be the first model train to fly from that height. I would even tack finnishing nails to the outside of the 1X6 and string fishing line.So you won't have your sons train,hitting him in the noggin.

Patrick
Dragon River Steel Corp {DRSC}
Making HO scale steel by the ton!!!!

[NeO6874]

only thing that it looks like you're gonna have trouble with is power, and possible hard to get at derailments (or worse, they'll fall the 8' or whatever to the floor)

for the power, do you want your son to be able to control the train or not? also, you might get loss of power at the furthest reaches from the power pack...

with the derailments, i would suggest one re-railer on every wall, if not more (like before/after each bridge, and perhaps in the middle of the long runs). Also, you might consider some sort of fence to keep the train ON the suspended sections, so that if it does derail, it won't fall to the floor.

[Anonymous]

I want to put into my sons room a suspended train around the border of his room. I would have it right aboev the molding of the door and window. His room is approx. 9 x 11.. I would be screwing it to the wall wall mounts.. i was considering 1x3 planks. it will run a single HO track with scenery.. For the corners i was considering bridges on all 4 sides of the room.. Am i setting this up right, or are there any ideas to help me out. this is what i would like to do. i prefer not to suspend it from the ceiling