# ceiling railroads



## tweetsie12fan (May 10, 2012)

I am just begining in g scale and I want to build a train layout around the ceiling dose any one have suggestions as to the cheapest,easyest,fastest way to git-r-done?


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## Madstang (Jan 4, 2008)

Bubba here, cheap isn't in the G scale vocabulary..if ya want to do something, it is going to cost you. Prices keep soaring upward, and I am just glad I have pretty much what I need or want, and got it when things were less expensive.

I used the wire shelving used for closets..not cheap. Wood might be the best way to go. The kits they sell, and all the systems for doing what you want are very expensive, and can be done cheaper.

Bubba


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## tweetsie12fan (May 10, 2012)

ok thanks I got a three hundred dollar bachman big hauler setting on a shelf in my room so I get the fact that "cheap" in g scale does not exist but I have not ran her much since 2009 and I am tired of the cats knocking her off I already lost the whistle and nearly lost the headlight due to those [email protected]# cats so can't keep them off until I find a use for her


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

I have about 200' of track nine feet off the floor in our shop. Did it all with Pine 1 x 8's. Very simple and inexpensive. I even cut the shelf supports from the same wood.


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## tweetsie12fan (May 10, 2012)

could you post a picture and thanks


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

We do have a picture on our Farm page. Put Kidman Tree in Google.


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## ThinkerT (Jan 2, 2008)

Oh well...time for the standard stuff: 

First off, keep clearances in mind. Bachmann Big Haulers require a good nine inches of clearance bottom to top, and if you can manage it at all, you'll want at least a few inches more than that. 

Likewise, you don't want the track too close to the wall, especially where curves are concerned. An eight inch wide plank is probably about as narrow as you'd really want to go. If you went with 1x12's (actually 11.5 inches, give or take a hair, with todays lumber, you'd have room for one track and a bit of scenery between the track and the wall - trees, small buildings, building flats, that sort of thing. You *could* squeeze in a second track, but that would make the clearances real tight. 

As to supporting all this, the people at this forum have tried all kinds of things - shelf brackets. posts coming down from the ceiling, even fishing line. 

Track Radius is another issue. Starter sets typically come with R1 curves, but the Big Haulers really appreciate the wider curves if you can find them. Depends on how big your room is (warning, wide radius curves result is some pretty deep corners) and how much you can afford.


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## nziain (Nov 15, 2011)

ive seen cable tray used for a ceiling railway which was very affective


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## blueregal (Jan 3, 2008)

Tweetsie I just used inexpensive particle board had the lumber yard cut them into the width and length I needed, and used shelf bracket hangers to hang the particle board with!! Has worked out great, only problem I encountered was I put it too high in the ceiling now my knees and legs went bad on me can't climb a ladder to put trains on, and will have to lower some time in the future. So just don't put up high, I if I would have been smart would have hung it low enough to just stand on a little step stool and then be able to place trains to run on it, but yet high enough to walk under, or at least where my two arches are in the living room do a draw bridge type of thingy so when not running raise up out of the way. Here is a picture of what it looks like, if 
can be of any help let me know. Also don't use anything smaller than a 10ft. diameter track curves. Regal l


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## jhickman (Nov 30, 2009)

tweetsie, 

Go for it. I guarantee that you won't spend even a fraction that my dad (old train guy) spends his O gauge layouts (33 layouts to date). I posted this a couple of years ago, but it should give you a run down of the materials that you will need along with photos of my office layout. 

The intent of this project was to incorporate my trains into the office, not the other way around, so I have a functional office and can run my trains every single day......... which I have been doing. I have had my LGB collection in and out of storage for over 20 years and considering the ease of this project I will never again have these trains in storage. I would also add that the sound of the trains running is very relaxing. 

You may have a train room, a layout in your backyard, but there is nothing like having a simple layout in a room that you use a lot. 

Things you may need. All of these items were purchased at Home Depot with the exception of the sander & Floor Muffler: 
1. High Gloss White Paint 
2. White Primer for plywood 
3. 1/4 inch nails for nailing track down 
4. Stud finder (find the studs for support, this isn't HO) 
5. Pre-Primed straight white, 8 inch wide, boards (they came in 14 foot sections for external home finishing) 
6. .5 inch plywood, large sections for curves (may need to buy a filler for a smooth finish) 
7. Skill saw for curves (crude, but was fast) 
8. Sander for curved sections 
9. 6" X 6" support brackets (supports 100lbs per pair). Made by John Sterling Corporation. 
10. Wall plate (round hole for cable TV) 
11. Electrical outlet bracket to insert into sheet rock (this is for running the wiring down into the wall between the track & the transformer). 
12. Go down to store that sells hardwood, pergo floors and ask for a product called "Floor Muffler". It's a thin green padding that will DRAMATICALLY cut the sound of the train running way down. This stuff works great. 

Make sure to measure the height of your cabooses and larger engines (don't forget to measure from the smoke stack). I failed to do this and had to lower my layout by 1 inch (2.5 to 3 hours work). I have numerous larger engines that I am itching to run along with a few more axles  

See photo album below: 
https://plus.google.com/photos/105689499719340037624/albums/5409807343088201137?banner=pwa


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## SLemcke (Jun 3, 2008)

Here are a couple pics from a ceiling layout I built for my son. The track base was plywood cut to size. His was a small room, so just 4ft diameter curves and about 6 x 8ft . The risers were 1x1 cut to 11 inches. Base and roof mounts were 3 x 10 inches and attached to the ceiling with molly bolts. Also installed pegs into the screw holes to hide them.
Steve


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