[[email protected]]

Thanks again for all the help I have received on this forum while working my way through this project. I took some pictures and video of the final product to share.

The shelf layout has 2 separate loops and travels through 3 bedrooms. Inner loop is about 50 feet and outer loop is about 95 feet, with a crossover section in the middle.

The proposed layout was drawn out using MTH's track design software, and some input from T-Man brought me to this layout:

Couple pictures of the shelf details:

Looking into my room from my son's room:

Other direction through the corner tunnel

Both trains diverging and converging through crossover section:

Around the corner

Full circuit through all 3 bedrooms and closets

Passenger train in the dark through the closet

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Wow this looks great! I love it!

 

[TheTooth]

That looks fantastic! Nice work.

 

[Reckers]

I'm impressed. Not only did you make the train work, but you're an accomplished carpenter, too!

 

[Coolbreeze]

when can you come and do this to my home?

 

[tjcruiser]

How COOOOLLLLLL is that! GREAT job!

 

[tjcruiser]

I recently built a 4x8 HO layout for my kids, and "slaved" over the construction and detailing of a tunnel/mountain. As a precaution for any in-tunnel derailings, I built two little access windows into the back (unseen) face of the mountain. But ...

All my kids now want to do is watch the trains go through the tunnel via the little access windows on the back side. Forget about my roads. Forget about my trees. Forget about my buildings. The kids like the little access windows best. So ...

I'll soon be sending my kids over to YOUR house, where they'll be spending all day running back and forth between rooms, watching your trains poke through the little wall cutouts! Hours and hours of fun!!!

 

[[email protected]]

Thanks for the comments folks! Glad you enjoyed it.

cruiser : That is too funny about your tunnel. That's always the way with kids eh? My son does indeed run between rooms constantly to follow the trains. Although I have to admit I still do too!

I absolutely love running the passenger train at a crawl around the outer loop at night, it is so soothing to look at and listen to. When it runs at slow speed, it is gone from the room for a good 2 minutes before re-entering the room. The shadow play is great going into/out of the tunnels. This was so worth the time I put into it.

I think this rivals my previously most fun project:

For any interested tinkerers, here is a build thread for that project:
http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=75782.msg809831#msg809831

 

[T-Man]

Glad it worked out for you! I still need to look at the videos.

 

[tjcruiser]

Hi Rob,

Great job with the shelf layout ... and the video game ... TOO funny!

It's a good thing that our kids smile a lot ... hopefully, it rubs off on us a bit, and keeps us (a bit) younger at heart!

All the best,

TJ

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

I am still amazed at this! It is beautiful! Would love to see more pics of the run and the production.

Definitely got me inspired to do something like this when I can.

 

[tworail]

Wow the kids must be going bananas over this.

Great work!

 

[[email protected]]

Thanks for the compliments guys.
Yah, the kids totally love this! My wife and I do too. The kids go to sleep to the sound of trains now

This is really a great way to get a long train run without really using any extra space in the house. I am so glad we came across this idea. Definitely would recommend a project like this to anyone.

 

[Big Ed]

EXCELLENT ROB I LOVE IT!

I take it they are O gauge?

You did all that in the last couple of months?:thumbsup:



"She" (the Queen) just told me not to get any ideas from you.:laugh:

Whats next G gauge through the garden?

 

[[email protected]]

Thanks Big Ed!
Yep, those are O gauge.

I started collecting up the parts around Christmas, so a little over a month I guess. Spent most of the time in the shop cutting, staining, and shellacing my shelves. Was a bit tedious, but the actual installation was pretty quick after that.

No garden railway plans (yet), but I do kind of have an N scale coffee table setup rolling around in the back of my head now. That would be the exact polar opposite of this setup!

Cheers

 

[[email protected]]

A couple more videos I forgot to post before:

Highballing around the corner.

View down the crossover section.

Short connection between rooms.

One more in the boy's room

 

[Big Ed]

Did you think of painting the walls with scenes? Or buying some interesting panels.

Mountains,hills,streams, etc.
I think the would look good all the way around where ever the track runs.

desert one room? Rocky mountains another? coastal scene in another?

How much money do you think you invested in the wood?
What kind of wood is that?

 

[[email protected]]

Did you think of painting the walls with scenes? Or buying some interesting panels.

Mountains,hills,streams, etc.
I think the would look good all the way around where ever the track runs.

desert one room? Rocky mountains another? coastal scene in another?

How much money do you think you invested in the wood?
What kind of wood is that?

I thought about that idea, but we decided to just keep it low-key for now. (Although "low-key" is a relative term when you have 2 long trains cruising through your bedrooms). I like the clean look of it as is. I may just paint the top section of the walls with a contrasting color and possibly install some rope lighting. Also I will add some O scale light poles, billboards and such eventually for some extra appeal.

The wood was not too bad. All the shelves are strips of oak plywood (5" wide), and I think I went through 4 full sheets, so around $160. Then I added cove molding and base shoe molding to trim the plywood edges. I used some fake oak composite molding from Lowes which I can not tell from the real oak and it was cheap and easy to work with. Then cut the shelf brackets from 3/4" solid oak. I would say I spent maybe $40 for the brackets.

For the holes through the walls, I took some aluminum roof flashing sheet metal, spray painted it with a brown stone-looking paint, and tacked it into the holes before nailing on those arched moldings. Looks nice and clean, and I like the arched openings.

Overall it turned out better than I expected.

Now I just need to build a nice wall box to house the controls. I have to figure out a good way to separate the controls that I will allow the kids to have access to from the switches, etc that could cause issues if not used correctly. Also need to have a throttle stopper to keep that diesel from derailing...that sucker hits close to light speed when opened up.

 

[Big Ed]

I thought about that idea, but we decided to just keep it low-key for now. (Although "low-key" is a relative term when you have 2 long trains cruising through your bedrooms). I like the clean look of it as is. I may just paint the top section of the walls with a contrasting color and possibly install some rope lighting. Also I will add some O scale light poles, billboards and such eventually for some extra appeal.

The wood was not too bad. All the shelves are strips of oak plywood (5" wide), and I think I went through 4 full sheets, so around $160. Then I added cove molding and base shoe molding to trim the plywood edges. I used some fake oak composite molding from Lowes which I can not tell from the real oak and it was cheap and easy to work with. Then cut the shelf brackets from 3/4" solid oak. I would say I spent maybe $40 for the brackets.

For the holes through the walls, I took some aluminum roof flashing sheet metal, spray painted it with a brown stone-looking paint, and tacked it into the holes before nailing on those arched moldings. Looks nice and clean, and I like the arched openings.

Overall it turned out better than I expected.

Now I just need to build a nice wall box to house the controls. I have to figure out a good way to separate the controls that I will allow the kids to have access to from the switches, etc that could cause issues if not used correctly. Also need to have a throttle stopper to keep that diesel from derailing...that sucker hits close to light speed when opened up.

I bought some oak crown molding a while back. MAN THEY ARE NOT CHEAP!

Three D mountain scenes would look good.
But the clean look is nice too.:thumbsup:

I was measuring my walls and got a, "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT" from the Queen. She did like what you did though she said, "NOT IN OUR HOUSE!":laugh:
And she told me to tell you your NUTS too.:laugh:
Take that as a compliment coming from her as she actually took the time from her LOVE channel to watch all your videos.

She also said, "you got the whole basement for your trains".
She should have kept quiet.
As that got me to thinking (clankity, clank, clunk, smoke, smoke) about something like that but in either HO or N most likely HO, down in the dungeon.

If she doesn't shut up about my "STUPID TRAINS", I am going to cut her laundry room in half!:laugh:

I was going to say something about the speed but it looked like it was running nice and smooth. You wouldn't want to crash to the floor from up there. Thats fast track right? I think you made the right choice of track for the shelf layout.

OK I'm here to learn too.
A throttle stopper?
What's that?

How about a electric speed limiter system? Better explained by the teacher. (t-man)

 

[[email protected]]

Hey Big Ed,
Yah, that oak crown molding is crazy expensive. I originally was going to do that, but since the shelf is sitting at the level right on top of the door/window frames, I would have had to start/stop the crown several times, and would have looked pretty busy and bulky I think. This style blends into the existing woodwork pretty nicely. (And is way cheaper, woohoo!)

What I mean by throttle stopper is just probably a removable pin or something to physically keep the throttle dial from going too high. That way I can let my kids change the speed around a little without worrying about derailments.

Although I would like to hear more about an electric speed limiter, however that works.