Shelf Train Layout For O Gauge

[@MMRRTRAINS]

I’m definitely going to be doing this in my new house! Thank you for sharing how you did it! Looks amazing!

[@Mercatoyd]

I just came across your channel and video today. I'm very impressed with the woodwork around the room. It makes this install very neat and furniture like around the room. I think this is what makes your project so impressive. Very nice job. Thank you for sharing. Tom

[@robertbowes7054]

I'm getting ready to do this for my son, who's 8 now. I was planning this before he was born! Now he's showing interest and wants me to complete it. Found your video and I am getting inspired to finally get it done! Thanks, and nice work!

[@trainguymcgee7382]

Robert, check with the O Gauge forums. There's a lot of nice folks over there that can give you advice if you need it. Good luck!

[@danielphillips1224]

Excellent result. Would have never thought to hide brackets with crown moulding.

[@kezug]

Very nice setup and nice attention to detail on the wood trim!

[@trainguymcgee7382]

Thanks kezug. This was my first DIY wood working type project. Prior to this, I'd never used a jigsaw. It's amazing how much you can learn from watching youtube videos. :)

[@TSemasFl]

That's cool and looks very nice. Good job.

[@ferrark1]

Very nice train 🚂 Layout!

[@totallytractorsandmoreoran8699]

Just wanted to Thank you for posting this. You inspired me to finally put one up around my sons room. I copied you except for the crown molding. More cost effective the way I did it. But probably will change in the future. You did an AWSOME job. Your video showed me allot, Thanks again....................Donedroolin

[@trainguymcgee7382]

Thanks Donedrooiln. I checked your shelf train out that you installed in your son's room. Looks really cool. It's good to see you went with the 072 curves, nice choice!

[@tonyromano6220]

Nice 072... Very professional looking product!

[@47mulligan]

I'm very impressed with this. Thanks for sharing.

[@Shawn666Hellion]

Found out they also have Atlas two rail O guage track as well, nice set up

[@trainguymcgee7382]

Shawn, my next shelf layout will definately be 2-rail.

[@johnniewalker9348]

You did a great job !! And thanks for sharing .

[@paulpetraitis2130]

Nicest shelf set up I've seen!

[@trainguymcgee7382]

Thanks Paul! Was fun building it and the family loved it.

[@DanielSchmidt94521]

Thanks. I've always wanted to do this with my bedroom.

[@joecorsaro119]

I am doing this for my store..Thanks for all your good advise..

[@josephpecoraro912]

Great job! I’m planning on doing one for my office/hobby room

[@TranscendentalAirwaves]

Very nice, I was just wondering how I could manage to fit an O Gauge loop in a room without it being the main and only attraction, this is perfect! (I suppose you could even go from room to room with holes in the walls above the doors. lol

[@TommyZTrains]

I used sheet-rock and "molded" my corners round to 'exactly conform' to the radius of the TRACK, also: no wasted space exists at the four corners amid the "busyness" of making moldings (or the like). Anyway, all good / with diff. idea's ... GREAT job and 'wow', "what a GREAT room" !

[@trainguymcgee7382]

Does the sheet-rock hold up ok under the weight of the trains?

[@TommyZTrains]

For me "yes" ... but my corners run alot further down then do YOURS. *PLEASE don't misunderstand me: YOUR WORK / & WHAT YOU have done here is absol. spectacular ! "Made too be". *VERY "Professional". :- )

[@trainguymcgee7382]

That's not a bad idea (the mirrors). I've got to get the lighting up there first. After that, I'll start working on buildings and other effects. Been kinda busy the last couple months but things are winding down now so I should be able to get the lights up soon.

[@trainguymcgee7382]

I went a little overboard with my control system and transformer. I ended up using the MTH Z-4000 for the power source and the Legacy Control System for control. I bought this stuff now as in the next year or so, I plan on building another layout that will be much larger so I went ahead and bought the equipment for that upfront. You can get away with a much cheaper transformer and go conventional if you want to save money. The Legacy system works great but is pricey in my opinion. If I could do it again, I'd go with the MTH DCS system. It's cheaper and allows you to use MTH engines which are fantastic engines (and about $100 cheaper than Lionel).

[@timbroadwick715]

Great video! Interested in doing something similar in my Den. Do you have any idea of total cost for the project? So is the track mounted to MDF all the way around the room, and then you just added the crown molding after the fact? What thickness is the MDF? Sorry for all the questions, but really impressed with what you have done.

[@NatesTrains]

Very cool...love the NS diesel!

[@randomstuffwithjoe]

How tight is the turn radius on your o-scale? My wife wants to do this. Today we finally went out and purchased track and trains.. and the sales man recommended a G scale but after getting it home.. the track doesn't hug the corners tight enough.. and it just isn't going to work for me. I think I'm going to have to return it and look at something smaller.

[@robertcornelius3514]

Nice work. I really don't care to see large steel brackets. Your layout is very clean looking.

[@trainguymcgee7382]

Post a pic of your corners if you get a chance. I'd love to see how you did it as my wife and I may be selling and buying another house in the next few years and I'm always looking for ideas. :)

[@johnathannorton483]

Pretty cool Sir

[@SnooperSquirrelFilms]

Great job , and nice start....I wonder how mirrors would look up there.?

[@kylemanning193]

what transformer did you use i have a 10'x13' room i wanna put a track all the way around on a shelf similarly. Its going to be a lion chief disney train O gauge. and im going to use menards tubular track. Not sure the power im going to need for it.

[@fpj4134]

What's the moulding on the wall and corner

[@juliocuevas7366]

What do you use to power the track and do lionel trains work on atlas track?

[@stevenmichael535]

Would be cool if u painted a background up there like some trees

[@fergusonto-2032]

I saw this in a store in pigeon forge Tn years ago just never followed thru w/ it , I’m not fully understanding the L bracket , can the moulding just be nailed/ screwed into the wall studs ? Or am I missing something here , Thankyou for the video , you did a professional looking job , May God Bless

[@trainguymcgee7382]

The L brackets are to hold the shelf itself up, not the molding. The molding is screwed into the well and also screwed into the shelf.

[@Thunder_Ridge_Railroad]

Are your corners attached to the wall with the same 3 inch L brackets, and what size is your crown molding ? Thanks 👍

[@justamannn8674]

Great job!

[@jonlewislive]

Very nice

[@JeffDM]

I know this video is years old but did you ever test any kind of roadbed? I wonder if that would make it even quieter.

[@Workclasshero]

Nice work. What size transformer are you using on your track layout?

[@JeromeLeeJr]

Really like what you did with your layout. Do you have any detailed plans or documentation on how you built the shelf and designed your track? I have a room about the same size and would like to do something just like this..

[@trainguymcgee7382]

Hey Jerry. I didn't use any plans (nor did I retain any documentation). If you're interested in doing something like this, just make sure you plan, plan and plan some more. If you're familiar with model trains (O scale in particular), you can do some web searches that may give you some ideas on different ways and styles to do this. If you're not that familiar with trains, make sure you research some of the technical aspects to it; ie: electrical wiring, control system wiring & transformer requirements etc... I was brand new to the hobby when I started this project and didn't know anything about the wiring etc.. I went to the O gauge forums at ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/. This was the best place to ask technical questions regarding the layout. I was able to ascertain what size transformer I would need, what would be the best type of track to use etc.... Regarding my setup, I started by figuring out what type of track to use. Then decided how I would get the electrical wiring up the wall without being seen. Next, and probably the most important step is to figure out your curve radius. The wider the curves, the faster the trains can go (and theoretically, wider curves are safer). I went with 0-72 curves. This is the smallest radius I'd recommend as this size will accommodate the largest trains. Antying smaller and you start to limit what types of trains you can use (for example, 0-56 curves won't accommodate the larger steam engines). These planning steps are probably the most important; plan and ask questions, then plan and ask more questions. :) Next, I mounted 3 inch metal L brackets to the wall. The shelf itself is screwed ontop of these. I overengineered it a bit here as I have an L bracket every 3 or 4 feet. I could have got away with putting one every 6 or 7 feet but I wanted to err on the side of safety. Next, I cut out the corner shelf pieces. This was actually pretty easy as all I did was take the MDH or MDF (plywood type material I bought at Home Depot), laid the 0-72 curves on it, traced it, then cut it out with a jigsaw. Once the straight and corner shelf pieces were installed on the L brackets, I put crown moulding over the L brackets (which is why you don't see them). This part took a little work as I had to find the right size moulding that would fit over the brackets. Well worth the time though as I love the nice, clean look you get with the crown moulding. Some of my lessons learned and things I'll think about on my next shelf layout: 1) a 6 inch wide shelf will only accomodate one loop of O scale track. If I went with a 12 inch shelf, I could have installed 2 loops of track (and 2 trains running in opposite directioins). The trick here is balancing the asthetics with functionality. In my office, a 12 inch shelf would have been a bit much and would have looked a bit overwhelming. My next home will have a 25 by 25 foot media room opposed to my 14x15 foot office that I'm in now. A 12 inch shelf would probably look great in that scenario. 2) Wider curve radius equals wider corner space which will allow you to install some scale buildings on them as you get a lot of room behind the track. You are restricted on the straight pieces of shelving as there's just not enough room. The 0-72 curves give you a decent amount of space to play with but I will probably use larger radius curves next time. Plan accordingly. 3) Height: In hindsight, I wish I would have/could have lowered my shelf by a foot. It's a pain when I need to clean the tracks, perform maintenance on the trains etc... Also, I't would be so much cooler if the trains were at door height level opposed to near ceiling level. Closer to your eyes = cooler. Also, only having 12 inches of clearance limits the types of accessories that I can put up there. Most bridges won't fit; most O scale buildings won't fit either. Keep this in mind while you plan. 4) Plan to use some type of LED lighting as background. I didn't do this as 2 years ago, the technology was still in its infancy. There are great LED light kits you can buy for really cheap that would look amazing on a shelf layout. Keep this in mind. Let me know if you have any other questions. Ps.. I plan on putting an updated video up soon that may answer some additional questions you may have.

[@sonicblue6778]

Awesome job!! Do you remember what size crown moulding you used to cover the 3 inch brackets?

[@trainguymcgee7382]

Unfortunately no, I don't recall. But if my memory serves me right, I think the L brackets were 3 or 4 inch so the molding had to be big enough to fit around them.

[@cmmagic62]

So the crown molding hides the whole L-bracket?

[@trainguymcgee7382]

Correct.

[@JoseMunoz-hl3bh]

Great job and very elegant would work… Was wondering if you ever did a backdrop? Or what the final product look like? Did you put scenery or continue this project further as I do not see additional videos??

[@trainguymcgee7382]

Sorry for the delayed response! In short, no I didn't ever get to finish up my project. That would have included a background and some 2D buildings with LED lights. My family and I sold our house last summer and bought a new house. We started planning on selling the home back in 2019 so because of that, any additional progress on the train shelf came to a halt unfortunately. Having said that, I will be building a new one in my new home. :)

[@JoseMunoz-hl3bh]

@@trainguymcgee7382 oh cool. Congrats on new home. We get our new home delivered in October so looking forward to building mine sometime soon. Keep me posted

[@geneschulp5072]

Good stuff, good job

[@jimbollman2292]

i tried 3 inch angle brackets and standard ceiling trim would not cover it. What size cove molding did you use.

[@trainguymcgee7382]

Jim, the molding was actually pretty large. You also have to get the molding that's cut at roughly 45 degrees to allow them to fit over the brackets. But if I had to guess, the molding was probably 6 or 7 inches.

[@trainguymcgee7382]

Or maybe 5 - I can't remember. :(

[@marvinvalarezo]

What kind of transformer and control system do you use? I have been debating for the longest time for this type of layout

[@trainguymcgee7382]

I went a little overboard with my control system and transformer. I ended up using the MTH Z-4000 for the power source and the Legacy Control System for control. I bought this stuff now as in the next year or so, I plan on building another layout that will be much larger so I went ahead and bought the equipment for that upfront.

[@305KSL]

Are those Atlas track small

[@jdsalinas2323]

This is really nice. How much would you say this cost you all together?

[@trainguymcgee7382]

The building materials (lumber, L brackets, screws, crown molding & paint) probably cost around $350 ish. I went a little overboard on the hardware and could have easily shaved about $150 off that price tag. Regarding the track, I used Atlas track and it's a bit pricier than some of the other brands. I went this route as it's quieter and looks a lot better (imho). I bought most of the track used on ebay so saved quite a bit on that. It's been a while, but if my memory serves me right, I probably spend around $150 on the track. The transformer is an MTH Z4000. This was way overboard for what I needed. I spent around $375 for that. I could have gotten a smaller, cheaper one but I like the way it looks and operates. Worth the extra money in my opinion.

[@jdsalinas2323]

TrainGuy McGee what type of screws did you use for the L brackets? I’ve read MDF is prone to splitting, did you encounter any of this? When you put the L brackets, did you use the same type of screws for the MDF side and the wall side or did you use different screws?

[@trainguymcgee7382]

I used .5 inch wood screws on the MDF and 1 inch wood screws for the walls. I also pre-drilled the MDF and wall holes.

[@jdsalinas2323]

TrainGuy McGee thanks man I appreciate it. Planning this for my sons room so I’m gonna give it a go. Already buying supplies here and there. Good thing is that I’ll only need about 42 feet of track so it’ll be a bit smaller than yours, the bad thing is that his room has a nook area so about 5-6 feet of track will be entirely suspended so I’ll need to find a way to secure that to the ceiling, I think this will be my biggest challenge. I do have one final question though, what did you use to mount the crown molding and corner crowns? I know usually you just brad nail them to the ceiling but since these are going on a shelf I’m curious how you mounted them.

[@trainguymcgee7382]

I used brad nails. 1/2 inch I believe. They were strong enough to go through the molding and into the shelf itself. Good luck!

[@wade6430]

Do u have complete list of all the train pieces/cost?

[@trainguymcgee7382]

The locomotive is a Lionel Norfolk Southern SD60 MAC (Veterans Edition). The rolling stock are Menards tanker cars which are about $13 to $16 each.

[@jaydamarley2350]

Hello and nice job. You mentioned you used 072 curves. How many did you use on one corner? Thanks.

[@trainguymcgee7382]

4 pieces of the Atlas O72 per corner.

[@ryansproviero]

I'm doing this same project on a 24x10 room. Have you had any issues with derailments?

[@trainguymcgee7382]

Not really. The only thing I've had derail are some PW Lionel NW2 switchers. If you run them at full throttle, yes they will fly right off the tracks. But all the new stuff I ran is governed so they tend to not fly off the rails.

[@ryansproviero]

@@trainguymcgee7382 Sounds good. I'm about to jump into wiring up everything with DCS this weekend. Picked up a TIU and AIU.

[@TheCardboardJedi]

i'm scheming a proposal to bring to my wife about a two track shelf layout in our Master, just aren't any other rooms that are the right size, the LR is open to the kitchen and dining, too big a gap to span that thought i could certainly contend with logistically, she would indeed vote me off the island. HOWEVER your use of crown molding might just be my "in" for the bedroom! do you L brackets go behind the molding and then under the top board or over it? and how many feet did you solder your wire drops to prevent locomotive lag?

[@trainguymcgee7382]

CardboardJedi - LOL. Your comment about your wife is exactly why I had to do the crown molding. It's the only way she would let me put this thing up. You just put the L brackets under the shelf and screw them into the shelf and walls. The crown molding goes over the L brackets. That's the tricky part though. You have to make sure that your molding is large enough to go over and around the brackets.

[@jcsmith725]

Did you happen to take a picture of the L brackets before you put the crown molding on? Also, did you have to notch the crown molding where it went over the brackets?

[@trainguymcgee7382]

The brackets were just the 3 inch L brackets from Home Depot. I could have got away with the 2 inch brackets but I figured why not make it a little more sturdy? As far as the crown molding, I bought the molding that fit over the brackets. The size of the molding just barely fit over the brackets. It was a very close fit. If the molding wouldn't have fit, I would have had to use the 2 inch brackets.

[@jcsmith725]

Thanks man. I cant find anything called "MDH" on the Home Depot site. Was it MDF by chance? Was it this? www.homedepot.com/p/Finished-Elegance-1-in-x-6-in-x-8-ft-MDF-Moulding-Board-10003232/204468312

[@trainguymcgee7382]

You are correct. It was the MDF. Good stuff, it's primed and very sturdy. It also won't warp.

[@ajhutchinson2850]

A train isn’t big at all I consider a big train at least 30 cars per engine and I like to run it as a full 18 V with the whistle blowing through and through

[@trainguymcgee7382]

Agreed AJ. Unfortunately, I can work with the space I had. :(

[@elevatedtrainguy]

Looks good. When you get a chance check my shelf layout. Mine sits on a three piece crown molding but one error I made was the corner radius is more like 57 radius. I built this with some help from family but may have a contractor come in to make the corner radius 72 like what you have. How many electric points do you have on your track?

[@trainguymcgee7382]

Sorry about the delayed response. Got a pregnant wifey to care for. I ended up putting 2 electrical connections on each straight away for a total of eight. The total track length is about 55 feet or so. So nowhere on my layout is there more than 5 or 6 feet between connectors. Probably a bit of overkill but it works. :) Regarding the corners, I originally cut them to fit O 60 curves. Luckily, everybody on the forums talked me out of that before I laid the track and wiring etc... Added a lot more work to pull the corners down and re-do them to accommodate the O72's but well worth it.

[@joegennari395]

SORRY....This was 4 yrs ago ..... But just in case you check. You say your room is about 15x15 and you're using one side of a Z4000 to power the track and it runs fine. That's 100w of power?? My room is just a tad larger like 17x17 so a 100w brick should be enough? GLAD I FOUND YOUR VIDEO...HOPE YOU'RE STILL ENJOYING IT!!!

[@trainguymcgee7382]

I don't have the box handy (I just moved into a new home), but if you google it, it will give you all the specs. But in short, yes, I just ran one of the terminals, or "sides" of the transformer and it provided way more than enough power. Regarding your specific question on the 100w brick, I'd check the o gauge forums as there are some experts there that could answer that for you.

[@jimbollman2292]

how wide are your shelves.

[@trainguymcgee7382]

If memory serves me right, they shelves are 6 inches wide.

[@trainguymcgee7382]

Also - if I were to do it again (which I will), I will definately use 12 inch shelves which would allow for 2 sets of tracks.

[@jordansfrye]

what radius is the track

[@trainguymcgee7382]

I used O-72 on the corners. Originally, I cut all the wood for 0-60 but tore it down. I'm glad I did as the O-72 allows for bigger trains and more speed.

[@trainguymcgee7382]

Ps.. If you're building a similar setup, try to put the largest radius turns as you can. You'll thank yourself for it later.

[@bambostarla6259]

I was wondering how to put a decently sized railway in my room and then I though of this :) Then I looked it up and found this video. O gauge is kinda a no no for the price, so I'll just stick with OO

[@trainguymcgee7382]

No kidding. O scale is definately not cheap; but it does look great.

[@11bravo1789]

I was thinking the same thing O gague.

[@trainguymcgee7382]

11B i definately recommend O Gauge for something like this. Ps... I was 19D.

[@11bravo1789]

Nice! Scouts and grunts ultimately have to spend the same amount of time eating dirt. My carpentry skills are shit, I did a shelf system but yours looks better

[@inscoredbz]

Plexiglass. One day for no reason it's going to derail. A short piece of plexiglass will save your investment. Also, if you want it quieter, put some carpet foam under the track. You can't see it and it will help kill the noise.

[@trainguymcgee7382]

Got the idea from this guy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/j6vFq56iprWUjsU

[@the_captain5792]

A+++

[@dennisryan6370]

Designer Tip: Call attention to your train rather than your shelf.... The way you do that.... is by finishing the shelf in the wall finish color..... It'll be considerably better.

[@trainguymcgee7382]

Dennis - I agree 100% with you. However, my wifey demanded that the shelf and molding be painted white. I was going to get around the painting the doors and door trim the same color white to have it all tie in together but we ended up selling the house.

[@NSSCOTTTEAGUE]

Nascar

[@michaelfisher7835]

Just another dust collector.

[@trainguymcgee7382]

Not at all.