A ceiling shelf layout is a fail-safe way to build an O Gauge model railway for your train set. If you have doubts about that, just check out this excellent shelf layout for ideas. With this layout, the owner was able to get excellent backlighting, which emphasizes the beauty of your O Gauge locomotives. For this layout, it took the owner three tries to get the lighting right by using a LED Rope lighting by employing the electricians, at 120 volts. This gives a nice warm glow without the light being obtrusive.
The shelves used for this layout is a ¾ plywood set on Rubbermaid metal brackets on 16” centers. Meanwhile, the ends of the shelving are joined together using the strong Kreg pocket hole system on top, leaving it out of sight.
Here are a couple photos of this model railway shelf layout. The room – which used to be the owner’s home office – is 17.5”x13.33”. There are two electrical circuits for the layout, while the lighting for the room has its own circuit.
Corner Area of Model Train Shelf Layout
The model train runs along the corner of the room on this shelf layout. There is also a house with illuminated windows that was fitted by the professionals from Sun Tint website. This shows how well a shelf layout can really enhance the beauty of a room.
Train Track Section Above the Fireplace
The train circles the entire room without running into anything, which means you won’t have to worry much about space when you get a shelf layout. Notice also how the layout blends seamlessly with the decor of the room.
Brackets of the Shelf Layout Over Framed Photos
The brackets are very sturdy, so the owner is confident that none of the decorations and photos will be damaged because of them. The brackets are also practically invisible, so you can attach them anywhere in the room without them aesthetically clashing with the other objects you have in it.
Wall Lamp for the Model Train
The tracks and the model train itself matches perfectly with the colors of the room. The lighting also complements the design and feel of the train set, giving it that warm glow mentioned earlier.
Electric Plugs Under the Shelf Layout
At the bottom of this picture, you can find the two electric plugs for the layout. Various pieces of decor adorn the wall underneath the track where a detailed white house with a red roof sits.
Bridge of the Layout Over the Doorway
Here, we can see the control panel for the model train. At the right side, there’s the door left open with a red steel bridge placed just above the doorway. The metal brackets are even placed along the wall, allowing the best support for the shelves.
Space Between the Ceiling and the Shelf
A vintage Lionel Electric Trains hangs just under a section of the model train shelf layout. From this angle, we can see the distance of the shelf to the ceiling. It is just the right amount of space not just for the train, but also for the bridges and houses we’ve seen.
House at the Corner of the Room
This is the same section of the room we saw earlier, but from a few paces away. We can still see the fireplace and the house, but this time we have a clearer view of how close it all is to the ceiling.
Different Angle of Red Bridge Over Door
The bridge is secure over the door, and it is well out of the way of the door. This layout was clearly planned very well so that the model train would not disrupt anything in the room.
Lionel Trains Memorabilia Under the Shelf
More charming Lionel Trains memorabilia hang from the wall. At the center of it all is a wall clock. Right above everything is the shelf as the model train passes through.
Over the course of these photos, we saw just how well a model train shelf layouts saves a ton of space. The O gauge is certainly an excellent option for this as it fits perfectly with most rooms.
The tracks are placed high above the room, right below the ceiling, so you won’t have to move anything that’s already in the room to make space for it. Finally, instead of having a full landscape to enhance your layout, you can use decorations for your walls to add to its beauty.