Around-the-wall shelf construction suggestions

Depends on several factors:

Weight of the materials on the bracket, Spacing of the brackets, Design of the brackets and how well they attach to the wall studs.

I'd add a 45° brace to the wall below. A Lot stronger.

I would agree legs is probably overkill.

I've got a shelf part of my layout on the wall with the heavy duty shelf brackets from Home depot. They're good for 600 lbs each, and I put one in every other stud. The bracket has a welded angle support in it. 

They come in many sizes, I bolted them to the wall with whatever size lag bolt fit in the hole (it was 1/4 or 5/16).

When you frame the layout, a cross piece to the benchwork rests on the length of the top of the bracket so you can secure it. 

I'm going to start construction on my benchwork this weekend, my layout room isn't much bigger than yours.

I'm building mine in sections, like a module group (only the track will span the sections, even the DCC wiring will have plugs at the end of each section. It won't be connected to the walls at all, and will be in sections that can be broken up if I ever have to move. It won't be uber light as it's not designed to be mobile often, just that it can be taken apart and moved without destroying the layout. And that means legs. It'll be a pain to fit everything else into the room I have like that, but I won't want to kill myself if I ever have to move.

Boilermaker...good suggestion on the brackets.  That would certainly work.  Lee...there is something to be said about modular and portability, especially considering how often I have changed my mind/layout.  Plus, I see myself moving in 5 or so years.  If I do decide on legs, I would just use 1 x 1 or 1 x 3 legs with cross braces. That should provide adequate support. 

Rick

I chose an around-the-wall plan.  However I decided to make the basic shelf extension 3' deep from the wall...my farthest comfortable reach.  I have 3 support posts in the basement holding up the main steel beam for the first floor.  I built each post into the end of a peninsula.  The peninsula walls, no higher than the layout height and fastened to the concrete floor, also have a 3' cantilevered shelf on each side.

That said, my basic cantilever support structure (standardized for quick assembly) has a 45-degree brace to the wall in each bracket.  Brackets are about 4-5' apart.  That's plenty sturdy for the layout.

But a while back I decided that as I work on the layout, particularly if I'm leaning hard on the outer frame rail, a portable leg would be a good idea to give extra support when needed. So I made one...out of a length of PVC pipe, notched at the top to engage the 1X4 frame rail and fascia, and having a cap on the bottom into which is run a carriage bolt with a rubber pad on the head.  Ergo, I simply slip the leg onto the rail/fascia, hold it vertical, and manually spin the carriage bolt out until it contacts the floor and sits snugly in place.  When done, a few turns of the bolt and the leg comes free, restoring the clean cantilevered appearance/functionality.

We also purchased inexpensive stackable 4-layer plastic shelving which with a few simple pieces of 2X4 and plywood scraps and eight casters, convert to two 2-shelf roll-arounds for under-table storage of...what else?...wretched, embarrassing excess, of course.  Waaaay too many of them, though!

Anyhow, the portable leg has been an excellent alternative from my experience.  I try not to over-build...or under-build, for that matter! 

But, as always, TEHO.

FWIW,

KD