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based on my space restrictions, a plywood sheet layout of 4 X 8 or larger is not practical for my layout.  what i'm thinking of is a 12" + or - plywood base supported with brackets screwed into my wall studs.  the room is 10' X 12' so theoretically I can get 34' of lionel fastrack with 36" radius turn-arounds on the ends or a siding to turn the train around.

I can use advise from anyone who has this type of layout or maybe a link to a site with useful info.

 any help is appreciated.  I need to know the devils before I start drilling holes in my walls.

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Hi MrVinny,

Here is a layout thread on a build around the walls in a 12' x 14' room.

I think you can use up to an 18" bracket and support a 24" deck with no problem. You can see from the thread, the width of the deck depends on what you want to do. You can also build pylons for the wall, simpler than TomTee's elegant versions. The deck can extend 6" past the bracket end.

The standard shelf brackets from the home stores are plenty sturdy, usually rated at a 100lbs. Even if they are the 50lb rating, it's tough to get that much weight on one spot.

One devil is to learn a technique for marking a level  line around the wall at the height that you want.

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  • Wall brackets

A few more things to keep in mind if using wall brackets...

The strength of the bracket is only part of the equation.  The strength and quality of the anchoring method is equally important.

Personally, I wouldn't drill into a block or poured basement wall unless absolutely necessary - too many things can go wrong unless you have a lot of experience with that kind of work.  Even if everything goes well, you'll still have a mess to clean up later on if you decide to reconfigure the layout or sell your house.  Although it somewhat defeats the purpose of having a shelf layout, in a basement I would use legs - maybe just an occasional lightweight wall anchor to keep it from walking away from the wall.

For mounting in studs, be sure you know where any wiring or plumbing is located before driving screws. 

rthomps posted:

Run - don't walk - to Mianne Benchwork.  You'll get the best free-standing benchwork out there ... no tears/struggles/exasperation about drilling into anything.

BTW, MY experience is that layouts that are secure to a wall tend to be noisier - especially when attached using 2x4s or other wood.  MY experience.

I agree Mianne bench work is the way to go. I have moved 3 times and moved the bench work 3 times and it is still like new. Of course I lost the scenery but the bench work could be reassembled in a short of amount of time. 

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