New shelf/Ceiling Layout Design

Depending on the type of equipment you run, your 1 inch wall clearance may be too tight.  Try putting some track with curves and that clearance on the floor and run your equipment into and out of curves to see how your wall survives.

Chuck

I see your layout is double track. From the vantage point of normal standing, will you be able to see the second track or with the width of the benchwork block the field of view of the track closest to the wall? And certainly on the curves I would be careful that passing trains don't hit each other with their overhang.

The inner track will be hard to see, I would assume. I'd like to be able to run two trains at a time. One thought was to try and elevate the rear track somewhat, if possible.

The tracks are 4-4.5" on center. From what I have read that should be sufficient for large articulated locomotives.

Chuck - to your point, I have not purchased the track at this point, and the idea of the layout was to include the largest possible curves for future purchases such as large articulated power, which I do not have now and won't be able to test. The largest locomotive I have now requires O54.

The passing track would simply be a storage track to rotate trains running. Visibility would not be completely necessary.  I also plan on having stools for the kids to stand on. Plus, I am sure they will be standing on the beds.

Here are some shots from my overhead layout I had in my office 14' X 24'

If you eventually plan to run articulated locos over head, I would suggest leaving at least 3 inches between the outside (closest to the wall) edge of your track and the wall itself.  Some bigger engines have been known to dent / ding walls while entering or exiting curves.  This may happen less frequently if you can get your curves up to near O120.

Chuck

I will reconfigure to include 3” on the edges of the layout. I think it will look bette that way, as well. What would you recommend for spacing between curves? 4.5” on center rail?

Atlas 3-rail standard track geometry (O45, O54, O63, O72, etc.) is based on 4.5 inch track centers.  However, this has been known to be insufficient for certain long equipment on the smaller diameters.  Using only O72 and higher diameters makes the "will not work" scenario for longer equipment less likely, but usually significantly reduces ability to utilize our space well.  Potential compromise is to limit running of long equipment to largest diameter track.

Whatever you build, be sure that your test runs are very slow because you will not want any "scrape-bys" to be longer than necessary or result in a derailment that sends equipment to floor!  Again, testing at ground level before build is highly recommended.

Chuck

I'm currently planning on O72 inner loop and O81 outer loop.

Will anyone be able to see the top of the deck bridge?  Lay the wire on top or on the ties.  Black wire hides well.  U can use it for both power and common if you are careful.

It would be hard to see the top of the deck unless you were on a stool, however, you would be able to see through the bottom of the bridge and see those wires.

This has been my project for several years now. Just a couple loops with some custom rolled 027 curves. It hangs on the walls with wood brackets that match the knotty pine walls.

had overhead layout in my office 14X24

I don't see the need for switching on something you can't see. It would be easier to raise the back - closest to the wall track up with no switches. Just my opinion since you asked.

I have been trying to figure out how to "find room" for a layout.  So this thread got me thinking about a ceiling layout.

When I think of "ceiling running" I always just assumed a loop or two of track where you put the train on it and let her rip.  Does any one have experience with what is being proposed here?  It seems to me that trying to switch equipment that is above eye level wouldn't work.  That would dictate having some kind of raised platform to stand on while actually "operating" the layout.  From my viewpoint not really sure I would want to do, that but would like to hear others experiences with this.

As far as having the outer track raised above the inner, that seems like a must.  To make this work, rather than a simple cross over, I would add a middle track to accommodate the incline.  I have seen where this is done on real Railroads.  It can also serve as a passing siding.

BTW NMRA standard for O is 4.5 track spacing, which is what Atlas follows.  A 4.0 spacing looks more realistic on straight sections.  If there is a height difference between inner and outer track, the embankment will help make it look better.