# ceiling tracks



## plandis (Oct 5, 2011)

anyone have any ideas on how to mount (suspend) a roadbed on the ceiling? I am thinking about ripping 1/4 plywood into 2 inch wide strips. use those as a kind of pate girders then cap those with another piece. hang this by rods screwed into ceiling truss member through drywall. I think I can bend or arc the girders for the curves. I'm in brain storm mode on this. looking for any suggestions.
Thanks!!
-Paul


----------



## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

plandis said:


> anyone have any ideas on how to mount (suspend) a roadbed on the ceiling? I am thinking about ripping 1/4 plywood into 2 inch wide strips. use those as a kind of pate girders then cap those with another piece. hang this by rods screwed into ceiling truss member through drywall. I think I can bend or arc the girders for the curves. I'm in brain storm mode on this. looking for any suggestions.
> Thanks!!
> -Paul



You can read this thread, 

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=7289


----------



## plandis (Oct 5, 2011)

big ed said:


> You can read this thread,
> 
> http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=7289


Thanks Ed. great thread. I read through the whole thing. I am going through the same process Gunny was going through. planning is most of the fun. I think I am undecided on suspension methods. I have some ideas and the final result will probably be a combination of several methods. I think that building your own turns out a better match for what you are trying to do. I have looked at the off the shelf systems. they just don't cut it. and are very spendy! I am looking for a low bulky look factor to maximize the view of trains.

also, I have the blessing from my neck/shoulder rubber to use the entire lower level of the house!!!! its got look good without a lot of plumbing parts. although the acrylic/copper system on you tube looks good, its way out of my price range.

This is a great forum!!!


----------



## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

plandis said:


> Thanks Ed. great thread. I read through the whole thing. I am going through the same process Gunny was going through. planning is most of the fun. I think I am undecided on suspension methods. I have some ideas and the final result will probably be a combination of several methods. I think that building your own turns out a better match for what you are trying to do. I have looked at the off the shelf systems. they just don't cut it. and are very spendy! I am looking for a low bulky look factor to maximize the view of trains.
> 
> also, I have the blessing from my neck/shoulder rubber to use the entire lower level of the house!!!! its got look good without a lot of plumbing parts. although the acrylic/copper system on you tube looks good, its way out of my price range.
> 
> This is a great forum!!!


When you figure out what your going to do post a thread with pictures and explanations. Then just go along and update it.

It might help others wanting to do the same thing.....the cheap way.

I have a site saved (somewhere?) that has a nice kit to build a double track ceiling setup, but like you said it is very pricey. 

I think there are a few other threads here on the same subject, use the search feature.
Someone (TJ?) else might know where they are and add some links.

Keep us posted.


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I have the plumbing parts for mine, the whole 70 odd feet of trackbed is costing about $200 for parts, that's the pipe, flanges, and plywood.


----------



## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I have the plumbing parts for mine, the whole 70 odd feet of trackbed is costing about $200 for parts, that's the pipe, flanges, and plywood.



I won't ask if it is almost finished.


----------



## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

Me either.


----------



## plandis (Oct 5, 2011)

big ed said:


> When you figure out what your going to do post a thread with pictures and explanations. Then just go along and update it.
> 
> It might help others wanting to do the same thing.....the cheap way.
> 
> ...


Will do. It will be a while- later this winter before I get to hanging anything. Like gunny said in his post on the subject a while back, I want to get a good plan worked out before going to the store! The direction I am headed is probably not the easiest to do. The concept I am considering is fabricating the suspended road bed out of thin material (plywood or paneling) to look like a plate girder bridge. Only my "bridge" will be the entire road bed. I think two thin pieces on edge would be plenty strong. Then "cap" them with another piece creating a three sided box structure (very strong). For the curved sections of layout I can pre-bend the "girders" before capping them with a curved piece to match the radius I need. The switches and other accessories would sit on "bulb-outs" attached to the "box". Then for suspending- I found a fastener that has wood screw threads on one end, machine threads on the other. I know there is a name for this type of "stud" but cant remember it. they are cheap!. The "wood end" of the stud would be screwed into the joist through the drywall leaving about an inch or so of machine thread exposed. 1/4-20 in my case. Then I would use 1/4-20 threaded couplers with a flat washer screwed down tight. From here, I would use 1/4 all-thread rods cut to proper length to go down through cross members under my road bed. The cross members would be only the required length so that the ends would to span over to the next available joist. Acorn nuts under there with flat waster. Above the cross members to the couplers, I would use something like that lamp hardware tubing you see at the hardware store for fixing floor lamp and light fixtures. They would be all cut the same length and will hide the all-thread. Should look nice. The cross members under the road bed would be maybe 3/4 thick doug fir on edge maybe about 1 or 1 1/2 wide. This should be plenty strong enough to support road bed. the spacing would be dictated by the locations of the joists and position of the roadbed. The idea is that the roadbed would only be as wide as or slightly narrower than the track ties. Maximum train viewing! 

Anyway, this is all in my head at this time. The end result will likely look different! It probably seams like a lot of work but I think it will look good and be relatively cheap to put together. There will be about 300 feet suspended not including sidings. This thing is planned to ring the living room, go through wall to kids room on separate switched loop, then a spur down the hall way across the front entry hall into and across the kitchen, dining room and looping back into the "main line" across the entry hall. this will create a large loop-back. I may include a passing siding in there somewhere. whew! 

Once I get this project off the ground, I'll be posting the progress with pics. Until then I'll keep looking to all the inventors on this site for ideas and suggestions! This is a great forum. I could spend all day just reading through the trials and tribulations. I have about 6-7 years to go to retirement so my time is limited. This project will take a years or two but one thing that I keep seeing about model trains - you are never really done! Whats the fun in that!!

Thanks
Paul


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Well, I thought mine was ambitious, but yours sounds way more complicated!  Mine is going to be pretty simple, suspended plywood base, rubber padded roadbed, and tubular track.

Here's the thread on how I arrived at my design for hanging the track.

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=7289


----------



## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

big ed said:


> I think there are a few other threads here on the same subject, use the search feature.
> Someone (TJ?) else might know where they are and add some links.


Good thinking, Ed, re: the Search tool.

I'd suggest you guys search for "ceiling layout", "ceiling train", etc.

Busy on my end tonight ... no time to do it myself ... sorrry ...

TJ


----------

