For the benefit of British readers Menards is the American equivalent of B&Q. Does the old chap still do the adverts on TV? 
Something different...HO Train on Wall near ceiling
My son, who is 8, loves trains. Since we do not have a room to dedicate for a permenant layout, we decided to do an Extreme Bedroom Makeover. We painted, I built him a desk, and I built him a shelf high on the wall to allow for 2 tracks (HO Scale) complete with 2 types of truss bridges.
Now I understand this is not the ideal way to present a model train, but considering our limited space, and my son's love of trains, I just had to make the most of the situation. Plus, we still have floor space in the basement for him to do ad-hoc setups for unlimited combinations any time he wants.
I should add that my son more than just likes to look at trains, in our basement where he can setup adhoc layouts, he is constantly finding new patterns and modifications that he dreams up himself. He has discovered how to splice wire and connect them to the accessories leads on the transformer. PLus he watches all kinds of train video's (real and scale).
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The materials
- 1/2" MDF for the track shelf (shelf is about 7" wide) and at a height of near 7'
- brackets from Menards (6" version is menards, but this is the 10" version at lowes to give you a better idea of what they look like Click here for Bracket
- and many various sizes of "doll" rods (only the square ones, not sure what they are called)
- and some trim
Here is a Video
Here are a couple of shots:
Early Build Stage:
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A shot of the arch truss bridge
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A shot of the Howe truss bridge
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You have to watch the video to see the full effect.
Hope you enjoy.
Now I understand this is not the ideal way to present a model train, but considering our limited space, and my son's love of trains, I just had to make the most of the situation. Plus, we still have floor space in the basement for him to do ad-hoc setups for unlimited combinations any time he wants.
I should add that my son more than just likes to look at trains, in our basement where he can setup adhoc layouts, he is constantly finding new patterns and modifications that he dreams up himself. He has discovered how to splice wire and connect them to the accessories leads on the transformer. PLus he watches all kinds of train video's (real and scale).
The materials
- 1/2" MDF for the track shelf (shelf is about 7" wide) and at a height of near 7'
- brackets from Menards (6" version is menards, but this is the 10" version at lowes to give you a better idea of what they look like Click here for Bracket
- and many various sizes of "doll" rods (only the square ones, not sure what they are called)
- and some trim
Here is a Video
Here are a couple of shots:
Early Build Stage:
A shot of the arch truss bridge
A shot of the Howe truss bridge
You have to watch the video to see the full effect.
Hope you enjoy.
4
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That's fantastic Kezug. well thought out. That really is a great idea. I wonder if my wife would let me do that in the living room?
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I didnt expect to get such favorable feedback as I have so many errors when factoring in true "modeling" and I very much appreciate the responses so far. Thanks.
Shot of train on the Arch Truss bridge:
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and from under
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Shot of train on the Howe Truss bridge:
![]()
and from under
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some cool shots from outside the room to show both bridges.
![]()
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The transformer Hidden on the underside of his desk
![]()
And a shot showing a corner piece which measures 22" from corner to end. The radius is then simply a trace of 3 curved pieces, eyeballed to allow for 2 tracks.
![]()
Any my bridge inspirations:
QUEENSTON LEWISTON BRIDGE
![]()
KANKAKEE RIVER TRAIN BRIDGE
![]()
Shot of train on the Arch Truss bridge:
and from under
Shot of train on the Howe Truss bridge:
and from under
some cool shots from outside the room to show both bridges.
The transformer Hidden on the underside of his desk
And a shot showing a corner piece which measures 22" from corner to end. The radius is then simply a trace of 3 curved pieces, eyeballed to allow for 2 tracks.
Any my bridge inspirations:
QUEENSTON LEWISTON BRIDGE
KANKAKEE RIVER TRAIN BRIDGE
10
You have great skills there. Nothing I make ever looks that good.
QUOTE (kezug @ 11 Apr 2008, 01:23) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I didnt expect to get such favorable feedback as I have so many errors when factoring in true "modeling" and I very much appreciate the responses so far. Thanks.
But you didn't set out to build a scale model and it serves its' intended function to watch trains superbly. I've emailled the pics to the missus just to see her reaction
![]()
Nice idea and beautiful job on the bridges.
But you didn't set out to build a scale model and it serves its' intended function to watch trains superbly. I've emailled the pics to the missus just to see her reaction
Nice idea and beautiful job on the bridges.
QUOTE (80class @ 10 Apr 2008, 19:27) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I would have loved that when I was a child.
Rob
I expect that there is a lot of "grown ups" that would like it now !
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Rob
I expect that there is a lot of "grown ups" that would like it now !
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1 - 12 of 12 Posts
