[kezug]

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).

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.

 

[kezug]

No, the old chap hasnt been on for a while.

 

[kezug]

Thanks everyone.

Yes, we use a step ladder to change out the trains. So far, we have had no derailments but had a couple of decouples. The rule is that he is to not change or fix the trains. He must ask his parents. I told my son that once or twice a month we can change it all out. He has several engines now and plenty of other cars to mix and match for plenty of variation.

 

[kezug]

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:

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