Keeping busy

I am keeping busy in the train room as I continue to mull over the latest ... and I think final ... track plan. While I was traveling for work last week, Lisa did some clean up in the garage and moved a lot of the gardening equipment off the wall that will be the offline staging yard, freeing up a good portion of that space. I still have a lot of tools and things hanging there that I need to find a new storage spot but it's looking hopeful that I can really use the space for the trains ... or most of the space!

I spent last weekend and the beginning of this week unsoldering sections of track from the old layout. All the benchwork has been disassembled, although I have the 2'x4' and 2'x30" modules stacked against the walls. All the old scenery and even the pink insulation subroadbed are gone. Two of the 2'x'4' modules will go into the garage for the staging yards (unless I can squeeze the 30" deep module.... doubt it!) and likely the rest will be scrapped as I switch to L-girder for the benchwork. I may be able to reuse one or two of the modules, or maybe just the frames ... who knows.

First, I want to put up some shelving above the layout for supplies, books, and memorabilia. I have a high enough ceiling I could put in 2 shelves tall enough for magazines or large books and attach the train lighting and sky fascia to the lower shelf. I was all set to pick up the parts from Lowe's to build something like the photo below...but it won't work.

I realized that to have this hold the weight I expected, I would need the vertical supports in every stud, meaning every 16". But my lights are 48" so they won't fit under the bottom shelf.

Back to the drawing board!!