shelf layout design questions

[new guy]

Bruce

Truer words can never be spoken. While my benchwork is not as "overbuilt" as yours, I can climb on top of it without any fear of dislodging it. Foam layouts without plywood benchwork scares me, and I have seen the results once on a home layout tour...fortunately it wasn't me!!!

Willie

Thanks and the feeling of knowing it has happened to someone causes the "Vader moment" LOL! "NNNNNOOOOOOOOooooooooo!"

This layout was a fluke and the circumstances that brought the money to me to do this will never be repeated. I knew I would barely be able to maintain what I have built and there is absolutely NO way I could replace it or "start over" if I lost a substantial portion of it! "Overbuilding" was not an option, it was the very first requirement.

 

[beiland]

Gondola Shelving utilization?

I've often thought that a lot of layout benchwork is 'overdone',...just way more heavy than needed
Here is a construction site/blog/whatever you call it that documents a nice light shelf layout construction
View attachment 55077

Gondola Shelving

I was just in my local Harbor Freight store this evening and I began to look at their metal shelving. Its pretty damn sturdy, while not being to intrusive with its size of supports. I came home and decided to look up commercial shelving. It turns out the what I saw is general referred to 'gondola shelving'.

1) The support arms are of various lengths (the ones I saw holding up a considerable weight on the shelves) were up to 21 inches deep, and then 17 inches deep. They are of a low profile that would not interfere with a dbl-deck layout.
2) There is a nice thin perforated metal deck as a shelf that might only need a nice foam topping (or homasote) be placed on it.
3) The upright metal support beams might well be set in next to the layout rooms stud walls.
4) In my case the studding is on 24" centers, and a lot of this shelving appears to be 48' wide.

...just got me to thinking that this type of shelving could be cut down and modified to provide the sub-roadbed and shelf functions in lieu of our relatively thick plywood subroadbed with bracket supports.
http://www.usedgondolashelving.com/

...and a considerable amount of the shelving might be found on the used market? ..one full height, 48" wide, shelf unit might supply three 3, 48" long double-deck sections to the round-the-wall layout.
http://www.usedgondolashelving.com/F..._shelving.html