Constructing a Valance

After recently determining my lighting method, I wanted to move on to the valance.  At about the same time I was testing the lighting, I was also testing valance options for my layout.  I only built one mock-up to ensure that it would meet my criteria.  I ended up using 3/4" thick MDF from Menards.  It appeared that if supported adequately, that I should be able to achieve both of these goals:

First, I wanted a valance to which I could mount drop-ceiling track over the aisle side.  This was important because I didn't want to construct a valance from which light would escape over the top if I were to try securing it to a uniform drop ceiling.  There will not be a drop ceiling over the layout behind the valance, rather I will secure thin plywood or paneling of some kind to match the profile of the benchwork below, which the valance will follow as well.  This will basically serve as a dust barrier and also as a simple way to finish off the inside of the lighted side of the valance.  More than likely this will be painted that same color as the backdrop.  I don't think anyone will spend much time looking at it, so I'm not going to bother with cabinet grade finish work on this aspect.

The other factor in how I chose to construct the valance was my need for long straight sections.  Thin masonite works really well for those flowing aisles on a mountain railroad, but this largely a tangent track operation, so I didn't want to have a fist-fight with some 1/4" thick material to get it straight only to end up with a crappy looking wavy ribbon the next time the humidity changed by 1%.  

I ripped an 11" X 8' section of the MDF and primed the layout facing side with basic white Zinsser primer (being a test piece I only painted the layout-facing side).  Just a safety note here... Evidently MDF is made up of some horrible stuff, so I took care by cutting it outside, while wearing a respirator.  For the same reason, I've decided that on the final application over the layout, I'll prime all sides of it to seal it up and then paint the room-facing side some kind of wall color.  I'd advise doing a couple light coats, too, as MDF is fairly absorbent so you don't bubble up the surface.  My piece took the Zinsser primer really well and doesn't show any signs of swelling after more than two months time.  

To suspend the MDF strips from the ceiling I decided to engineer some simple "L" brackets from quality 1x2's glued and screwed together.  This gave me a good compromise of strength and size, so that they wouldn't interfere too much with how I was mounting the lights behind the valance.  These would then be secured to the floor joists above and the MDF screwed to the face of them.  Since the orientation of my layout room runs parallel with the floor joists, this means that the location of the valance mounts naturally falls between the joists 95% of the time.  This is okay though, as the joists aren't necessarily plumb.  Between the joist I've been cutting a length of 2x8 on which the "L" bracket for the valance will attach.  this allows me to plumb and level everything on both axis to 
ensure a uniform line.  

 14" long "L" bracket constructed of quality 1x2's glued and screwed together.

Bracket attached to 2x8 between joists.  about 10" of the bracket is exposed for attaching

the valance itself, and the lower edge of the valance will likely float below the bottom

of the bracket by an inch or so, depending on where the level-line falls.

 

Several supports ready to accept the valance on the east wall of the layout room.

Benchwork here will only be 8-10" deep, back side of valance will be 14" from

the wall to provide some front-lighting to the scene.

 

I'm going to submit an non-sponsored plug here for a laser level.  The version I purchased is the DeWalt DW088K.  It will throw a vertical and/or horizontal line out to 100' and has a magnet mount that can be screwed to a wall, or a basic camera-style tripod mount that you can use on any tripod.  It has proven indispensable for the valance process, and many of the room building and layout planning steps to this point.  For $160 or so, it is one of the most cost-effective tools I've ever purchased.  

DeWalt DW088K Laser Level.  Building a layout?  Get one... seriously.

 

No, really.  Get one.

With any luck (and an abundance of ambition) I hope to have the valance supports in place by the end of August or early September.  I have a deadline to install some new doors and trim for two bedrooms at the same time for a pending carpet installation, so that may take priority.  In any event, it seems that I should be able to commence benchwork construction by the time we get into fall.  

 A photo I took from March of last year at Union Mills, IN.  CSX was putting together a train of loaded

covered hoppers delivered by the Chesapeake & Indiana.  This scene will be represented on my layout, though the

operator of the line will be my freelanced Indiana Central. 

Dog Days

Summer isn't exactly my favorite time of year.  I'm more of a spring and fall kind of guy, I'll even take the brutal depths of winter over the sweltering heat of summer.  The good news is that after 8 (or more) hours worth of full-force nature at work, I'm drawn to the cool dry air of the basement even more, inspiring me to move forward on my layout journey. 

Room panorama (quick and dirty) showing wall paint applied.  Valance

supports are being installed now - visible hanging from ceiling at top right.

Between the busy work schedule, and the peril-fraught journey of raising children, I've managed to make some more progress since the last post.  My track plan is essentially finalized.  This allowed me to nail down the height of my benchwork, which in some cases will be multi-decked.  Once I reached this point, it seemed like a logical step to get my wall colors applied since I was able to create a demarcation line between sky and room wall color.  

Finalizing the track plan, and subsequently the benchwork depth allowed me to also determine the location of my valance.  This will be the last tedious step before I can finally move on to the benchwork, and as I've mentioned in my previous post - that will be the stage where it finally starts to feel like a hobby.  This is pretty much uncharted territory for me.  I had layouts (maybe "train set" is more appropriate) as a kid, but years of inspiration and observation are now culminating in my own vision coming to life, it's a very exciting thing.  I would hope to encourage anyone else out there who feels overwhelmed by the beginning stages to press on, as progress begets progress - this coming from a Major League Procrastinator!

Sometime soon, I hope to create a decent track-plan to share.  Up until this point I've pretty much been using the old-school graph paper method.  I'll also try to explain my valance construction method in detail.