How to Build a Toy Train Elevated Track Around a Bedroom

How to Build a Train Track Around a Ceiling

7/14/2021

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Steph is making her LEGO childhood dreams come true one project at a time! First it was to establish a LEGO room in her house, followed by the ultimate Wall Control storage wall, and now--an elevated train track!

Did anyone see that one coming? I surely didn't know she had always coveted rooms with elevated train tracks since watching the movie Casper back in the 90s.

Since it is way too hot to work on anything outside, this was the perfect summer project. Follow along as we show you the build from beginning to caboose!

Materials/Tools:

(4) 1x6x10ft Pine Board
1x12x4ft Pine Board
1/2” Plywood (window cover)
3/4” Plywood (window shelf)
Liberty 6.28 in. Matte Black Steel Geometric Decorative Shelf Bracket (2-Pack) (Home Depot)
Crates & Pallet 6 in. Black Steel Shelf Bracket for Wood Shelving (Home Depot)
Everbilt #12 x 1-1/4 in. and #10 x 3/4 in. Phillips Pan Shelf Bracket Screw Kit (12-Pack) (Home Depot)
Everbilt 16 in. Matte Black Heavy-Duty Folding Shelf Bracket (Home Depot)
C.H. Hanson Magnetic Stud Finder (Home Depot)
Husky 24 in. Line Generator Digital Laser Level (Home Depot)
Kreg Pocket-Hole Jig 520PRO (Home Depot)
Milwaukee M18 FUEL 18-Volt Lithium-Ion Brushless Cordless 10 in. Dual Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw (Tool-Only) (Home Depot)
RYOBI ONE+ HP 18V Brushless Cordless Jig Saw (Tool Only) (Home Depot)
Bosch Multi-Purpose Steel T-Shank Jig Saw Blades Set for Cutting Wood and Metal (15-Pack) (Home Depot)
Makita 12 Amp 6-1/2 in. Corded Plunge Saw with 55 in. Guide Rail, 48T Carbide Blade and Hard Case (Home Depot)
Cricut Maker Machine (used to make vinyl clouds) (Home Depot)
Gorilla Ladders 23 ft. Reach MPXT Aluminum Multi-Position Ladder with Project Top, 375 lbs. Load Capacity Type IAA Duty Rating (Home Depot)
Rust-Oleum Painter's Touch 2X 12 oz. Gloss Spa Blue General Purpose Spray Paint (for sky) (Home Depot)
Zinsser 1 gal. B-I-N Shellac-Based White Interior Primer and Sealer (wood primer) (Home Depot)
BEHR 1 qt. Zesty Apple Semi-Gloss Enamel Interior Paint & Primer (wall color)
(4) Train Track City Train Road Straight Tracks Building Toy Compatible with Major Brands (18pcs Straight) (Amazon)
LEGO City Tracks 60205 Building Kit (for flexible track) (Amazon)
Small Cross Flat Head Tapping Wood Screws (Amazon)

To build the elevated toy train track we are using standard pine boards.

We are using standard 1x6 inch boards and a single 1x12 inch board.

We are using Crates and Pallet black finish shelf brackets.

We ordered these brackets and picked up the black finish screws in the store.

We are using two Everbilt 16 in. Matte Black Heavy-Duty Folding Shelf Brackets.

It took a while to get these Everbilt 16 in. Matte Black Heavy-Duty Folding Shelf Brackets but they ended up being the perfect choice for the build. They were worth the wait!

Covering the window with 1/2 plywood to support the shelf and block out the sun.

This window area was a little tricky to work around. We decided to cover the top half of the window with 1/2 inch plywood for two reasons. One, the sun coming through the top of this window makes this room miserably hot and two, we needed a way to support the train shelf at this point.

Using the Lego train track to mark the corner support curve.

Here Steph is marking the curve on the corner supports. The track itself was the perfect jig!

Using a jigsaw to cut out the corner support curve.

For jigsaw cutting success, always start with a fresh blade and use the variable speed feature. Here Steph is cutting the curve on the corner. All of these cuts were sanded well before painting.

Putting the corner support in the place for the elevated toy train track.

These corner brackets are going to support the train shelf in three of the four corners. Steph placed them 17 inches from the ceiling. Why 17 inches? Well, any lower and Cinderella's Castle LEGO set would not fit underneath!

Putting the Crates & Pallet brackets into place for the train shelf.

Once the corner brackets were in place, it was time to add the shelf supports. Luckily, we were able to place these into studs.

Marking the final length of the shelves.

To determine the final length of the 1x6 inch boards, we put them into place along with the corner pieces and marked where they needed to be cut. And yes, it was just as challenging as it looks to work with these long boards in a room filled with fragile LEGO sets!

Steph is making pocket holes which will be used to secure the long boards to the corner supports. That's a basic Kreg pockethole jig she is using.

After the window plywood was cut, painted and screwed into place, these brackets were screwed into place.

Screwing the track boards together with pocket hole screws.

The long boards are attached to the corner support with screws. This is on top of the board as they will not be seen from the ground. Along the way, all the boards were primed and then painted in the same color of the LEGO room.

The actual LEGO track is screwed down to prevent it from shifting.

After a couple of test runs with the train to adjust the track, Steph used tiny screws to secure the track to the elevated shelf.

The space above the wide shelf was spray painted sky blue and LEGO inspired clouds were cut from vinyl on our Cricut Maker and put into place.

Let's go for a ride! All aboard!

This is the LEGO Disney Train and Station set. The second car holds the battery pack that uses bluetooth to connect to the LEGO PoweredUp app on Steph's phone to control the train, and it plays the fun train sounds you hear in the video.

The three Florida theme parks are Disney's Magic Kingdom, Universal Studios Orlando, and Legoland Florida. We did build a riser for those Harry Potter Sets you see in the middle.

The train travels past three Florida theme parks: Disney's Magic Kingdom, Universal Studios Orlando, and Legoland Florida. We did build a riser for those Harry Potter Sets you see in the middle. And we made one more shelf to hold Steph's vintage Hogwarts express train from 2000, and her new Hogwarts express from 2020!

We will share how to build a rolling library ladder in a future video.

Your eyes don't deceive you, that is a rolling library ladder Steph is standing on. That build is coming soon.

I don't have any childhood dreams that have come true that are quite as cool as Steph's, but I guess if I had to choose something that I always wanted it would have been a dedicated sewing/craft space. Once my kids moved out, that dream became a reality!

What was your childhood dream? Did you make it a reality? Please share in the comments below.

Please note: This is not a sponsored post.

FYI: We are not professionals, and we don't claim to be. This is what we found worked for our project. Yours may need a little different approach. Safety first!

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