hanging layout from ceiling - Model Railroader Magazine

Best way is to use cables. either at the extreme corners or, for less stress on the benchwork, about 1/5 of the way in from each end and each edge - about where the legs would be under L-girder benchwork. I remember a drying frame hanging from the ceiling in my boyhood home, but don't remember how it was rigged. One rope pulled it up in a horizontal position, thanks to (I think) 6 pulleys, including the one that led the hoist rope into the cat's cradle above the frame.

If you do build a hanging railroad, I would suggest that you rig a separate counterweight box to each lifting cable. That way you can add counterweighting material to balance new scenery and such, which will not be evenly distributed over the entire layout framework during construction.

Another thing you should consider is some kind of folding legs to support the layout in the conventional way in the fully lowered position. If the layout is operated while suspended solely by cables, the least little accidental hip-bump will be equivalent to 8.3 on the Richter scale as far as your models would be concerned.