Where does one store a Garden train?

[Jerry Barnes]

I use plastic totes, with some padding inside, to haul over to my shed, that is about 60' away from the RR. Keeps them dust free and keeps the mice off/out of them.  Just the cheap plastic storage boxes you get at Walmart, even found one that holds my Zephyr! Jerry

[cmoore]

My layout is in the front yard (it's a bit smaller then most), I leave most of the infrastructure outside however, last Xmas a bunch of teenagers kicked a few things over in the early morning. Regardles of that I bring my locos and rolling stock inside and display them in the family foom on shelves for all to see. I can see a real advantage in having an outside (locakable) storage area it will save the time wasted on bringing it all outside and setting up.

[g. gage]

I belonged to a HO modular club and noticed most equipment damage happened during setup and breakdown. When I switched to garden railroading it seemed many members were doing the same thing on their own railroads. This process is labor intensive and time consuming. I wanted to have online storage of cars and locomotives.

Our home is built on a slope with a crawl space five feet high across the front and a five foot high access door on the side. I built a planter level with the bottom of the door and ran the mainline from the planter, through the door using a spanner. From there tracks fan out into a yard. Three tracks are double ended and climb up to a doggie door. Another spanner carries the mainline through the doggie door into a second planter, sixteen inches above the lower track, where it continues. Operation begins with opening the two doors, slipping in the two spanners (piece of sectional track) in place and powering up. Three trains are staged and ready; problem solved.

Good luck, Rob

[Anonymous]

Thought I bring this thread back up.....

Toad

[Coogler Rail Line]

According to the news down here, they are now using cordless drills to drill through the gas tank.  The theft will cost someone more than a gas cap and a tank of gas now.

[Capt Bob Johnson]

As my dear departed Mother used to say "Locks are only for honest people!"   Folks are starting to run to get the locking gas caps for thier cars; HAH!  Anybody remember the 70's???  If you had a locking gas cap so they couldnt siphon your gas, they used an icepick to punch a hole in your tank and stole your gas that way.   Cost more to replace or repair the tank that it did to let them steal the gas!

[SleeperN06]

I put a aluminum covered drop hatch door covering a single track port hole through my Wall. It leads into my basement and runs along the celling.

I load and unload the trains off this track. I have shelfs that hold two wide cars up and down the wall all around the walls. The shelfs have two strips of 1/4 thick strip as wide as the inside of the truck wheels holding  the cars on the shelfs and apart from each other.

I wish I had a basement. They don't have basements in Southern Calif.

Maybe when I retire I'll be able to move someplace that has a basement. As a child I lived in a farmhouse in PA that had a great basement, my father had a complete wood shop down there and there was still a lot of room for his Lionel trains. Lots of possibilities with a basement!

[kimbrit]

this is mine, right by the RR, this pic is a couple of years old, a few changes................

[Great Western]

I keep all my rolling stock (except the five locos which live in the house) in a purpose built cupboard in my garage.  It has room for around 50 items of 1;22.5 and 1:29 stock.  I carry the required items, either the Bachmann OR the Aristo-Craft (I never run the two together) out a few yards from the garage to a large table.  I carry them in plastic trays, in their original packaging for protection, which can hold six boxes easily. 

As watching trains run can be sedentary at least I get some excercise in getting the track checked and stock up and running.

Ideally I would like the set-up shown in the garage -with the added workshop facilities - but this would mean a six foot drop down to track level requiring a very steep, and unwanted grade.  I have considered an outdoor stock shed and I have seen a few versions on this Forum and others. The preferred option then would be for a shed along the lines shown by Lownote.  I anticipate making a shed like that during the summer - even if it  only serves to run trains into when a sudden rain shower appears.

Lownote mentioned a determined thief:  it seems that they will find a way to steal however things are stored. 

[spikejones52002]

I put a aluminum covered drop hatch door covering a single track port hole through my Wall. It leads into my basement and runs along the celling.

I load and unload the trains off this track. I have shelfs that hold two wide cars up and down the wall all around the walls. The shelfs have two strips of 1/4 thick strip as wide as the inside of the truck wheels holding  the cars on the shelfs and apart from each other.

[SleeperN06]

I built a car barn/engine shed where assembled trains are stored. It's watertight and venitlated, and I can lock it, although a determined thief could get in pretty easily.

 

 

It's described here

http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/magic/westover/structures.html

 

It makes it much much more pleasant to run the trains--before I was carrying cars and locos out one at a time , and putting them away the same way; it was tedious and stuff would get broken. Now I just open the door and press a button on the remote

 I think this looks like more where I'm headed. I don't have a lot room like some of you have. I haven't had anybody take anything from my yard, but I know it's just a matter of time because the neighborhood is changing. I hope to move in a couple of years when I retire. That's why I'm must to keep everything small easy to move.

 

[sfcgadget]

I got tired of carring all mine in and out so when I decided to move and rebuild the railroad so it isn't under the trees, I also built a shed to house my railroad inventory along with a workshop. The trains will be able to pull into the shed via a tunnel and all I have to do is close a trap door. The layout will be elevated at waist level due to a back and knees that don't like crawling around on the ground anymore. Inside the shed the track is on the shelf under the workbench. Work on the layout should start in a couple of weeks. I just finished removing the old layout that was up on the highground behind the shed location.

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[imrnjr]

When I started the railway in 2006 I knew I would need some kind of storage closer to the garden than my garage, and decided on an in garden barn.  I store most of my active rolling stock and engines in the barn along with the sprinkler controller for the garden and all the electronics for the railway. 

For longevity and because I got the material for free I chose to make it out of 22 ga sheet metal with 4"c purlin and 3/4" angle ribs

I planted it in the garden bed and bermed the fill over it after sealing the seams and top of the barn with asphault roofing material.  The Barn face is Hardi-Sheathing with 1x4 rough cut cedar trim and the doors are 3/4 PTL grooved siding.  The train entrances have a slide in 1/4 plexiglas plug to keep the weather and critters out.  Since I was building this from the beginning I ran power and installed lighting for convienence.

 

The barn is 14' long and 36" wide, I use Aristo W-R turnouts feeding 4 sidings inside and since I am now using track power I have  isolated and seperately switched power to each siding.  I use a Bridgewerks 1000DL,  with no special accommodations.  It just sits on the floor of the barn.

Since we live in the country I don't worry to much about theft, but I do have barrel bolts and hasps for pad locks on the doors of the barn.   It has weathered a tropical storm (7" of rain in 36 hours), and  the only water that got in was at the door plugs, and that was not enough to get anything wet

Good luck if you decide to go forward with a barn or shed.

Mark

[TheJoat]

For outside storage, my mill is also a storage bin.

It holds up to 16 pieces of rolling stock.

 

It can't hold every piece I own, so I keep the rest of the rolling stock in the garage, on some  shelves. 

I got tired of carrying the cars from the garage, so I built a bunch of these carriers.   They allow me to carry four pieces of rolling stock in one hand.   I can fit three of the carriers on a shelf.   They also allow me to easily transport some of my cars to another layout.

 

 

 

[Ray Dunakin]

You guys with the Rubbermaid sheds, do you have any problems with moisture getting into them?

Currently I have an old steel shed built on a wooden platform on the concrete patio, used only for tools and other storage. It gets pretty musty inside and a lot of stuff has gotten wet. I'm not sure how much of the moisture is due to leaks in the roof or sides, and how much is due to water soaking through the wooden floor.

The shed is blocking the view of the layout so I plan to get rid of it and replace it with a couple different structures -- one for trains, and one (maybe two) smaller ones for tools and such. I'm leaning towards Rubbermaid for the small shed(s). The train shed will have to be custom built.

[Anonymous]

Mine now stay on the layout...but it is inside. I used to carry them in and out. Only took about 5 minutes. If I had more to carry, or farther to go I might have invested in a garden wagon with rubber tires and built dividers then just parked it in the garage.

[lownote]

I built a car barn/engine shed where assembled trains are stored. It's watertight and venitlated, and I can lock it, although a determined thief could get in pretty easily.

 

 

It's described here

http://chnm.gmu.edu/courses/magic/westover/structures.html

 

It makes it much much more pleasant to run the trains--before I was carrying cars and locos out one at a time , and putting them away the same way; it was tedious and stuff would get broken. Now I just open the door and press a button on the remote

[EMPIRE II LINE]

 Here's another couple'a shots of the front and side yard areas, Sleeper,

Byron C.

All I can say is WOW!
        And WOW!
                 That's better than Disneyland!

I'm afraid to ask, but that must have taken longer to build than I've been on earth.
 

Nah, only about 2.5 years so far, but a long way from being near completion.....

Byron C. 

[SleeperN06]

 Here's another couple'a shots of the front and side yard areas, Sleeper,

Byron C.

All I can say is WOW!
        And WOW!
                 That's better than Disneyland!

I'm afraid to ask, but that must have taken longer to build than I've been on earth.
 

[EMPIRE II LINE]

 

Here's another couple'a shots of the front and side yard areas, Sleeper,

 

 

Byron C.

[EMPIRE II LINE]

I was looking at some old posts on rain & foul weather and I was wondering what does everyone do with their trains when they're not using them. I was thinking of building an insulated and rainproof train barn with a locking door that I could just run my train into when I'm not using it. Does anybody have any photos that I might get some ideas?

 

 

OK Sleeper, here's another idea as to how to store them......11.5 by 33 foot, Central A/C'd & Heated, just run'em in and out.....

 

 

Got a repair shop inside also.......

 

 

 

Here's More shots of the Area, note the upper table also,there will be more future storage tracks on the second level also......

 

 

 

 

VVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVVV

I've recently added another 10 by 24 roof to the room and I plan to enclose another area 16 by 21 foot, for even more pull through storage, as well, so's I can build a third level table for my HUGE "O" Scale, three-rail collection, to be built on.

I plan to run the "O" scale out-side also, on Stainless Steel Gargraves track.

In-side with the "O" scale lay-out in the summer time, and out-side with the "G" scale, when it's cool in the winter here.......

 

 

 

 

The Front Yard.....also....

 

 

So, that's how I'm doing it, this time around, the 5th lay-out I've built in "G" scale.

 

Byron C.

[DMUinCT]

  I will leave 8 to 10 cars on the track (rain or shine) ready to run (typical residential corner city lot).  In 7 years, never a problem with kids. 

  A large, locked, "Rubber Maid" cabinet holds another 25 freight cars next to the track.

  All locomotives, cabooses, and passenger car come in the house or garage at end of running (too much electronics to get wet). 

[Camaro1967]

I'm thinking of moving the switches outside, and making the door bigger. I estimate that will allow at least 10 more cars inside.  I also can add another track farthest away from the opening, so I can expand a little more. By the way, I keep my engines in an adjacent garage, very close to the shed and layout.

Paul 

[SleeperN06]

There you go, It is 16 ft by 4 ft, and about 1.5 ft high at the peak. I can have a train out on my layout in minutes. It has two roof sections that come off for easy access. I am very happy with it, I just wish it was bigger, butit will never be big enough.

Paul 

All right! This is more of what I'm looking for. I just want to open a door and run them out on there own power. I was thinking smaller, but after seeing yours and Brian's collection above, I remembered how fast my N-scale grew. Its looks like I will definitely have to plan for expansion. 

[Camaro1967]

There you go, It is 16 ft by 4 ft, and about 1.5 ft high at the peak. I can have a train out on my layout in minutes. It has two roof sections that come off for easy access. I am very happy with it, I just wish it was bigger, butit will never be big enough.

Paul 

[altterrain]

My house is a bit of a hike to the layout so my train storage is right by the layout -

Electrical is also kept in the bigger shed.

-Brian 

[SleeperN06]

I don't have this problem yet, they are afraid of my big dog.

[Capt Bob Johnson]

After he gets back from his trip West (any day now!) Paul Bottino could post some pix of the very nice shed he built!

[Coogler Rail Line]

Sounds like a riddle.

I bring my trains inside.  There are too many unsupervised teenagers roaming my neighborhood.