I know everyone has their own way of storing cars/locos but I thought I would pass along how I am doing it. I decided to use my background wall as a storage and display location. The trays are clear lexan and they are wide enough to hold an HO car or a double row of N scale. The reason I went this route is that it allows me to use the trays as an extension to my layout and have the cars handy to grab when needed.
I have some industrial spurs on my layout that are not long enough to hold but 2 or 3 cars...not much for a grain elevator who often have a long string of cars on display. This way, I can make my tracks as long as I want in JMRI and let that dictate how many cars to pick/drop at a location. I can use my 0-5-0 to pick/drop cars from the on layout spur plus the extended spur in the trays as needed.
My other use is for far away industries that I want to connect to on layout industries but do not have room for them. Example, my concrete batch plant needs sand but I have no source on my layout. My sand source is at an industry that sits in the lexan trays. My train routes include spurs that are in the trays and when JMRI calls for a car from a tray. I can grab it and add it to my consist at the begining of a route. That also happens in reverse because I can deliver a car to the trays at the end of a route while JMRI keeps track of where each car is.
Initially I had planned to have my off layout locations in storage boxes under my layout so I experimented with that and hated it. No digging thru boxes this way. Every car is readily available at arms length.
I thought about roll around carts butI don't have room to accomodate them.
I know some will not like this because it kills the sky but I tried painting clouds and was not very good at it. This is my iCloud for trains.
Obviously not much landscaping yet. I recently got my track all installed and working so needed to clean off the layout so I could run trains. That led to my storage solution. Landscaping and more structures are next on my agenda.
Paul D
N scale Washita and Santa Fe RailroadSouthern Oklahoma circa late 70's
PED I know some will not like this because it kills the sky but I tried painting clouds and was not very good at it. This is my iCloud for trains.
Oddly, some people place an upper level about where you placed your storage. THEY seem happy with that.
Nah, I don't miss the "sky". I DO think you should have something in the back like buildings or hills or something. I expect you agree.
But, for me, the rolling stock floating in the sky would be a non-problem in about 5 minutes.
I like it.
Ed
7j43k PED I know some will not like this because it kills the sky but I tried painting clouds and was not very good at it. This is my iCloud for trains. Nah, I don't miss the "sky". I DO think you should have something in the back like buildings or hills or something. I expect you agree. Ed
Correct. I do plan to eventually put something along the lower part like trees or building flats but that is down the road.
Here's what I did. These drawers hold all off my current rolling stock I use. I have more rolling stock to add, some to remove. It's in a space between two of the supports to my bench work, which was originally built for storage of the plastic containers that hold all of our "stuff", you know, seasonal decorations, things not currently being used, some of the kids stuff from way back when they were kids.
Mike.
My You Tube
Mike,
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That looks mlike a handy cabinet. I saw something similar at Hobby Lobby and had the same thought about using it for rolling stock storage.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Ikea makes a neat drawer unit called the Helmer- six drawers that are just a little taller that HO cars The unit is 27 1/2 inches tall great for fitting underneath the layout and available in several colors. I line the drawers with the spongy shelf liner which keeps the cars from rolling. The drawers can be slid out completely too making them a little more portable. I have three of them under the layout along with a sterlite plastic cart. I like the Helmers better. Jim
Once again, I don't see the pictures I put in a post ? I see it when I first post, but when I come back, it's not there. It must be there, as Kevin responded to it.
Photobucket seams to be working, so I wonder what is going on?
Mike...I see your picture just fine. I had considered a drawyer arrangement like you showed but I don't have a good spot to build or place one. My layout is not in a traditional spot. Mine is built in a 26 ft travel trailer I gutted out.
I can see Mike's photo, too.
Paul, if storing your extra rolling stock in that manner suits you, then it's obviously the right way for you to do it.
While my layout is only partially double-decked, there are four levels of staging tracks...
...so it makes sense to me to store not-currently-in-use rolling stock beneath those tracks, as cars cycle on/off the layout mostly at these points (there's another staging yard in another room).
The freight cars are stored here, mostly in original boxes, but not necessarily the cars' own original ones, as some cars, mostly flats and gondolas, can be stored two in a box, while open hoppers are stored mostly two or four in a box (the latter in those long Athearn boxes for passenger cars)...
The shelves are deep enough that I could pile the boxes two rows deep, but that would make them a lot more difficult to retrieve. While it's getting pretty-full, I have only another dozen or so more freight cars to add.
Passenger and express cars, along with MoW equipment, is stored in boxes like these...
...with several layers of lift-out trays...
Wayne
drgwcs Ikea makes a neat drawer unit called the Helmer- six drawers that are just a little taller that HO cars The unit is 27 1/2 inches tall great for fitting underneath the layout and available in several colors. I line the drawers with the spongy shelf liner which keeps the cars from rolling. The drawers can be slid out completely too making them a little more portable. I have three of them under the layout along with a sterlite plastic cart. I like the Helmers better. Jim
Russ
Modeling the early '50s Erie in Paterson, NJ. Here's the link to my railroad postcard collection: https://railroadpostcards.blogspot.com/
I use these for storing my boxed freight and passenger cars. Walmart usually has them for under $20 each on roll back. These are the wide ones. They make other styles as well.
Neal
nealknows I use these for storing my boxed freight and passenger cars. Walmart usually has them for under $20 each on roll back. These are the wide ones. They make other styles as well. Neal
I use these also but only to store the empty boxes my cars came in. I have 100% of my car/loco inventory out for "active use" either directly on my layout or the acrylic trays I noted as the OP. I know some people like to keep selected items stashed away to protect it but my philosophy is to use it all now. After I am gone, I don't care what happens to it.
Erie1951 I was thinking of making my own under-layout storage, but now that you've shown an example of what Ikea has to offer, I'll have to see what else they have. I'd like to store my railroad books in cabinets under the layout as well as models. Thanks for the tip.
I really like these units they work great for rolling stock storage. I will say that they come unassembled but assembly is simple. I do have some of the plastic drawers similar to the ones above but have thinner drawers. The Ikea tends to have less drawer droop when pulled out. Ikea does have a wooden unit with similar depth drawers- just slightly thinner- but it is more expensive and the handles are open so it would let in more dust. They have lots of other storage solutions too. You mentioned book storage too. If you are in need of magazine storage they have magazine files starting with the Flyt at 1.99 for 5- great deal. I filed all of my magazines in them. They have others too that are fancier and a little higher but a bargain compared to office stores. They have small boxes that are useful for storage too. One caution- taking your wife with you to Ikea can be expensive.......
drgwcs....If you are in need of magazine storage they have magazine files....
Until they made them smaller, or discontinued them altogether, laundry detergent boxes made great storage containers for magazines....
The shelves are full now, but I've given away my collection of TRAINS magazines from the '70s-2000-or-so to a friend, and my collection of MR, mid-'50s to early 2000s, to another friend. All that's left are RMC, and I've discontinued my subscription there, too.I did photocopy a lot of stuff from both TRAINS and MR, though, and it fills a couple of those binders. I'll probably be getting rid of a lot of the RMC soon, too.
I wonder how much your railroad is paying the industry to store their engines on their(the industry) track? You see the industry owns their siding not the serving railroad.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"