Storage and Transporting Trains to/from the railroad

[Anonymous]

I am moving up from HO and have encountered the problem of how to store large-scale locomotives and cars while they are not on the railroad. Another part of the problem is how to move the locomotives and cars from storage to/from the railroad. There are numerous techniques for the smaller scales, but I need some ideas on store and move my large scale trains. An outdoor shed is not an option at this time and simplying running the trains into the basement is not viable due to the 15%+ grade between where the railroad is located and the house. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

[Anonymous]

whunteman
I have shelves in my basement to put my engines and cars on, as to transport them to the tracks out side, i made a 3 shelf cart , it's big enough to hold 2 engines and 12 cars at a time to take out side. I can also run trains in the basement , i have almost 100 ft of track hanging from the ceiling ,when the snow flys WHAT STATE are you in . Ben

[Rene Schweitzer]

Hi and welcome!

We ran an article on this in the February 2005 issue. Readers sent us their solutions, and we chose six of them.

[kstrong]

For most folks, it's shelves in the basement or garage, and hand carrying them in and out. Not glamorous, but effective. I've got some trains on display on the shelves in the family room, so they don't have to go quite as far, but hand-carrying them is still the order of the day.

Laundry baskets work well for carrying 6 or 7 cars at a time. Get some old bath towels (not the good ones your wife uses when company comes) and use them as padding between cars. That will save you a few trips up and down stairs, at least.

Of course, there's the tried-and-true method of inviting friends over to run, and having them carry the cars for you!

Later,

K

[Tom The Brat]

Some adapt a garden wagon or garden cart. Of course, steps could be a problem.

I used a rather low tech approach last week. Went out to the car to get my 3 coaches and 3 boys followed, so each was handed a coach.



I use outgrown kid clothes to protect my rolling stock for transportation.

[Anonymous]

Kstrong, I like your friends method. Have lots of beer, and tell them no one gets any until the trains are all safely on the track...[:D] The only problem then is getting them all put back away....[:(] a bunch of drunks carrying your trains is scary![%-)] Oh, what to do?

[Anonymous]

Easy don't open the all you can drink buffet till' the trains are back in the basement.[:D]

[Tom The Brat]

Well, that's the advantage of my method: You don't serve acohol to kids[:D]

[Anonymous]

i seen a good idea.........a guy i know uses those plastic flower trays,(bedding box???) there about 6 incs deep, come in veriuse lenghts and a g scale loco fits snuggly in side

[Anonymous]

Sounds like the manual transfer from the house to the track is the tried-n-true method.

Has anybody seen or developed any storage system for large scalre cars; perhaps similar to the wall shelves used to store HO rolling stock? It would seem that wall mounted shelves might be overkill, has anybody developed any cabinets that can be used to hold the rolling stock?

[Anonymous]

Since we are full time RVers, I put each car in a plastic container (Walmart purchases) in a quilted wrap that my wife made and then placed them in a storage compartment. When we get to a site for a couple fo weeks, I get the track out and set up the train in an appropriate place on our site and enjoy the train .

[Anonymous]

dmheimel,
Hey,,,glad to hear that there are other full time RV'ers that do Large Scale! I was beginning to think I was the only one.
You wouldn't happen to have a small scale layout inside the RV, would you?[:D]
I have an On30 layout that is over the dinettee and runs up to the windhield. It's about 15' long. Since you said "we", I suspect you have one of those SWMBO'eds. That would probably eliminate any chance of one inside.[(-D]

[RhB_HJ]

Hi,

On that 15% grade, is the GRR higher or lower than the house?

I have seen at least one set up of staging tracks suspended from the ceiling in the basement with a long, straight access tunnel in a large sewer pipe. The setup is a large reversing loop with multiple tracks.

[tangerine-jack]

QUOTE: Originally posted by whunteman

Sounds like the manual transfer from the house to the track is the tried-n-true method.

Has anybody seen or developed any storage system for large scalre cars; perhaps similar to the wall shelves used to store HO rolling stock? It would seem that wall mounted shelves might be overkill, has anybody developed any cabinets that can be used to hold the rolling stock?

Wall shelves are not overkill, remember your rolling stock now weighs several pounds and has sizable width and length. A commercial sytem for storage like HO scalers use would not be cost effective. I use 6" shelf brackets from Home Depot and 1x6" boards to make shelves in my garage. I can put up a shelf in 10 minutes for a cost of about $4.00. I've been to Benny's RR in PA, he stores his on shelves in a den, the display is pretty awesome! So I know it is possible to incorporate your storage into the decor.

[Capt Bob Johnson]

There are articles on carriers for engines, saw a neat one that you use bridge clamps and run the engine on and off.
I went to Lowe's and got a couple of the wire storage shelves on big wheels. Just stick cars on them and roll into garage. Roll out to layout area when needed and put cars on track. Of course, I had originally built space in garage for garden tractor (that car couldn't fit) and when I built a pole barn for the bigger tractors I just moved the garden tractor over there and had the space for the racks!
Also have an outdoor plastic shed about 4' wide x 2 1/2 ' deep x 6' hi that I rebuilt with sheving and keep engines in that right beside layout! (Had to weight it with block in bottom to stabilize it from wind)

[TheJoat]

I built several of these to fit on some shelves in the garage. The trucks straddle a couple of boards so there's no rolling around. Each carrier holds 4 cars. It's a lot better than carrying by hand...

[Anonymous]

I just have a plastic box by about 4' by 3' and I just put shelves in so ive got my locos next to the track[8D]

[Marty Cozad]

Transporting Trains to/from the railroad

I guess i did it the hard way, I layed track.

[hobbyfossi201]

Hi,
I use stackable plastic boxes with appx. dimensions of 50 to 80 cm. So I´m able to store 3-4 pieces of 4axcle rolling stock and even more 2 axles. The boxes are usually stored under my workbench, there´s enough place for 4 piled boxes.
wbr
Klaus

[Tom The Brat]

Hmm. Now that I have a battery loco, a loco carrier sounds like a good idea.

[CandCRR]

In Unlikely Treasures there are a couple threads about train storage boxes and carts... you may find interesting.
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=37864
http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=45096

Jaime