Rolling Stock Storage

[ac4400fan]

Just curious what everyone does with there rolling stock when its not in use? I have an old dresser i keep mine in.

[tomikawaTT]

My operational rolling stock is all on rails, either on the layout or in steel stud cassettes that connect to either the main layout or the detached module when I wish to put that particular consist into service.  Full and empty cassettes are racked on shelf brackets on the wall like so many rifles.

My, `not yet in service,' rolling stock roster resides in the boxes in which it arrived in Nevada, either as kits or as RTR but not yet ready to operate (no car cards, for openers.)  As each unit is routed across the worktop it goes into a cassette as soon as it passes final inspection.

The big advantage of my system?  No handling of rolling stock.  Once railborne, always railborne.

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

[richhotrain]

I have exactly 100 freight cars including cabooses, and they are all sitting on the layout, in freight yards, on sidings, and on the double main line.

At one time, I had some in a large suit box, sitting side by side, just one car deep.  I tried to pick the box up once to move it to another location, and the cars sid into one another damaging some details. 

Never again.

Rich

[mlehman]

I built two large chests on rollers with 5 drawers each that are located under my standard gauge staging yard. Still had more rolling stock, so installed dividers made from 1/4" ply into several 4' fluorescent lamp boxes . These sit on top of the chests. Makes it easy to make up trains in staging and send them to "showtime" on the other side of the wall.

[doctorwayne]

Freight cars are in boxes on shelves beneath the staging areas (currently 8 tracks, with another 5 or 6 to be added on a higher level).  This facilitates cycling the cars on and off the layout.

 

Passenger cars, head-end equipment, and maintenance-of-way and other non-revenue equipment is kept in boxes like the one shown below, while most locomotives remain on the layout.

 

Wayne

[jeffrey-wimberly]

A cupboard above the layout is where most of my older rolling stock is.

 

[richhotrain]

jeffrey-wimberly

A cupboard above the layout is where most of my older rolling stock is.

 

LOL

That's what it looked like when I opened that suit box where I stored all of my spare rolling stock.

Rich

[rrinker]

 Unbuilt kits are all stacked on a shelf above my workbench. ANother shelf holds 'work in progress' or cars needing repair. I only have a few pieces on the layout, since I'm still building, and 1:1 earthquakes are, of course, 87x as powerful in HO. Most of my stuff is int he original boxes, in plastic tubs. I appropriayed the plastic fraw units I had for use as tool and part storage - once fully up and runnign I'll get a few more of those and again line the draws with bubble wrap and store my cars and locos there. I do wish they had ones that were all shallow drawers, the typical ones have a few shallow drawers (perfect for rollign stock) and then a few deep draws, which are mostly wasted (I used to put the empty boxes in those). These I get from Walmart, they have wheels on the bottom whioch sort of roll on my carpet, and the whole thing is exactly the right height to fit under the layout.

 My train I use for club shows is in a carboard and foam carrying case I picked up at one of the Timonium shows. It exactly fits - 2 locos, a switcher, and 28 cars plus caboose.

                                            --Randy

 

[tstage]

I store (and transport) my rolling stock and locomotives in Axian Technology storage boxes.  Although they aren't inexpensive, they are sturdy, well built, and have foam inserts for added cushion.  I take the manufacturer's suggestion and line the inside with tissue paper.  Been very happy with them.

Tom

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Much of my newer rolling stock is in cardboard boxes like these:

 

[csxns]

Jeffrey,that 5161 KCS hopper on top of that Tyco gon,does it have any broken parts yet,because the ones i have are fragile.

[rclanger]

I have 2 of these. Each shelf will hold 15 forty foot cars.

[jeffrey-wimberly]

csxns

Jeffrey,that 5161 KCS hopper on top of that Tyco gon,does it have any broken parts yet,because the ones i have are fragile.

Not a one. Most of the details like steps and ladders are metal.

[Sailormatlac]

We use drawers installed under the layout benchwork. Much of them are localized directly beneath the yards. They are about 4 feet large by 18 in.

 

Matt

[maxman]

rclanger

I have 2 of these. Each shelf will hold 15 forty foot cars.

I think this idea has promise.  Do the shelves slide?  How about some basic construction details?

Thanks.

[leighant]

How I store cars (N scale)

 

 

[ac4400fan]

Wow . Looks like alot of great ideas. This is very inspiring to me to build something different. Keep them coming.