Todd
Build a train shed @ the end of your line ! 
Sean McGillicuddy said:
Todd
Build a train shed @ the end of your line !
Or, build 3 at different points of the railroad, like what Richard has done on his.
The long building to the left of the layout is one of 3 he’s built into his layout. It doubles as an industry that gets serviced on the opposite side.
The second location is behind a mountain and also serves as in Interchange track. It’s hidden by a tunnel entrance.
The third one is at the far end of the layout and is similar to the one in the first picture, doubling as storage on one side and an industry on the other. Made it very easy to set out and put away at the end of the session.
I built this engine shed to hold engines and some small trains ( track cleaning train)
(http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee259/smcgill_pics/Engineterminal023.jpg)
(http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee259/smcgill_pics/Seanstrainpics014.jpg)
Some engines get there own carriers!
(http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee259/smcgill_pics/Trainstorage001-_zpsbb730899.jpg)
And I have a few cars near by.
(http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee259/smcgill_pics/Trainstorage002-_zps59f1eead.jpg)
(http://i234.photobucket.com/albums/ee259/smcgill_pics/Trainstorage003-_zps36d3e28c.jpg)
So it’s not so hard to put a train together!
I’m still in the building phase and only have the lower track operating:
(http://www.largescalecentral.com/public/album_photo/e7/c6/01/1c422_90a6.jpg?c=8168)
I have to back the train in for now. Here’s the lower track
(http://www.largescalecentral.com/public/album_photo/e3/c6/01/1c41e_c73d.jpg?c=ee92)
I got a start on the upper level. It has since filled with clutter and won’t be finished too soon…
(http://www.largescalecentral.com/public/album_photo/e5/c6/01/1c420_4b6e.jpg?c=25ab)
I guess I’m lucky to have an indoor connection to the outdoor railroad. I built indoors first, just to get trains running while I figured out what to do outdoors. One day my youngest, about 11 at the time noticed that a window across from the layout was just below track level. We cut in a switch, built a few bridges and the rest is history!
The indoor bridge has since been replaced, but no current pictures…
(http://photo.cvsry.com/nss-out04-640.jpg)
(http://photo.cvsry.com/nss-out05-640.jpg)
Coming out the window on the new bridge…
(http://lsc.cvsry.com/post2/E-Escap-e_38.JPG)
And for ops I use the “Merricun Method” - Set up train to set out cars then a sweep train to put them away. I have enough indoor track to keep most active cars on the rails and off the main.
Much of my rolling stock is stored by the railroad. I built a locking cabinet on my porch.
I can literally take the cars right from the cabinet, turn around and place them onto the trestle.
a few weekends back I added the lowest shelf, and somehow I then found all these cars still new in their boxes. That shelf filled up before that weekend was over.
My locomotives and most of my narrow gauge equipment is stored in the garage.
The shelves are 3 Bachmann boxcars (or hoppers) deep.
And I do have a few locomotives.
And then I have “sets”. Locomotives and cars that are always run together. Those I have built carry cases for. I just grab the case and tote it out to the railroad.
This is my Big Hauler Reading set. A 10 wheeler and 3 passenger cars. She never hauls any more that that on my railroad, because I know how fragile the drive gears in her are reported to be. This is the first train I run most years.
And I have a few other “sets” in cases.
I guess I should update the photos. Here’s a better look with siding:
(http://www.largescalecentral.com/public/album_photo/e9/c6/01/1c424_b287.jpg?c=8500)
but the inside stayed a mess. I’ll get back to it when it’s cooler out…
(http://www.largescalecentral.com/public/album_photo/eb/c6/01/1c426_f779.jpg?c=942d)
Hmmmm … plenty of food for thought.
We’ll try to keep handling to the minimum possible; all engines return to Samedan (staging in the garage) most freight cars also at Samedan. Two passenger consists at Samedan.
One freight consist and two passenger consists at Thusis - over which I’ll build a pop-open/fold-closed contraption.
General idea: limit motive power and rolling stock to what is needed for operations. Easier to do since ours is a captive NG line with very limited interchange to another NG line.
PS since ours is set in the '69 - '75 era it is possible to get away with shorter trains. The monster consists (relatively speaking) that roll on the modern RhB pose entirely different challenges. Those I leave for the other guys.
I built a train barn about five years ago. The entrance is through a tunnel portal and has two 8ft. length storage tracks. It has a strong removable door which keeps small critters, wild or domesticated, plus slugs and snails out when the railroad is not operating.
It is 8ft. in length and is situated beneath a very large bush although, if necessary, access to the tracks can be made via a removable weatherproof roof.
Summertime sees two trains in there, a MOW train of fours cars and caboose (mostly kitbashed) and five cars which are Bachmann 1:22.5 three bay coal hoppers.
The other times of the year sees the coal train there but one track kept empty which is used for quick storage of a short - up to five 40ft, cars -train if it should suddenly rain. A loco and battery car takes refuge in my covered bridge.
This has turned in to a good discussion with lots of ideas. Thank You
When the KVRwy was holding Op Sessions from 2001 to 2010, with one in the Spring and one in the Fall. I felt the setup trains were a good way for the Operating crews to learn the railroad. I created a long track inside with an equally long siding right inside the basement window. Both tracks could hold twenty cars because they went opposite ways around the near to ceiling loop in the basement.
Some of my enjoyment between operating sessions and away from the heat outside in the summer or the winter cold was to work in the basement and build the set up trains in the proper order of how they would be set out.
RailOPs allows you to show a car inventory of where every car should be and with this I could arrange the trains for the pre-Ops trains, before the next session.
For a single operator, anticipating the next Ops Session, this provided many hours of fun no matter what the weather was outside.
Kevin Strong said:
I have found that since I built an outdoor storage shed into which I can just roll the equipment, my enjoyment of the railroad has increase immeasurably. I don’t do regularly scheduled ops sessions with multiple operators; my railroad is simply too small. However, if I’ve got 2 hours to kill on any given day, I simply pull out the cars, set them at their appropriate sidings (usually by hand as it’s fastest), and have at switching things to their next locations. If I’ve got more time, I’ll use a loco to set all the cars out to their initial start points, then switch them to their next locations. Sometimes, just pulling out a string of cars (7 plus caboose) and moving them to their locations is about all I have time for, but they’re ready to go whenever the mood strikes.
Later,
K
Kevin, have you showed pictures of your shed and inside trackage? Being one the guys that always enjoys your railroad’s progress, I don’t remember your storage shed. Sounds like another quality project. Posting of pictures and an article would be greatly appreciated. I know just another project with a deadline. Great, just what you needed.
Today, after checking some discrepancies in passenger car numbers, we took a look at the storage of the passenger cars used for the “Standard Gauge” operation.
One of the guys has built a few trays that hold two cars each, and we really need two more.
Currently we have 6 old Aristo heayyweight cars, and 6 of the short Aristo stream lined cars.
These cars do not fit into bread trays, so the custom built trays are the only way to go. There are three slots in the tray storage racks shed that each can hold two of the two car storage trays.
The trays are rather simple. There are two sizes. One for the shorter stream lined cars, and a longer one for the heavyweights. They are very simple. Just wide enough to hold the cars, with a divider in the centre, and just enough space at each end for one or two of those simple foam sponges you buy at the dollar store in a pack of 6 or more.
The sponges prevent the cars from rolling back and forth while being carried, and thus prevent damage to the couplers.
We operate the passenger trains in various configurations, sometimes intermixing the two types of cars. The train orders tell the yardmaster what cars are wanted in each train. There are seldom set consists, so the passenger trains vary, adding variety to the operation…nothing boring around here…!!
The trays help the guys transport the cars safely from storage to the departure locations, and return them at the end of operations.
The trays are built up from 1/4" plywood, but are on the heavy side…but the best solution so far.
Luckily…in the Narrow gauge fleet, the B’mann and LGB passenger cars, of which we have many more than we actually need; fit very well into the bread trays.
Ric, I haven’t. I was going to write it up for my column, but Marc had other storage shed articles on cue, so I didn’t bother. I’ll dig up some “in progress” photos I took and put something up on my blog.
If I might be allowed a bit of a tangent, what are folks doing with regard to carrying rolling stock to and from shows or club meets? I’ve been using under-bed storage totes, but with my 1:20 stuff, I can only fit 2 cars per tote, maybe 3 if they’re short cars or one’s a flat car that I can squeeze between the others. It works okay, but it’s not ideal. I’m working on an 8-car hopper train to go behind my EBT mikado, so that ends up being 4 totes plus the locomotive cases. By the time I load all that into my wagon, I look like an Oakie leaving the dust bowl. I’m afraid my bungee cords are going to snap and kill someone.
Suggestions?
Later,
K
Kevin,
My freight cars, I get a plastic conatiner with the flip down lids… Stack 3 cars wide and 2 high, all surrounded in a layer of bubble wrap… But, my stuff is all 1/29th…
Locomotives, I use the original container I bought them in… Seems easier to me to use them… Diesels…
just one more pic as I’m straightening up the shelves:
(http://www.largescalecentral.com/public/album_photo/f7/c6/01/1c432_5f2a.jpg?c=1db1)
will be nicer when the bench level track going outside is finished.
Gee, I just toss my Locos into a Walmart bag and throw them into my closet.
…Just kidding …
Oh come on Andrew , you know you keep special plastic bags for your locos , even if they are only to hide the Walmart logo .
Mike Brit
I wish. Do the WM bags hold up to the winters in the northeast???
Hmmm… does anything?
I wish. Do the WM bags hold up to the winters in the northeast???
Hmmm… does anything?