Large Scale Central

The Storage, Care and Feeding of Rolling Stock

Modeling Rolling stock
#41

Kevin Strong said:

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, your articles are always entertaining and knowledgable.

On storage and transporting Dave Masters and Dan Patterson from our club used the pattern of Bruce Chandlers carrier to creat a multiple car carrier. I have used the under the bed cases and the cases Andy Clarke talks about. If you want a challenge, try hauling a stabdard gauge 1:20.3 car. They take up room.

Oklahoma Dust Bowlers were very resourceful. This was before velcro and bungee cords.

#42

Due to weather concerns (heavy snow) we store our rolling stock indoors during the winter on shelves. Our structures and vehicles are also stored indoors on shelving.

Nothing special. Just typical metal or plastic shelving you can find pretty much anywhere.

#43

Matt, do you leave stuff out, in season, when you are there?

#44

Ric Golding said:

Matt, do you leave stuff out, in season, when you are there?

Yes. Locos stay in a 4 stall roundhouse and one trainset (loco and four passenger cars) is covered by a tarp that wraps around our bridges. But everything else is uncovered and exposed to the elements.

#45

We see a lot of good and neat ideas others have posted here.

We have a few storage places as the layout grew and grew.
Our Town of Wilsonville stores 5 cars plus a Eng.
" That usually has the track cleaning maint. equip. for easy run by just push a button to open the doors."

Our set up area holds 17 cars and 3 Eng’s

And our cart and trailer hold about 75 rolling stock cars and 17 Eng’s, plus Trolleys, Cabooses, the little people and veh’s.

Beside this, we have stored Trains in our storage Dutch Barn and the Computer room has the rest that are still in box’s.

Be nice if we had one place for all the trains, like some do, Just turn a siding to a access door… maybe to a room in the house would be nice.

#46

Kevin Strong said:

. . .

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,

The most economical use of space is to make boxes the right size for the rolling stock. These were made for Bachmann 1:22.5 hoppers, but the Accu hoppers squeeze in and the height was adjusted with blocks, as you can see. I think they are roughly 24"x24" and a stack (12 hoppers) is 18" tall.

When not in use for transport, they live in a re-purposed kitchen cabinet under my workbench.

I also have 3 boxes that are 30"x12"x10" tall for coaches. They are on various shelves over my workbench and in the garage. One has a side bulge to take the std gauge boxcar.

All are simple 1x8 or 1x10 ends with strips of 1/4" luan plywood (well sanded) glued and nailed together. I use cabinet Forstner bits to make handholds in the ends.

For transporting cars to FL I made these lightweight carriers, based on Bruce’s design. They live on the tops of cabinets in our condo and are used to tranport the stock to various local tracks.

They are 1/4 luan ply ends with 1/2" square strips, glued and screwed. The bottom strip under the axles is a 1/4"x1", I think. Hoppers needed an extra piece as the hopper bins stick out below the axles.