I'm curious to know how many of you display your engines in acrylic display cases. I have always liked the look of wood, but the room that I put mine in is a bit dark, so I wanted to find something that would let as much light in as possible. I also wanted to have it enclosed to eliminate as much dust as possible since dusting steam engines is not an easy task. I decided to try some acrylic cases from a gentleman named Jim at customdisplaycases.com and they are exactly what I have been looking for. Plus, they made them in the custom size I wanted and they channel the shelves so the wheels sit perfectly flush. This one was made to accomodate a few of my 4-8-4 models while still fitting the space between a window and the adjacent wall. They did have a mirror back option, but I prefer not to see my ugly mug when I'm looking at my models so I chose the clear back. That allowed me to chose whatever background color I wanted, although I repainted the room 3 times before I was happy with the color.
The next set I want to order will be 8 feet long and I'm wondering if any of you have any that long and if you had any concerns. I was told that any shelf over 36" will get an extra support strip or strips depending on the length, to keep the shelves from bowing.
Thanks,
Nick