So I'm building my layout with all the trains I collected over the past years.. I'm installing the shelf's for what I have , then a little extra shelf's for future purchased... It got me thinking what do most guys do with their trains when they run out of shelf Space...put them in a drawer? under the train table under the bed.. 
Sale them...
Daniel
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Most of my trains not on the layout are in train boxes no longer available, under the layout.
Between their periodic rotations onto my layout, all of my trains are stored in plastic tubs stacked along a back wall in the basement.
While I have, from time to time, considered adding shelves; that would first require finishing the basement - an expense I’d prefer to defer to the next owner whenever we decide to downsize.
That aside, the tubs keep everything clean, dry and dust free ergo more time running trains - less time dusting them. 👍
Curt
I still have trains under the layout. I have no shelves. Everything will go on the layout eventually (I hope it all fits). With about 3500 feet of track, it should, but I need to stop buying.
Mr. Muffins last email to me showed he was selling plexiglas fronted cabinets; had one for show: 'This sample is 48" long, with three shelves, each one grooved for your wheel flanges, and 21" tall, with sliding plexiglas doors' from a local carpenter and made of real wood.
Priced at $350
I would never be able to display all my trains. They are currently in storage due to a move, but I used to have to keep the majority of them in plastic totes. At first it was kind of depressing not having them all on the walls where they could be seen. But I quickly realized sacrificing the visual while eliminating the dust was agreat trade-off!
A friend sure does:
There are boxes (HO and O) floor-to-bottom side of this layout. Note that this layout is HO, the three-rail O layout is in an upstairs bedroom and also floor-to-bottom side of the layout with nothing but O.
"Do I have more trains than shelves...?"
Why, how could that ever happen?
Must be due to the government shutdown and an international shelf shortage (short shelfage?)
If you are running out of space it's time to move. Move all the non train stuff out of the house!!!!
Should it be a concern if the amount space used for stored trains exceeds the layout's square footage?
What's the suggested or "ideal" ratio of layout:storage, ...if there is one?
Big_Boy_4005 posted:I still have trains under the layout. I have no shelves. Everything will go on the layout eventually (I hope it all fits). With about 3500 feet of track, it should, but I need to stop buying.
Is it really 3500 (three-thousand-five-hundred) feet of track? If so, have you applied to the Federal Railroad Administration for an operating certificate?!!!
MELGAR
I have three custom-made train cabinets on the main level, a few trains in a 2nd floor bedroom, 4 sets of 5 shelves each in the basement, and other trains tucked away on various flat spaces in the house, plus two layouts. Everything has been removed from its box so that I can see and enjoy it. Oh, I forgot about the 4 train cases right on my desk with some of my favorites. But I don't buy anywhere near as much as I used to.
MELGAR
Well tomorrow I'll start the other side this ones filled up wit 2 layers of trains on each board 16 ft long . I rather display my trains rather than hide them/..
I have some of the Glen Snyder shelves. I also have a few locos in display cases I built into the walls, but those cases are mostly for diecast cars. Finally, I have these old, steel file drawers, I think they are called Saf-T-Stacks, and they are loaded.
I am currently trying to build a bookcase type deal, that will fit under one corner of my layout. Sadly, my lack of carpentry skills is frightening, so it is not a quick project.
I have a very small amount of trains but still more than will fit on my layout. Some came in a large batch I bought, all new in their boxes, that I have no intention of ever using. I still keep them in tubs under the layout. Need to go through them. I like the glen Snyder shelves and have been ready to order some for a while. But I keep spending my train money on trains and not shelves!
Jim
PRRMP54 posted:A friend sure does:
There are boxes (HO and O) floor-to-bottom side of this layout. Note that this layout is HO, the three-rail O layout is in an upstairs bedroom and also floor-to-bottom side of the layout with nothing but O.
I feel like I am about that bad. Basement layout is in a 14X16 room with shelves all around enough for 28 complete train sets and that is nothing but a scratch of the surface. Under my layout looks exactly like this guys, my garage has two walls of cabinets full of mostly trains, and then my small 9X21 attic space above the garage is also full of both trains and a lot of car parts. I have most of the interior from my 63 Falcon, and 67 Mustang up there along with everything from my 72 911 except the engine and the shell which is at a restorer currently. Honestly, I have a plan to build a second layout up there and have actually built a good solid platform around the perimeter in the rafters but it is not insulated yet, and the peak is about 5 ft 10 down the center. It needs some dedicated upgrades to really make it a feasible layout space that can be used actively. Heck, I used to have boxes of trains at my 78 year old moms house in her garage, but I've pulled most of that back except I still have the 67 Mustang over there. If I had a 40X60 shop mysteriously show up outside, I think it would instantly be full!
Dennis Holler posted:PRRMP54 posted:A friend sure does:
There are boxes (HO and O) floor-to-bottom side of this layout. Note that this layout is HO, the three-rail O layout is in an upstairs bedroom and also floor-to-bottom side of the layout with nothing but O.
I feel like I am about that bad. Basement layout is in a 14X16 room with shelves all around enough for 28 complete train sets and that is nothing but a scratch of the surface. Under my layout looks exactly like this guys, my garage has two walls of cabinets full of mostly trains, and then my small 9X21 attic space above the garage is also full of both trains and a lot of car parts. I have most of the interior from my 63 Falcon, and 67 Mustang up there along with everything from my 72 911 except the engine and the shell which is at a restorer currently. Honestly, I have a plan to build a second layout up there and have actually built a good solid platform around the perimeter in the rafters but it is not insulated yet, and the peak is about 5 ft 10 down the center. It needs some dedicated upgrades to really make it a feasible layout space that can be used actively. Heck, I used to have boxes of trains at my 78 year old moms house in her garage, but I've pulled most of that back except I still have the 67 Mustang over there. If I had a 40X60 shop mysteriously show up outside, I think it would instantly be full!
Falcon!!!! We have a small fleet of them in our family! 61,63, 3-64s, and a 65 Ranchero!
Jim
First rule: Never enough shelving.
I have a little over 1900 linear feet of shelving. Mostly filled with MTH followed by Weaver then Williams and finally Lionel engines made by MTH. I like the 30's to the 50's passenger sets so there are a lot of passenger sets displayed. There is very little room for freight cars so they sit in their boxes on shelves in another room.
I have shelves, but not enough. What is not on the shelves (about 2/3 of it) is stashed in boxes here and there. Every so often, I pull some things out of their boxes, and put away some of the display items, so I'm not looking at the same stuff all the time.
Falcon!!!! We have a small fleet of them in our family! 61,63, 3-64s, and a 65 Ranchero!
Jim
👍👍👍
My first car was a ‘67 Falcon Futura Sport Coupe. Thing that strikes me odd when I think about it; that car was considered a compact in its day yet it was about the same size as a modern day SUV. 🤔
Curt
Ugh, no. Several years ago, I brought home 3 sections of Glenn Snyder shelving from York. REAL short story, they currently are in the Shoosmith landfill in Chesterfield, Va. Didn't even make it into the house.
Since my shelf count remains @ "0", yes I have more trains than shelf space. Most of my rolling stock resides in plastic tubs under the layout. The engines are stored tucked away in their OEM boxes.
So far, I only have about half my locomotives on shelves, and none of my rolling stock. These are all in the landing going down to the basement trainroom.
Need to get more shelves up...
I found Gilly's GS shelving in the landfill and put it up. 
MELGAR posted:Is it really 3500 (three-thousand-five-hundred) feet of track? If so, have you applied to the Federal Railroad Administration for an operating certificate?!!!
MELGAR
You may have missed this. It's entirely possible that 3500 is a conservative estimate.
I'm embarrassed, no actually appalled, to admit that every train shelf in my basement, every main line and siding on my layout and every square foot of available space underneath my layout are all filled to capacity with engines and rolling stock. I do not have another nook or cranny where I can stash a new engine or accessory. How could this have happened; I've only been buying this stuff for about 50 years?
Nope. Don't have that problem. No shelves so no trains for the shelves. If it doesn't fit on the layout then I don't buy it. I have to sell something to make room. I don't like clutter, so having shelves full of trains I never run is not my thing. I have to really want something to buy it.
Who says we never run the stuff on the shelves?
gunrunnerjohn posted:Who says we never run the stuff on the shelves?
Not enough at least. That's how I got a couple MTH Premier locomotives cheap with under 200 scale miles on them. They were 14 years old. I've tripled that mileage in under 5 months 
.
DanssuperO posted:
So I'm building my layout with all the trains I collected over the past years.. I'm installing the shelf's for what I have , then a little extra shelf's for future purchased... It got me thinking what do most guys do with their trains when they run out of shelf Space...put them in a drawer? under the train table under the bed..
Funny you should ask. Today, I started to stain my shelves (I have 25 of them, each at 4 feet in length). They are the 1/2 inch poplar available at the hardware store (I get mine at the local ACE Hardware), held up by some cheap L-brackets available at The Walmart. I was going to do the Snyder shelves (I had them years ago in Reno but the buyer of that home wanted everything - the shelves and then the track up on a whole-house shelf layout), but the price kinda blew my budget, so the wife, err CFO, said no. She was more poignant than that, but I know "no" no matter what's wrapped around it :-) I will post some pictures once the staining is done (I am using the stain+polyurethane product available at ACE). -- Dr Joe
Yes, I used to have all of my trains in our closet in the master bedroom, when I finished the walls in the basement I built in shelves to hold all the trains.
By the time I got the layout built and track laid I had enough trains to add to the layout.
Now my shelves are pretty full the layout is full and our closet is full. I don't know how that happened.
Ray
Here are some of my shelves,they are made of 1x6 MDF mounted to adjustable wall brackets.
Mikey
MELGAR posted:Big_Boy_4005 posted:I still have trains under the layout. I have no shelves. Everything will go on the layout eventually (I hope it all fits). With about 3500 feet of track, it should, but I need to stop buying.
Is it really 3500 (three-thousand-five-hundred) feet of track? If so, have you applied to the Federal Railroad Administration for an operating certificate?!!!
MELGAR
Yeah, it really is. I've never actually measured, but based on 150' per case of GarGraves, I know that there are over 20 cases. One of these days, I'll take the time to measure. My guess s there may be a little more than that. There are also 310 switches. There are 13 yards. That's over 30 scale miles of track. You have a point there. There are smaller real railroads out there.
Someone once told me, my entire layout is a giant shelf. I had to agree.
juniata guy posted:Between their periodic rotations onto my layout, all of my trains are stored in plastic tubs stacked along a back wall in the basement.
This. I do have some shelves, for the tinplate and PW trains. Other motive power hibernates in plastic tubs when it's not being run.
When these filled up...
I built this... 
Tom
I really like those wood drawers Tom. Not just the looks either. I don't keep my precision machine tools in a metal box because the wood box takes care of humidity/temp changes better (fast temp change is as bad as high humidity. The wood absorbs ecess humidity too, letting it loose when the air dries again. Not a dehumidifier replacement, but helps above & beyond)
I don't have a huge collection or enough shelves. 20 someting locos and about 200 cars tops. Two glass door cabinets for my babies, a wall hung hutch for Marx, and 36"x 8' total under the layout for the rest....which I'll never do again. Tooo many knee accidents; I'm lucky nothing has broken.
Gramps had 4'x 90' in wall shelves, two floor to ceiling 4' show cases, and 3'x10' workbench shelves for display with 40"x70'x8' approx. under the layout in boxes, or on a converted greeting card shelf & drawer set.
"Build it. They will come"
O yeahhhhh! (and brains so says the wifey) she is right I am afraid. 
juniata guy posted:Between their periodic rotations onto my layout, all of my trains are stored in plastic tubs stacked along a back wall in the basement.
While I have, from time to time, considered adding shelves; that would first require finishing the basement - an expense I’d prefer to defer to the next owner whenever we decide to downsize.
That aside, the tubs keep everything clean, dry and dust free ergo more time running trains - less time dusting them. 👍
Curt
Same here in fact I need to get another plastic totes.I have 6 of them all full of rolling stock.
And I STILL have more trains than shelves. But my focus is changing and I need new photos.
I have to show that set of photos to my wife, she'll stop saying I have too many trains.
always have more trains than shelf space. That's what the for sale forum is for, so you can sell your excess stock and fill up someone elses shelves
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