How do you store your "runners" ?

Hi Pat,

I was running into the same problem too, until I came up with the drawer solution in the photos attached.  Granted, you need a bit of woodworking skill to make and install them, but the results are worth it.  I have 8 of these drawers on the tables of my layout, which as you can see, isn't nearly done. 

Jerry

The cars i have with no boxes.I put them in a plastic bag and put them in a box neat and put foam between each car to keep from breaking detail parts off and the bag helps from getting scratched up. 

Some I wrap in bubble wrap and keep in Rubbermaid plastic boxes from Target. Some I keep in specialty train boxes from Uppa Valley Lines. The dividers are adjustable. Here's a picture.

And here's their info. Last time I checked, they still didn't have a website. I got some boxes from them at York one time, then a few more by calling them on the phone. 

1.  Longer term storage:  bubble wrap in a box with foam peanuts or find a box from ECTP.

2.  Storage while not being used:  Particulalry when I have had a smaller layout and train yard space on the layout is at a premium, I typically build shelving or additional surface under the train table, and tracks.  It functions as a longer term storage.

3.  Case:  Although many of my boxes are well used from multiple moves and quite old, I still have boxes.  That being said, I only use them when an engine is heading off for some sort of repair I will not or cannot do, or when I move.   For all other times, the engines are either on the layout, in one of my larger cases, on a shelf dedicated to locos.  

I appreciate the carpentry skills needed to set up drawers, but I never lay trains on their sides unless they are in a box or wrapped in bubblewrap.

I bought CD storage and cheap book cases and put a narow board over the front of each shelf to keep cars from falling out. I then put old dish towels over to stop dust.

  Don

Shelves and shelves. I store runners on wooden shelves and never seem to have enough.

While were on the subject of car storage not on shelves. Do you store them on their sides or on the wheels?

On shelves, here are the passenger car storage shelves

Pat,

In addition to the felt lined drawers I came up with, I also use cardboard boxes meant for collector cards to store the excess inventory I have.  They're available at stores catering to the collectors of comic books and gaming cards.  The boxes are sturdy, come in various sizes with varying numbers of dividers, similar to the boxes Southwest Hiawatha has.  Check local availability.

And as a heads-up, some folks have found that long term storage of trains using bubble wrap isn't a great idea.  The plastic in the wrap can sometimes react with the paint on the cars and leave a permanent mark on the car.  So be careful.  When doing that, I wrap them in acid free tissue paper first, then use bubble wrap. 

On my former layout, I did what RL NYC did, in making simple shelves beneath the table surface to store trains using either track or just keeping them on their wheels.  The track doesn't have to be all that clean since it isn't used for running.  So here's a way to use up old track that you can't bear to throw away, but can't be used for a layout without a LOT of work.  See?  I just can't throw things away either...

No fancy carpentry skills required on this one.  If you can build a table, you can build these.  Note the lumber beneath the table.  It was used to build my new layout which has the drawers shown earlier.

I also have a couple of shelves similar to the ones Charlie has, but I made mine out of wood, with saw kerfs gauged to the wheels of the trains, so they can be straight and relatively safe from falling.

Lots of good ideas here, Pat!  Hope we've helped. 

Jerry

Wet in Wayne, MI (where a basement dehumidifier is mandatory)

I had a carpenter friend of mine build me a cabinet, 18" deep, about 40" wide and tall enuff to just fit under the table.  It's on rollers so it can be pulled out to work on the underside of the table.  It has 72 "pigeon holes on six shelves and holds 72 cars up to 18" long.  I glued in felt sides to the pigeon holes so as to not scratch the cars but the tops and bottoms of each hole are simply wood. 

So, having solved the problem of what to do with the "runners" that were not being used on the layout itself, I threw out virtually all of my original freight car boxes.  Storing several undred cardboard boxes was simply not an option for me.

However, there's an old adage that "stuff accumulates in direct proportion to the amount of space that you have to store it".  And that certainly happened to me.  Not only is my pigeon  hole cabinet completely filled plus all the sidings and yards on my layout also loaded with cars, I have probably acquired another hundered or more cars that are once again cluttering boxes on my storage shelves.

I tell you;  it's simply a disease!

Paul Fischer

I buy various length trading card boxes from BCW Supply Co.  They're the perfect size for most rolling stock.

I began by consuming too much layout space with yards very early on, and then began to look at the concept of fiddle yards, that is popular in the U.K but that takes up real estate as well. I know that some bury their yards or hide them, but it seems the only alternative is shelving and mine are aluminum wall mounted racks made for this. It's o.k but sometimes changing out consists gets a bit tedious, although the shelves are in the same room as the layout. If I could run the tracks to storage in a nearby closet, that would be ideal ( the layouts in a spare bedroom) but I am too lazy to do anything other than think about this solution.

Sounds like some of you guys should have save the original boxes they came in !!

I keep several on the layout, but do rotate them.  Most of the ones not on the layout are in double deck corrugated cardboard train boxes with foam liners.

A natural followup question to those who store their equipment in various boxes, how often do you take them out of their containers? In other words, is this long term or short term storage or both? Quite a variety of "containers" in this thread which makes for an interesting read. I suppose my question is related to another..How often do you rotate your equipment? (which may have a bearing on how they are stored) Speaking for myself, I change consists weekly, so I am hesitant to consider boxes, especially those prone to wear and tear.

Railroad Chalk boxes. Perfect size for four 40' scale cars. 

I use these:     http://www.usplastic.com/catal...=27362&catid=821

I use these for 18 inch passenger cars and stack them on a piece of plywood with four casters and put them under the layout 7 high. Easy to move and easy access. Each bin takes four 18 inch cars with separators glued between cars. To prevent rolling movement I simply cut 1/4 inch plywood of the appropriate size to prevent rolling back and forth. I don't glue these because if I ever use box cars I want to be able to remove it. Each bin holds four 18 inch passenger cars or 8 standard "o" box cars.  I also have some aluminum shelving but thats more for display. 

I save all boxes, but it's easier to put stuff like this into these kinds of boxes.  The clear plastic inserts in many of the boxes are a PITA, so I don't like taking them in and out of those a lot.

I run everything I have, with just four exceptions: two engines that are too old and fragile and two clockwork that have protruding parts that interfere with the middle rail.  Therefore, every other piece has to be easily accessible.  That means only one thing:  shelving, surrounding the layout on three sides.  This does preclude the layout being an around-the-wall design, but I like looking at the displayed trains in addition to running them.

But then, you'd have to find a place to store the boxes too!.... 

Jerry

How do you run your storers?

What, me worry?