Let's see your train display or storage. shelves.

Keep in mind, I’m just a small operator with a medium size layout that can take only 2 trains at a time. So, I rotate the trains on and off the layout throughout the year.

Nice layout Yellowstone. Consider sharing more images.

Thank you, SuzieQ. I posted more photos on the recent Christmas/ Winter Trains & Layouts - Let’s See Yours thread. 😊

Here are some of our trains on display. We have the Glenn Snyder aluminum shelves in our dining room. Lionel and Ives; Standard and Wide gauge, and some 1 gauge Ives.

Really grateful for the shelf my father built for my engines. We’re no carpenters, but it gets the job done. Unfortunately, some of the engines are hidden behind the others, because there isn’t much space in my room,

Santa came early this year! Thanks to the remarkable craftsmanship of my friend and neighbor, I now have 42’ more of display shelves for my O-Gauge collection! Together, we designed 2-7’ wide x 6” deep shadow boxes for each end of my 16’ x 8’ layout (which Ed built in 2021). Along with the 45’ of wall mounted display shelves that Ed built in 2022, I finally have the space to display all of my locomotives and rolling stock that’s not up on the layout! Ed continually improved the design, adding red oak trim along the face of each shelf, and reveals along both sides and the top to create quite literally 2 pieces of fine furniture. We were able to conceal Philips Hue Lightstrips in diffuser channels above each of the shelves, allowing the trains on display to be illuminated with virtually any color desired.

I used 1x 4 wood boards with 1x3 boards behind to hold it all together and those are located where the wall studs are.
There is 2 separate shelving units of 10- 7 foot shelves going floor to the 9 foot ceiling.
This is in the office/TV room. Some engines have been sold and replaced with a few others.
The next picture is a similar unit I built on the back wall of the garage and it spilled over to the wooden units on the right that the previous owner built around the garage walls. All my wood was stained before hanging up.
I am out of shelving space so I selectively buy these days.

@Ted Bertiger posted:

I used 1x 4 wood boards with 1x3 boards behind to hold it all together and those are located where the wall studs are.

Interesting -- I came up with essentially the same configuration (1X4 shelves, with grooves cut into the top to fit the wheels and pegs at each shelf end, secured to the wall with vertical 1X2 boards) for my *much* smaller collection. In my case, though, the wall was cinder block covered by a vinyl waterproofing sheet, so I just drilled holes and used lag bolts. Since I usually cover them with a roll-down backdrop when the layout is in use, I just left them unfinished.

Missed this post in January. I needed to hang my display shelves from interior framed walls and decided to use 1x4 medium quality pine. Basic box frame, dados for the shelves and 1x4 supports in the back screwed into the wall studs. Overkill with screws, but considering the $$$ value in engines, did not want to take any chances.  This is the latest addition. Bottom unit is roughly 4x4, upper 10x2.  Built to fit the constraints of the space. Similar to @Steve Tyler build.  Now I only have to consider how to repel dust !!!

@ScoutingDad posted:

Now I only have to consider how to repel dust !!!

Well, maybe the roll-down backdrop in front of it helps, but even in a frequently-dusty basement, my rolling stock has stayed fairly clean on the storage shelving. Perhaps a clear vinyl sheet in front, or something similar, might help? Then again, maybe the dust is there, and it's actually just my failing eyesight . . .

Steve Tyler,

When I moved the price of lumber was cheaper. 1x4 furring wood was about $1.30 each so I bought about 35-8 foot boards and made sure each was not warped. The 1x3 boards were about $1.20 each and they served as the connecting vertical boards. I did use 1x4 on the left side anchored to the side wall and shelves. To the right, I left it open and then put up an 18” shelving unit for a UP passenger set with a ABA set. Mistake was not putting a vertical board there so I put L brackets under each shelf there to stabilize the weight of the engines so the shelves did not sag.
I have some weight on this wall and it has been up for almost 7 years. My issue here is no layout, I put up a dual loop garage layout when the weather gets nice. Comes winter, I’m ready to put both cars in for snow which we have not had much last year.
I run trains at my club which is 4-5 miles away from my house so that serves as my meds and therapy from reality! Lol!

What is nice about the shelving system I built is there is about 9-12 screws into the wall studs inside the house so when we ever move again, there will be minimal damage to the sheetrock.
Those metal rack systems do create a lot of holes in the walls.

@Ted Bertiger posted:

When I moved the price of lumber was cheaper. 1x4 furring wood was about $1.30 each so I bought about 35-8 foot boards and made sure each was not warped. The 1x3 boards were about $1.20 each and they served as the connecting vertical boards. I did use 1x4 on the left side anchored to the side wall and shelves. To the right, I left it open and then put up an 18” shelving unit for a UP passenger set with a ABA set. Mistake was not putting a vertical board there so I put L brackets under each shelf there to stabilize the weight of the engines so the shelves did not sag.

What is nice about the shelving system I built is there is about 9-12 screws into the wall studs inside the house so when we ever move again, there will be minimal damage to the sheetrock.

Yeah, for those of us who formed our financial baselines a few years ago, visiting the local Home Depot can bring on sticker shock, for sure! I find running a mental financial calculator in advance helps, if I can figure out when I last bought an item and what I paid for it, so I can prepare myself when I come fact to face with the price tags of today!

Building with an eye toward eventual removal is almost always a good idea. In our case, though, I think they're going to have to scrape us out of here, since we have no plans to relocate!

Too many engines and no place to put up shelves.  Our home is an 1884 Victorian. The foundation is all stone work and my layout is located in the basement.  There is no smooth surface on the walls for shelves.  I built frames aroung the outside walls of the layout.  It hides the junk underneath and gave me a great way to display my engines and to transfer them to the track when I want a change in operations.

I built the first shelf in 2022. I kept buying more and need another shelf.  The first shelf was done using Glen Snyder shelves.  I wanted to build the next shelf with the Glen Snyder shelves.  Called them but never got a return call. So, I went on the forum and posted a "want to buy" thread.  Immediatly I got a response from @ted.  He had what I needed gave me a great price and sent the package via UPS the same day.  So this is a big shout out to @ted.

Below are picture of both shelves.  The first is the new one 9' long with 4 shelves and the second is the orginal shelf 18' long with 4 shelves.

The spare bedroom that serves as my train room lacked sufficient square footage for book case type shelves with my original plan for an around the walls layout and I didn't want to install wall mounted shelves above the layout so the original plan was under the layout display shelves for engines and operating cars to protect the electronics and boxed storage in the garage for rolling stock.  Once I had gotten the rolling stock stored to make room for around the walls layout I realized door, window and closet placement would really limit the curve radii at both ends of the layout so a much smaller island layout is where I'm headed.  To get the Engine boxes out of the way I had to get them on shelves so the empty boxes could go to the attic.  I lost 3 feet of room length plus access to the shelves making the space for the layout that much smaller.  I picked up these metal shelves at liquidator type discount store for about half the going rate at the big box DIY stores.

More being built as we speak. I use scraps from building the bench work. I got a little fancier for the large steamers. Stained that one. All led lit and plexiglass doors for less dust.

Nice work!

@LT1Poncho posted:

More being built as we speak. I use scraps from building the bench work. I got a little fancier for the large steamers. Stained that one. All led lit and plexiglass doors for less dust.

Well done. They look terrific!

@LT1Poncho- Great work, they look terrific.  Glass doors hold down the dust too!

Don

@coach joe- WOW! Joe that is quite a collection for sure.  Here is some of mine, mostly bookshelf type display (my wife who at the time was a Dr.'s nurse found out that the drugstore below his office was closing and made a successful bid for all the storage shelving)

Best Wishes

Don

My wife says I am collecting to much !

Pics of double & triple headers along with Glenn Snyder Shelves.

@GLA posted:

My wife says I am collecting to much !

That seems to be a good reason to consider putting doors on your display shelves, if you haven't already!

I need to improve the lighting.

Thinking about redoing the shelves at some point… but then I am lazy.