No shelving

If you can fit everything on the layout, great idea!

I only wish I had a layout big enough for around 150 locomotives and 400 freight and passenger cars!

Wow! That would be a great layout! Perhaps for me the best part of this is I can’t buy anything unless it fits!

Great idea!

Lionel's Law ... The habit of continually collecting trains is inversely proportional to the layout space available. That is -- one's collection will always grow beyond the limited space on hand for trains. Oftentimes, far beyond ...

Mike Mottler         LCCA 12394

If you can enforce the self-discipline to limit yourself to what can be placed on the layout, congratulations are in order.  And you should be banned from the train community!

Personally, I like having some shelves for swapping trains on and off the layout.  But if you're having difficulty seeing the wheels and placing trains on the track, there are a couple of accessories that can help.  One is the rerailer that's designed for Fastrack (don't know if it will work for other types of track).  I use a similar device in smaller scales, and it works well.  A quick search also showed that rerailer attachments are available for use with tubular track. 

@Mallard4468 posted:

Personally, I like having some shelves for swapping trains on and off the layout.  But if you're having difficulty seeing the wheels and placing trains on the track, there are a couple of accessories that can help.  One is the rerailer that's designed for Fastrack (don't know if it will work for other types of track).  I use a similar device in smaller scales, and it works well.  A quick search also showed that rerailer attachments are available for use with tubular track.

That device you described is not a rerailler. It is designed to help you put rolling stock on the track. It works with every o gauge three rail system I've tried it on, but it is not the same thing as an ho gauge rerailler. Three-rail track does not work well with a rerailler because of one obvious problem. Whenever there is a derailment on three-rail track the odds are really really high that there is going to be a short circuit between the center Rail and the outside rail and this will bring the train to a complete stop.

Good idea......I have some shelves, just for engines, rolling stock is stored in a set of plastic drawers, or it's on the layout.

Here's my problem.....

1- small layout
2- not enough shelves, or drawer space
3- WAY too many trains

(although I don't see item 3 as a problem.....can't say the same for the CEO...... )

Bob

I like the idea of having a large yard holding multiple trains for operating sessions. The issue to me is that sooner or later the layout will cap your ability to acquire more trains.

Now why would you ever do that? LOL

I would consider two thoughts in designing your train room. Have a long, straight section of track for putting trains on the layout. This should be at the edge of the layout, at a convenient height, with good lighting. Second, design your off layout storage (shelves, drawers, whatever) to be close to the track just mentioned.

I think a lot of us are dealing with eyesight that is not what it once was... I find that with practice I can align three wheel locos and cars on the track by feel, using my finger tips. I also keep a flashlight handy...

I've seen two types of extruded aluminum shelving.  One uses "rails" while the other uses "slots".  My experience is that it is easier to slide the wheels in the slots since they cannot fall between the rails.  Several Forumites have built their own shelves by simply cutting grooves in wood.

However, no matter how you decide to proceed you'll develop a technique.  And practice makes perfect.

Jan

I've been seriously tempted to figure out a way to grind the center rail off my Glenn Snyder shelves, it really does make it a PITA to stick anything with center track rollers on them.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I've been seriously tempted to figure out a way to grind the center rail off my Glenn Snyder shelves, it really does make it a PITA to stick anything with center track rollers on them.

I have a bunch of trains on Glenn Synder shelving and you mentioning it is the first time I thought that why it would have a third rail?!

@Frank Mulligan posted:

I have a bunch of trains on Glenn Synder shelving and you mentioning it is the first time I thought that why it would have a third rail?!

It's a cinch that they're not going to power them from that rail.

@John in California posted:

That device you described is not a rerailler. It is designed to help you put rolling stock on the track. It works with every o gauge three rail system I've tried it on, but it is not the same thing as an ho gauge rerailler. Three-rail track does not work well with a rerailler because of one obvious problem. Whenever there is a derailment on three-rail track the odds are really really high that there is going to be a short circuit between the center Rail and the outside rail and this will bring the train to a complete stop.

You're splitting hairs on the terminology - the Fastrack device is actually called a "railer" and is designed for putting rolling stock on the track.  The other device, at least in the eBay listings I saw, is mounted in the track and is called a "rerailer" and it looks very similar to an HO rerailer.  I would post a link to prove my point, but I think that violates the TOS.  Search for "Lionel train rerailer" and it will be at the top.  I have no idea how well it works.

I thought the center rail was to accommodate HO on the same system. It would make more sense to just grind out the center rail where you have something with a center roller. I don't have any so can't test my theory.

@GVDobler posted:

I thought the center rail was to accommodate HO on the same system. It would make more sense to just grind out the center rail where you have something with a center roller. I don't have any so can't test my theory.

It makes perfect sense to grind off the center rail all the time!  I could care less about accommodating HO, I don't run it.   It ain't so easy to remove that center rail or I'd have done it long ago!

The Glen Snyder website shows the Combination HO/S shelf with three rails to suit the two different gauges, and the O gauge shelf with three rails like regular O-gauge 3-rail track (so it was not designed to accommodate HO and O). The purpose of the center rail on the shelving is unclear -- you can't power trains from that rail, as gunrunnerjohn pointed out (dead short circuit).

The center rail supports the pickup rollers.  I guess it keeps them from binding up if you roll the engine between shelf sections.

Instead of grinding, find someone with a milling machine.  It would only take a couple of minutes to mill the rail flush.

Jan

I have the third rail on my tracks, and on my shelves. The trains on the tracks are what I collect...   Why would I try to fake it with two rail shelves  ????

@HiramO posted:

I have the third rail on my tracks, and on my shelves. The trains on the tracks are what I collect...   Why would I try to fake it with two rail shelves  ????

Because it's a Royal PITA to put stuff with pickup rollers on the 3-rail shelves!  It has nothing to do with faking it.

@Jan posted:

The center rail supports the pickup rollers.  I guess it keeps them from binding up if you roll the engine between shelf sections.

Instead of grinding, find someone with a milling machine.  It would only take a couple of minutes to mill the rail flush.

The shelves are bolted on the wall!  Also, finding someone with a milling machine that's willing to do around 350 feet of Glenn Snyder shelves is probably not going to be cheap.

@RSJB18 posted:

Good idea......I have some shelves, just for engines, rolling stock is stored in a set of plastic drawers, or it's on the layout.

Here's my problem.....

1- small layout
2- not enough shelves, or drawer space
3- WAY too many trains

(although I don't see item 3 as a problem.....can't say the same for the CEO...... )

Bob

Well said, and echoed by ME!

Mike

Consider whether you can get either IKEA Raskog carts or some of the less expensive clones as under-layout storage. (Make sure the full height of your choices fit underneath. I still need to shorten up the under-sink one in the bathroom because the specs didn’t take the wheels into account.) They come in many sizes, shapes and colors, metal, plastic, or metal uprights with plastic edged shelving. The original models have flat tops available for use as a workspace (cheaper and quicker to make your own.)

They’re sturdy, hold a lot, and are easily pulled out when you need to work under the layout. It beats moving a whole bunch of train boxes, individual containers of cleaning and maintenance supplies, etc.

I don't think the presence or absence of the center rail on the shelving would affect how easily the pick-up roller crosses joints between sections: In both cases it would be rolling along a smooth surface (the top of the raised center rail or the smooth bottom of the shelf if there were no center rail).

@B Smith posted:

I don't think the presence or absence of the center rail on the shelving would affect how easily the pick-up roller crosses joints between sections: In both cases it would be rolling along a smooth surface (the top of the raised center rail or the smooth bottom of the shelf if there were no center rail).

It has nothing to do with rolling them on the shelves, that's not something I ever do.  It's physically setting them on the shelves and getting the rollers on the center rail.  It's easy on track, but when you only have access to one side of the locomotive, sometimes getting everything aligned isn't so easy.  I'm far from the only person that has stated an opinion about this problem.

As a few others have said, eventually, you will have more rolling stock than layout, no matter how big the layout.  And yes, Snyder shelves can be a pain, especially for locos with many axles.  I use Snyder shelves mostly for diesels, but they would also work for OK for cars.  I use slotted shelves for power with many axles like GG1s or steamers.