Weight of Classic Lionel Trains

Just a suggestion: Aluminum shelving would be sturdier and more likely to hold those engines listed. There are a couple of very reliable brands with extruded rails for several common gauges.

If you really want to use glass, you should have strong supports fairly close together with at least 1/4 inch thick glass. As mentioned above, aluminum shelving is a light, strong, fairly easy to install alternative you should explore. I have several of Glen Snyder's aluminum shelves and am very pleased with them. I also have some wood shelves I built myself. I used  1x6 boards with large heavy gauge angle brackets secured to the 2x4 studs in the wall. I recommend you go the Lowes or Home Depot and buy an electronic stud finder to find the studs, it will save a lot of time.    

There is no 1946 Hudson that I'm aware of.  The 1946 Berkshire had a 2426W diecast tender. 

These pictures show the type of shelves that I use for model trains. Vertical brackets (steel or aluminum?) screwed through drywall into studs with horizontal brackets to support shelves. Shelves are 5/8" x 8" x 48" or 68" compressed board. Shelf vertical spacing about 8" with up to six shelves on a set of vertical brackets. Typical material available at hardware or home improvement stores. I fasten pieces of track (usually Atlas O) to the shelves with a few track screws and put bumpers at the ends to prevent roll-offs. Also use two parallel tracks. I put as many as three or four heavy scale-sized steam locomotives on a single shelf without any problem. These shelves are over twenty years old.

MELGAR

Tempered saftey glass.."showcase/counter glass".  It can support a ton of weight and take nearly all the abuse you can throw at it. Saftey versions are clean up freindly. A good glass shop knows what their glass will handle. Build in overkill due to the sharp metal strikes it's going to have to endure and mind the glass edges; thats the weak point for strikes breaking a pane. 

I throw an 8lb average at them, 9 for overkill. (You're gonna push/press with 2lbs or more without thought too)

I don't know what #s go with what year, but this should get you in the ballpark. Throw a pound at any combo if in doubt, you should have overkill.

#665 Santa fe Hudson is 3lb10-5/8oz. (small/semi-scale)

Larger #2046 Hudson is 4lb5⅛oz.

Add 2lb for hollow, to 3.5 lb on fully loaded cast tender w/whistle. 

243w plastic whistle tender 1.5lb.

No whistle plastic, 11oz.

Go with glass.  It's classic.  

Yeh my bad on the berk...I knew it wasn't a Hudson...was at work in a hurry and just threw it down figuring guys would know what I meant...lol...then it was too late to change it...