Where do you store your trains when they’re not in use? Mine are all over the house, on the welsh dresser where the plates should be, stuffed under chairs in the sun lounge and where ever I can find a bit of floor space. Gail has agreed that this can’t go on so we are having a train room built at the side of the house. Nothing glorious, basically a lean too the length of the extension, say 10’ by 3’6" wide, all the width there is at the side. It’s being built out of plastic, like a conservatory and will be very secure with proper doors with 5 point locking systems. I’ve given the joiner the go ahead & I’ll post some pics when it’s done.
Cheers,
Kim
[tup]
All my stuff is indoors, I plan to eventualy keep everything outside in the garage, this is after we rebuild the garage and drywall and a/c the thing. If we do all the stuff we have planned to the house I will loose my tiny closet workshop but should gain a new studio/work area in the Garage.
Hey Kim,
Mine are in the house for now. Once my line gets extended this summer then I will be able to run them in via the basement window. All my staging will be done above the washer / dryer in the laundry room! For now it’s still carry in / out. Later eh…Brian.
I built an elevated track that runs onto a shelf inside a metal storage shed. I can run my trains into the shed, where a turnout ladder allows the selection of 4 sidings for parking trains. I have more rolling stock than those 4 sidings can hold, so I move the excess up onto a higher shelf with tracks on it using my 0-5-0s (hands).
Right now, I found rubbermaid clear storage boxes that hold 3 cars each and stack at least 6 high. I use a strip of packing material between adjacent cars.
I plan to build a spur that enters the garage to store trains, but want to come up with a rotary elevator system to handle multiple storage tracks, like the rotating wire rack in Home Depot.
Kim
Right now my stuff occupies any vacant flat spot I can find. I had hoped to use some space in the kitchen for a train cabinet but now it looks like another cabinet would eat up too much space. What I’ll probably wind up doing is keeping the cars in the garden shed and the locomotive on a dedicated shelf indoors.
Bob
PS Good luck with your storage project!
In the Unlikely Treasures Forum there is a discussion about storage tubs that can be used (Safe Storage Tub for Annie and Coaches ). Most of mine are in the tubs under the bed and my engines are on book shelves in the spare room.
Jaime
Hi Kim
My two live steamers live on a piece of track in the lounge
the rest lives where ever there is a flat surface in my hobby room…
The plan hmm we know about those! is to set up
a station in the laundry with storage shelves for all but the live steamers.
Our laundry is an out building that can easily be secured but the question is how do I put a waterproof dor to let the trains in and out.
regards John
Hi John,
I considered this at length and thought I would have a proper train door built into the lean to, that was until I saw the price for it! I am running a spur into the lean to but the track will have to have a lift out section where the door is, no great hassle really, just something else to make!
Cheers,
Kim
[tup]
Hello Kim
My railroad was designed with my 12’x16’ shed in mine, and has a little locking
door and covered entrance for trains to enter and exit, plus inside shed it parks
in a seperate enclosed area to prevent dust and things falling on trains
with hinged doors to remove trains. all the electronics are inside as well
and maybe a little refrigerator for beers, and cable TV, plus phone
my wife calls it “Man’s Land” I just need running water and a toilet
see ya
mike
Nice one Mike, Unfortunately the lean to is being built accross the access from the front of the house so it will have 2 doors in it to allow right of way from front to back so the train space will be along one wall only. Still , I’m not complaining to much in case Gail says stop, it’s costing £1600 with the doors being nearly half of that, conservatory material doesn’t come cheap in the UK.
Cheers,
Kim
[tup]
Hi Kim
thats why I will do it myself when I find out how cuting the hole puting in the little cross beam is straight forward its making the doors and weather sealing them I am not sure about.
regards John
Hi John,
The guy who is doing the work has done all the work at our house and he’s very reasonable. When he did the windows I paid the manufacturers myself so I knew what his charges where. I did toy with the idea of self build but you pay for the expertise! The cost includes a new concrete base extending to my flagged area in the back garden, supply and fit of the unit, it has opening windows at the side of the doors, triple glazed roof and new barge boards on the extension to lap the lead roof seal under. All topped off with new guttering on the extension. As stated before it will work out about 10’ long by 3’6" - 4’ wide, I must measure it tonight! Anyway, it will give me at least 6 shelves x 9’ long and enough storage for all of my gear for years to come.
Cheers,
Kim
[tup]
At the moment the scratchbuilt stuff lives on shelves in the dining room.The locos live in the conservatory and the rolling stock wanders around the garden depending where the children got bored of pushing it.
I have a passing loop that goes through the shed and when I can I’ll get some more points from e-bay and build my tram depot.I’m very wary of sidings as they have to be cleaned rather carefully (I KNOW you don’t have to do this with battery) to allow for point to point running.I’ve thought of display cabinets but the size reqired would be unacceptable to Wifey.I like to scatter them about.Makes great conversation for dinner guests.
I keep my trains in a steel cabinate I baught at Office Max. It has a built-in lock to keep my trains secure. I have a lot of money invested in my equipment and the lock gives me piece of mind.
Hi Matt
Had thought of that trouble is I reckon the dog might think its her door and use
it[:(]
What I really want is something that looks like loco shed doors with hazard stripes.
regards John
I just had a thought for your doors. I just installed a window air contitioner but did not use the side wings because my windows are a weird size. I am saving the wings to make “industrial doors” for a yet to be built building because they are weather proof and about the right size. Maybe something like that could work for you. If you don’t know what I mean I could take a photo of it and it may become clear.
Kim I have allocated several shelf spaces in my garage, and they are neatly segregated into locos, carriages, box cars, industrial things like concrete mixers, cranes etc.
Queensland is an odd place to be fashionable you must have agarage and it must have white storage units, remote control doors at front. A roller door at the back so you can take your boat right through etc. here a man is judged by his garage, if it is not up to what they think it should be you get ignored and eventually asked to leave the state.
Seems like many, if not most, new homes in the US state of Florida (the leading retirement state) are located in “gated” or “restricted deed” communities where virtually every activity is monitored and controlled by a committee of your neighbors. Probably couldn’t store your trains in the garage much less have a garden railroad, what a terrible way to live!