So how does everyone use the limited storage space in their train room? I have brought in some small book cases to store locomotives, empty rolling stock boxes, books, DVDs in. As I build I empty boxes but I find that I still don't have enough space. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free
This is several years ago. Layout sections at 59" elevation. Heavy bookshelves against walls around the room, some layout sections on leg held up by top of bookshelves. Back portion much of way around room is staging and port switching railroad. Main trunkline yard and terminal will go INSIDE and closer to operator in middle of room. But in addition to the bookshelves against the walls, I have rollaway storage units of various kinds in front of the bookshelves. Layout has progress some since this was taken, but clutter has gotten worse!
I'm working on it along with my new layout since moving. I have the layout Benchwork up, and now it's time to work on the closet so I can store my excess in there in an organized manner. If you don't hear from me in the near future; send in a search party because I've fell in and can't get up.
Yes, this is a great topic. Here's what I've been doing. The main part of the layout I am building is between 55 and 59 inches high and is a shelf type bench work going all the way around a 10 x 20 ft room. I am using kitchen cabinets from Ikea that are the type that would go above a refrigerator. So far I have 20 feet of these in place above the layout. This is a work in progress due to cost and when finished there will be about 50 feet of these cabinets. The main deck of the layout is going to be between 55 and 59 inches high so there is still enough clearance for me between layout and cabinet. The layout lighting and valance is mounted under the cabinets. These cabinets come in either 12 inch or 24 inch depth so where the layout is deeper the 24 inch depth is used and the 12 inch depth is used where the layout is narrower. This photo shows an area where the layout is deeper. There is a staging yard under the main layout deck when is not yet in place. There is room under yard for train cases. The 24 inch deep cabinets are shown here on the top. This photo shows an area where the layout is narrow and has the 12 inch deep cabinets above. Right now I have a temporary set up above the work bench. Also have spray booth and module storage under these areas. Another thing I am doing is that everything not attached to the walls is going to be on wheels so I can move things around for access and cleaning. Right now still have too many boxes of stuff sitting on the floor but hopefully by the time I get all the cabinets in place there will be enough storage space to keep the room neat.
Hopefully not like myself and others I know, where we always seem to accumulate more than the available storage space. Must be another of Murphy's Laws....
Yeah seems like I get cleaned up and more shows up to take the place of what was cleaned. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free
Being 'under construction' is probably the biggest contributor to messes! I like the cabinets above the layout, very nice! Have long term plans to put shelving/ cabinets under the layout around the walls. Until then, well it is a bit of a mess!
Another way would be to use kitchen cabinet base units for your storage with your railroad on top. The cabinets are available with drawers and shelves behind doors. I used custom made bookcases for storage and display.
Love the Ikea cabinet idea. It would be a challenge and not take less time, but if you live near a habitat for humanity restore, you might be able to buy used Cabinetry for less. The challenge there of course would be getting it all to match.
I built my layout on shelving so have lots of storage space I cut the top supports then used the top b a keys for the valance
I've used these Ikea units under my layout, for storing rolling stock and locos in. Lined each drawer with thin foam, and can store loose units, or jewel cased. The narrow drawers can take two jewel cases, stacked, the larger drawers 3. http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/40196241/
I actually wanted to try to get those for the club for club rolling stock storage, but particle board + $100+ price caused us to back of. Instead we got some small Stanley brand rolling toolchests from Wall mart that were $50 a piece on clearance. Pretty nice.
Nice carts. I have one of those plastic drawer things on wheels that I am using for supplies. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free
Yeah, I use the plastic ones, from Staples / Office Depot / Office Max for supplies and crap. Also have an old record cabinet I now use to store my spray cans, solvents, etc. It isn't pretty, so no pictures of under my layout. Uh uh, no way
I also use an old microwave cart as a work bench. Lots of place to keep tools. With it being on wheels I can slide it out from under the layout as needed. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free
Rick, I like your Ikea rolling drawer cabinets. I thought half size blue print cabinet would be perfect for N scale but could not find anything used in my price range. So about 20 years ago I built my own. It is visible in one of the photos I posted in this topic. Started out with 4 drawers, each holding 77 standard MT boxes. Have added drawers over the years and now up to 8. Still need to add 2 or 3 more drawers to finish.
I've used a wide variety of storage methods under my layout throughout the basement. The fanciest storage is in a dozen cabinets I bought for about $10 to $15 each from a contractor who was removing old under-counter and sink cabinets and overhead cabinets from a medical clinic. Under Layout Storage, East Peoria 2015-11-04 18.12.01 by ppuinn posted Nov 5, 2015 at 8:15 AM The drawers and shelves of these cabinets under my East Peoria Yard hold screws, nails, dremel accessories and drill bits, mini-table saw, my small electric sanders and sanding paper, household electrical "stuff", modeling hand tools like my Choppers, cutting boards, magnetic model holders, small miter box, etc. On top is my paper cutter, several organizers of modeling details and 101 odds and ends, outlets for my power tool chargers, and a lazy-susan for medium to large metal files, a second lazy-susan for brushes/pencils/drawing tools, compasses, small scale rulers, etc, and a 3rd for small tracklaying tools, pliers, scissors, cutters, screwdrivers, jeweler's picks, pin vises, etc. Under Layout Storage, Keystone aisle, Scenery 2015-11-04 18.28.37 by ppuinn posted Nov 5, 2015 at 8:15 AM These cabinets are filled with bags and bags of scenery ground foam (scads of colors of grasses and blended turf, a variety of dirt/soil/ballast/coal/ores, course turf, underbrush, foliage, clump foliage, foliage clusters, trees and tree making materials/paints/glues. The boxes on top contain scenery detailing materials such as people, automobiles, telephone poles, fences, ladders, stairs, billboards, relay boxes, signal masts, crossing gates, trucks, construction vehicles, Woodland Scenic mini-scenes, roofing details. Under Layout Storage, Hillery 2015-11-04 18.33.34 by ppuinn posted Nov 5, 2015 at 8:15 AM These 2 cabinets hold: 1) track pieces (turnouts, crossings, assorted sectional track pieces) and 2) cigar boxes containing 40 years of scavenged or bought electronic components (diodes, resistors, capacitors, 170 components for a throttle I never built, etc). There are also 3 cabinets not shown that hold 3) a giant collection of modeling paints and painting equipment; 4) transformers, power packs, cooling fans, and tethered DC throttles that I salvaged from previous layouts, garage sales, clearance tables, and trashcans, a drawer with all of the left-over modular cables/connectors/jacks/crimper for my DCC wiring and a drawer filled with wallwarts and converters; and 5) a cabinet without its shelf that is stuffed with the incandescent lightbulb fixtures I used to light the lower level of a previous layout (which my wife says I should have pitched when I tore down that layout in 2003 prior to moving to our current home). Under Layout Storage, Workbench On Cabinets Below Galesburg Yard 2015-11-05 09.41.56 by ppuinn posted Nov 5, 2015 at 10:24 AM When my in-laws remodeled their kitchen in the 1990s, I acquired some overhead cabinets from them. I used 2 of the overhead cabinets to support each end of a 6 foot long section of salvaged countertop to make a workbench. Currently, there are Tortoise machines and ground throws stored at one end, and some motors, wallwarts, transformers, and soldering tools/equipment stored at the other end. I've got a piece of Homasote on the countertop to protect the surface and so I can pin stuff down when working on models or soldering. Under Layout Storage, Cardboard Rack For Brass And Plastic Strips 2015-11-05 09.43.49 by ppuinn posted Nov 5, 2015 at 10:24 AM On the far right end of the countertop, I've stored my brass rods/tubes and plastic I-beams/angles/channels/strips organized in a rack I cobbled together out of cardboard backing from pads of paper. Under Layout Storage, Plastic And Cardboard Drawers 2015-11-05 09.44.34 by ppuinn posted Nov 5, 2015 at 10:24 AM And next to the right end of the workbench I've stacked some plastic drawers to store some etched brass kits that I hope to put together soon, and a couple of unfinished plastic models that are temporarily on hold. In the set of cardboard drawers, I've stored sheet plastic, wood and brass sheets, loads for railcars, and trucks/semis/trailers for roads and industries. Under Layout Storage, Main Layout Power 2015-11-04 18.32.01 by ppuinn posted Nov 5, 2015 at 8:15 AM I stacked some shorter overhead cabinets on top of each other and mounted my DCC power sources, power managers, and programming track on a piece of Homasote. I store extra stationary and mobile decoders and DCC cables in the upper cabinet and DCC equipment documentation/instruction manuals and some spare parts in the lower cabinet.
