07-12-2020, 12:13 PM
You've got some really nice-looking scenes on your layout, Tom, but I can see the need for an upgrade and some de-cluttering, too.
While it isn't a quick-fix solution, you can make some very useful (and durable) storage boxes for your locomotives and/or rolling stock.
I use the two-piece boxes in which fruit and vegetables are shipped: they're fairly heavy cardboard, with strong bottoms, and a separate lid, and in most cases, have openings in the ends as hand-holds, making them easy to move. Because they're so sturdy, you can stack them as high as you wish.
Here's one....
...that's used for passenger cars...
I store them on their sides, so that the car is easily viewable, without need to unnecessarily take it from the tray...
This box has deeper trays, and was intended for locomotives, although I seldom take locomotives off the layout. The deeper tray allows the model s(in this example, passenger cars awaiting modifications) to be stored upright, on their own wheels...
Here's a locomotive and tender in a similar compartment...
One side of the compartment folds down...
...and the soft plastic sheeting material allows the loco to be lifted out and carried to the layout or workbench...
This box is used for MoW equipment, and each individual compartment can be removed, with one fold-down side for easy access. Fragile equipment can be stored on its wheels, but also with loose details in some cars - this way, all the parts of a multi-part model can be kept together, making it easy to store or easy to put on the layout...
To make the trays, I use ordinary corrugated cardboard. You can often get large sheets of it, free for the asking, from appliance stores. The fruit and vegetable boxes should be available at any supermarket, although you may have to ask for them to set some aside for you to pick-up.
I use a carpenter's square and a utility knife to cut out the needed shapes, then assemble them use a hot glue gun. The soft plastic sheeting is often found wrapped around many electronic devices or other items which need protection during shipping, but if you can't otherwise find it, it's also available from stores which sell flooring, as it's used, in various thicknesses, for underlay.
If you need boxes for rolling stock, Accurail offers them, in at least a couple of sizes, at a fairly reasonable cost - I got a bunch of them through Bowser (English's Model Railroad Supply, in Montoursville, PA) and picked them up, in-person, as it's one of my favourite hobbyshops to visit. That saved a lot of postage - they're not heavy, but pretty bulky for shipping. Bowser may also offer their own rolling-stock boxes for sale, too.
Wayne
While it isn't a quick-fix solution, you can make some very useful (and durable) storage boxes for your locomotives and/or rolling stock.
I use the two-piece boxes in which fruit and vegetables are shipped: they're fairly heavy cardboard, with strong bottoms, and a separate lid, and in most cases, have openings in the ends as hand-holds, making them easy to move. Because they're so sturdy, you can stack them as high as you wish.
Here's one....
...that's used for passenger cars...
I store them on their sides, so that the car is easily viewable, without need to unnecessarily take it from the tray...
This box has deeper trays, and was intended for locomotives, although I seldom take locomotives off the layout. The deeper tray allows the model s(in this example, passenger cars awaiting modifications) to be stored upright, on their own wheels...
Here's a locomotive and tender in a similar compartment...
One side of the compartment folds down...
...and the soft plastic sheeting material allows the loco to be lifted out and carried to the layout or workbench...
This box is used for MoW equipment, and each individual compartment can be removed, with one fold-down side for easy access. Fragile equipment can be stored on its wheels, but also with loose details in some cars - this way, all the parts of a multi-part model can be kept together, making it easy to store or easy to put on the layout...
To make the trays, I use ordinary corrugated cardboard. You can often get large sheets of it, free for the asking, from appliance stores. The fruit and vegetable boxes should be available at any supermarket, although you may have to ask for them to set some aside for you to pick-up.
I use a carpenter's square and a utility knife to cut out the needed shapes, then assemble them use a hot glue gun. The soft plastic sheeting is often found wrapped around many electronic devices or other items which need protection during shipping, but if you can't otherwise find it, it's also available from stores which sell flooring, as it's used, in various thicknesses, for underlay.
If you need boxes for rolling stock, Accurail offers them, in at least a couple of sizes, at a fairly reasonable cost - I got a bunch of them through Bowser (English's Model Railroad Supply, in Montoursville, PA) and picked them up, in-person, as it's one of my favourite hobbyshops to visit. That saved a lot of postage - they're not heavy, but pretty bulky for shipping. Bowser may also offer their own rolling-stock boxes for sale, too.
Wayne