Just lately I've found that I have so much rolling stock of one sort or another, that I've run out of space to 'park' it on the layout, despite having around 300ft of track. Whilst modifying my coaching stock with either latching reed switches or small pushbutton ones to be able to switch coach lighting off, I thought I had around 40, but eventually discovered I had 68, not counting "Southern" parcels coaches, so the time had come to find additional space, as I'm not one for keeping stock in boxes. I had a couple of sizeable shelves under the 'Cement Works' part of my layout, and had already laid tracks on the upper shelf, but managed to squeeze a couple more tracks in to give me 9 x 1.25 metres of track, which helped, but I still had some way to go to get everything in. I ended up buying a 'flat-pack' shelving unit which enabled me to move stuff I had on the lower shelf, plus an 'overflow' of stuff I had on the floor, freeing up the lower shelf. I hoped I'd find some cheap track at the Doncaster model exhibition last weekend, but no luck at the price I wanted to pay, after all, it didn't need to be new as it was only for storage. Anyway, I came home and had a look on Ebay, luckily found a guy with sufficient track for what I needed, a "Buy-it-now" price too, and it turned up midweek, so I was able to get the job done, 9 more 1.25 metre lengths, and nicely enough space for the remaining stock. As my layout is in the loft, I have a finite amount of space, bit like trying to get a quart into a pint pot I guess, but at least all I have to do now is clean the track to be able to run trains once more. Having completed this storage modification and the last of the reed switches fitted to my coaching stock, I'm now free to start on the 'Model Loco/DJH Rebuilt Merchant Navy kit I've had for more than a year. It'll be nice to get back to some 'proper modelling' again! Keith.
Bit late now, but for straight sections you could always use Ally Angle with a ply base, even turning them into cassettes to make an easy way to put them on to the layout. Paul
Unfortunately all my stock is packed away, but I have a small selection in enemy territory (the dining room) disguised as a display Shhh!
You store any more, and I think SWMBO will find a storage box for you, approx 6ft long and buried 6ft down
Wasn't it our hobby that coined the phrase 'a person will ultimately strive to fill any space available to them regardless of it's size' … so there you go Keith I reckon it's inevitable that you'll now start to fill the space you've freed up … it's life's destiny Ian vt
I do have one of Lidl's glass fronted display cabinets which houses most of my loco stock (the one's not currently on the layout, that is), but the loco's are now 3 rows deep on each shelf and there's not much room left for more. I currently have around 105 loco's (not sure of the exact number) and I still have a few kits left to complete, so who knows how many more I might accumulate. Here's what it looked like a while ago, could do with an 'extension' now! Keith.