Very timely topic for me. I find it hard to keep shelves open and have to cull the cars out to large boxes for storage to make more space on the shelves. I try to hold space for the 5 or 6 trains and engines and cars normally on the layout. I have homemade shelves, four larger sections plus two short sections under the windows, totaling 425 linear feet and built my last shelf section and they have been in . All the shelves go all the way to floor as wall space is limited in my train/audio room. The often used trains are stored from the middle and upper shelves.
Detains on how I built these economical, easy to move ( have been in 4 houses, and are in sections to allow moving up stairs and through doors), shelves is on the following link: https://ogrforum.ogaugerr.com/...ra-027-layout?page=4
I need a lot of shelves as I have a lot of low value, low cost post war trains. I started in trains in the 1970, when conventional controlled trains were all there was and used trains were lower cost. In today's new train market some engines cost up around $1000 to $2000 and therefore most can only afford a small train collection.
I make up trains by placing them on the track near the shelf they are on. To move trains or cars from the train board, I park the train near the shelf they are to be placed.
Recently I have found an old cheap plastic rolling cart, with shelves very helpful. The top shelf is used for VOM, NO OX, needle oilers, grease, sand paper, and tools like pliers and screw drivers. Lately I have found the lower shelves of the cart are useful to hold mostly engines, coal tenders and some cars the I have switched out or want to switch out for items on the shelves. It is much handier than having to walk them around to the shelves couple at a time. I can place it near the control panels or roll it around to vacant spaces on the train shelves. The very bottom shelf has a 35 mm slide projector, that has been there for years, as I used this cart to hold the projector while showing pictures. The projector may be needed for it weight as this is a shaky, top heavy cart.
Charlie
