@dennish posted:

Hello!

I have a question for those who have gone with Glen Snyder shelving.  I am wondering what the motivation is for going with GS shelving.

Let me begin by saying I think it looks great!  NCJOE (recently) and others have posted pictures of the shelving and it looks fantastic.  I have nothing against the shelving.  I am aware of the installation procedures and the quality of the shelving.  I know that those who have the shelving like it.

I am just wondering:  Do people use that shelving because they do not have the skills or facilities/equipment to produce there own shelving?  Is it a time issue - not wanting to take the time to create your own shelves?

I like Glen Snyder shelving and am considering it, but I also have a shop in which I can produce my own shelving. It just take time to do so.  I guess, ultimately, it boils down to an analysis - about twice the cost with GS shelving versus the time to make my own shelves for less.

Looking for thoughts,

Dennis

I have extruded aluminum shelving (something similar, but other than Glen Snyder shelving) and the reasons are

1) I don't have a shop and could not create the quality of shelving that I purchased.

2) The extruded aluminum shelving takes up less space than wood shelving and does not warp.

3) I think the extruded aluminum shelving looks better than wood

4) Cost was not an issue with my purchase, other than it made me purchase it sooner, as most of my shelving (c. 1,000 LF) was purchased as used shelving

5) Time was a factor, as it would have taken me significantly more time to make shelving, versus what I purchased.

Dennis:

Actually I have both home made (wood) and GS. As stated above it is time issue plus the fact the GS shelves are almost bullet proof in setting up and holding locos / cars in a secure manner.

If you go home made don't make the mistake I did (ie flat shelving). Cut dadoes to hold the wheels in place or opening /closing doors in proximity to the shelving will cause the trains to move around. I solved the issue with my shelve by gluing down old Lionel track to keep the trains secure.
Joe

I like it because it is does not warp like wood, it is easy to install and clean (dust). 

I should also add, that I like my shelving because it is painted white and on a white wall all one sees are the trains.

NWL

I wanted the focus to be on the trains. The Glenn Snyder shelving being very thin basically disappears when it is in place. Plus you can get more shelves in the space versus other shelf methods.

Have you compared aluminum with today's lumber prices?

Also, there are two types of aluminum shelves.  Some have rails rails, some have formed grooves.

The raised rails are a pain with three rail rollers..

I have a lot of both.  I prefer the grooved.

By the time I add up the materials and the time it would take me to make my own shelves, I just see the GS shelves as much more cost effective.  My time is better spent doing a couple of steam upgrades and making the money to pay the difference between home-rolled shelves and the GS shelves.

I had wood shelving in my old train room and set up my table saw to cut the grooves in the planks for the wheels to sit in.  I have since moved and no longer have my table saw.  In my new train room, I have installed the GS shelving.  Not cheap, but it is nearly bulletproof.   Aside from having to ream out the rail joiners, it went up fairly easily and looks good, IMHO.

I have neither the skills nor the tools needed to make my own shelving. I figure, the money I pay will easily cover the co-pays that I would sustain to get my fingers sewn back on.

Kidding aside, I think they are a great value and look fabulous.

I will be buying about 50 more for the new train room......

Peter

Thanks to all!  I think the responses sort confirm my suspicions about the "time value of money".

The comment that struck me the most was about the thinness of the shelves making them disappear.

I was deciding whether the shelves I have used in the past should be painted.  I installed tubular track on the 1" by 4" and removed the inner rail to avoid the constant compression on the rollers, if that even matters.

I am leaning toward the purchase of the GS shelving, although, I am not sure my wife is leaning toward the purchase of GS shelving !

.

@Putnam Division posted:

I have neither the skills nor the tools needed to make my own shelving. I figure, the money I pay will easily cover the co-pays that I would sustain to get my fingers sewn back on.

Kidding aside, I think they are a great value and look fabulous.

I will be buying about 50 more for the new train room......

Peter

Peter,

I would think you could sew them back on yourself !

My train room is an enclosed porch/ patio.  I have limited space.  I did my shelves in the 90's and wasn't aware of GS.  My shelves will hold one, two or 3 layers of trains.   I used a radial arm saw and cut grooves for the wheels.  I don't live in a historically prone earthquake zone.

Course if I did I probably wouldn't have shelves.

At the time it was easier for me.

I will add that I went with Trainshelf brand shelving, which I believe is a bit more costly when new than GS shelving.  Unfortunately, it is my understanding that they are no longer in business due to retiring and nobody to purchase the business (as of the last I heard).  Their shelving looks like this on the end and is a bit sturdier than the GS shelving.

Oh, and it also comes in Standard Gauge size.  I still have a hundred feet or more of this that is not on the walls yet.

NWL

@Nation Wide Lines posted:

I will add that I went with Trainshelf brand shelving, which I believe is a bit more costly when new than GS shelving.  Unfortunately, it is my understanding that they are no longer in business due to retiring and nobody to purchase the business (as of the last I heard).  Their shelving looks like this on the end and is a bit sturdier than the GS shelving.

While it may look "sturdier", there is no more strength needed for the GS shelves!  I'm fairly sure I could hang on the shelf, and I'm sure not worried about even the heaviest locomotives being an issue at all!

I can't remember if these were gs or not

I have both brands and the Trainshelf in my opinion is a lot studier that the GS shelves.  But as gunrunner said, the GS shelves are plenty strong and will hold whatever trains you put on them.

What I like about the Trainshelves is the engines are not right at the edge of the shelf.  I had the GSs in a stairwell and after I caught a shirt sleeve on a steamers running gear I moved them to a wall.  I put in the stairwell the Trainshelf shelves and no more problems.

It is too bad Trainshelf is gone. It was an excellent option.

Somewhere is the die that the Trainshelves were drawn with.  Locate the die and you and have the shelves.  I like them because it is easy for me to set up trains on them quickly at shows.  Flanges drop right into the slots.

I am curious about this in general for a lot of reasons. I have a below code (maybe it was code when the house was built?) house with studs 24 on center. Its a whole lot of dead space between the studs anywhere, and I am pretty positive anchors are not going to work well holding up a rack of trains that weigh anywhere from 5 - 18 lbs, excluding rolling stock... I need to have some place reasonable to stash my handfull of trains + stock, but I am perplexed as to the best way to do this. My office is in our library but the shelves there are, gasp, full of books, photos, and family pictures that take up the entire 12 foot wall. Currently everything is either packed in boxes and removed only when being used, or in a box in the living room to throw track down for the kid+ grandkids.

Looking at the stock I have, some of these (the 18" aluminum c&o passenger cars for instance) take up several feet. The basement is still being dealt with (waterproofing (need to hire someone), drywall (might do myself), floor (am DEFINITELY doing this myself)), so I don't have a surplus (any?) space.

What do you guys recommend for a compact way to store train bits?

24" centers is still ok for a shelf if you can find a couple in the area where you want a shelf.  There is a tool called a "stud finder".

I have several GS shelves that store the O-gauge trains in my collection that require larger curvatures than are present on my  layout (with O42 curves and switches due to limited space in the train room). I prefer the "raised rails" feature of GS -- the trains are shown to better advantage.  See attached photo.

I have two more GS shelves ready to install when I get around to it.

Orders are promptly filled. GS shelves are six feet long and packed in a long mailing tube, so S&H is expensive because of that size. My suggestion to GS:  make the small (but stout) rail joiners easier to spread apart for installation.

Mike Mottler    LCCA 12394
Satisfied customer of GS

I have the Snyder shelves. I cannot build a shelf out of wood - neither the skills or tools. I love the Snyder shelves. I was fortunate to purchase them at on line auctions(stout) for about $2 each. I currently have 50 or so with another 50 or so to go up. At used prices they were much cheaper than wooden shelves.

The main retraction, imho, is the center rail - I wish it weren’t there.

One suggestion for the GS shelves.  Lose the middle 3rd rail!  It is useless and only makes it harder to put stuff with center track rollers back on the shelves.  I have no idea why they think you need that center rail, clearly I won't be powering anything up on the shelves!  That's really my major complaint with the product!

Hats the best way to remove the center rail??

What’s not hats

@Mike H Mottler posted:

My suggestion to GS:  make the small (but stout) rail joiners easier to spread apart for installation.

Concur with that request.

@Mike H Mottler posted:

My suggestion to GS:  make the small (but stout) rail joiners easier to spread apart for installation.

Actually, those are very easy to spread before you try to stick them on.  Just a tapered pin punch and a little tap with the hammer and they're ready to tap onto the shelf rails.

I'd much rather get rid of the center rail, that would be a MAJOR improvement!

@Geojr posted:

I have the Snyder shelves. I cannot build a shelf out of wood - neither the skills or tools. I love the Snyder shelves. I was fortunate to purchase them at on line auctions(stout) for about $2 each. I currently have 50 or so with another 50 or so to go up. At used prices they were much cheaper than wooden shelves.

The main retraction, imho, is the center rail - I wish it weren’t there.

Yes, buying any of this shelving used is the way to do it if you can.  I bought around 700 LF of uncut Trainshelf and several smaller cut sections on a Stout auction for $900, which was under $2 per LF.  Their only caveat on the lots of shelving I bought is that the would not ship them, but luckily I am about a 3 hour drive from their auction house, so I drove down and attended the auction and hauled it all home after the auction.  The car was packed full, but it all fit.

NWL

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Actually, those are very easy to spread before you try to stick them on.  Just a tapered pin punch and a little tap with the hammer and they're ready to tap onto the shelf rails.

I'd much rather get rid of the center rail, that would be a MAJOR improvement!

GRJ:  Thanks for that tip.  I tried to use a straight blade screwdriver, which didn't work very well -- except for adding some foul words to my vocabulary.

Mike Mottler    LCCA 12394

Dennis,

I too like the the GS Shelving, however, I am limited to wall space. I would not go as far to say I have a shop, but I do have a table saw and consider myself pretty handy.

However, I have always loved the look of the aluminum shelving. I have maybe 1 or 2 areas for a 6ft length of GS Shelving. With that being said, I would have an issue with any shelving living in earthquake country.

My thought was to purchase one or two lengths of the GS, drill a small hole in the outside corners, secure a set pin, and thread fishing line between pins to prevent damage from falling.

There is a closet area off of layout that is roughly 7-1/2' wide x 30" x 8' high. I will build wooden shelving for this area, in order to fit more trains.

The only issue I have with GS are the shipping costs. My shipping starts at $80 and goes up from there, so is it really worth it for 1 or 2 lengths. I believe if a person has enough room, you can use both wood and GS. Check out Eric Siegel's room Joe Z's here or Eric's Trains on Youtube.

He has built many wooden cases and used a lot of GS shelving.

Joe Gozzo

Dennis,

       I have three different types of shelving in my train room: (1) A pine "book case style" set of shelves that is about 4' x 6', with individual pine shelves;  (2) oak "look" melamine adjustable display shelves, with tracks screwed to the shelves for the trains;  (3) RailRax ™.

       Each has a very different look, with the adjustable "oak look"shelving  being more attractive, IMHO, for displaying the trains.  Having said that, I love Rail Rax ™ (RR) shelving.  The RR shelving is lightweight, sturdy, attractive, and displaces a minuscule "footprint" for the dimensions of the shelving itself.  The shelving is also quickly and easily installed.  Some of my RR have been fully loaded for decades with no problems whatsoever.

I have GS shelves and as I recall, I decided to get them because they were less expensive than making shelves myself.  Or maybe the price was very close.  I was planning on using Radiata (clear) pine which wasn’t cheap at the time and I’m sure is much more expensive now.  I was also planning to put track on the pine.  I suppose the pine shelving could have been a bit cheaper if I just cut some grooves 1 3/8” apart for the flanges, but I’m happy with the GS shelves.

That’s a great question and the ready made aluminum shelving is handy, practical and very easy to install. However, at the time I built my train room, the cabinet maker we hired gave us free oak shelving that he wasn’t going to use, in other words, my wife and I pulled all of this lumber out of his dumpster, free. I simply sanded and stained the wood, attached Gargraves or Atlas O track and that was simple. It’s not as nice as some, but worked fir us. Happy Railroading Everyone

Good joke.

"worked fir us"

so the Oak is  'ok'

I like cheap solutions and free is even better.

Most of us have more tinplate track than we will ever use.

Well, I have a few shelves up.  I decided to paint them the same color as the wall to make them disappear.  They look a little bulky, but they seem to suffice.  Plus, I was able to remove the middle rail!  A few more to put up and a few more to paint.

I may go with Glenn Snyder shelving on the opposite wall in the future.

Dennis

Nice ... I'd paint the screw heads so they blend in.

I agree with GRJ. Great shelving but pain in the neck placing Ogauge trains on it. Take out that 3rd rail.

I thought the center rail was so they work for HO as well as O displays. Maybe that was another brand.

How did you remove the 3rd Rail?  I'm about to put several hundred feet of it up, and I'd like to do that if it's not a ton of work!

I live in a commercial building built in the 40's.  My walls are either plaster on hollow tile (pre concrete block) or plaster on metal lath.  It is difficult when screwing something into the wall to get the screw exactly where it should go.  My solution has been to stand a 1x4 vertically on the floor and secure it into the wall at several points.  I then use the old reliable KV shelving system to hold my 1x4 shelving.

I admit that I started using the 1x4s when we were taking the old ceilings out of the building and wound up with several hundred feet of 1x4s.  Initially I used Gargraves track on the 1x4s but after a thousand feet of so it began to add up.  Now I cut grooves in the 1x4s.  That also saves vertical space and allows for another row in the same space.

Below is a shot of the new K-Line room.  I think I can get another three rows above the ones that are there now.  I used to paint the wood but decided the wood look is fine.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

One suggestion for the GS shelves.  Lose the middle 3rd rail!  It is useless and only makes it harder to put stuff with center track rollers back on the shelves.  I have no idea why they think you need that center rail, clearly I won't be powering anything up on the shelves!  That's really my major complaint with the product!

That would require a change to the extrusion die which may not be possible or might cost a lot of money to do.

I've enjoyed seeing all these displays.  Surely is a better way to appreciate the treasures than as stacked boxes on roll-out dollies beneath the layout.  While the train room (basement) is basically all layout along the walls, eliminating convenient space for creating this sort of mass display, we have quite a few items...engines, cars, structures, small vignettes...on display throughout the house.  And these get changed out periodically as mood, money, and the moment dictate.

OTOH, there is this other problem...D-U-S-T.  I dislike having to deal with it.

We do what we can with filters on the home HVAC system.   And, really, there's nothing special that can be done re dust on the layout and everything on it.  I know it's a whole different topic, that 'dust'.  But to put up more shelves and openly display more of the trains....well...it ain't gonna happen.  Couple that with this septuagenarian having to get on a step ladder, or down on the knees to dust floor-to-ceiling jewelry is akin to self-flagellation.

And my better half, my wife, is not about to take on the task, either...and we're both into this hobby!!

We could hire a 'duster'...

or...

But it's not in the 'infrastructure funding' plan for the household.

So, while mass displays of this sort are a better way to appreciate the hobby's investment, the flip side is to wonder why we have so much 'hidden' away?  Too much for the layout, too much for open celebration.  Too much to dust.

IOW...a reminder that, for us at least, it may be time to think about 'unvesting'.

But, as we all know, that'll never happen!

So.....time for another cup o' Joe.

KD/DK

Rails or grooves on shelves are fine for rolling stock, but for engines I'd much rather their weight be on the flange of the wheels and not on the traction tires. I've been wanting to purchase some, new or used, but would like to know if the grooves are shallow enough or rails low enough to keep a gap between the tires and the shelf?

Is Glen Snyder still in business? I left a message like their website directs and never received a response.

Call them, don't waste time with the website.

I did  call them at the number on the website, no response.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

How did you remove the 3rd Rail?  I'm about to put several hundred feet of it up, and I'd like to do that if it's not a ton of work!

John - instead of wasting track do you have a friend with a table saw and dado blade? Have your friend dado two grooves from end to end then plug the ends with a 'bumper'.
I made one shelf and put some old Lionel track on it before buying Snyder shelving. I had to end up gluing the track to the wood to stop it from moving around.

@beardog49 posted:

I did  call them at the number on the website, no response.

Yes, I believe his daughter runs it. You have write up what you want to order, call her to get shipping, and mail her a check. No cc accepted.

Joe Gozzo

@beardog49 posted:

Is Glen Snyder still in business? I left a message like their website directs and never received a response.

Yes. Just received some shelving a few weeks ago. I had called in February and they were out of stock on O Gauge shelves, but she took my name and gave me a call back when they received their shipment a few weeks ago.

My initial contact with Glenn Snyder Shelving was via email. Carolyn replied fairly soon after I sent her the email.  They are a small Mom and Pop business, so cut them some slack, guys!

I would think that a nice sharp chisel would be able to take out that center rail.

Jim, I suspect you haven't had a 6 foot piece of aluminum shelving and actually tried this!

Yes they are still in business. Sometimes they call back right away and sometimes it takes a few days. I live in the area and picked up some shelves a couple of weeks ago. Carolyn and husband are running the business since Glenn passed. They were very nice and accommodating.

I would think that a nice sharp chisel would be able to take out that center rail.

How about a horizontal milling machine, instead?

@dkdkrd posted:

How about a horizontal milling machine, instead?

Yep, we all have one of those sitting around.

I actually like the center rail.    My GS shelves display all my rolling stock .   I like lightning up all the rolling stock that has lights when they're on display.   I do have a couple shelves I don't power that display an engine or two now and then

How do you do that?

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Yep, we all have one of those sitting around.

Oh, gee...If not, I'm sure Harbor Freight has one...cheap. 

Lucas Gudinov

@NJCJOE posted:

How do you do that?

Well, not how I did it, but some chap who sold us his room full of trains...including a wall of GS shelving.

He put a layer of thin tape...of some dielectric sort...on top of the 'center' rail.  On top of that he had put a strip of thin copper foil...the stuff Micro-Mark and others sell...that has peel-and-stick adhesive on the back side.

Then he soldered wires to the foils and to a buss strip on the left edge of a simple wood frame (1x3's stained/varnished) that served as left/right 'bumpers'.  He screwed wires w/ring terminals to each shelf for the common polarity, all likewise soldered to another buss strip.  A 12 v DC landscape lighting transformer w/on-off switch powered the whole shebang.

I suppose there are more elegant ways of doing the same thing.  Maybe it wasn't "code"-acceptable.  They had no small kids in the house.  But he demonstrated the effect with the room lighting dimmed....totally awesome!!  Talk about mood lighting for the hobbyist!!!!  Heck, I'd have put the bed in that room and had no problem drifting off to sleep staring at that wall!!

Not having any empty wall for the whole shelving shebang, I sold it to a local fellow hobbyist...who removed all the electrical-ities, not having the same interest.

FWIW...

KD

I’m a big fan of Glenn Snyder Display shelves. Attached is a photo with shelves in the wall boxes I had the contractor add when the basement was finished. Also, I just ordered more shelves by phone. (Caroline called back same day I left vm) They will be in the Orange Hall at York so saving on shipping and picking up at the show.

I'm going to need more, so I think I'll do the same thing, pick them up at York.  I'm covering an 18 foot wall as well as a smaller 3 foot section.

I know this is a long shot but I need just 1 6ft length of GSS IN THE COMBO O/STD, just in case anyone has a leftover piece they would like to sell. Email in my profile

Thks,

Joe Gozzo

Yes - they are still in business. They were out of material for awhile, but I just received my order that I placed in July. Call or email them.  They usually get back to you in a couple days.

Agree with a few others above. I always pick my GS shelving up at York. I know it's not an option for everyone, but so convenient for me and saves on shipping.

It's my first stop so I can hump them out to the car and get them stowed away. Don't recommend carrying them around the Hall.

@johnstrains posted:

It's my first stop so I can hump them out to the car and get them stowed away. Don't recommend carrying them around the Hall.

Let's see, about 50 6 foot sections...  You're right, I don't fancy carrying that around with me while I shop!

These are my shelves. I packed them in so they would fit in the space. Have almost every engine on it less 2 traditional 4-4-2s and a 4-6-4. And a PRR 44 tonner (MPC era) that needs some work. And the Southern Crescent on the track. Mainly I just wanted them out of boxes and off the utility shelves they were jammed on.

The room is the new extension we put in for me. Still in a state of chaos after bringing everything out there but improving steadily. Sorry the camera was tilted. That's 8 6' and then 2 6' joined with the clips they give you. They are close but they fit easily and come out Ok. I still have more passenger trains plus maybe 3 boxes of freight. I may try building some wood shelves for them since they are much lighter.

I dithered quite a while but once I started they just went up so easily. I drilled one hole in the center and 2 more towards the ends of each shelf. I just spaced them at 5" anchor to anchor in the middle then marked and drilled the side holes using a long level to to keep the shelf level. When the bubble was dead center I marked the walls through the screw holes, used a punch (the spring loaded kind) and drilled there. Seemed to work.

How are the GS shelves attached to the walls? I have plaster-over-lathe walls (the building dates back to 1883) and so far have used free-standing display cases, from ClassyWoods, which is now out of business.

These; one stacked on top of the other:

Please help me identify my aluminum shelving.  Some are grooved where the flanges sit down into slots and others have raised rail type profile which are a pain in the neck to mount anything with a center roller.

Andrew-Porter, holes are drilled into the back flange of the shelving at stud locations.(see photo, lower right).  If necessary, some shims may be used if your drywall is wavy.  Your application may be difficult with plaster/lathe construction.

Tom, see the profile of GS shelving in the photo.

@Tom Tee posted:

Please help me identify my aluminum shelving.  Some are grooved where the flanges sit down into slots and others have raised rail type profile which are a pain in the neck to mount anything with a center roller.

The ones with the raised rails and the PITA center roller rail are the Glen Snyder shelves.

@TedW posted:

Andrew-Porter, holes are drilled into the back flange of the shelving at stud locations.(see photo, lower right).  If necessary, some shims may be used if your drywall is wavy.  Your application may be difficult with plaster/lathe construction.

Even with plaster/lathe, there are studs, you just need longer screws.

I received 3 more O Gauge shelves this past Friday. Expanded my display to 5 O and 2 Standard. Carolyn kept me up to date about the shelves and called me when they came in. I have attached a picture.