Question About Glen Snyder Shelves

@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".