Storage of rolling stock when not in use

[CFD]

Question - for those with large numbers of rolling stock and/or smaller layouts, and who actively run different trains/rakes how do you store wagons etc when not in use? Do you just run the stock on the layout and then switch wagons etc by hand when you want to run different rakes? Does anyone have a large fiddle yard to the side/end where everything is stored and run from that onto the layout?  Looking at the upcoming releases from IRM, it wont be long before available space in the two yards I have will be full of wagons so just wondering what people do when they have more stock than space. It seems a bit cumbersome to have to open up boxes, storage containers etc to take wagons out, place on the track, run for a while then reverse the process to remove and repeat this all the time. 

i have seen examples of storage drawers underneath layouts, or a large storage yard under the layout with a helix connection to bring up/down rakes etc. and as I am in the "active construction phase" I think its probably an idea for me to give this some thought now.

Thanks.

[David Holman]

Cassettes might be an answer. Arrange a single spur that leads to a space long and wide enough. Your cassettes could be just plain track on a narrow length of 12mm ply. 

How long depends on how confident you are, but you could have as many as you like and store them on a sliding shelf under the layout. 

[CFD]

Yes, that's a good suggestion - looking at some of the examples online it seems  a good option....thanks David.

[BosKonay]

Check out these options 

https://www.modelrailbaseboards.com/storage-units

 

@Dave

[CFD]

Very nice options there certainly, although they still require a lot of "big hand from the sky" work to extract each wagon/carriage individually and place on the layout and in reverse when placing back in storage. 

I like the cassette connected to a spur option as in a single lift 15 cement bubbles can be rolled onto the layout and 10 Taras rolled off into the empty cassette.....and connected to a double headed pair of 181's with a 141 behind, and rolled past the rake of 20 ballast wagons resting alongside a pair of ploughs bookending 8 more ballast wagons just in front of a couple of A-Class locos, across from a line of B+I containers next to 15 Guinness wagons, that have been moved to make room for the weed spray train pulled by a BT 121 next to two 071's across from 12 fertiliser wagons following up 12 spoil wagons.....erm....not to mention the rest of the upcoming releases. So it's really something that needs addressing urgently to maintain world order.....!!

[Noel]

Good question especially as I am approaching the limit of layout storage sidings. If it won't fit on the available track I won't buy anymore stock. I can retire some stock to display shelving cases to facilitate long term rotation, but as I don't exhibit, fiddle yards had never figured in my plans, the large terminus station acts as a short of fiddle yard for now. I like the idea of a vertical cassette system for quick exchange of rolling stock. Otherwise I have some home made ply drawers with foam inserts to hold stock, but its all 'big hand in the sky' stuff to move it on and off the layout.

[RobertRoche]

There are some pretty fancy options out there too...

 

[Dave]

21 hours ago, BosKonay said:

Check out these options 

https://www.modelrailbaseboards.com/storage-units

 

@Dave

Thanks Bos!

We can make cassettes for you, one issue with cassettes is holding them steady while taking them on and off the layout. We can make them with foam lined sides to stop the stock tipping over but it won't stop them derailing when moving them. 

You can email me directly david@modelrailbaseboards.com if you want a quote.