# Train Display Shelves



## Guest (Jul 18, 2018)

Emile (Big Crab Cake) mentioned in his new thread today that he is ordering display train shelves. Many of you have train display shelves in your train room. For us, shelves in the train room would not work because of the brenchwork location. However that has not stopped us from using them. The train inventory that is not currently in use on the layout is all displayed on shelves in the house. We have train shelves in the living room, our office, and in our newly remodeled kitchen. You might say that model trains are all around us.

How many Forum Members display trains outside of their train room?


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I'll be displaying them in several rooms, but I first have to unpack them. I have a big stairwell that looks perfect for shelves of the Lee Willis style.


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## Guest (Jul 18, 2018)

Why am I not surprised, John.  It fits very well.


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## Spence (Oct 15, 2015)

A couple of them on the fireplace mantle in the living room.


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## Guest (Jul 18, 2018)

That counts, Spence.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I have the Hogwarts locomotive in the display case, I guess that counts now.  My wife loves the color, so it stayed.


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## santafe158 (Jul 14, 2010)

I don't really have a train room, so I guess my display shelves and cases are outside of it 

I have a cheap bookcase that I use the upper shelves of to display a few things. My large display case with my N&W J class model sits on top of that. At my parents house I had a wall mounted display shelf with four shelves that I built in my middle school shop class. Since I moved out, my younger brother has been displaying his Prewar Lionel pieces on it in the family room.


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## Ted W (Jan 15, 2017)

Have some Glenn Snyder and put this one together to rotate favorites in and out. But not for everybody.


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## Guest (Jul 19, 2018)

My wife doesn't want the trains anywhere outside the train room. She doesn't even like the trains inside the train room but puts up with it. I'm OK with trains only in the train room.


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## 402captain (Nov 3, 2013)

I have a few on some shelves in my toy display room.


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## cole226 (Feb 8, 2013)

*storage*

I have some, but not enough

































this shelf will be moved under the last cabinet and a 5' X 6' put here.


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## papa3rail (Oct 8, 2016)

Well technically speaking this side of the layout is the front entry so I guess it counts and the Boss Lady likes tin plate so I have her blessing. Glenn Snyder shelves behind a framed glass panel.










We call this the head hole,when we viewed the house the previous owner had a bust of Julius Cesar in it.

When it's not Christmas it has a Painting of the Texas & Pacific 610 and some vintage railroad lanterns in it.

I wanted to make it a ticket window manned by Statler and Waldorf the two old farts from the Muppets.Another brilliant idea shot down by upper management.


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## Guest (Jul 19, 2018)

I have been planning a ceiling/wall layout at work in my office and will probably have a few shelves.


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

I have cars on shelves, but it was just for storage when I wasn't running them.


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## PW Trains (Nov 5, 2015)

Here are some shelves and train storage cabinets I made for my last train room.


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## Genetk44 (Feb 26, 2016)

On my living room wall.


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## laz57 (Sep 19, 2015)

I only have the Lionel Golden Hudson with tender and golden caboose under the protected display case on top of the roll top desk that I made in our parlor.


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## Bill Webb (Sep 14, 2015)

Locomotives mainly. N & W Y6B and a J in the living room, one Virginian Allegheny in the den, and about 50 engines in a case in the upstairs hall... post war O and 027 from the 50’s thru the 90’s. It’s still amazing to us that we can put 50-60 old engines on the track and they run fine.

May move some to the train room once we get all the track, etc done.


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## PeterA (Dec 9, 2012)

I’ve used picture ledges to make some


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## Bucket list (Jun 21, 2014)

No sense in keeping them in boxes. Paid too much for them to hide them away. I have a display case on the wall, an old floor curio cabinet and various display shelves around the house, and many n the layout. All conversation pieces that eventually lead to the train room when guests come over.


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## BCFx (Jul 22, 2018)

I have some hand made wooden trains on shelves around the kitchen. And I have a painting depicting Casey Jones last run in the family room. But no other displays yet.


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## Booly15 (Aug 16, 2017)

Yes the big Kiddos


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## bluecomet400 (Sep 13, 2015)

The walls in my train room are full of shelves (Trainshelf aluminum by Dick Wachtman), but I'm still looking for ways to squeeze in more. The only trains on display outside the train room are in my office, 30 miles south of our home. We recently had a group to our home to see the trains, and someone said they couldn't help but notice there is zero evidence of toy trains in the rest of our house--and I told them that's the way Sue wants it. She couldn't be more supportive of my hobby, so I don't push the envelope when it comes to displaying trains in other parts of the house. 

John


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## Don F (Dec 5, 2015)

A lot of creative and nice looking shelves. Several years ago, we closed in our deck to make a 3 season room that turned into a 4 season room. I have shelves made from rough cut planking from an old house my son tore down . The shelves match the rustic construction and décor of the room. Upstairs in the middle bedroom I have shelves made of pine with the grooves for the flanges milled into the boards. These shelves go around the ceiling on 3 walls, and have a mix of trains and die cast cars and trucks. In my workshop, I have a two track staging yard above open cabinets that are closed in with glass. I used to keep the trains out there, but I rarely run the trains on the suspended layout around the covered patio attached to the shop. I was able to run the trains through a portal through the wall from inside to the layout. I have photos, but I'm working from the lap top, and those photos are on the PC.


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## Volphin (Dec 7, 2015)

Now that I have reclaimed my home office, there will be a nice shelf display in the near future. The entire room needs a nice coat of paint. In the meantime, I have a few on the mantle.


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## laz57 (Sep 19, 2015)

Here is what I have in my train room in the cellar.

This was the start of layout no. 3 too.


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## Don F (Dec 5, 2015)

I made my way to the computer, so here are some pics of the train shelves:


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## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

Laz, that's a heck of a train room. Don, nice shelves.


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## Don F (Dec 5, 2015)

DennyM said:


> Laz, that's a heck of a train room. Don, nice shelves.


Thanks Denny.


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## Guest (Aug 1, 2018)

I’m expecting a shipment of Glenn Snyder shelves later today. These will be my first set of shelves. I plan to install them this weekend.


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## superwarp1 (Dec 13, 2016)

I have some shelving, enough for five engines and a bunch rolling stock. Wish I had more wall space for more shelving. Nice pics by the way to all.


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## Guest (Aug 4, 2018)

My order of 15 Glenn Snyder 6' OGauge shelves arrived on Tuesday and I installed them on Thursday. It took me about 4 hours; 1 hour for the first shelf and 3 hours for the remaining 14. It was a pretty straight forward installation: I drilled 5 holes in each shelf; 4 for screw attachment to wall studs and 1 for Drywall attachment with butterfly bolts. I took plenty of time to get the first shelf perfectly level and then used 5 1/2" spacer blocks to position each subsequent shelf. 

The shelves are top quality and I'm impressed with their strength. I've been loading them today with very heavy brass and die-cast locomotives and there hasn't been even a hint of a sag, dip or flex. The Glenn Snyder shelves are rock solid. I highly recommend them to anyone and the price is excellent compared to scratch building hardwood shelves.

Emile

View attachment 461886


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## PatKn (Jul 14, 2015)

Emile, those shelves look great. I wish I had room for shelves like that. 

Pat

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Emile, after looking around and pricing the lumber and time to build shelves, I'm leaning to going with the same shelves.


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## Guest (Aug 5, 2018)

You got right to work, Emile. Looks great.


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## Guest (Aug 5, 2018)

You did a nice job with the shelves, Emile. They look great.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

TheBigCrabCake said:


> I drilled 5 holes in each shelf; 4 for screw attachment to wall studs and 1 for Drywall attachment with butterfly bolts. I took plenty of time to get the first shelf perfectly level and then used 5 1/2" spacer blocks to position each subsequent shelf.


What's the actual headroom between shelves? I think I'm going to go the same route, I like those shelves.


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## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

Here's a couple of pics. of mine. These are "S" gauge shelves. If you plan out what you need then they will cut the lengths you specify for a dollar a cut. Makes it easy and no mess. These are 4 1/2" of head room, 5 1/2" is probably better for "O". I also used spacer blocks, sit them on the first installed and it's easy to add the rest.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I was specifically interested in the exact spacing between shelves. I'm assuming it's around 6" for Emile's shelves, just wanted to be sure. His spacing looks pretty good for O-scale.

I have a 7' wide x 8.5" high space on a landing that is perfect for sticking the shelves. I'm thinking I can get a couple cut into 1 foot lengths and fill that space with shelves, I see they have a spacer to make a neat joint. The only question is, how to support the 1" section. I suspect I'd have to use at least one wall anchor as I won't have two studs.


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

I don’t have too many shelves outside the train room that are just for trains. I do have a few shelves that have trains and other stuff in my office and on the steps to the train room.
















Also, a shelf for Hallmark train ornaments.








Inside the train room, I managed to install a few shelves on a 30-degree ceiling/roofline.


















I have been thinking about putting some shelves in my train room annex/staging area. I like to work with wood and didn’t give much consideration to aluminum shelving…until I saw Emile’s installation. I will be ordering some this week.

John – Glenn Snyder recommends 5-1/2” to 6” for O gauge. Emile used 5-1/2”


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Bob, he stated 5 1/2" blocks, so that would make them somewhat greater actual shelf spacing as you have to account for the thickness of the shelf. That's the measurement I was curious about. I'm guessing it's close to 6" center to center as you have the thickness of the little fake rails to account for.

I'm also very interested in seeing how good the connecting pins look in use as I have longer runs that I'd like to cover, but I'd like the joint to look good and not really stand out.


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## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

My spacing is 4 3/4" from bottom to bottom or top to top of the vertical part that attaches to the wall. I was lucky in that the long wall was 10ft. so 6 plus a 4ft. length worked well and left me with 2ft. shelves for some engines. I planned out placement of sets so the engines were all on areas that mounted into studs. I only had a few areas that went into drywall on the ends. As far as the connectors, they are split roll pins that tap onto one end and the other section connects. I gave up on them and after a phone call to Glenn Snyder was told that some folks don't use them. The shelves if installed level will line up almost perfect. It was good enough for me. Your experience might differ than mine but I have lots of extra pins should you need them. Just a suggestion but you might be better off using 3 1/2ft x 2 to get seven feet instead of 6' and 1' sections. Hope this helps.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

The problem with using 3.5 foot is you end up with a ton of 2.5 foot sections and spend almost twice as much on the shelving! It's sold in 6 foot sections from what I read, you can have them cut, but I suspect you end up with the odd sized pieces left over.

Your experience is valuable, that's the kind of feedback I was looking for on the connecting pins.


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## cramden (Oct 13, 2015)

You're correct in the sold lengths as 6'. I was fortunate in that all my cut pieces could be used. I only mentioned splitting the shelves into equal sizes to avoid mounting 1' pieces if they aren't over a stud. Here's a pic. of the connector, I never throw out anything that looks like I could find another use for it.


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## Norton (Nov 5, 2015)

The only trains I have displayed are in a spare bedroom and mostly traditional or post war. All shelves are wood and most are stepped like the one below. I used birch plywood cut 1 foot wide minus the kerf of the blade (vertical supports and lower shelves). Edges were banded then painted. Its all supported by the floor, no fasteners into the wall.










Pete


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## Guest (Aug 5, 2018)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> What's the actual headroom between shelves?


My shelves are installed at 5 3/4" bottom-to-bottom. The thickness is 1/4" and I used 5 1/2" wood blocks as installation spacers (The shortest recommended on the Glenn Snyder website). 

The resulting space is very convenient with plenty of space for loading locomotives. There's no need for more spacing, in fact I think I could have easily shaved enough spacing to allow for a 16th shelf with no noticeable loading space problems.

My wall is 8' high and the bottom shelf is 6" off the floor (Just above the 5 1/2" baseboard.

Emile

View attachment 461986


View attachment 461988


View attachment 461990


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## Big Jim (Nov 17, 2015)

That is a lot of weight hanging on the wall! Best remember to hit your studs!


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## Guest (Aug 5, 2018)

Big Jim said:


> That is a lot of weight hanging on the wall! Best remember to hit your studs!


*Absolutely!* A good Stub Finder is essential. Also, by pre-drilling holes for the screws it should be readily apparent if you are not hitting a stud! Glenn Snyder recommends at least 2 stubs for a 6' shelf. I hit 4 plus used a toogle bolt to draw in one end. I wouldn't count on toggle bolts for anything more than cosmetic adjustment. The shelves are very sturdy but locomotives are heavy, especially those that are die-cast and brass. I don't think there's any way that drywall alone could hold these up. Better to play it safe: *HIT THE WALL STUDS!!! *

Emile


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## Guest (Aug 5, 2018)

Looking good, Emile. Nice collection of engines.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

TheBigCrabCake said:


> *Absolutely!* A good Stub Finder is essential. Also, by pre-drilling holes for the screws it should be readily apparent if you are not hitting a stud! Glenn Snyder recommends at least 2 stubs for a 6' shelf. I hit 4 plus used a toogle bolt to draw in one end. I wouldn't count on toggle bolts for anything more than cosmetic adjustment. The shelves are very sturdy but locomotives are heavy, especially those that are die-cast and brass. I don't think there's any way that drywall alone could hold these up. Better to play it safe: *HIT THE WALL STUDS!!! *
> 
> Emile


I never count on stuff like toggle bolts to hold anything heavy up.

When you're buying a stud finder, I recommend something like this from Precision Stud Sensors. This is a great tool, it actually shows you the width of the stud visually. It has 13 sensors along the edge, and it lights up for the width of the stud. Makes you wonder why you used the old school single sensor models.


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

That Profinder 6000+ looks pretty neat. If I didn't already have a single sensor model (and 3 or 4 torpedo levels), I would grab one. I might still get one if I get a case of need-a-new-itis. In the mean time I'll use the old one along with a rare earth magnet to verify.


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## cshabino (Jan 8, 2013)

I have 100 feet of Synder shelving and am very pleased with it. They are spaced 7" bottom to bottom that older children could easily shelve them--if I was to do these over would use 6" as BigCrabCake did--more than adequate spacing


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## Enon49 (Mar 21, 2018)

How difficult and "how to" install these on a concrete block wall
Please , any suggestions

You photos look great

Mr Toad


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## Norton (Nov 5, 2015)

MrToad said:


> How difficult and "how to" install these on a concrete block wall
> Please , any suggestions
> 
> You photos look great
> ...


Shouldn't be difficult. You will need an appropriate size masonry drill bit and ideally a hammer drill. Worth renting one if you don't already own one.

Pete


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## Guest (Aug 7, 2018)

If the concrete blocks are the hollow core type then you might consider using toggle bolts no less than every 16 inches. 

It probably wouldn’t hurt to run a bead of construction strength exterior liquid nails adhesive between the back of the shelves and the wall.

Emile


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

Besides the toggle bolts, you could also try plastic or metal wall anchors (molly fasteners) or Tapcons. But I think it may be difficult to get the shelves level if you fasten them directly to the concrete block as the masonry bit may walk a little when you drill into the concrete.

It might be better to get some 5/4 X 6 lumber, rip it in half and put them up on the wall with masonry nails (or Tapcons) and Liquid Nails. That’s what I did this spring when I put some drywall up in my basement. Then you can fasten the shelves to the lumber and it will be easier to get the shelves level.


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## Big Jim (Nov 17, 2015)

I'm liking the look of these http://www.trainshelf.net/index.html better than those.


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## Guest (Aug 14, 2018)

Big Jim said:


> I'm liking the look of these http://www.trainshelf.net/index.html better than those.


You have good taste Big Jim. I saw both the Trainshelf and the Glenn Snyder products at the Spring York Meet. Both companies had knowledgeable representatives and I came away with the feeling that you couldn't go wrong with either product. Honestly it didn't seem that there was any significant difference between the two except for the way they were sold: For the O Scale size I was shopping for, the Trainshelf was $26 for each 4 foot section and the Glenn Snyder Shelves were $18 for each 6 foot section (Although I ultimately paid just $16 for each 6 foot section. 

I purchased 15 Glenn Snyder 6 foot Shelves for $240. The same would have required 23 Trainselves for $598. 

Emile


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## bluecomet400 (Sep 13, 2015)

Big Jim said:


> I'm liking the look of these http://www.trainshelf.net/index.html better than those.




Both will do the job; after researching the 2 brands, I went with Trainshelf. I didn't like the additional cost per foot, but it came down to preferring the Trainshelf design over GSDS. 


There's one part of my train room (along a beam) where I removed the Trainshelf product and replaced it with GSDS because the design allowed more shelf-to-ceiling clearance for taller trains. 

After using both brands, I was glad I went with Trainshelf as I found them a lot easier to put sections together. They require 12 or 14 gauge wire for "pins," as opposed to the roll-pins on GSDS, which I found difficult to use. 

John


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I looked at Trainshelf, but I don't see over twice the price per foot, that's a lot of extra cash! They do look nice, but just for my first order I'll be buying about $350 worth of the GS shelves, that would be around $750 for the Trainshelf product! I think I can struggle with a few split pins for $400.


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## Big Jim (Nov 17, 2015)

The thing that I like about the Trainshelf item is that there is space between the outer edge and where the model is located. 

On the GSDS version, the model is out there living on the edge.


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## Guest (Aug 15, 2018)

Big Jim said:


> The thing that I like about the Trainshelf item is that there is space between the outer edge and where the model is located.
> 
> On the GSDS version, the model is out there living on the edge.


On the GSDS version, the model isn't just living ON the edge, It's living OVER the edge!

View attachment 462864


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## Big Jim (Nov 17, 2015)

I rest my case!


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## Guest (Aug 15, 2018)

TheBigCrabCake said:


> On the GSDS version, the model isn't just living ON the edge, It's living OVER the edge!


HOWEVER! The additional shelf edge on the Trainshelf adds no additional support. Both shelves are equally supportive, but the GSDS shelf has a more discrete appearance. You see less metal shelf and more Train Collection. 

Emile


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## Big Jim (Nov 17, 2015)

That's fine. 
I never said anything about support or the price difference, although, I might have to disagree about the support issue.
I just like the *looks* of the Trainshelf better.


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## highvoltage (Apr 6, 2014)

From an engineering perspective, the extra shelf depth of the Trainshelf is purely aesthetic. The center of gravity of a train sitting on the GSDS shelf is well within the base of the shelf. Not an endorsement of either shelf system, just an analysis.


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## Enon49 (Mar 21, 2018)

Thanks for all the help. I just ordered six shelves with end caps 

Mr Toad


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I just ordered $400 worth of the GS shelves. While the brand look good, I don't see over double the price being worth it.


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

I sent my check to GS yesterday for about half that much.


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## Guest (Aug 21, 2018)

Those who have ordered from Glenn Snyder may be surprised at the very efficient turn-around time. Because of the odd "Checks Only" policy I was expecting a very long wait for delivery. I was pleasantly surprised that my new shelves arrived in about the same amount of time I would ordinarily expect something of that size and wait. I think they have that system down quite well. You may be installing them over the Labor Day weekend.

Emile


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Lehigh74 said:


> I sent my check to GS yesterday for about half that much.


Well, with shipping and tax, it was a total of $460. That's for 19 shelves, some of them chopped up to fit where I need them. That only does the wall coming down my stairs and three little shelves overhead in an unused flat spot. I haven't gotten to the actual train room yet, I figure to have at least another $1,000 worth of shelves before I get done. That should get at least some of the stuff out where I can find it!


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## yamawho (Apr 20, 2016)

Here is the last one I made a few months ago...


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

I just finished installing the Glenn Snyder shelves. I like them. I used 5” spacer blocks (5-1/4” between shelves). My tallest car fits with about ¼” to spare. The roll pin joiners worked well.


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## Tom47 (Dec 8, 2012)

I just installed 10 GS shelves and ordered an additional 5 to complete the train storage on another wall. They are easy to install when you use blocks for spacing and look nice.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I'm planning on using 5.25" blocks for 5.5" spacing of the shelves. That should give me space for anything I can think of I'd be putting on them.


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