Bernard Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 After reading Ken's post describing his layout room and his work area....it sounded a lot like mine. Then it got me thinking, what items do you recommend have extras of because you can never have enough of them? Link to comment
David Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Kato replacement couplers; grey and black, knuckle and scharfenberg. Wish I knew where to buy blackened low profile replacement wheels for Kato/other Japanese rolling stock. Newer Kawai models seem to use Bachmann blackened wheels, and Kato generally uses them on new stuff, though some set reissues (like the green oil tankers) are stuck with silver pizza cutters. Link to comment
CaptOblivious Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Tweezers. I can never find the last pair I used… Link to comment
Martijn Meerts Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 I never seem to have enough decoders, no matter how many I buy ;) Link to comment
westfalen Posted January 13, 2011 Share Posted January 13, 2011 Kato replacement couplers; grey and black, knuckle and scharfenberg. Wish I knew where to buy blackened low profile replacement wheels for Kato/other Japanese rolling stock. Newer Kawai models seem to use Bachmann blackened wheels, and Kato generally uses them on new stuff, though some set reissues (like the green oil tankers) are stuck with silver pizza cutters. I've used Fox Valley Models metal wheelsets in some Kawai and Kato freight cars including the green tankcars, they make three different wheel diameters, each in three different axle lengths. Link to comment
CaptOblivious Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Kato replacement couplers; grey and black, knuckle and scharfenberg. Wish I knew where to buy blackened low profile replacement wheels for Kato/other Japanese rolling stock. Newer Kawai models seem to use Bachmann blackened wheels, and Kato generally uses them on new stuff, though some set reissues (like the green oil tankers) are stuck with silver pizza cutters. I've used Fox Valley Models metal wheelsets in some Kawai and Kato freight cars including the green tankcars, they make three different wheel diameters, each in three different axle lengths. I've often wondered whether any of Fox Valley's wheelset offerings were of prototypical size for Japanese rolling stock…could you say? Link to comment
cteno4 Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Tweezers. I can never find the last pair I used… LOL, thats my murphy's law as well! tweezers, xacto knifes, and matte knifes! i keep ordering more tweezers from meritline.com when they have their sales for $1 or less for nice ones (i wish they sold cross locking tweezers as well!) got lucky when the art supply store when out of business here and had stuff at 80% off and grabbed a large handful of xacto knives! always wondering if there is a saturation value that means one will always be there when you look?! the one part i keep ordering more of when i see them available and am ordering something else already is train drive shafts. we have one or two a year get stripped here, so trying to have a good selection of spare ones. luckily many will work on others, i fixed a club member's tomix 300 with a kato 800 drive shaft! also nice as they are only a buck or two. cheers jeff Link to comment
KenS Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Trams. Seriously, I've got five of the danged things for a line that can only run one or two. Okay, replying to the actual question: I never seem to be able to find my tape measure/ruler/yardstick when I need one (I swear the things hide in dark corners on purpose). I've also got extra pairs of safety goggles (important to be able to find one when needed, plus they're useful if someone comes over to help work on the layout). Screwdrivers are another thing I always seem to need more of; I have a couple of sets of jewelers screwdrivers in different places, and more #2 phillips than I can count on one hand (and I still had to go looking for one the other night; they're off cavorting with the tape measures). In terms of parts, I don't tend to stock up on things like wheels or couplers, but perhaps I should. I do have a reserve of decoders for future installs (but that's more because the EM13 can be hard to find, so I buy a bunch when they're available). I have been building up quite the collection of LEDs and resistors for my future "add lighting to buildings" project, which always seems to be one month in the future, but that's more in the vein of planning the next project than keeping a reserve. I usually try to have at least one unopened tube/jar of every kind of glue I use on hand (although some glues go bad over time, so that's not always a good thing); the worst thing is to be in the middle of a project and have to stop until you can get to the store for something like glue. Particularly if the open tube you were going to use turned into a rock since the last time you used it. Another thing is Unitrack, although that's partly a leftover from when I was planning the layout and wasn't sure what I needed, but I've got a number of unopened packs of straights and curves I bought "so I wouldn't run out later". There's probably enough to build a small shelf layout, and maybe I will someday. Link to comment
marknewton Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 Blades. Lots of the bloody things. X-acto, scalpel, Olfa cutters. Never have enough... Various types of glue, adhesives, Loctite - though as Ken says, not all of them have a long shelf life. Kadees, wheelsets, top-hat bearings. Lubricants - dry, oil and grease. Styrene sheet, strip, tube and sections. Likewise nickel-silver and brass. Also brass wire and bar stock. Fibreglass brush refills. Cheers, Mark. Link to comment
Bernard Posted January 14, 2011 Author Share Posted January 14, 2011 My list: • couplers: order a bunch the 1st time I put in an order to HS • small drill bits and sanding wheels: can't have enough • decoders: never know when I'm going to do that "impulse buy" or one burns out • Motors: need to get a few spares • clamps: never know if you have enough when you're in the middle of building something • Glues: wood, airplane, CA, Elmer's white glue, Liquid nails for foam projects, tacky • Wire: different gauges • Bulbs: trains & interior lighting of buildings • Rulers & Markers • Rubbing Alcohol: I seem to go through this fast when ballasting or ground cover • Latex gloves • Paint brushes: I pick up a lot of the cheap ones at "Dollar stores" • Flex track, switches & rail joiners: Code 80 • Wood: Kept a large supple as left over pieces from various wood models • Soldering Iron & tips: how many times I've dropped one and needed to replace either the iron or tip. These are some of the extra things I have on hand because the last thing I want to do is when I'm are in the middle of a project is stop because I ran out of something. Link to comment
Guest Closed Account 1 Posted January 23, 2011 Share Posted January 23, 2011 My layout is all Kato so I keep extra track pieces and related items on hand for hairbrain ideas. Tracks, Unijoiners, Insulated Unijoiners, Uni Joiner Remover, Kato Rerailer Tool , feeders, catenary pieces, scrap wires, track cleaning supplies, etc. Everything pretty much can fit into freezer bags for easy organization and labeled for fast recognition, and of course, to preserve freshness. The new Plano tackle boxes are great for organizing small parts in tight fitting containers and keeping mini tools in one place so you can find the tweezers when you need them. Old mouse pads are good for working on trains and delicate items. Link to comment
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