Inexpensive painted train/train set display option

[hectorton]

    For quite some time I have been looking for an inexpensive way to display my painted trains and my train sets in general.  A fantastic idea came to me by way of a supermarket manager who is a friend of mine.  He advised that fluorescent light bulb guards (T12) which are regularly used in the stores freezers were very in expensive and would probably work.  He advised that they are regularly available at Lowes and HomeDepot, as well as on the internet.  I went and purchased some 8 footers at Lowes for less than $6.00 each.  They come with end caps, and additional end caps can be ordered on the internet for pennies.  They can easily be cut to a specific size with a hotwire cutter.  A 16 car shinkansen can be displayed with two 50" inch sections (8 cars per section) with or without track inserted.  A 10 car commuter set can be displayed on a 54" section.  The sections can easily be displayed on a wall or a DIY frame attached with 2 plastic U-clamps.  Mounting is only limited by the persons imagination.  I am running with the idea, and hope that others like it.

 

http://www.webstaurantstore.com/fluorescent-light-bulb-tube-guard-4ft-for-t12-bulb-t12-tube-guard/5664GUARD.html

 

w

[The_Ghan]

Nice idea, the trouble is there is no UV protection.  If you're not worried about colour fade and pvc yellowing then it's a fine idea.  For me, I'd want photo frame quality glass.

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan

[keitaro]

i was in one of the bigger 100en stores a while back i think daiso??

 

anyway they had model plastic cases for 240en they weren't big enought to house a 6 car set but there was one that looked like it could just fit a 5 car communter (probably not shinkansen)

 

It was intended for large model boats that one and was high but a extra rack could be addedyour self for an extra shelf.

 

Would be great for tram collectors or kiha collectors like me.

 

 

 

Back more to the topic like ghan said you will get colour fade.

[cteno4]

W

 

I fiddled with this idea some a while back. There are a few challenges, fiddle with it some and see what you come up with. What I found

 

Getting the track into and attached to the tube is a bit if a challenge

 

It's a very tight fit into the 1 5/8" ID of the tube and untrac. Tomix would get you a scoch more room.

 

Round tube requires you glue a flat base on the tube so that it keeps upright. If short flat strips were glued on for the bottom stand you could make the back side stick out a small bit and then it could fit into a slot on a rack on the wall to hold the tubes on the wall.

 

The couple of tubes I found were pretty cheap plastic extrusion (butyrate i think not styrene) and gave some distortion. Also all the ones at home despot where I looked has quite a few scratches in every tube as they were not packaged in any sort of protective packaging. Some future acrylic polish might help hide these.

 

My most vexing part was I found looking at the train in the tube my eye was drawn to the tube, not the train a lot of the time. I had noticed this in just I turns of the German square tube system and it was pretty strong for me with the light tube. Frame should focus you on the picture not distract from it and I worry the tubes do this.

 

I'll be interested to hear your results and impressions of using the light tubes!

 

Btw you can just set the tube up to run onto a spur on your layout to load/unload them!

 

Cheers,

 

Jeff

 

Ps. Did you ever end up ordering from fmmodels from the states?

[cteno4]

Yes uv is always a concern. Best to have curtains and or blinds on layout rooms to keep as much out as possible when not in use. Also using uv films on the windows is good if you get a lot of direct or heavy reflected sunlight.

 

Btw there was a discussion on a lot of this stuff here

 

http://www.jnsforum.com/index.php/topic,6432.0.html

 

Jeff

[The_Ghan]

Jeff,

 

The Heritage Architect in my is screaming out for a say here.

 

In Australia there has been a lot of cracked glass caused by applied film, some professionally done and some done by occupants.  Certain UV films might be fine, but those with heat resistant properties should only be applied following professional advice.  When the film blocks heat from entering the building that heat must go back the other way through the glass.  Sounds rediculious, but standard float glass, particularly the 3mm stuff, has been cracking after certain products are applied.  I don't know the science, but I understand that laminated glass is not affected.  In Australia, laminated glass means two or more pieces of glass with a film sandwiched between.

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan

[Guest Closed Account 1]

Clever idea.

 

How about going back to Lows and get some black foam weather stripping to mount to the flex track?

 

Another idea is to ask a local cabinet maker to make a display case. Glass fronts stand the test of time.

[cteno4]

Interesting, never heard of this here. Perhaps not an issue on modern glass as much as on heritage age glass. The one historical structure I did exhibits in we could not touch the windows with any uv protection and they would only allow a 20% screen over the windows. I was told it was for not blocking visual appearance and no one said anything about the issue with films but it may be due to putting stress on old glass.

 

I've done various films on many modern windows with no issues. One was a large glass atrium that got a lot of exposure. Was a mainly for uv and some ir as it just got way too hot. Been fine now for 15 years.

 

I'm guessing a film applied at a very warm could shrink in cold temps and stress glass to crack it as well.

 

Ir films should reflect it back thru the glass but some will get absorbed and heat the glass.

 

Got me curious I'll ask around some to othe exhibit folks I know who have done this sort of stuff.

 

Jeff

[cteno4]

Clever idea.

 

How about going back to Lows and get some black foam weather stripping to mount to the flex track?

 

Another idea is to ask a local cabinet maker to make a display case. Glass fronts stand the test of time.

 

Hard thing is to get the track straight into the tube and stuck down inside w/in a 4' long tube. Hard to keep adhesive from sticking while loading the track. Need to do it upside down on a stick and slowly put the tobe over it the lower it carefully lined up. Sort of ship in the bottle routine.

 

Lots of discussion on the case ideas in that other thread.

 

Jeff

[The_Ghan]

Just made me think ...

 

 

Cheers

 

The_Ghan

[cteno4]

yep built some as a kid, quite fun! the moment you pull the rigging/mast/sails up is quite fun as by that time its all pretty set and if you screwed up in process you are, so to say, sunk...

 

when i was knoodling on how to get the track set in the bottom of the tube no really great solution came to mind other than the track upside down on a long stick and then slip the tube over carefully and set the tube onto the track with glue on it. could try to drill holes and use screws into the track but really fiddly and another set of alignment issues. glue seemed the best but then you can see anything you do thru the tube!

 

sorry to sound so dour on this, it was just frustrating when i took a stab at it. im hoping hectorton has a flash!

 

must check out the ones hectorton found at lowers to see if they are a different source and better quality than the ones i found at home despot.

 

im kind of back to doing the case on the wall where the front comes off and then have just shelves with track you can remove from the case to transfer to the layout. we want to try this train on a stick idea with one club member's new modular layout where he wont have a yard to start with. we can then keep trains on display on a table at the show then transfer them to the layout when needed. basically a human transfer table.

 

i talked with my design partner some about cases like this for trains when we were knoodling on an idea for a japanese train exhibit. we came to the conclusion that the nice clear plex face and edge box would be the best solution as the long thin linear nature of the trains made doing much of a case frame distracting. its a very odd shape to display. gene thought the big thing would be the proportions and treatment of the track support would be the key in making a series of trains in the case pop properly and not distract from the trains themselves yet separate them from each other just enough to pack as many into a case as possible. one of those subtle things that would take some fiddling with to see what works. been on my list to play with for my own home displays. i have a 16' wall in my office that would be fantastic to have covered in trains!

 

jeff

[cteno4]

Hectorton

 

Any progress on the tube display?

 

Jeff

[hectorton]

Yes, and no. I have purchased some tubes and cut them to fit specific sets (2,3,4 car painted train set, 4,6,8,10,16 commuter car sets. I can comfortably fit kato/tomix track and the train sets witin a tube. I am happy with and plan to use this method to display my trains. However, I have not yet found/made a final decision on how to mount the tubes. I have not found a suitable/attractive metal, plastic, or wood bracket to attach them to a background. Their diameter is 1 3/4" and If anyone has any ideas I would love to hear them. For anyone who lives in the u.s. and is interested in checking out the tubes, Lowes and Home Depot carry them.

 

 

[cteno4]

Hectorton,

 

Cool, post some Picts of your effort. How are you attatching the track to the inside of the tube?

 

It just occurs to me that a possible stand for individual tubes could be a piece of low profile 1" U stock just glue it on the bottom of the tube. Could just be a couple of like 4" strips. Of course wood strips could work as well.

 

Attaching it to some sort of wall holder would be a bit more work. Would depend on how hidden you want the connection to be.

 

Something like a couple of horizontal dowels coming out of the backing board on the wall for the tube base to rest on would be the simplest. A small notch could be sanded into the top side of the dowels might give enough to lock the tube from easily getting knocked off. Could do something hidden with brackets on the back of the tube. Two pieces of tall U stock could do it. One mounted to the backer board up U and another mounted on the back of the tube facing down. Then the one on the tube locks to the one on the board.

 

Keep us posted.

 

Jeff

Edited January 17, 2013 by cteno4

[hectorton]

Attached are some photos of the Tomix Shinkansen Tsubame 800 (92280) displayed in a tube and resting on tomix track.  Gravity keeps the train on the track and the train and track centered on the bottom of the tube.  Simple process to insert track/train in tube.  I liked your u bracket mount idea but could not visualize a specific one.  Could you guide me to where I could possibly see an image of what you are thinking. 

[KenS]

With a little effort, that would also work as a cartridge system: take the tube, place it on a table next to a slightly raised bit of unitrack, snap the track in the tub to the track on the table, drive the train out of the tube.

 

Even without the display benefit, it would be a good way to store trains pre-coupled (with some kind of wall-mounted bracket unit), and use them.  I have to give that some serious thought.

 

Thanks hectorton, this is a really intriguing idea.

 

The_Ghan has a good point about UV, but for my purposes they'd be stored with the layout in the basement, so UV isn't an issue as long as I keep them away from the lone window (which is under a deck anyway and doesn't let much light in).

[cteno4]

the tubes themselves may be a bit uv protectant for the little that might be in a room indirectly. but also some clear plastics like butyrate will yellow with uv exposure as well.

 

yes this is the great thing of this type of display where you can remove one train on a cartridge track and run it onto the layout!

 

below is what i was talking about with the shallow U channel (in green) to make feet to keep the tubes from rolling. could also just be a thin wood strip glued to the bottom of the tube.

 

also is the peg with notch idea to hang tubes on a backing board and the U bracket idea. these kinds of U brackets are used in photo and other graphics hanging. ive used specific little brackets like this in exhibit work in the past. basically a much better connection than the Z bracket type mount with two opposing 45 degree cut off fingers interlocking.

 

im still thinking myself of going down the route of a flat piece of wood with the track on it and then those sit on pegs on a backing board on the wall, then cover that whole backing board with a shallow plex box. this would make the display really clean for the trains, but require pulling off the whole plex box to get at the trains. this was the design we were doodling with for a shinkansen exhibit.

 

the tubes have the big benifit of being simple and just grabbing one at any point. also protects the train during transport to the layout. with the flat board you could protect the train with a special cover to put over the train in case you slipped and tipped the board.

 

i think im going to pull out the tube i have and put a train in it and hang it on the wall for a while to see if i can get use to the tubes!.

 

cheers

 

jeff

[cteno4]

I forgot to add that the u bracket idea has the drawback of being visible behind the train.

 

Jeff

[hectorton]

Jeff,

 

Love your idea. Please post some pictures once you've tried it. If I understand what you are describing correctly, I do not believe the u brackets would be visible. If what you are thinking are the metal wire ones for peg boards, you should be able to bend them where they would sit behind or below the train. Will definitely make a run to the hardware store to see what peg board options are available.

[cteno4]

Hectorton,

 

The peg I was thinking was a 1/4" or so dowel that would mount into the backing board. Backing board would most likely be 1/4" ply with a lightweight hidden frame behind it (to stiffen it) with a z bracket to mount to the wall. 1/2" Baltic bearch is also an option, heavy, but sturdy and nice edges.

 

Peg board would work fine. Sure you could find the hanger that would work or simple modification. One worry would be that all the holes in the peg board may be a bit distracting for your backdrop, but would be super functional and easy to construct. The other option would be to use two vertical shelf bracket strips (the ones you use inside cabinets) mounted to a backing board or directly to the wall. then epoxy some little horizontal plates onto the little pop in shelf bracket that your tubes would rest on.

 

My other thought for holding the thin boards with track to the backing board was to cut horizontal slits in the backing board that the back edge of the track boards would fit in. This would be über clean and I think pretty good hold. I may try this idea on a mini case to display some trams. There are some plastic frames that have clear sides that could than cover the backing board nicely.

 

Jeff

[KenS]

I looked at these tubes at my local home store, and although they only had the 4' ones, in general they looked pretty good.  I did notice that every tube in the box had a slight blemish at the 3/4 mark, which looked like a manufacturing join between two shorter tubes (as if they'd been fused at that point).  It's subtle, but is that just my store or have others seen that?  The ones I looked at were T12 tubes by Lithonia Lighting.

 

I also realized one flaw in this concept: a 16-car Shinkansen is longer than 8'.  This could work for my 10- and 11-car commuter trains, and a 12-car Shinkansen, but a 16-car Shinkansen is about 2.5m, or 8' 4".