While some have been sold on ebay or at swap meets since the switch to G scale, I still have quite a few HO scale models hidden away here and there left over from what was going to be my dream layout but never got past the armchair phase due to a lack of space. (Scroll to the bottom of this page for details.) Having recently seen Toy Story 2 again for the first time in many years, I was struck by how much the toys hated being put away in boxes, away from the light of day. I began to feel sad for all my poor rail cars stuffed away in drawers and boxes and decided to build a simple display cabinet so we could all enjoy each others company.
Here's the basic frame, which was made from 1"x4" pine and attached directly to a 36" by 68" piece of 1/8" masonite hardboard, which would fit perfect in the spot above my bedroom dresser. I got the folks at Home Depot to cut the masonite on their large panel saw, which ensured the cuts would be square and perfect.
All the painting was done before assembly. The masonite was painted concurrently with the blue sky for Cornelia Yard, while the frame and shelf pieces were painted with primer and then some leftover brown paint.
The shelves are 2" wide casing material (baseboard trim) that are turned so that the side that is usually mounted flat against the wall is instead facing upward. This side that is usually the back has a couple of grooves running down the length that are slightly too wide to be an exact fit for HO wheelsets, but is close enough to trap the wheels and prevent any danger of the cars rolling off.
Using a trick I learned from my friend Landus, I cut three blocks to ensure the correct spacing between each shelf - 3.25 inches to squeeze eight shelves into a 34.5 inch space. (The flat edge of each shelf also used up a little less than 0.75 inches.) Each shelf was nailed in place from each end using finishing nail. I pre-drilled each hole to make sure that the nails would go exactly where I wanted them without any possibility of splitting the wood.
Once the ends were secure, I put a couple of #4 screws into each shelf from the back to stabilize them and tie them to the back panel. I made parallel pencil lines across the back to make sure I hit the shelves correctly. Pre-drilling all the holes once again ensured the screws went where I wanted them.
Here's the display with all shelves installed.
Next I added two vertical rails of 1"x4" to actually support the display on the wall. Instead of spacing them evenly, I used a stud finder to locate the studs in the wall where this display will be mounted, then positioned the rails accordingly.
Here's the display in position for mounting. Note the weight is all supported by a motley collection of ammo boxes, blocks of wood and shims at the bottom to get it to the correct height and level without my having to support the weight of the thing.
All done! Almost all of my HO cars on display, as well as a small set of "O" scale tinplate trains made by ETS that we picked up some years ago during a trip to Prague. They, too, have been in a box for 10 years and seem very happy to be out in the light of day in their new position on top of the display.
I know I am delighted to have them all out! Over and over I find myself staring happily at all these rail cars for long periods of time since the project was complete - hypnotized, almost.
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