What are you meant to do with all your model trains that aren’t being used? Put them on display of course! Nothing would be worse than spending a ton of money on model trains, and your layout, only to not appreciate them or have them on show.
Even when you’re done using them on your layout, they need to go somewhere.
That’s where model train display cases come in.
They’re the perfect accessory to hang on the wall near your display, or even have sitting on the table beside it.
The best part is that they’re a relatively straight forward, so you could even get some model train display case plans and build one yourself!
But, if you don’t have the time or the know-how, take a look at our preferences below.
o gauge train display shelves
This solid beech hardwood cabinet is almost nicer than your collection! This awesome shelving unit is fairly large to be able to house the larger O scale model trains, measuring 42 inches across.
This lets you several engines or cars on a single shelf, or a whole train set up.
It also comes with an overlip on the shelves to make sure that your trains dont accidentally come off the shelf.
[amazon box=” B003E2RL80″]
ho train display shelves
This handcrafted Australian Beech hardwood display shelf is a great landscape style unit. It comes with 6 shelves that are 36” wide, which is perfect to display 5 or 6 HO scale trains per shelf!
A UV door helps to keep out dust and stop sunlight from damaging the paint on your engines while not in use.
[amazon box=” B001CSPLX0 “]
n gauge display case
This N scale display case hs 28” wide and comes with 7 shelves, that are perfect for displaying 6 or 7 of your latest Kato or Micro trains. This means you can fit an average of 42 different cars or engines in the display case, which is more than enough if you’re getting into the hobby!
A natural-looking oak finish will blend in perfectly with all surroundings, and a UV protected glass panel means no dust and no paint fading due to sunlight.
[amazon box=” B001CSPLXA “]
Model train display case plans
Building a display case doesn’t even really require too much of a plan if you’re any good with some wood, a few nails and a bit of glue.
What you first need to do is measure a couple of your trains, find your biggest train and add a half an inch or two to the dimensions. Then, work out how many of them you want to put on each shelf.
This allows for a bit of spacing between each train when they’re displayed.
Then, just build a shallow box that’s an inch wider than your trains are and add the shelving units.
If you want to put a door on there, you can either buy a pre-made one or set about doing it yourself with some glass or some perspex.
And that’s all there is to model train display cases. If you want, we definitely recommend having a go at building one yourself if you can’t find one on the market you like.
Otherwise, purchasing one of the above is a sure-fire way to make sure that you’re going to get something that looks good and will last a long time!
Interested in putting some more model trains inside the display cases? Take a look at our electric train guide here for some ideas! Or alternatively, look at our Christmas Model Train guide as well!
Peter has been building model trains for longer than he can remember. An avid fan of HO and O scale this blog is a creative outlet to allow him to dive further into other scales and aspects of the model train community and hobby.
I have a custom made locomotive train. It’s one of a kind. It weights 50lbs to 60lbs and it’s 25′ long 9′ wide and 11 1/2′ tall. I wanna know if is it worth?
If u need pictures please feel free to let me know. Thank you