Internal crate shelf structure

The project: Create a method of organizing and housing loose model train track.

The scope: Roughly 100 pieces of loose model train track in a variety of shapes.

The pattern: A series of dividers assembled into a shelf.

One of the larger collections at the Historical Museum at Fort Missoula is a collection of model train sets. The collection includes engines, wagons, props, and track pieces. Each of these has unique housing requirements and challenges, but the loose track was a particular conundrum. How to store it efficiently and safely, in a way that minimized the risk of losing provenance information?

The system I came up with in the summer of 2023 was two-fold. The first part consisted of creating several flat blueboard trays and manually attaching the track pieces to those trays using fishing line. The track was thus organized and attached securely, and the identifying information could be written on the trays for easy reference. Once I had finished making the trays, I needed a way to store them safely, and I came up with a shelving unit to fit inside a standard size blueboard crate. I used archival foamcore to create the shelves, because it was strong enough to hold the weight and we happened to have a lot of scraps of it from a previous project that were exactly the size I needed.

Here is the finished shelving unit with the track trays installed:

A shelf structure made of cream foamcore inside a blueboard crate, with pieces of blueboard visible on 7 of the 8 shelves.

The image gallery below walks you through the process of creating the boards and shelving unit:

Two pieces of blueboard with model railroad track arranged on them.
1. The track is organized onto blueboard sheets. Each sheet measures 12 inches by 9 inches and holds between 6 and 13 pieces of track, depending on the track type. Track is attached to the board with clear fishing line. I first laid the track out on the blueboard and marked holes for the fishing line to go. I looked for places that would be secure but unobtrusive and wouldn't put pressure on delicate parts of the track. I then sewed the individual pieces down and tied the fishing line off on the back.
A piece of cream-colored foamcore with quarter inch wide notches cut out of each side.
2. The internal support structure is made from pieces of archival foamcore. I cut them to be just under 15 inches long, to fit inside the crate. On each end, I cut a notch so that the shelves could slot into the upright supports. Each notch is a quarter inch wide and extends halfway into the shelf.
Two pieces of cream-colored foamcore with quarter inch wide notches cut about every inch down the side of each board.
3. The two upright supports got the same notches, but they got one set of notches for each shelf. I spaced the notches about an inch apart, for ten possible shelves.
Collection of four images showing the foamcore shelves being inserted into the upright supports to create a stable shelving unit.
4. Assembly time. I carefully slotted the shelves into the upright supports. I also slid the entire unit into the crate, to ensure that it fit properly.
Collection of three images showing 1- the fully assembled shelf unit inside the crate; 2- the shelf unit with the track boards put onto the shelves; 3- a closeup of the track boards on the shelves.
5. Time to put the track away! I ended up only needing 7 shelves for the track boards, and so was able to use the top shelves for extra materials associated with the tracks.