RR Magazine Storage

[Matt Probst]

How does everyone store their volumes of MRRs & RMCs? I'm looking for something economical and sturdy. After 20 some years of subscriptions I have quite a collection and am trying to find a storage solution other than boxes and drawers which produce much wear and tear on them...

Thanks for any ideas and suggestions.
Matt--Hershey, Pa.

 

[CCT70]

I went to Costco and bought a box of 200 clear page protectors, which cost me around ten bucks. I get the largest 3 ring binders I can find and use those to store them. It totally protects the issues and makes for great storage.

Or at least that's how I do it.

 

[ezdays]

Matt,

Go to Wal-Mart's office supply dept. and they have plastic magazine storage containers for about $1.50 each (I can't remember what I paid for them, but they were a lot cheaper then the ones advertised in magazines). They hold the magazines upright and the wider ones will hold about a years worth of issues.

Don

 

[George D]

I have a very extensive magazine collection, so this may not be for everyone since it requires large shelving. I use cut down Xerox paper boxes (or any other brand I can get my hands on) to store the magazines. I cut the box down to match the height of the lid. The box will hold two years of current issues of magazines like Model Railroader or four years of the older issues, since they are thinner.

I know a lot of people think saving old magazines is foolish, which blows the theory that model railroaders are pack rats. But with the on line magazine index, my collection is a very valuable tool. Plus, there’s nothing like opening a box of old magazines on a cold winter night with your favorite warm beverage. There’s always something new to find since your areas of interest change, and what interested you when you last looked at them probably isn’t what you’re focused on now.

George

 

[DanRaitz]

George,

I use the magazine storage boxes that you can get at Office Depot, Staples, or just about any office supply retailer. They come in a 3 pack that you have to assemble.

 

[George D]

Here's a picture of a box I use. I also paint them white and put labels on the top and end.

 

[Gary Pfeil]

The last time I moved, about 6 years ago, I had over 4oo mags and I still buy 2 or 3 a month. My wife is a good sport but after awhile she asked me to please keep them in one area! While I like to occassionally pick up an old mag and peruse it, I decided that most of the bulk of each mag was worthless, except to a collector perhaps but I'm not concerned with that. So I decided to go thru them, I kept the ones which contained almost all articles of interest to me, maybe 10% of them. The rest I just ripped out anything of interest and put it in a file, sorted by headings such as locos, scenery, structures, etc. I have files for electronics, tracklaying, carpentry as well. As I get older and realize I won't have time to do it all, I've been saving less, and what I save is more closely related to my interests. At first I had saved a lot of things just because I wasn't sure where my interests may lead. Now, in addition to a folder for "locos", I have a folder "NYC locos", for example.

This works for me, I find things I want quickly, and have reduced the bulk of what I save.

 

[guppyman]

So.... I guess it's just me that uses the back of the toilet to store their magazines?!?

 

[Gary Pfeil]

That's where I store the currant ones!

 

[jon-monon]

I use exaclty what EZdays described. Looks like the pic DanRaitz posted, but black plastic. I also use a "giant tupperware" with the flip open hinged lid, and just stand 'em on end to be thumbed through.

I took all the recent lower quality magazines and cut out the good stuff. Reduced several years of issues into an inch tall stack. Ever notice how the magazines got so much thicker and contain so much less? I kept only high end publications like NGSL and Finescale, and issues that feature a friends work intact. I kept al the oldies, 40's 50's 60's and 70's.

 

[Bill Stone]

I have a fairly complete collection of MRR and RMC back to the 40's and a smaller collection of others, such as NG&SLG.
A few years ago I was nosing around a commercial paper supply outfit (that also sells retail) and found a dandy box with attached lid that holds 12 issues of the older (thinner) mags, and 6 months worth of the newer mags. They are white on the outside and easy to mark. I buy them in quantities of 50. I don't remember the price, but it's really quite cheap.

I wouldn't dream of tossing away old issues. It's a real pleasure (and informative) to occasionally pull out a 20- or 30- or 50-year old magazine and just browse through it.

Bill S

 

[jon-monon]

I have 2 or 3 from the 30's, only a few from the 40's, and a couple good handfulls from the 50's, loads from the 60's and 70's. Like Bill says those oldies are a lot of fun, and there is a lot to learn there. Amazing how little of what we consider "new" really is. I recommned for those who don't have the really old ones to grab all you can hen you have the chance to buy some.

 

[cpr_paul]

My parents recently had a flood in their basement. Guess where my stash of Railway Modeller and Model Railway News (Brit mags) were stored? They all had to be tossed.

 

[jim currie]

having a large magazine collection and being cheep needed over 150 holders i just made my own to fit each year out of old boxes

 

[ezdays]

Haa, Jim, but the ones from Wal-Mart are ventilated. And they don't get all soggy when they get wet..

But gotta admit, the price is right.

Don

 

[60103]

I use the commercial cardboard containers. If you try different stores, you find different prices and different sizes. I find that I need the largest size to hold a year's worth of some magazines (Railway Modeller, Model Railroader) while the small sizes will take 2 years worth of some magazines.
I was allocated one wing of the crawl space for RR storage and made some shelves. I used 12" shelving from the big box hardware and used 1x2 or 2x2 uprights with 1x2 cross pieces. The uprights were hung from the rafters down to the floor at the front and just put on the floor at the back, then the cross pieces screwed to them. I made a mistake on the second set and got 16" or 18" shelving, so that side takes mags 2 deep.
CPR_Paul: I know someone who is trying to get rid of 2 boxes of (mostly) Railway modeller - recent issues. pm me if you're interested.

 

[shaygetz]

Originally posted by guppyman
So.... I guess it's just me that uses the back of the toilet to store their magazines?!?

I'm there with you, guppyman. Think of all the money we have to spend on trains cuz it's freed up from all this high tech storage stuff

 

[Russ Bellinis]

One member of the modular club started scanning the articals from his mags onto his computer and then burning them to cd's. I think he dais he was getting cdr's for $.17 each, and one cdr held something like ten years worth of magazines with no ads.