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Decide to have a clean workspace
Most organized and effective people agree that an unorganized workspace can be a real enemy of productivity. There are many good storage products readily available at a moderate cost, but before you run out and buy any of these you should spend some time just looking... not at storage units, but at the work space you have available. Visualize your ideal workflow, keeping often used items close at hand, infrequently used items stored out of your way. Two items that are always kept on my work desk are a resistance soldering unit and an ultrasonic cleaner, as I use these pieces frequently. It's very refreshing to sit down to a new project with a clear head, and by taking the time to organize your workspace, you'll find you may be sitting down to new projects more often.
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Ergonomics and organization
Ergonomics is a set of design factors intended to maximize productivity by minimizing user fatigue or discomfort. Although not exactly an organizational tool, I see ergonomics and good organization as a tandem, in that they allow you to better focus on your work.
The first thing to consider is the desk or table you'll be working on. I purchased a computer desk from Ikea a few years ago and this serves as my area for doing fine work such as soldering, cleaning and rebuilding locomotives, etc. To the top shelf of the desk I've attached a pair of surface mount swing arm lamps with a 3x magnification lens built in... very handy for replacing worn brushes on a Z scale motor! The shape of the desk isn't all that important, what is important is that it's comfortable for you to work at for extended periods of time. Just as important is the chair you use. If you use an uncomfortable chair, you'll get fatigued quickly and this can easily lead to a loss of concentration.
Given the size of Z scale trains, it's critical to make sure that your workspace is well lit. Z scale work is challenging enough with adequate lighting, don't shortchange your work by using less than optimal lighting. On these swing arm lamps I use 60 watt GE Reveal™ light bulbs. The Reveal™ bulbs have a blue cast rather than a conventional bulb which has a yellow cast. This blue cast is advertised as giving off a more natural light and showing colors more accurately.
You should try to create some additional counter, or table top space that will always be free. An inexpensive metal shelving unit would be a good choice. This free space is for your assorted projects when you're not working on them at your main, well lighted table. Most people have several projects they work on at once, buildings, scenery, etc. By having this extra free space available, you give yourself some much needed elbow room to work.
Gladware™, ABS plastic and styrene
Ok, so now you have a nice, well lighted place to work. Next you have to do something about all those scenery and building products, spare parts and tools that can quickly clutter up your workspace. Placing all your supplies in one big box isn't practical, so let's compartmentalize!
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Fortunately there are many inexpensive products you can find in your local home improvement store, hardware store, and even the supermarket that will provide the compartment space you need to get organized. From the ground up, start with an ABS translucent rolling cart or two (see photo above left). These carts are relatively inexpensive and offer quite a bit of storage space for the buck. I use the lower, larger drawers for bulkier items like my Chopper II, hardwood sanding jigs, large boxed tree assortments and RTV mold making supplies. The middle and upper drawers hold smaller plastic and cardboard compartment boxes, and those are great for items such as airbrushes, paints, strip wood assortments, etc. It may seem a little busy at first glance, this box-within-a-box storage method, but I find it really maximizes the available space.
Another storage unit I like is the 39 drawer storage organizer (see photo above right) by Stack-On. This is a wall hanging unit with the drawers made of heavy duty clear styrene. These are terrific units as they are inexpensive (the 39 drawer unit costs around $15.00) and they seem just about custom made for Z scale use. There are enough drawers so you can keep all those small items, even locomotives, in their own compartments.
For scenery material such as ground foam, soil and ballast, I use small Gladware™ food containers (see photo above center). These are very inexpensive, come in a number of sizes and shapes and are stackable. When you're working on a layout, it's nice to have several different ground covers right in front of you in these small round containers instead of dealing with open bags. Less mess, and less clutter!
Tube storage
If you do much scratchbuilding with stripwood or styrene, this next tip is very handy. I wanted a clean, secure way to store my stripwood, and at a glance to see how much I have on hand. I came across clear mailing tubes on the internet, but found that I'd have to buy them in bulk. Some tube manufacturers sell in lower quantities, but I found a typical price for 25 tubes and caps is $60.00. Not bad, but I thought I could do better on the price.
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Design around the space you have
Designing an efficient and more importantly, an effective and comfortable workspace will make the time you spend with your Z scale trains much more productive and enjoyable. Why not spend your free time finishing that brass structure, or tuning up your locomotives instead of hunting around in an oversized toolbox, looking for your favorite jewelers screwdriver. Work smarter, not harder than you have to.
 
 Making Styrene Look Old Styrene in both strip and sheet form is used extensively in model railroading as it is very predictable to work with. Now learn one technique for making your styrene look like real aged wood. This tutorial is a keeper! Coffee Break Archive |
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