| The
Annie - Custom Display Cabinet
The
basement is a family area, and with a pre-teen in
the house it is often used for less-than-controlled pre-teen activities,
so therefore the construction of a full-sized Annie layout has been
postponed. I'm sure everyone out there can understand my desire to keep
my collection out of harm's way for just a few more years!
But in the meantime, displaying some of my collected items is
important, so I decided that I should have a display cabinet to show off
some of the cool stuff I've made or gathered. So I went on-line and
checked prices... 2'x4' cases were going for around $300, so I decided
that I could build something better for far less money. Here's the
story:
Materials & Construction
A trip to the local Home Depot and
Lowes stores netted about $60 worth of material and supplies. I bought
some 1x2, 1x3 and 1x6 furniture grade pine, a sheet of fibrous
ply-board, some stain and some metal L-bracket braces. I also ordered a
set of custom glass doors with tracks for $60, and some duck cloth from
Jo-Ann Fabrics for about $10. Grand total after other small
miscellaneous items like trim, hooks and screws: about $150.
First I cut all the pieces to size and stained the interior
sides, then I attached cleats to the wall and the fiber-board to the
cleats. Next I stapled the duck cloth to the sides of the fiber-board. I
then attached the top, sides and bottom of the case to the cleats and
the fiberboard. I built the front face of the cabinet separately, then I
attached it to the sides as a single piece, using L-bracket braces. I
added the trim pieces to the top edge and stained everything at
once.
I also constructed a very simple diorama, with track, ballast,
trees and telegraph poles and glued it to the bottom of the case. I also
used foam core board to mount a map of the state of Michigan, trimmed to
show the profile of the Lower Peninsula...and I highlighted the route of
the Annie with push-pins tagging places I will be modeling. Finally, I
mounted several of the items I've collected: ferry schedules, ferry
placemats, original timetables and photos, and the two prize
possessions: a spike from the apron at Boat Landing, and a spike from
the yard lead in Ann Arbor.
I am in the process of making museum-style labels to identify
items and to explain the history behind the collection. I hope you enjoy
the pictures and the story.... and as always, feel free to use the
"comments and questions" link at the bottom of the page to
contact me.
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Finished display cabinet with 2 Annie GP35's leading a
train of Michigan and Wisconsin based rail cars.
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