I got with my Homeowners Insurance Company years ago. Wanted to add my collection of goodies to be covered on my Homeowners Insurance. Couldn't get them to understand that NOT all electric trains/models are Lionel. Finally mentioned "do you insure Stamp Collections?" Then they understood. Got a RIDER on my Homeowners for my trains. Cost is not much, less than $10 a year. Replace or Recondition was one question. I now VIDEO RECORD any added items about twice a year, and keep the DVD in separate location and have copies in other places. I can call the shots whether disposing items or reconditioning [if possible] after an event. And VALUE? There is a sticky slope. Retail on most everything, but I have to prove that something is of a higher value, than worth just retail. Document--Document--Document.
Don't I wish I had. Found a box of Digitrax decoders today I do not remember buying. Probably a total loss given the heat and smoke exposure, but there are NO visible signs of damage from either in the basement on the walls.
The base 2x4s my stud wall for the peninsula rests on is the only wood to get wet, thank you good drainage in the basement. Unfortunately, to remove these pieces of wood means a LOT of work to unattach every vertical in the benchwork, as the entire peninsula was designed to wedge and "float" between floor and ceiling while being solid. There are no traditional legs ANYWHERE in this section except well recessed inside a stacked pair of loops separated by 200 plus feet of mainline, but vertically over one another. I unwound a helix and instead of 3 loops in 1 place, I spread them out on the blob and at corners of the J shaped central peninsula.
It worked as the ServPro guy and one contractor who have "bumped" the benchwork were impressed with how little it moved and sturdy it was, but that same design also means getting the flooring out from underneath it - necessary thanks to the seepage from the next door unit that had I don't know how many gallons of water dumped on it during the 2 hour fire, plus regular dowsings for hot spots every 2 hours the next day, and while that could be manipulated and done creatively with the layout in place, it has to come out so the replacement can be installed.
My big challenge is that lots of my MT cars are stored in old boxes that BLW used to ship items in. The boxes made great storage boxes that can easily hold 40 or 50 jewel cases stood on end with the printed label end visible, but they all soaked in the smoke smell so badly they will need replacing. Finding anything similar will prove impossible I imagine, so it's ream paper boxes here we come, which waste a ton of space, as they are too tall to stack two rows of jewel cases on end vertically, but waste lots of space with only 1 layer so oriented.
My work bench is another matter entirely too, with lots of brushes, paints, kit parts, 3D printed details in small containers, and boxes of kit sprues with unused parts still attached and a few junk boxes all sitting hodgepodge on the folding table I used so I could sit near the fireplace while I worked instead of in the laundry room.
