Original boxes if I have them, see through tubs for everything else.
Bob Keller
Have to ditto what The Overlord said. The cars and locomotives I'm not displaying on shelves I keep in Rubbermaid containers, but there's other makes that would work as well. Before putting them in the container I wrap paper shop towels around the cars to protect them.
I got rid of most of the boxes a while ago, they just take up too much space. The only boxes I've saved are for locomotives and car sets, also the boxes the "starter" sets came in.
Before anyone hits the panic button let me hasten to add 99.9% of my stuff is current production, so there's no harm in my tossing the boxes. I don't have any old stuff that came with the original boxes. rest assured I wouldn't toss those!
Many of us don't intend to ever sell our trains. Still, the odds are they will be sold someday, either by our estate, or ourselves. Having the original boxes may not increase the dollar value of those trains, but they do enhance their saleability If at all possible, I recommend saving boxes. I run out of space from time to time. Then its time to sell some stuff to make room for more.
Resale value isn't something I concern myself with. Byt the time my stuff's worth a lot a money I'll just be a faded memory, a "who IS that?" in an old family album.
On the other hand, the guns I've got...
I went to a gun show last week and all I got was a heart attack.
I use shelving that fits under the layout. They can be found in a Home Depot or any home improvement store. I put wheels on them so I can put them up against each other to use all the space and just wheel out whatever I need. All my trains have the boxes which makes it perfect for stacking. I try to store them in categories like cabooses, auto carriers, hoppers, etc. I found I could put a lot of cars in a relatively small space. The wheels also help when I need to work under the layout.
V8Vega Ho takes way less volume of space to store and you can put your entire collection of N scale in your sock drawer.
Ho takes way less volume of space to store and you can put your entire collection of N scale in your sock drawer.
Yes, but neither of those fine gauges have the thundering majesty of O gauge! Who ever heard of an HO layout in full cry shaking the house to its foundations?
I wish someone would make reproductions of the tubes made of corrugated cardboard that AF used to pack their items in..as that is a great way to protect an item without a box..also I would think they would be cheap to produce and sell at a good price...
Nothing is more fairly distributed than common sense: no one thinks he needs more of it than he already has.
Are you refering to the sheets that look like corrigated cardboard, and are rolled up to form tubes?
If so, there is a fellow down at York who sells it. Uline also sells the material. I don't know how well it matches the material that American Flyer originally used.
As mentioned,try to keep original boxes and or cartons for your trains and accessories if possible.
For the last few years I've been buying the larger foot locker sized plastic storage containers at wal*mart.Their plenty big,have a hinged lid with metal lock downs,they've got wheels on one end and a nifty built in grab handle on the other to pull them around as well as a swing handle in the front to pick them up and carry,plus a place put a lock.Yeah I know it's plastic and if a thief wants to get into to see what's in it or to steal your trains ,they can with a little work,but remember as my Dad told me "Locks are only for honest people".
Plus their relatively cheap at around $22.00.And you can stack them because their made to do so.
Collin ,operator of the " Eastern Kentucky & Ohio R.R."
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