Moving Question

[GP-9_Man11786]

Well the day I've been dreading has finally come. The house is all but sold and the raiload is all but history. That means I have to pack the trains up. I was going to pack them in Rubermaid tote bins. However my father told me plastic bins actualy crush easier and I should use boxes. I know moving boxes are sturdy but I find this one a bit hard to swallow. Sounds like a good on for Mythbusters. Which do you guys recomend?

In addition, is there anything I should do with my engines before storing them long term?

[kstrong]

I moved most all of my trains in plastic Rubbermaid totes. The boxes are quite sturdy, so I wouldn't worry too much about them. You don't mention if you have the original boxes for each of the cars/locos, which is an extra layer of protection if you do have them. Otherwise, wrap each piece in a towel or old newspaper, then place them in the totes with some packing peanuts. (The towels offer some protection, but more importantly keep the peanuts from getting where you don't want them on the model.)

As for preparing the locos for long-term storage, I'd be tempted to put a drop of oil on the moving parts, but that's about it. The grease in the gearboxes should be good for a while. I've got locos that go a good long while between runs, and really don't need anything special to get them ready.

Later,

K

[Capt Bob Johnson]

My thought would be to load heavy stuff like the track & power pac separate from the rolling stock.

I would also limit how high and order they could be stacked, like track on bottom locos in middle and cars on top; not more than 3 high.

Then mark everything load on top!  So they don't load boxes of books on top of the trains!

I think the man covered the packaging process very well!

[altterrain]

The only thing I would add is too make sure all the smoke units are dry. They can make a mess if not.

-Brian 

[GP-9_Man11786]

Thanks for all your help with this question and in general. Thanks to your help I was able to iron out a lot of problems with my railroad and get some great ideas.