How do you display / leave your engines at the end of a session?

[ATLANTIC CENTRAL]

gmpullman

 

 

ATLANTIC CENTRAL

Bowser and Rivarossi are not on my roster, so I was not familiar with that.

 

 

You're welcome, Sheldon. Add Atlas to that list as I seem to recall the screws into the fuel tank on those, too.

Regards, Ed

 

Another brand I don't own since most of their stuff is too modern for my era (1954). The little bit that Atlas has offered in my era has also been offered by Proto. Being a DC operator, I tend to stick with as few brands as possible. And while very nice products, Atlas products are pricey and not as "available" without preordering.

I simply don't buy anything outside the scope of the layout theme.

Sheldon

[riogrande5761]

ATLANTIC CENTRAL

What brand has this setup?

I'd like to know as well.  The only engines I have that seem to unfriendly for repackaging are Proto 2000 as they have the chassis packaged separately from the shell.

Most of my engines are Atlas or Athearn and both aren't very difficult to put back in their original package.  I have two Paragon 2 BLI RSD15's and they appear to just slot into their styrofoam packaging.  KATO too.

That's why I designed my layout to stage a large number of trains.

Sheldon

Same here; even my smallish 10x18' layout had 11 storage tracks ranging from 13-22 feet long for storage of trains.  I am designing in similar or greater storage capacity on a future layout design as well.

[mbinsewi]

gmpullman

Add Atlas to that list as I seem to recall the screws into the fuel tank on those, too.

I have 4 Atlas, not sure of the series, as they have so many, and all with different colored boxes, ( 2 black boxes, 2 silver) but they have the dual mode decoders, and I've never dealt with a screw on the bottom of the tank that was part of the packaging.

They have an easy access foam cradle, like Kato, with a couple of finger holes in the back to help with removal.

P2K's, I make slight alterations in the foam so I can place the loco back in the box, with out taking it apart.

Athearn RTR and Spectrum use a top and bottom foam lined plastic shell, that snap together, and that assembly slides into a clear plastic sleave.

I don't see any difficulty in the locos I have, in removing and replacing them into the packaging.

Mike.

[Future4oo0]

Thanks all! This thread got away from me. I am still building my layout So I wasnt sure. Once it is more complete aka the mainline is all down I may leave some out in various and stategic places around the layout as it will only be me operating at the moment but maybe others in the future. 

[riogrande5761]

Future4oo0

Thanks all! This thread got away from me. I am still building my layout So I wasnt sure. Once it is more complete aka the mainline is all down I may leave some out in various and stategic places around the layout as it will only be me operating at the moment but maybe others in the future. 

This is where "designed-in" storage is a big help.  If it is not too late, you should see if you can add any additional storage capacity in area's which can handle it, hidden or staging if possible.

Here is my storage tracks on my 10x18' layout during construction and later you can see where it is underneath the main yard:

[Future4oo0]

How much space in inches is between the two levels? 

[riogrande5761]

On this layout I went with the minimum I could get away with, and less than ideal.  It was about 7 1/2 inches from the bottom to the ceiling above (not counting the cross beams.  There was just enough room so I could reach across the tops of a train to access cars at the back with the 5-fingered crain if anything needed re-railed etc.  I installed two sets of re-railers to re-rail any errant wheels as trains passed in and out of the staging tracks.

The mininmal clearance was a compromise with a smallish room and keeping grades out of, and back into the staging tracks at a minimum - in my case max grade was 2.9% which two 6-axle diesels could handle a 22 car freight train.

[Future4oo0]

Thanks! I will look to see where I can go this. I have a space off the layout slightly where I was thinking of building an off main table staging area (would need a lift out). It is where the oil furnace use to be and is a pretty decent space would just need to build a table in the space. Still in the same room as the main layout.

[Doughless]

moved

[Doughless]

ATLANTIC CENTRAL

 

 

Doughless

 

 

riogrande5761

I would think the less you handle rolling stock the better.  I would only put things back in their boxes for storage/moving/transport.  Some purpose made rolling stock storage boxes are a good idea if you need to remove trains from the layout with any frequency - especially for transport.

 

 

 

 

And the packaging design of new locos makes returning them to their boxes even worse than before.  Many seem to be held by two screws under the tank, attached to a plastic u shaped stand that gets slid into a sleave.  The U shaped stand looks like a little display stand for the pretty loco. 

Which is terrible for me.  I always put the locos back in the boxes.  Easy to do, or used to be. Stored in a clean safe place when not running. (maybe left out on the layout overnight once in a while)

But now its really hard to try to remount the locos into their original packaging without shifting, repositioning, rehandling etc. to get the little holes for the sxcrews lined up.  Handling locos to put back in their boxes is worse now than ever.  Almost like the manufacturers provide packaging to make it easier to display the model on the stand. They can hardly even be handled to return them to a clean safe place.  Just leave them out to gather dust I guess.

 

 

 

 

What brand has this setup?

I'm with riogrande, the less you handle them the better. The safest place is on the track.

That's why I designed my layout to stage a large number of trains.

Sheldon

 

I'm speaking of diesels.

The three that I know of are Atlas, Intermountain, and Fox Valley.  After you remove the packaging, the locomotive still sits on a long black tray that is screwed into the bottom of the fuel tank.

Now, these company's tout their models as having fine details, even proto specific details.  Yet finding a way to remove the loco from the tray....even the first time when you want to test run it fresh from the box....is difficult without grasping it with a firm grip.  Returning it to the tray, aligning the holes up, which is necessary to return it to the box, is pretty tedious .  Designing a package where you need to grasp the loco firmly after you tout how finely detailed it is seems rather inconsistent. 

Unless, of course, collectors are your main customer.

The 1990s Atlas boxes, with the simple styrofoam inserts, are my favorite.  Mearly cut little semicircles out of the foam to place a thumb under the tank and and the index finger on the dynamic brake fan and I could successfully remove and replace the loco from its box dozens of times. 

Locos are the most safest from harm and dust in their boxes....not to mention unintended DCC reprogramming  .

The prices that are required to justify collector quality proto specific details....and now the packaging (probably at the behest of whiners complaining that a grab iron fell off during shipping)...will pretty much run me out of the new product market, since I can't run them for a while and return them safely to their containers.  I'll still be in the hobby, its just that the estate buyers and private sellers on the secondary market will get most of my money.  

Link to a pic of a new loco on ebay.  The fuel tank swims along the hump of the tray making removing the loco without a firm grasp difficult, and the swimming makes it very difficult to realign the holes if you want to store it.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Atlas-HO-CSX-B23-7-With-Sound-DCC-Item-10002066-RD-3109/112981928143?hash=item1a4e3f68cf:g:sAcAAOSw5nxaXBNq

 And how they look as shipped

https://www.ebay.com/itm/ATLAS-GOLD-FLORIDA-EAST-COAST-EMD-GP40-2-PHASE-2C-DCC-SOUND-NEW-IN-BOX/292451332856?epid=1387218834&hash=item44177532f8:g:PFQAAOSwWWpZ29LL

 

[Doughless]

I understand most people operate their layouts differently, or have entirely different layouts than mine.  I model a shortline that uses maximum three locos.  Plenty of on layout space to store them.  But, I have over 60 locos paired in various combinations that I like to run.  I swap them out for variety.

Some days, I'll run the gensets with Tsunami 1 sound.

Next month, maybe the GP15s with Tsunami 2s

A week later, the Atlas ESU S2s

Maybe after that, the whisper quiet LL Proto GP18's on my wireless Aristo throttle after I throw the main layout toggle over to DC.

Maybe the High Hood beater U23Bs with QSI.

The bashed-SD35M and GP38s QSI Titans.

Or the Intermountain GP10's with ESU and dual operating rotary beacons.

I'm constantly swapping out locos from layout to boxes.  Its how the layout stays interesting. 

[ATLANTIC CENTRAL]

Doughless

 

 

ATLANTIC CENTRAL

 

 

Doughless

 

 

riogrande5761

I would think the less you handle rolling stock the better.  I would only put things back in their boxes for storage/moving/transport.  Some purpose made rolling stock storage boxes are a good idea if you need to remove trains from the layout with any frequency - especially for transport.

 

 

 

 

And the packaging design of new locos makes returning them to their boxes even worse than before.  Many seem to be held by two screws under the tank, attached to a plastic u shaped stand that gets slid into a sleave.  The U shaped stand looks like a little display stand for the pretty loco. 

Which is terrible for me.  I always put the locos back in the boxes.  Easy to do, or used to be. Stored in a clean safe place when not running. (maybe left out on the layout overnight once in a while)

But now its really hard to try to remount the locos into their original packaging without shifting, repositioning, rehandling etc. to get the little holes for the sxcrews lined up.  Handling locos to put back in their boxes is worse now than ever.  Almost like the manufacturers provide packaging to make it easier to display the model on the stand. They can hardly even be handled to return them to a clean safe place.  Just leave them out to gather dust I guess.

 

 

 

 

What brand has this setup?

I'm with riogrande, the less you handle them the better. The safest place is on the track.

That's why I designed my layout to stage a large number of trains.

Sheldon

 

 

 

 

I'm speaking of diesels.

The three that I know of are Atlas, Intermountain, and Fox Valley.  After you remove the packaging, the locomotive still sits on a long black tray that is screwed into the bottom of the fuel tank.

Now, these company's tout their models as having fine details, even proto specific details.  Yet finding a way to remove the loco from the tray....even the first time when you want to test run it fresh from the box....is difficult without grasping it with a firm grip.  Returning it to the tray, aligning the holes up, which is necessary to return it to the box, is pretty tedious .  Designing a package where you need to grasp the loco firmly after you tout how finely detailed it is seems rather inconsistent. 

Unless, of course, collectors are your main customer.

The 1990s Atlas boxes, with the simple styrofoam inserts, are my favorite.  Mearly cut little semicircles out of the foam to place a thumb under the tank and and the index finger on the dynamic brake fan and I could successfully remove and replace the loco from its box dozens of times. 

Locos are the most safest from harm and dust in their boxes....not to mention unintended DCC reprogramming  .

The prices that are required to justify collector quality proto specific details....and now the packaging (probably at the behest of whiners complaining that a grab iron fell off during shipping)...will pretty much run me out of the new product market, since I can't run them for a while and return them safely to their containers.  I'll still be in the hobby, its just that the estate buyers and private sellers on the secondary market will get most of my money.  

Link to a pic of a new loco on ebay.  The fuel tank swims along the tray making removing the loco without a firm grasp difficult, and the swimming makes it very difficult to realign the holes if you want to store it.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Atlas-HO-CSX-B23-7-With-Sound-DCC-Item-10002066-RD-3109/112981928143?hash=item1a4e3f68cf:g:sAcAAOSw5nxaXBNq

 

 

I still don't understand what is "unsafe" about leaving trains/locomotives on the layout?

I guess my household must be dramaticly different from yours?

Dust? My train room is a finished space and I have soft brushes and comressed air.

Constantly handling high detail models, hard to rebox or not, is an invitation to broken parts in my view.

You keep refering to this new high detail models as "collector quality" pieces, well yes there is more of an HO collector market than there has ever been, but I think many prototype focused "modelers" have also driven the demand for such models - for more that 20 years now.

But I was super detailing F units 35 years ago, never had any problem figuring out a safe wayto put them in a box if I needed to move/transport them.

Please explain why models are not "safe" sitting on the track on the layout? I have never had anything magicly happen to anything on my layout in my absence?

I keep my loco boxes, I modify them as needed for storing the completed, assembled or modified model. But that process is for long term storage or moving, not to take them on and off the layout on a regular basis?

I have 130 locos, it would take all day to get them all out, or box them all up?

Atlas - I don't own any, as explained above, vey little they have ever made fits my era.

Intermountain - I have lots of their F units, non of their other locos, no issues, they go back in the box rather well.

Fox Valley - They have only made one diesel loco? Again not on my radar, way out of my era.

So this whole fuel tank mount thing was new to me.

Still trying to understand?

 

 

 

[gmpullman]

Leave it to Jason...

Good Luck, Ed

[mbinsewi]

The same cover and sleeve that Athearn RTR and Spectrum use.  But the total package that the boxed locomotive is placed in, seems to work fine.

Thanks Ed !.

Mike.

[SpaceMouse]

Future4oo0

How do you display / leave your engines at the end of a session?

Pretty much any way I feel like it. 

[BATMAN]

Ed, I love that Rapido video, it reminded me of when I worked at the airport. All the big courier companies had their sorting facilities at the airport so their aircraft can pull right up and load. UPS, FedEx, Purolator, Canada Post and some others are there.

Not all sorting facilities are created equal. They are all massive and have conveyors running every which way, some at warp speed. Sometimes a logjam would occur and before the belts could shut down many parcels would take the plunge, some from great heights. I was in these places often trying to hitch a ride for something.

Once this huge box of loose golf balls broke open on a conveyor that was some 40' up in the air. We had to run for cover as hundreds of golfballs were raining down on us. It took months before they all disappeared from around the plant. 

I doubt the processing equipment is the same in every city for each company, but if it was, I think you would think twice about what courier company you used if you ever saw some of them.

I was thinking about my previous "where do I park my trains" comment and mentioning earthquakes. We must have had a slight shake as our pictures are all crooked on the walls. All rolling stock is still on the rails, though I have found some off the rails when we have had rumbles in the past.