After evacuating from Hurricane Irma, I decided I need a better way to get the trains out of harms way in an emergency.
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Axian Technologies has offered HO scale carrying cases and advertised in Model Railroader for years. I decided to give them a try.
I called theier office and spoke to the friendliest lady who helped me with my order. I ordered 10 HO carrying cases and 2 vinyl bags that each hold five of the boxes. This was a pricey order coming in at a little over $400.00 for everything including shipping.
They arrived well packed and undamaged from shipment. The boxes are a standard style corrugated design with foam inserts inside. They perform the intended duty of protecting HO scale equipment very well. The advertisement says that they will hold 16 cars each. That is true if the cars are 40 feet or shorter. I seem to get an average of 14 pieces into each box with my 1954 era freight cars.
The carry bags are also very well made and hold five of the boxes very securely. I am very happy with this purchase and I recommend it to anyone with similar needs.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
I used to use similar ones by Spring Mills. However, these types of boxes lay the locos and rolling stock on their sides. Deformed hand rails and broken grabs were the end result after several trips to and from train shows with the club. I have since switches to the A-Line storage containers which keep the cars and locos on their wheels. These have been much better.
We have many of the flat boxes for storage of club-owned cars - we have over 150 coal hoppers alone. But these are for the most part Athearn BB or equivalent, with no seperate grabs or ladders, and even being on their sides and hauled in our trailers, no damage has ever resulted. But for finer equipments, I much prefer to carry them standing upright on their wheels.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Kevin,
If you plan on using your Axian tote boxes for long-term storage, I would encourage you to line them - top and bottom - with a layer of tissue paper, as suggested by the manufacturer. It will safe guard the paint on your locomotives and rolling stock from possibly sticking to the foam over time.
I agree with Randy that the A-Line boxes do offer some advantages for more delicate items. I store nearly all my locomotives - particularly Proto 2000 diesels - in A-Line boxes because the plastic handrails can deform over time if laid on their sides. OTOH, the foam strips along the bottom are thin and NOT glued in (like the Axian boxes) so items are more apt to shift horizontally if jostled too much. I recently found that out moving some items back to OH from PA. Nothing was harmed but tissue paper lining the bottom got scrunched and tore a bit.
I've had maybe a broken stirrup on a Proto 2000 boxcar or two using the Axian tote boxes. All other rolling stock (~140 pieces) has held up great so far. Tangent tank cars are probably the one exception that I consciously choose to store in the A-Line boxes. The detailing on those is pretty fine and delicate so I'm a bit leary to store them on their sides.
Tom
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
tstageI would encourage you to line them - top and bottom - with a layer of tissue paper, as suggested by the manufacturer. It will safe guard the paint on your locomotives and rolling stock from possibly sticking to the foam over time.
Tom, thank you for the advice. I have wrapped all my rolling stock in archival plastic from BrassTrains.Com to keep them safe from the foam. I have learned my foam lesson already from some brass models that were tarnished from the foam they were factory packaged with.
I do not intend for these to be long term storage, I just need a better way to get the fleet out of the house for the next Hurricane evacuation. These boxes and tote bags seem to be an A+ solution for that problem.
If all goes right... all this rolling stock will be on the layout in 4 years. That is the plan.
Yea, any acid-free plastic should also work well. I like the tissue paper because it wicks way any oil that might drip out.
I'm presently without a layout so all my locomotives and rolling stock are "in storage" in the aforementioned tote boxes. I have them on a rack in my office at home so they are easily accessible. I also try not to stack them higher than 3 or 4 boxes.