How many 40-foot HO cars fit in an A-Line "low" box?

[PC101]

@crossthedog, You could lay clear plastic wrap (the kind you would find in your kitchen) the size of the box that would lay on top of the cars, then when the lid is closed the foam strips on the lid would not touch the roofs of the cars. I do know that lace like rubber cabinet lining will eat/melt into plastic and paints. I have never had trouble with foam.  

Wait, I did have some foam disintegrate upon being touched that was in with a Brass loco. circa 1969.  

[crossthedog]

@PC101, this is a great idea! Actually both of them are great ideas. I believe I will do exactly that with the foam strips.

It looks like you have enough rolling stock that you can have a whole box just for 2-bay open hoppers. My hot shot train of reefers (shown above) only fills up three fifths of one box. So I'm thinking I'll have labels that say "Hops and Gons" or "Tanks and Stocks" or "MOW". At least until I need to be more specific.

-Matt

[PC101]

Looks like you will save a bunch of $. Woohoo more $ for trains.

Hey here's just a thought...

If the cars have a tendence to move/roll and bump into each other in the container...

Maybe some block type SOFT foam around 1'' thick glued to the top lid (yellow lines) then when the lid is closed the foam will be at the (white lines) on top of the cars and keep them from moving around.

I put these lables on the ends of my rolling stock storage boxs, it helps narrow down what is in each box.

 

[crossthedog]

Update: my workplace has loads of keyboards on hand for employees and I can get the boxes they come in for free. I used this box that held an ergonomic keyboard, which is very wide and the perfect depth for rolling stock -- all except cabooses, whose smoke jacks or cupolas usually are too tall.

For between the slats, I found dish-protector foam at Home Depot, and used my daughters hot-glue gun to apply both the cardboard strips and the foam, so there was very little expense involved. This is the second box I've made. It's a bit fiddly to make corrugated cardboard strips behave the way you want them to, but it works. I'm very happy with these. Roughly 15 cars per box, so I'm saving a ton of space on the shelves, and storing original boxes away under the stairs. Glad I didn't spend sixty bucks to buy the same thing online.

[crossthedog]

Thanks again all.

@Wayne, your post tempts me sorely, since I have a glue gun and it would mostly be an investment of time. I particularly like the way your individual cradles open to the side for easy extraction of the model. Very nice.

-Matt

[doctorwayne]

Are those boxes meant for storage or for transport?
I usually keep mine in their original boxes, (or similar boxes bought new at a reasonable price) on shelves under the layout, but if I need to transport them somewhere, those boxes get packed into banana boxes.

I also use banana boxes for storing my passenger and baggage cars, using cut-up corrugated box material  to create trays in which the cars lay on their sides, which makes each one easy to identify...

...the MoW cars also get their own banana boxes, with trays that have one-side that can be opened  to either remove or replace them...

Wayne

[crossthedog]

Thank you, Tom. I'd actually forgotten about Axian.

[tstage]

Matt,

I have several "high" A-line boxes and did measure the interior of one.  It was actually 27-1/4"; not that that 1/4" is going to buy you much.

One of my 40' boxcars measured 6-1/2" from Kadee coupler hose-to-Kadee coupler hose.  That would allow (4) 40' boxcars per row, with an 1"+ to spare for spacing.  So, yea - you should be able to fit 16 of them in one of their boxes.

I have the A-line and the Axian Technology tote boxes and both work very well.  The Axian tote boxes I use for all rolling stock except tank cars.  And I line the interior foam with tissue paper to help mitigate any possible foam mishaps with the paint on the rolling stock.  The A-line boxes I reserve for my locomotives and tank cars.

Tom

[crossthedog]

PC101

But in your above link (here) it says...''low box will hold up to (16) 40' standard height freight cars''. That to me says it would be 4 per row.

Thanks PC. Right there in front of my nose. That's the one line I didn't notice.

I once saw someone selling these at a swap meet for a reasonable price, but I had very little rolling stock then (and it was only two and a half years ago ha). Now I wish I had bought some, because while the price on these is fair, the shipping always kills it for me.

-Matt

[PC101]

crossthedog

This is not the beginning of a joke. I can see in the photo (here) that each box has four rows, and they've got 3 cars in each row for a total of twelve, but those look like 50-footers (I can't really be sure). All my rolling stock is 40-foot or shorter. If 4 cars would fit in a row, it might be worth it. Anybody know for certain?

Thanks.

-Matt 

 

I do not think I have any A-Line lift off lid boxs to really check but I will look.

But in your above link (here) it says...''low box will hold up to (16) 40' standard height freight cars''. That to me says it would be 4 per row.

It shows the HO low box INSIDE dimensions as 27'' long x 7'' wide x 2-1/4'' deep. 

EDIT: all my HO boxs (AXIAN brand) have the lid attached and the cars lay on their sides. 

[crossthedog]

This is not the beginning of a joke. I can see in the photo (here) that each box has four rows, and they've got 3 cars in each row for a total of twelve, but those look like 50-footers (I can't really be sure). All my rolling stock is 40-foot or shorter. If 4 cars would fit in a row, it might be worth it. Anybody know for certain?

Thanks.

-Matt