Been looking around for something to store my built (HO), but unused rolling stock.
A lot of what I have is Athearn blue box cars. Putting them back in the box when not being used is tedious and they barely fit with Kadee couplers. The brown cardboard 'boxes' that hold 24 beverage cans (like you see at train shows) work, but a lot of rattling around and no cover.
I recently found 'Sterilite' plastic storage boxes at Menards (on sale now, under $4), and also available at other stores. These are Sterilite's #1963 box made to hold 8 1/2 x 11 papers and have a 'clip on' type lid. I've found these to be just about perfect. Can hold 8 cars facing the same direction, and if they are 50' or less, another car can fit perpendicular. If you have longer passenger cars, about 5 will fit the long way. These are stackable and are made of milky polypropylene plastic so you can sort of see through them. The cars will slide around somewhat, because they aren't a perfect fit, but a little well placed foam would solve that problem.
Good find! I made a cardboard version of what you're describing out of empty office paper boxes with the sides cut down to single-car height (about 3") with cardboard dividers hot glued in the bottom. I was able to fit 12 freight cars in one box (6 lanes of 2) with a little foam in between each car and on the ends of each lane. I usually stack these modified boxes 3 high for convenience of access but I suppose they could go much higher if necessary for storage or transportation.
Dan Stokes
My other car is a tunnel motor
I was lucky to find a large group of computer keyboard boxs at work before I retired. Placing a thin sheet of soft foam on the bottom and 3 strips on the inside of the lid gave me storage for a dozen 40ft freight cars laying on their sides.
Hi there Burlington Steam,
There has been numerous statements made in these forums and threads over the years about laying the sides of rolling stock on foam or non slip shelf covering, etc...
You are risking damaging the paint job on the side of the car touching such material. You might think that is just hoooeeeey. But trust me, it happens. Even on factory paint, when a car has been laying on it's side for a period of time, it takes on an orange peel effect, which you certainly don't want.
Just a heads up for you. Much better to store your rolling stock on their wheels with cardboard seperators and you sleep better knowing that your favorite cars won't be damaged in any way. But if you must lay them on their side, then just lay them on the cardboard.
Johnboy out...............
from Saskatchewan, in the Great White North..
We have met the enemy, and he is us............ (Pogo)
last mountain & eastern hogger Hi there Burlington Steam, There has been numerous statements made in these forums and threads over the years about laying the sides of rolling stock on foam or non slip shelf covering, etc... You are risking damaging the paint job on the side of the car touching such material. You might think that is just hoooeeeey. But trust me, it happens. Johnboy out...............
You are risking damaging the paint job on the side of the car touching such material. You might think that is just hoooeeeey. But trust me, it happens.
I agree 100% with JB on not using household clear wraps for all the said reasons. But, polyethylene or polypropylene model wrappers such as those sold by REBOXX are perfectly OK on your most delicate models. I have been using the stuff to keep my painted brass and non-brass models happy for years in storage without issues.
Here is the link for details:
http://www.reboxx.com/accessories.htm
Joel
Modeling the C&O New River Subdivision circa 1949 for the fun of it!
Those Steri-lite and similar translucent containers are made of an inert type of polypropylene (?) that works well as a storage container, particularly those with the side handles which close over the top lid to secure it. I wrap my BB cars in several sheets of plain white paper towel, rolled in a diagonal manner and I then tape the ends over the roll. The larger containers can hold about 25-30 cars. I arrange one row in one direction then the next row (layer) at a right angle. Avoid using the foam-type grid drawer liner material, as it is susceptible to a sort of dry rot that results in the foam sticking to adjacent surfaces, particularly when stored in warm environments. I have had no problem with paper towel brands such as Bounty (again, white not printed) and have reopened stored cars over 5 years later with no adverse effects on the model.
Note-if you store engines, be sure to lube them before you put them away, then again before running after taking them out of storage.
This is a relatively frugal solution, locally available at Walmart, so you don't necessarily have to order special materials.
Cedarwoodron
I have a small HO switching layout for which I have written a routing program. As I only have a small amount of staging, I need to keep most of my freight cars, etc. off the layout at most times. To enable me to keep track of my cars and locos I built the following:
This is constructed out of 5mm foam core from the local art shop plus some 50mm foam from the local upholstery shop. I can lay it out and pick up any car I need as decided by my routing software. I have made sure that I have a label for each car/loco stuck to the floor of each box that can be seen when the car is out. That way, I can put each car back in its place quickly. The foam is set so that I have to gently press one Kadee into the side. That way, once the car is seated, it is nice and firm. My whole layout is constructed of 5mm foam board so it all stacks up in one corner when not in use.
Long Haired DavidA.K.A. David Penningtonmain man on the Sunset and North Eastern R.R.http://www.gmrblog.co.ukfrom the UK
That kind of foam used like that should work, but LION advises against plastic or foam (the softer foam sheets) as these will deteriorate and take your model with them.
LION wrapped unused cars in paper towels and these have worked fine for the past ten years.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
Foam board is two sheets of paper with 5mm foam between them. Thus no part of the cars or locos are touching the foam there. The other foam is just to keep the cars in place and, as you can see, is mostly used to hold onto the couplers.
Great ideas and good info about materials. I anticipate transporting my models once complete. I do a lot of custom work and kit building. I decided to go with the Freight Crates from Fast Tracks. They hold 8 cars but I double up with my flat cars. They come with pre cut bubble wrap for added protection. The slots are designed to compensate for the thickness of the bubble wrap and hold the cars snug enough that they dont move but not tight enough to cause damage. I am very happy with them so far. Here is the link and a photo of one of my "Crates".
http://www.handlaidtrack.com/Freight-Crate-Rolling-Stock-Box-For-HO-90-Long-p/fc-ho-std-90.htm
73
Bruce in the Peg
I use boxes designed to hold 5000 "baseball" cards
They are deep enough to hold two layers of HO cars on their sides with each "tray" being approx 123 scale feet in length. So able to hold (2) 50'-60' cars per tray.. per level ...20 cars per box I currently have 10 or so in use & they stack nicely on a storage shelf in my basement
they are great for taking my trains to shows to use on the modular layouts
I buy them from a local card dealer, for around $3 already assembled
http://www.bcwsupplies.com/cat/trading-card/super-monster-storage-box-5000-cards
eric2448 Great ideas and good info about materials. I anticipate transporting my models once complete. I do a lot of custom work and kit building. I decided to go with the Freight Crates from Fast Tracks. They hold 8 cars but I double up with my flat cars. They come with pre cut bubble wrap for added protection. The slots are designed to compensate for the thickness of the bubble wrap and hold the cars snug enough that they dont move but not tight enough to cause damage. I am very happy with them so far. Here is the link and a photo of one of my "Crates". http://www.handlaidtrack.com/Freight-Crate-Rolling-Stock-Box-For-HO-90-Long-p/fc-ho-std-90.htm
eric2448,
I have a fleet of heavyweight passenger cars that I have built over the years that are completely decked out (read very fragile underbody and end details) and have seriously considered the FT freight crates (long version) to store the overflow without hurting my handiwork. Tim's website shows how easy it is to assemble and the design is quite elegant to protect the cargo.
Sounds like you are pleased.
The only problem I have is that the minimum order is 2, but I only need one at the moment. I guess I could email Tim and ask if he would sell a single.
Did you buy 2 or is there a work around?
CandOsteam eric2448, I have a fleet of heavyweight passenger cars that I have built over the years that are completely decked out (read very fragile underbody and end details) and have seriously considered the FT freight crates (long version) to store the overflow without hurting my handiwork. Tim's website shows how easy it is to assemble and the design is quite elegant to protect the cargo. Sounds like you are pleased. The only problem I have is that the minimum order is 2, but I only need one at the moment. I guess I could email Tim and ask if he would sell a single. Did you buy 2 or is there a work around? Joel
Hi Joel,
There isnt a work around with ordering unless you need more than 2. IIRC, I believe the minimum order had to do with shipping. I know I read a reason somewhere at one point, but do not recall where. I needed 3 which was fine because it was more than the 2 minimum. They are great, I am very happy with them. My stock cars fit tighter than the flats due to the added width in the door area, but that was my only issue with the cars. The bubble wrap makes them easy to raise and lower into the slots and the boxes stack quite well. I intend on picking up a few more. I really like what they have to offer.
-Eric
I find the Fast Tracks boxes very interesting. At first I dismissed them based on the price, but then I thought if I am willing to drop $200 - $300 on a locomotive project why wouldn't I spend a similar amount to properly store my rolling stock? Right now most of it is collecting dust on open shelves.
Darn, there goes the modelling budget, again!
The only challenge now is to see if I can find a Canadian distributor. If I order them from the US any shipment over $100 incurs duty, and ordering them four at a time to beat the duty will be a killer shipping wise.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Dave, Fast tracks is a Canadian company.
Bruce!
Shows that it doesn't pay to assume things.
Thanks for answering my concern.
I am pretty happy with the A-line totes I use to carry my models to shows (I belong to a modular club as well as attend Free Mo events). To help me take cars and locos in and out of the trays, I cut regular printer paper into 3" or 4" strips and use them as a cradle; kind of like a taco, where the paper is the shell and the models are the meat. I write the car info on the strips so it's easier to repack everything where it fits best. The totes are a bit pricey but they do work well; before I got them I kept everything in their individual boxes and packed them into bigger flip - top clear totes. Time consuming and sometimes all the boxes didn't go back into the tote the same way and they went in and didn't fit so I had to repack everything; kind of like a 3D Tetris game.
I recently saw a product called Train Safe...it's a cassette that plugs into a track on your layout and you can run trains on/off under their own power. Pretty neat, but pricey.
Other members I run with use those shallow plastic tubs with various padding separating the models; they are used strictly for transporting, not long term storage. I think they take up a bit too much space and can allow models to bounce around, but the price is pretty low. We all model HO scale and have mostly the delicate detailed models (stirrup steps, uncoupling levers and scale air hoses can snag if models are wrapped in just about anything) rather than the 'blue box' types (which stand up to travel a lot better).
http://delray1967.shutterfly.com/pictures/5
SEMI Free-Mo@groups.io
I use the A-Line totes myself. I took a passenger train I am working on a 12-hour bus trip to a convention and back. I also brought back cars that were bought at a swap meet with no problems. (I kept the original boxes by stowing them in my luggage.) I put the cars up and down. (The wheels ride on the foam rather than the sides of the cars.) For me that was the ultimate test for that system and it passed with flying colors.