The web site is rather unclear about exactly what you get in on of the full sets. I was going to send off an email inquiry but I’d also like to get some user opnions. I have another similar tote case, just one, not a full set plus the nice bag to put it all in, since my usual club train is about 30 cars and easily fits in the box I have (it’s longer than the Hobby Tote boxes). However, a coupel of things make me want to get rid of it and get somethign better. First, I have more cars to add to the club train, and the whoel train no longer fits. Second, the box I have, while well filled with foam padding, requires the cars and locos to lay on their sides. So far nothign has been damaged, but the two locos I had in there now have handrails that have taken a somewhat permanent set leanign in against the body on the side that was down in the case. The Hobby Tote allows the cars and locos to stand on their wheels.
Does the base package come with the dividers and any foam padding at all, or is it ala carte and I have to order the dividers and foam seperately? That’s what isn’t very clear on their web site.
I can’t speak for A-line but I use the Axian Technology storage boxes and like them very much. They aren’t inexpensive but they do do a very good job of protecting my locomotives and rolling stock for both toting and storage purposes.
Two things worth mentioning:
You shouldn’t stack them too high - To be safe, 5 should probably be your limit. Less, if you are stacking boxes of locomotives and boxes of rolling stock together. (A box full of locomotives can weigh quite a bit.)
Axian suggests lining the foam inside the boxes with either tissue paper or a thin plastic (e.g. a dry cleaning bag) - This is to protect the paint from inadvertently sticking to the foam. (Axian mentions this with an insert that comes with the box.)
Axian’s storage boxes also come with foam inserts so that you can partition and/or provide extra padding at the ends or in between cars and locomotives. I’ve never had any of the contents shift or move around in transport.
Lastly, I’m guessing that the Axian CEO HAS to be a MRRer. When you click on the link above, notice the industries that they are involved in, posted on the left side of the page:
Aerospace
Medical
Electronics
Model RR
I can’t speak for the first three but they do make a good storage box. [:D] FWIW…
Yes, but looking at the picture in the link the cars are stored on their side, which is what Randy wanted to get away from.
What I have around were purchased from U-Haul a long time ago. What they were actually for was a box of packing tissue for moving, but we were able to purchase just the boxes. The dimensions were similar to the PPW boxes, maybe a little larger. I think the boxes were around $2 each. We had to provide our own dividers. But the dimensions were such that an HO car could stand on its wheels.
I have the A-Line boxes. I like them a lot. I have 14 of them. I just have the boxes, not the bag they go in.
The base packages comes with the cardboard dividers and the thin strips of foam padding that give the bottom of the cars some cushioning. If you want the little foam dividers that prevent the ends of the cars touching then you need to purchase them separately.
Another suggestion is to purchase some white foam sheets from an office supply store and use those to give additional protection to you locos and rolling stock.
I bought a couple of sets of these, with the carrying bags, a few years back when I was more active in modules. I love 'em. They’ve replaced heavy wooden trays I’d built.
The A-Line cases are a good size (they’ll fit through a standard doorway sideways) and are a good capacity.
The big box of cardboard origami you get contains the lids and bottom pieces of each box, the thinner cardboard insert that divides each box into rows, and strips of thin foam to put on the bottom of each row. A-Line sells foam blocks to put between the equipment in each row separately.
The cases are designed to fold together using tab-in-slot construction. When I assemble the cases, I reinforce the ends by using carpenter’s glue to hold things together just a bit more. Rather than buy A-Line’s foam blocks, I buy sheets of 1-inch foam at a fabric store, then cut them into blocks on a band saw.
I personally can’t stand any case that has the equipment lay on its side-- I’ve lost too many handrails (especially on Proto 2000 E units) and grab irons, and have even had paint rubbed off of brass models from being transported riding on their sides.
The one catch I ran into was when dealing with my former modular club: at set-ups, the other guys kept wanting to lay the carrying bag full of boxes on its side, like the Axian cases. I had to mark “This end up” on the tote bags with white paint marker before they got the idea that this was a different configuration.
Some of the club members have the A-line totes and are very good at transporting and storage of trains. They are foam lined and nothing else is needed if you buy the whole kit. For the HO scale get the taller boxes. These will hold even double stacked and domed passenger cars with out issues. Several years ago our club contacted A-line about a bulk purchase price for them. Our response was not very welcomed. Perhaps times have changed enough that they will give discounts to quantity buys now?
I had made my own from boxes I bought at Office Depot called Bankers check storage boxes. http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/885988/Bankers-Box-FastFold-StorFile-60percent-Recycled/ I used gator foam dividers that I glued foam padding to and also lined the bottom with foam. My one box holds 50 hoppers with a false foam floor on top of the bottom rows. Never lost any detail parts with this setup. These boxes have stood the test of time very well. It is 8 years and going strong. I stack three together and carry them in one of those bags that come with folding camping chairs. With a 650 Lb stacking weight They are plenty strong. Several guys in the club have done the same thing. Three years ago one club member lost control of his truck during a snow storm returning home from a show and flipped on its side. Surprisingly there was very little damage done to the trains stored in the boxes but his modules were almost totaled. That heavy slush can really throw you around when you least expect it.
Great, this is the sort of input I was hopign for. Sounds liek this will do a much better job of carryign my stuff. The case I do have is almost too big, it’s unwieldy goign down stairs because it is so long. That version also has carrying totes available to carry 4 of them at a time, but that gets large and heavy. The club has some for the club-owned cars, repalcing an old heavy wooden box, but as the club owned cars are mostly Blue Box hoppers, there’s not much in fine detail to break off. The cars are all extra weighted and have laods as well - way over 100 cars - and that tote with 4 boxes of them is HEAVY. The A-Line totes wouldn’t hold as many cars but would be easier to move about. In my case, I’d only have cars and locos in 2 of the 4 boxes to start, but I could also carry kits to work on and my throttle and eliminate carrying the big plastic tote I usually also cart along. Which also reminds me I want to get one of those small folding carts to use for this.
Randy, I too use the A-Line boxes and am quite happy w/ them. With a fairly large club, we have encountered almost every sort storage and carrying system. The A-Line appears to the choice of most members now. We have actually constructed the new club lockers to accomadate the length of them. The only problem you would ever experience is that the cardboard dividing strips are just @ the height of diesel cab shades and if not protected w/ added foam can be broken off. Other solution is I replace the plastic ones w/ the A-Line brass that have mounting pins.