what’s your favorite tote for carrying your trains (mine = HO) to or from the club etc? soft side, hard shell or what? I use an old tool box right now but am thinking to try a soft bag with a couple lift out wooden insert trays made with 1/4 ply or osb maybe. will experiement soon. looked at wally world and home depot offerings. wondering if someone has a really neat tote. sharing thoughts. thanks!
I use foam padded gun cases. I don’t like the boxes locos come in because the fit is too tight and I worry aabout damaging them.
I use the Proto Power West soft carry case with the 4 boxes inside. I did have some issues with damage but found a remedy. I went to Office Depot and gat a box of foam sheets (100 to the box). I cut them to the length of the car and leave enough material to wrap around the top. I use the excess material to lift the rolling stock or engine out of the narrow channels of the storage box. Now I’m not knocking off details with my paws.
Rick
At one club I am a member of the equipment stays on the layout…The other one I use a doubled sided tackle box by Plano with adjustable trays for locomotives and for cars I use padded large pizza boxes-don’t laugh they make great storage boxes and cost 10 cents each.
For my N Scale I use a large 2 tray trackle box…The locomotives is carried in the trays and the cars are stacked in their boxes.
In times gone by, I used to use computer card boxes. (Remember the old punch cards?[xx(])
For my last big move, I used plastic file storage boxes, with layers of pink foam fan-fold underlayment for horizontal decks and vertical dividers. All of my rolling stock survived 2000 miles in a pickup bed with no damage. The down side is the length of time needed to pack and unpack. Something with a hard case and shallow boxes or drawers would be better for frequent use.
Chuck (modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)
i havent built my layout yet, but i keep all my trains, and cars and track in their original boxes stored inside a metal “quick drive” storage box, it once held a Quick Drive brand power deck screwdriver system
The way I take my HO stuff to the club is all the engines and the fragile cars(tank cars, Intermountain cars, passenger cars and cabeese) get put in their orginal boxes and stuck in a tub from Home depot. THe Rolling stock goes in another tub from home depot and is layed on their sides on paper towel stacked up high. With 2 tubs I can take enough stuff to run 3 different trains. I usually take about 10-15 engines and about 80+ cars. But when we have an Open house(which is every weekend) We’re open both saturday and sunday so I run one train Saturday and a different one on Sunday. and my Commuter train usually gets run off and on both days.
Always hear something I didn’t know when we chat here. I bought a roll of foam vs the individ sheets (at Staples). but aha, when I got home and opened the roll it was perforated every 12 inches, so almost the same and so was the price, just figured the roll would be easier for longer locos etc. Re steam, my biggest problem with original cartons is you have to unplug the tender usually. My bachmann j is the only one I have that is all one piece in the box. I actually pulled the wires right off the engine pc board on my bli mike last time I unplugged it. I shoulda coaxed it more than just unplugged it. Now my old tyco pacific and mike don’t have that problem. Anyway, lucked out, all the stubs lined right back up on the board so they were easy to resolder. Some nifty ideas on containers, too. Thanks again! Have fun!
The Grizzly Northern Spectrum 2-8-0’s, 2-10-0’s, 2-10-2 and 3 truck Shay are each stored upright in individual U-shaped 1/2 inch-thick upholstery-foam liners located in RubberMaid kitchen organizer trays - 12 inches long, except 15 inches for the 2-10-2. To travel to and from the club the loco’s in their trays are put in a cut-down Banker’s Box, the inside bottom of the box and the inside of the box lid being lined with the same 1/2 inch foam. Storing and transporting the loco’s upright, with tenders connected, avoids placing pressure on the side rods and valve gear and avoids damaging the loco/tender mini-connectors and wiring. The Banker’s Box accomodates four loco’s with tenders attached.
To transfer a locomotive with tender from its tray to the layout, it is lifted in its foam liner onto the layout, and from its foam liner onto the track, holding onto the tender with one hand and the locomotive by its cylinders with the other hand - this avoids putting pressure on the side rods and valve gear.The reverse procedure applies when it’s time to go home. The foam lined tray can also be used as a temporay cradle for work on the loco/tender undersides, or the foam liner removed and used as a soft pad for other work on the loco/tender.
I needed an HO solution about five years back when my layout wasn’t yet running. I got an Axian white box, but felt it was too flimsy. Went to a luggage store and bought a 19.5 x 14.5 x 5 inch hardshell attache case with a vinyl exterior. Bought some of the Axian foam with the V grooves. Made a double-decker with a center piece out of stiff pasteboard and gluing the foam in the same way as in the white boxes. About the same total storage as a white box, but easier to carry and more rugged. Can’t accidently open and water-resistant. The only drawback is that I have to have at least three cars in both levels for the foam to compress properly. The center piece isn’t hinged, it just lifts out.
I’ve used it for 200-250 trips now, and it’s still in good condition.
Hal