Anyone trying to run a stack train runs into the cost of containers. Looking around, $8-9 each looks normal. Do that for a good number of cars and we have money I would rather spend else ware in the hobby. After a review I gave paper containers a try. Free containers in HO and N are available at krafttrains. Com.
You need a photo quality printer, and who doesn’t have one, and 8.5x 11 paper. I used 110# craft paper. You will need to score the containers where they will be folded and cut them out. Glue sticks were used to put them together. The krafttrains containers don’t have a bottom, but it is easy to cut them so they do. Weight was added by epoxying some solder in the inside of the box. While the files are a tad crude, as was my assembly, they looked good enough to use.
After trying the krafttains version I went to DigCom Designs, they have an old website and an active Facebook page.
I don’t believe that Kalmbach offers blogs, so I’m not sure why they would be concerned.
Printable containers have come up for discussion multiple times over the years. Here’s one thread with photos, there are other MR threads on the topic found with a search. The topic came up more often when they were new some years ago.
A couple of my clients have tried them; a common complaint is the difficulty of fitting them into the wells of cars. That may come from printing tolerances or lack of assembly precision.
That is the one thread I found here. Mine, N scale, fit well in walthers and MDC/Athearn cars, once they were folded in properly. The test fit was the final test for all of them, and I’m no master of assembly.
There are a number of threads – they were more common years ago when the idea was new. Here’s one from some years back that cites a different free source (still working).
I thank My lucky stars everytime I see what they are asking for price wise for the same containers/trailers that I bought back in the late 80’s at 2 for 5.00/trailer three packs for 5.00, different numbers. My intermodal train, tub/spine and flat cars, is 40ft long. That would be quite an expensive train now a days.
Another trick back in the day was, if you had a scanner and a color printer, to scan the sides of some (actual model) containers you had, and then print those out. This was best done for making background “container mountains” that you often find at ports and inland terminal, since up close they weren’t all that great looking. You could use foam cores or wood blocks or whatever for the core of the container stacks.
In that vein, you could also “part out” plastic model containers, into side walls, roofs, and ends (with some plain styrene for supports and infill) such that you could represent a stack of 27 containers using only parts of 9 real container models.
If you’ve got an around-the-walls shelf-style layout, you’re only going to see one side so you could use the back side of the container as the front of the top container. You only need one top piece, but unfortunately you’re going to be short two end pieces. I suppose you could make a mold and cast your own end pieces.
Has anybody tried to “stiffen” the models here, and others like it, with styrene? I would assume, you could build a styrene box to match the dimensions needed and put the printed model over that? Seems like it should work, but has anyone done it? Might even use decal or photo paper to do the finish? Anyone tried? Any reasons it won’t work? Be a really good looking container, and way under the almost $9 they go for now, and easy scratch build project, right?
For my combination of Windows 7 and either Firefox or Chrome browsers, I am able to make the links active by typing the terms “url” in brackets at the beginning of; and “/url” in brackets at the end of; the pasted-in link. This graphic shows what is typed in red and the pasted-in link in black:
For my, “Photocopied from a die-cast original,” JNR standard containers (which are ONLY standard if you model Japanese prototype in 1:80 scale) I cut the four sides and top separately and glued them to carefully sized balsa cores. The cars are heavy enough that the containers don’t have to weigh much.
Of course, I could have stuck a couple of nails into each box, and then used a magnetized unloading crane. Maybe next batch…
These are the printed sheets. Krafttrains is in the lower left, the rest are DigCom. The upper right is the first on on photo, rather than kraft, paper. The fine lettering is sooo much better.
Here is a group under construction. The white is Krafttrain. You can also see the inserts with solder JB welded to them. The krafttrain is cut to space the bottom correctly as they have an open bottom desighn.
Same as before now assembled. You can see how a true bottom was added to the krafttrain.
Looks pretty nice. I was thinking, that photo paper may look better than card stock/craft paper, but was not yet ready to try that. Glad it works, my next set I will try it as well. Do the tend to stay put when the train is in motion, or do you find that they need some gentle “encouragement” to remain stacked? (Thinking I should tape mine together…)
Mine are a tight (enough) fit so I don’t see a problem. At least when a 48’ container is in a 48’ well. If the container is smaller than the well weight alone wouldn’t be enough even if they were solid lead.
I have done more containers using a variety of papers. In the first two images the J.B.HUNT are, left to right, gloss photo, matte photo, and cardstock. The gloss has the clearest detail, but is harder to work. I am having trouble with the scribing. It is either too stiff to bend or a near cut through. The matte and cardstock are easier for me. Also, if the cardstock is printed as a matte photo paper there is a noticeable increase in image quality. It is then slightly less than matte.
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3 All done so far.
