Does any one have any alternative solutions for transporting freight cars and locos to swap meets and shows without paying those insane prices for the commercially available systems? I’ve looked at A-Line and Spring Mills but cant justify paying over $100.00 for some cardboard boxes, foam, and a carrying bag.
I’m sure many of you have come up with low-cost, safe, creative alternatives.
There are some suggestions HERE.
Wayne
Thanks Wayne, I did a search but must not have hit on the right keywords. I’ll see if anything there sounds like it will work.
Unfortunately nothing in that thread seemed to fit the bill. A lot of good suggestions for boxes for home storage, but not for transporting them.
Those flat U-line boxes looked good, but you have to order a package of 25. I liked the idea of cutting down printer paper boxes, but not sure what I would use as a carrying case.
I have done a great deal of repainting and rebuilding of all types of rolling stock and, as a result, I have accumulated many cars that need to be stored. I obtained portable file-box sized plastic containers (in the plastic storage aisle at Walmart), which are stackable, have handles and are sturdy, as well as sealing well. I wrap each car in 3 full sheets of Bounty paper and tape the ends. I can store about 30 cars per box and have filled 3 boxes so far. You can also get bubble wrap in the stationery supplies aisles for lining the interior of these boxes.
Easy to store, easy to access, and not at all costly- buy 3 or more!
Cedarwoodron
How many locos and pieces of rolling stock are you looking to transport? I assume you don’t have the original boxes that they came in?
Tom
Take a zero off your figure and you’ll be at what I paid for each of my Spring Mill boxes - $10 each. Seems like a reasonable price to me.
Ummm, no. He is talking about the carrying bag plus the four boxes. Just around $100 for that, plus shipping and tax.
Maybe take a look at some of the aluminum cases designed for long firearms?
As an example:
Search “aluminum carry case” and browse away. Some are designed for drones. Photographers and roadies have been using these for years. They will last a long time and are probably worth the investment compared to a cardboard box and a duffle bag.
Some seem to be deeper than others, I imagine you can get quite a bit of equipment in there being 53" long. They seem to be sturdy. You would have to configure your own foam cradle. Maybe strips of vinyl lath as sold in home improvement stores would make good dividers.
Be creative…
Good luck, Ed
A lot of soul searching and even more time spent looking for alternatives with no good choices to be found…
I ended up with the A-Line bag and 4 tall boxes. Walthers had them on sale.
I have no layout at home and the boy and I can only run stuff at the club. I have found they do keep the stuff safe and secure, as well as allow a pretty good clip for removing them and getting them on the tracks, same goes for taking them off and packing up to go home.
Killer for all of them is shipping. While A-Line is expensive, the others are barely behind it once you factor in shipping. A-Line you can get from any hobby store.
For pure storage you can use almost anything, for transport and use, while I won’t argue it is overpriced, the A-Line boxes/case do it well and allow for quick set up and tear down times. If you need storage only go cheap, if you need to transport and use I’ve found it to be worth it.
Also verything is stored on its wheels, which I think is a plus.
After doing another hunt for alternatives recently and still finding nothing, I bit the bullet and purchased 5 of the low boxes from A-Line as well(on sale again).
It all depends on what you need.
I was wasting a lot of time with factory boxes, now all my passenger cars are stored in A-Line boxes, same goes for the freight cars as well as most of my refurbed P2K engines. I can grab it and go and set up nice and quick.
I find the produce boxes (my offering in the link which I posted earlier) excellent for both storage and transporting. The boxes are designed for a fair amount of weight, and adding the partitioned trays to them further increases the rigidity. You can build the dimensions of each compartment to suit the rolling stock or locomotives, store it on its wheels, and with each piece cradled in foam sheeting material, nothing will move in-transit - the main cause of damage when transporting or shipping models is movement within the container. The foam sheets will not only protect added-on details, but also make it easy to remove the individual models from their compartments.
Most such boxes also have cut-outs for carrying handles and the slip-on lids not only strengthen the box but also won’t pop open while being carried. Don’t forget, such boxes packed with fruit or vegetables weigh much more than if packed with trains, and those boxes are stacked during transit.
The cost is almost free, and each can be customised to hold exactly that which you wish to carry - no compromises necessary.
Wayne
Some produce boxes are lightly waxed to prevent damaged organics from soaking the cardboard, and this may be susceptible to rubbing off onto unprotected models. in addition, paper-based storage material is an attraction to various insect infestations, such as silverfish, which can degrade paper storage containers over time, even if stored in a climate-controlled interior location, not to mention in the garage. My plastic container suggestion avoids these issues and also that of temperature-induced plastic dryout, which can occur if stored in a variable humidity environment, such as a garage (know this from unfortunate expetience).
Cedarwoodron
Many years ago, a friend gave me an old saleman’s display case. It’s large and flat with a door that swings open on each side. I cut shelves from thin molding, glued them in and then lined the sides with thin foam. I’ve carried rolling stock all over the country for the last thirty years with this case. I don’t I’ve ever had anything damaged except when I did something stupid (like knocking it over when it was open).
I think you could probably find something fairly similar on eBay at a good price. Here are some I found with a quick look:
This last one is very similar to what I have.
One good thing is that they’re very sturdy compared to anything corrugated.
Jim
If I may and purely as food for thought beg this question.
What price protection?
With todays highly detail cars and locomotives shouldn’t we go the extra step for protecting them while being toted between home and the club.
Ummm, you don’t have to go cadillac. Just get 2 or 3 boxes plain and $10 each is pretty economical. Each box holds quite abit - personally I think the SMD boxes are inexpensive and do the job well.
If one can get to a show where SMD is at, $10 is all you pay. Of course any big boxes from any vendor is going to add on for shipping - no way around that. Boxes are big and bulky. SMD is reasonbly priced - I’ve got a couple of their boxes and they work well.
I agree. I was only pointing out that he wanted a carrying case and that was what was driving up the cost.
If anyone wishes to go the do it yourself route, similar boxes can be found elsewhere. For example, Papermart (http://www.papermart.com/tuck-top-corrugated-mailing-boxes/id=1172#1172) has many different boxes. They have 23X13X2-1/2 deep for $1.31 each, and 23X13X3-1/2 deep for $1.34 each, not including tax and shipping. Of course they are sold in bundles of 25, but at that price the OP could use 4 of them, throw the rest away, and still break even.
And I agree with the OP that storing the cars on their wheels is a much better idea than on their sides.
Sure, if the OP wants the whole shebang and then it should come as no surprise its going to cost a good deal more. The solution might be something in the middle, like get a few of the SMD boxes and then make some sort of carry strap home made.
Yes, and there are some pre-made train storage boxes that allow you to store on the wheels, vs. the sides, but natually they are pricier.
Some sort of DIY is probably the solution here.
Barkley’s Better Boxes. I found the receipt for boxes I bought at a Houston train show in February; a four tray HO box was $33.99. A single tray HO box was $8.99. Marty Barkley; he can be reached at mbarkley@neosoft.com, email him to see what his show schedule will be.
Each tray has four sections; with two foam inserts per section. Cars/engines can be stored on their sides or on their wheels; whichever works best for you. He also has longer boxes for passenger cars. I can get 32 covered hoppers in one of his four tray HO boxes. I use a single tray box for cabooses.
Nerf - here are a couple suggestions that trade cost for a little bit of work. Meaning, cheap but you have to invest a bit of time. Time is free! It passes whether you pay or not.
Brand new pizza boxes only require foam to be added to make nice carrying/storage boxes. While you can get pizza boxes here and there for free when you pick up that deep dish meat lovers for the family, the work comes from cutting the foam to fit the box (now that aint hard work, see?). Perfect for N scale or smaller sizes, suitable for HO. Being a carrying case - Who cant carry a pizza?NOT durable, NOT stackable, but functional none the less.
Another ‘free’ box requiring the work of adding foam is a computer motherboard box. These boxes are thick, sturdy, and durable. Mosey on down to your favorite geek store and ask if you can have their throwaways. Add foam, et voila! A perfect box for storing or carrying rolling stock. These boxes far outweigh all past/current boxes that models are shipped in new. Definately an upgrade box for your models.
Now both aforementioned box types are free to get, serve the purpose albeit you wont get any glamorous reviews from your friends. To a bit more extreme, and in the large size (for carrying ALOT of rolling stock at once) you may want to venture down to your local music store. Instrument cases such as those for guitars, basses, violins, and other instruments of similar size are perfect contestants to become carrying cases. They already are in a way.
Most always they are felt lined with some form of molding inside that matches in shape the instrument they hold. Remove that part and now you have a perfect case to foam up and load up. With handle! A used case can go from 10 dollars to 50. “Road” cases are better than “standard” cases as they are built more durably to withstand the rigors of being on the ‘road’. They are stackable and self supporting, stand
I use an Eco Box franchise store in town when I need odd sized shipping boxes. They carry many of the U-line boxes; if they have it in stock, you can buy in small quantities, rather than the 25 minimum order.