I have a small layout and cars are routinely handled on and off the layout. I made storage boxes with an inner latticework made from cardboard. The cars are stored on their wheels (1/2" clearance on sides) and can roll a couple inches front to rear. I left a gap on Front and Rear cardboard panels to allow the kadees to go under the lattice work. These boxes work well for Athearn BB, MDC, and Accurail cars with molded on ladders.
However, I now have six tank cars with fragile end railings and five details west boxcars with fragile add on ladders. Any thoughts on how to store these cars so it’s easy in/out of the box and protects the fragile end details + kadees?
If you have a Container Store nearby, it would be well worth a visit. They have endless assortments of boxes/cases that can be adapted for MR use.
I have 6 clear plastic cases, about 18x20x2 1/2 that work great for car storage. I cut strips of box cardboard to length, and can put 2 cars end to end in each of the 5 or 6 slots per box. I also cut small squares of cardboard to separate the two cars in each slot.
The boxes have “locking” lids, you can see the contents, and they hold the cars securely. I’ve used them for 5-6 years, and have had no problems.
It sounds to me like your boxes are just cardboard and lack foam or any similar “cushioning” material. Correct me if I’m wrong.
Anyway you definitely what foam or something similar in those boxes, not just cardboard. That will make those boxes a lot safer for you cars. I’ve seen boxes made specifically for model train use, were the cars are rested on their wheels with foam on both sides as well as the top. The cars are placed in rows, and coupling them together often keeps the kadees from breaking. Also the ends have foam so the cars on the end have something protective for their end details.
You could also make your own boxes for cars, but that could be a lot of work…
I‘d say purpose built boxes are the best because they will fit cars better and therefore cause less breakage. People may be able to chime in with some manufacturers of such boxes…
Okay, so a quike google search comes up with A-line (I think that may be what I was describing above, and Spring Mills depot. The A-line’s have foam on the ends, between cars, and underneath, but not on the sides. I think there should be something on the sides but that’s my only problem with the A-line stuff. Spring Mills Depot‘s design has foam on all side except the end, which is better, but I personnally don’t like how they store cars on their sides, that’s not the way cars usually are and I‘m afraid of breakage or side details as a result.
I have many Athearn BB kit built with KDs and IM wheels, mild weathering and Dull-Cote. These cars are very durable, and do not need the same level of “storage care” as my Red Caboose, IM, Ulrich, and other highly detailed cars.
So the question to the OP is, what kind of cars are you wanting to store?
I’m not the OP (duh!) but I think his problem is that he used to have the former, meaning durable blue box, etc, which can handle his current storage system. Now, however, he has the latter highly detail variety of cars and it concerned about how his current storage methods may cause them damage.
Put some small pieces of foam, like the stuff that locomotives are packed in, on each end. Bachmann Spectrum locomotive boxes are a great source. It’s like a spong/foam rubber, with real small cells.
Heck, even a soft sponge, cut in pieces would work on each end, so they don’t roll back and forth so much.
Mostly, whatever you come up with, be carefull ! I did a lot of damage to a BLMI box car, just trying to get it out of the factory packaging. Some of the under car brake detail was actually stuck in the packaging. [|(]
I have two boxes with rolling stock. One box has western roads but majority BN and the other has eastern roads but majority Conrail. Some days I run days eastern and others western. The inside of the boxes have a cardboard latticework to separate the cars and a cardboard bottom. The boxes stay on top of a large chest of drawers near my layout table. Cars rotate in and out of the boxes during operation.
The boxes have covered hoppers and boxcars from BB Athearn, RTR Athearn, MDC, Accurail, LL P2K, and Walthers. The P2K hoppers have held up well with my storage system.
Recently, I purchased two Atlas tank cars and six MDC tank car kits. All have a thin fragile rail at both ends of the tank car. I also purchased Details West boxcar kits with fragile ladders. I am concerned that these end rails (or ladders) will break or become dislodged if I used a similar storage method as my boxcars and hoppers. Thus the atlas cars stay in their original boxes and the MDC cars remain unbuilt until I come up with a solution. I do recognize that I could wrap them in an oversized paper towel and then put in the box. But, all the tank cars are black and I would have to unwrap to find the ADM cars or the petroleum cars…
The easiest solution is to keep the Atlas tankers in their boxes and add packing foam to the MDC + Details West kit boxes after building the models. Not as handy for operation but doable. Apologies for such a novice, newbie thread!
I have several cars, including some Blue Box, where once you install the coupler the box is no longer long enough, or the fit is so tight that the coupler bears the brunt of any jostling. For at least some of those cars, I take foam rubber (used in some packaging) and cut it into wedges so that car can be placed in the box at a diagonal angle.
I also swap boxes around - some models do not need the size of box they come in.
And during the revival of interest in cigars that swept the country a couple of decades ago, the local cigar store begged for people who would want their empty cigar boxes, sturdy cardboard with a nice attached lid. Wide enough for multiple models plus protective foam rubber. The tobacco aroma goes away after a while.
To be honest it sounds like you need to build a staging/storage yard to hold all of your cars.
Also you could build a shelf under your layout or somewhere else handy and lay some track in there. Then place the cars on that and their about as protected as they are on the layout.
Original boxes work well most of the time, but they are a PAIN if you have to take cars on and off the layout a bunch!
I use the Spring Mills boxes for my transport. I have a full set plus the carry case. The sides are protected - you don’t lay the cars over in those boxes, they sit on their wheels. The foam sides protect the sides, and the foam squares protect the ends and couplers.
Most of my rolling stock is Athjearn and Accurail, but I do have some P2K tank cars, which are quite fragile, and a couple of Kadee cars, which also have very fine bits of plastic detail. Nothing has even been broken.
I used to have cheaper boxes sold by another company, where stuff does get laid on its side. Even with foam, it was bending handrails on locos - so that was the end of that. No more storing or transporting anything on its side, always on the wheels. That’s the easiest way to keep from breaking off grabs and steps on the sides and ends.
Plus, real Kadees, which are the only coupler I use - doesn’t matter if a kit comes with a compatible coupler, I always change them out for real Kadees, they are still the best - are quite rugged. The end detail - ladders, brake wheel - are what matter most. I’ve had some Kato hopper car kits (they basically just snap together, no glue) hit the cement floor and turn back into kits - coupler completely undamaged. Lucikly t
I have a medium-size layout, and cars cycle on- and off the layout at all of the five staging yards, four of which are immediately above the shelves where the boxed cars are stored…
Most of my rolling stock has added details, and I modify the boxes accordingly to protect any which might be especially fragile.
As has been mentioned, not all cars will fit in their original boxes, so I re-assign cars to boxes which are more appropriate, or, when necessary, build suitable boxes. Most boxes have either a tissue or paper towel lining the bottom of the box, as I usually store the cars on their sides.
Since I’m modelling the late '30s, many of my freight cars have their brakewheel on a vertical staff, making it an easy item to damage if the car can slide around in its box…
I use a hot glue gun to join a block of not-too-firm foam to one side of the box…
…and the same solution for refrigerator cars run as ventilators, with their roof hatches partially open…
Not only are the details protected, but with the lid on the box, the foam is compressed slightly more, preventing the car from sliding within the box, keeping the couplers protected even when being transported.
These Tangent tank cars are rather more fragile than most freight cars, and I put them both in the same larger box from a different Walthers c
Thanks for the great information Wayne! You’re always very thorough and highlight your points with layout pictures. Where did you buy the small blocks of foam?
Wayne and SPSOT, I agree that a staging platform would be a nice addition to my layout. I’ll have to give it more thought on particulars.
Randy, thanks for the tip on Spring Milla storage boxes. I can see where they would be very useful for a move or bringing cars/locos to another layout. The nice tidy appearance and protection would be a challenge for me to maintain with moving cars on and off the layout during an operating session.
I should clarify that my boxes remain on a chest of drawers so car movement is limited. Also, the 2-inch clearance (end to end) allows easy removal or addition of a car to a storage section. Cars occasionally roll to an end wall but there is a notch which allows the Kadee to go underneath the end wall. It is a gentle roll against a wall with some give. I built one of the Details West models today and tried it out on the storage box. The ladders will be fine as they are more substantial than I remembered and it is a gentle roll.
A shelf for the tank cars and perhaps DW cars would a good solution and a much smaller job. Thanks for the help and suggestions!
They were cut from a larger piece that was part of the packaging for some now forgotten item. I have also purchased foam from a store in the “fabric district” of a nearby city, usually for some specific use. There is a surprising array of foam densities available, and it’s usually possible to buy a fairly small left-over piece, for a decent price, which can go a long way for our uses, while it would be useless for most upholstering projects.
