The boxes they came in are a pain and sometimes i think i will damage the unit trying to rebox it. Is there any good alternatives?
gw
I assume you mean as a temporary storage. I believe that most of us use various sizes and brands of plastic tubs, I use dish towels to wrap them prior to going into a tub. Mine don’t spend much time in the tubs, they get rotated quite regularly going to and from the museum. Some other club members use adult diapers to wrap them in prior to going into tubs. Either method will allow some air flow and there is minimal static electricity which may not be good for modern electronics.
What make and road name…?[}:)]
The F3 or the diapers ?
[B)]
Does the static come from the air tight plastic container? Would keeping any locomotive in the original styrofoam frame and cardboard box be bad regarding the static build up? I don’t remember reading before about static affecting the electronics, and would hate to find out too late.
For short-term storage and/or transport to and from the museum I wrap the cars in bubblewrap and it does create a good deal of static electricity. I use the dish towels for anything with the electronics in them, I don’t know what the degree of risk would be in wrapping them in bubblewrap and creating the static potential. I do know that when working on the loco’s electronics the biggest hazard when pulling/inserting boards, chips, etc. is static. I like to try to practice the old adage “an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure”. Making use of original packaging is great if you only take them out to run a couple times a year, but on a regular basis you will more than likely breakoff detail parts.
I don’t like the idea of a sealed top plastic tub other than for short time storage, to much chance of moisture being trapped inside. A loose top would seem ok. However there are forum members who do store their trains that way. Their choice of course.