Cardboard O gauge engine storage boxes

The last thread I recall had folks buying baseball card boxes from sources like uline. Don't remember a source for foam liners. Let's hope others see this to respond to you.

I been using BCW Baseball card boxes but they're a bit pricy since the Covid.

This is there link:   https://www.bcwsupplies.com/

For foam liners, you might try Michael's Craft Stores, Hobby Lobby or any fabric store.

Chuck

What I've used in the past are BCW Trading Card Boxes.  They come in all sizes and are the perfect size for many O-scale locomotives and cars.

Here are the two biggest single row and multi row boxes, they come in a host of smaller sizes as well.

Here's a nice combination of foam and boxes, either together or separately, from Germany, but they're quite pricey:

     Organizers and Foam Inserts for Model Trains | Feldherr

Check out their "Pick-n-Pluck" foam if you need to make your own custom form-fitting foam liners.  This is the stuff that is scored in two directions, and you simply pull the resulting cubes out of the foam block to create a hole that fits your locomotive's profile.

Mike

Gee Mike, by the time you buy the foam and then shipping from Europe, why not just put the engine in an old shoebox and buy a new one if you break it?  It'll be about the same price.

Thanks for the suggestions!

George

George....for most traditional rolling stock the 5 lb cheese boxes from the supermarket are great....and they are free....thought you would like to know....

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

Gee Mike, by the time you buy the foam and then shipping from Europe, why not just put the engine in an old shoebox and buy a new one if you break it?  It'll be about the same price.

Agreed.

M.

I have a number of the O gauge Hauler boxes and they are excellent. Too bad they are no longer available. I am using the large, 5 section BCR boxes for freight car storage. They will hold up to about a 60 ft boxcar. 18" passenger cars are iffy as they generally measure over 18" from coupler face to coupler face and the inner dimension of the box is slightly less than 18".

The center car is 60 ft, the others are 50 ft.

The boxes aren't real deep so if you store a diesel in one make sure the horn on the top of the engine doesn't hit the inside bottom of the box top. I found out that my Atlas boxcars that have brake wheel stands are too tall. The brake wheel does contact the inside top of the box and these brake wheel stands are fragile enough without the boxtop pressing down on them.

For longer cars and engines I suggest you go to a Home Depot or Lowes and buy cardboard packing boxes that your engine or car will fit in. Then go to a Jo-Ann Fabrics craft store and buy different thicknesses of their green foam to make your own storage box. Takes a little planning but I made a few like this before the O Gauge Haulers came out.

Ken

@kanawha posted:

I have a number of the O gauge Hauler boxes and they are excellent. Too bad they are no longer available. I am using the large, 5 section BCR boxes for freight car storage. They will hold up to about a 60 ft boxcar. 18" passenger cars are iffy as they generally measure over 18" from coupler face to coupler face and the inner dimension of the box is slightly less than 18".

The center car is 60 ft, the others are 50 ft.

The boxes aren't real deep so if you store a diesel in one make sure the horn on the top of the engine doesn't hit the inside bottom of the box top. I found out that my Atlas boxcars that have brake wheel stands are too tall. The brake wheel does contact the inside top of the box and these brake wheel stands are fragile enough without the boxtop pressing down on them.

For longer cars and engines I suggest you go to a Home Depot or Lowes and buy cardboard packing boxes that your engine or car will fit in. Then go to a Jo-Ann Fabrics craft store and buy different thicknesses of their green foam to make your own storage box. Takes a little planning but I made a few like this before the O Gauge Haulers came out.

Ken

Hi Ken, thanks! I like you ideas ! I wonder if bankers boxes would work too? I’ll Need to do some measuring.

thanks,

George

Great thread !!!

Thanks to all posters !!!

CB&Q Bill

Following years of typical practice for the packaging of brass models, wouldn't some sort of clear film or a paper wrap of the model to separate it from direct contact with the open cell foam liners be a good idea??

Besides being sure to prevent any long-term chemical interactions between painted models and the coloring dyes used in sheet foam product, the clear film tends to minimize foam cells directly grabbing onto delicate projections from the model when inserting/removing the model from its snug pocket.  A film wrap also tends to make the whole transfer easier...at least in my experience.

And I know that some plastic films and papers used for wrapping stored models are not of the best composition.  They also can have long term effects on model finishes.  I'm still learning what to ask/look for when it comes to those wrapping materials...like "acid-free" for the paper products.

Anyone else live through the horror of the notorious 'red foam bleed' in certain HO brass model packages in the last century??  What a mess!!  And the deterioration of other foams used in early production of imported brass products.  IMHO, I wouldn't leave any model in direct contact with a foam box liner.  I call it "Foam Pest"...akin to the other lurking liability, Zinc Pest!

But that's just my opinion...  TEHO.

KD

Be carefeful, as some foams will react to the paint on models and discolor or stick to them. If you are going to do any long-term storage I would suggest wrapping the trains in something first to protect them. And NOT bubble wrap!

I wrap anything in a foam lined box with clear plastic or acid-free paper before putting them in.  I also use the BCW boxes for storage, they the perfect size for many items.

Taking a lead from the wrapping technique used by Lionel and MTH for packaging from the factory I've found these:

1. Polyethylene Foam Wrap , 1/16" Thick, Wrapping and Cushioning -- Ubox ‎No. FOAM11622512, Amazon.com
2. Clear Vinyl Wrap, Generic, 2 Gauge, Overwrap -- Kittrich, JoAnn Fabrics, Item # 17930736
3. Clear Vinyl Wrap with MTH Logo, Overwrap -- MTH, 60-1001 (Locomotive Wrapping Material)

I've wrapped my stuff in the Poly Foam Wrap first and then overwrapped that with the vinyl.  I haven't spent the extra money to get the real MTH vinyl, but used the Kittrich generic vinyl instead.

So far, so good, but only time will tell.

Mike

@kanawha posted:

The boxes aren't real deep so if you store a diesel in one make sure the horn on the top of the engine doesn't hit the inside bottom of the box top. I found out that my Atlas boxcars that have brake wheel stands are too tall. The brake wheel does contact the inside top of the box and these brake wheel stands are fragile enough without the boxtop pressing down on them.

Ken

If you look at the BCW pics in John's first reply, notice that the boxes that have multiple chambers have a deep cover.  You can take advantage of that for the slightly taller cars/engines...the ones with horns, whistles, etc...by adding a sheet of the foam to the inside of the cover.  The deep cover will stay put on the main box, but the foam cover liner will give you that extra top protection.  The single BCW boxes, as shown, by their nature don't give you that cover advantage.  I tend to not use the singles for those fragile-top situations you mentioned.

BCW offers some interesting discounts from time to time.  The boxes cost less if purchased in quantity...something those of you in clubs might want to consider.  Our LHS has a sizeable games department which likes to offer the BCW boxes for their customers from time to time.  You might be able to join in one of their purchase orders if you have a gamers retailer/LHS nearby, and gain some cost advantage in the process.

And, the other BIG advantage of  buying in quantity is survivability of the boxes in shipping from BCW or their dealers, wholesalers.  Boxes are shipped FLAT...meaning you will need to fold them up into their final shape...an easy job.  NO ONE ships them to you pre-formed.  Ergo, if you have a discounted bundle of box flats shipped, they will have far more survivability through the shipping process than if you order fewer.

FWIW...

Another Ken

I use a style called a mailer, they come in many sizes; the ones that I use are 4" x 4" x  either 16" for my freight cars or 24" for my passenger cars. I get mine (flat bundles of 25) from ebay (strictly for my convenience) but U-Line and many others offer them. They look remarkably like those single-row baseball card boxes, btw.

@gunrunnerjohn posted:

I wrap anything in a foam lined box with clear plastic or acid-free paper before putting them in.  I also use the BCW boxes for storage, they the perfect size for many items.

I do the same thing that John mentions here. I use the “supershoe” box from BCW and wrap my rolling stock or my diesels in acid-free paper. Then I put the boxes in water tight totes from the container store. By doing this, I was able to consolidate my large rolling stock collection into a smaller foot print.

For my engines, I ordered anti-static foam from the foam factory (https://www.foambymail.com/anti-static-foam.html). I’ve been able to store most of my diesels this way which further reduces all the space of the boxes.

Tyvek is good for wrapping loco and cars. Prevents scuffing, puncture resistant and lets water vapor pass through.  Also ph neutral.