How do you store unboxed freight cars?

I purchase plain white boxes to store unboxed cars.
Or I put the car in a plastic bag and then wrap it in newspaper. Then the wrapped car goes into a carton.

In plastic storage boxes, separated by thick sheets of cardboard.

I wrap all of my equipment - engines, passenger and freight cars - in white face towels or white wash cloths depending on the size and put them in plastic storage containers or rolling tool boxes.  

I am always moving equipment from my home to the club and back.  This has been a quick and reliable way to store and to move equipment.  I found that I was breaking more equipment by trying to remove and insert back into boxes.

I get cheap towels from Costco.   Joe 

C.W. is on 'the right track'...

We (LHS) sell game card storage boxes in the Games Dept. of our store.  There are two sizes that work for standard O scale cars....

2.5" x 3.5" x 10"

2.5" x 3.5" x 16"

They come flat...easy to fold in about 30 seconds.  We sell them for the princely sum of 89 cents and $1.19, respectively. 

But this link ...

Game Box Link

...has the entire genre of these boxes....some of which are larger, partitioned for two or three cars.  Sometimes we sell the partitioned ones, but the 'gamers' don't care for them as much as the  single row versions.

These work for standard sized cars.  If you have very tall cars, very long cars, you'll have to be a bit more creative.

I must have about 3 dozen of these labeled and stacked in the car storage area.  I enjoy building the old Athearn, Ambroid, Quality Craft, All-Nation, etc. car kits...all for O3R...and every one has its own white box of this type, labeled with all the pertinent poop on Avery labels.  The cars are each wrapped in a thin sheet of foam or tissue within the box.  Perfect size!

Many of the online sources sell these in quantities.  More than you need?  Not too hard to find some train buddies to share these with.  Hardly a wallet-buster purchase!

FWIW, always....

KD

I store my postwar rolling stock and sets in those plastic drawer units. You can have them boxed or wrapped depending on use. If I ever move I would pack them away more securely and tape the draws shut.

franktrain

I use empty liquor cartons which have 12 slots in them and can be obtained for free.  I put some crumpled up paper at the bottom of each slot as a “shock absorber” and wrap each car in a plastic bag.  For longer cars like passenger cars I’ve used baseball card boxes but they’re not free.

Bill

I use Railroad chalk boxes that I got from work, 40' cars

Clem k

I use plastic sorage containers and wrap the cars in tissue paper and then in large bubble wrap. I can fit about 20 cars per container. Great for my modular group and easy to transport. 

I HAVE MANY OF THE STERLITE OR RUBBERMAID CONTAINERS. SOME OF THE CONTAINERS HAVE POSTER BOARD MADE SLOTS FOR EACH CAR  AND THE REST I JUST USE BUBBLE WRAP.

BEAR IN MIND I DO MOST OF MY RUNNING AT MY CLUB LAYOUT SO TRANSPORTATION AND EASE OF SET UP ARE MY PRIMARY CONCERNS. 

For my post war stuff, I made custom boxes from copy paper boxes. I don't know if I would expend the time to do this for any substantial collection.

Don

Scott Smith has a good method.  If he doesn't see this thread and respond, just email him.

.....

Dennis

I go to my local Baseball/Trading Card Shop and purchase the white boxes intended for trading cards. The have numbers which correspond to the number of cards the box can store, the 660 box usually fits up to a Lionel 6464 boxcar with room, 550 a caboose... They go up to 1200 or 1600. they come flat and I fold them into shape. The lid tucks in with side tabs so no worries about lifting it by the top and the bottom falling out.And for those cars that might be a little taller, they have what those in the hobby call "vaults" which are designed to hold trading cards when you put them in those clear plastic case say, by team.These however are two pieces, bottom and lid. They also have multiple row boxes that look like shoe boxes and larger, 2, 4... rows. I keep my matching Alcos in the double row type. Prices vary, they generally cost me $.50 - $.75 each with the show box style $1.00.

I wrap the car in acid free paper. It's the paper movers wrap fragile items in. Each sheet 2' x 2'. The mover we used to move our son a couple of times gave me an entire package so I'm good forever.

Then I label each box with a label maker and put the boxes in those plastic bins.

Mike

Not a problem for me, don't have any. 

I use plastic snap-lid boxes from Target, Ace, or wherever, and cardboard train boxes made by Uppa Valley Lines. I got my first batch of Uppa Valley boxes at York, and ordered some more by phone later on. They don't have a website, but ordering by phone works fine. The plastic boxes in the photos are by Sterilite, but there are plenty of equivalent brands. Look for boxes that have a provision for stacking. The lids on the Sterilite boxes are dished to hold another box on top.

Here are some photos:

The Uppa Valley Lines boxes have adjustable dividers. They are sized for six 40' scale cars or traditional size cars, but you can reconfigure them for other combinations.

Same.  Buy them flat by the 100 from ULine and fold them up as needed and onto the shelf with my inventory label (Avery) attached and in parallel entered into my inventory (Excel).

In a big pile on the carport. 

Maybe I need to re-think that; hurricanes tend to scatter them, and a few always

blow into the neighbor's hot tub. Those decals wind up in the strangest places.

RubberMaid tubs hold 40 foot freight cars just fine. I have all my freight rolling stock separated by eastern roads, midwestern roads, western roads, and reefers.

wrapping your trains in plastic is an option I would seriously reconsider.

plastic traps moisture and moisture causes rust and while you may not have an issue yet do not be surprised when you see rust on your train wheels, or other metal parts.

think about what lionel uses between the plastic and the engine.

I use doggie piddle pads.

I can tell you what NOT to do.

Way back when I was a youngin', I would wrap my Lionel trains that were not in boxes in newspaper. The ink from the paper would get on the paint of postwar.

Hi Southwest Hiawaatha,

I would STRONGLY recommend NOT using bubble wrap to wrap your rolling stock!  I've heard that some of the plastics that compose the wrap will stick to the paint and make an indelible impression in the cars' paint.  I'd first wrap the cars with a good quality acid free tissue paper, THEN bubble wrap. 

I'd hate to see someone's nice collection ruined. 

I totally agree... DO NOT wrap your rolling stock in bubble wrap without wrapping them in acid free tissue first... and NEVER in newspaper!

quote:

wrapping your trains in plastic is an option I would seriously reconsider.

I have been placing my trains in food grade plastic bags before putting the train into a box or wrapping it in newspaper for about forty-five years. I don't close up the bags, just tuck over the open end. Some of my stuff has been in storage for a lot longer than I care to admit. So far, no problems.
It's my impression that many modern era Lionel items come in plastic bags to protect them from box rubs, etc. 
I've seen painted modern era Lionel locomotives that picked up the pattern of their Styrofoam storage tray when they weren't put into a plastic bag first.

Where the trains are stored may have something to do with my success. They have always been stored in livable space, usually my relatively dry basement.

I suppose we all have our way of taking care of our trains but this is what is recommended by Greenbergs Guide for Lionel Trains on how to wrap your trains..."wrap all sheet metal and plastic items in two or three sheets of acid free (alkaline) tissue paper. Do not wrap them in newspaper, plastic bubble wrap, or old clothing." I prefer to go with what the experts recommend.

Best advice posted on this subject!

L.I.Train (Steve)

Your Question: What is RR Chalk?

Answer: The chalk originally fit inside the chalk pens that the railroads used around "Hump Yards" to mark rail cars for switching. Also used to mark rail cars in any switching area. The chalk was sized for the railroad pens, hence the name, railroad chalk.

Stackable plastic storage boxes with each car wrapped in a towel. I use dish towels from Wal-mart - they come in packs of 4 for about $5. The right size boxes can accommodate engines, passenger cars, freight - whatever. Has worked perfectly for me so far and fit under the layout very nicely.

The baseball card cardboard boxes with dividers are truly excellent and stack 6 or 8 high w/o a problem. They are particularly ideal for diesel engines and passenger cars since they are just the right length and width per section.

For freight cars, I use the aforementioned Sterlite-type snap  lid plastic boxes, mostly the 28 qt. size. Inexpensive and pretty sturdy as well. Also, clear plastic and easy to access cars you want to take out, etc.

When storing regardless of the container, open the couplers to release tension on the springs. A wise Paul Fischer made this point many years ago.

Don

Hi Southwest Hiawaatha,

 

I would STRONGLY recommend NOT using bubble wrap to wrap your rolling stock!  I've heard that some of the plastics that compose the wrap will stick to the paint and make an indelible impression in the cars' paint.  I'd first wrap the cars with a good quality acid free tissue paper, THEN bubble wrap. 

 

I'd hate to see someone's nice collection ruined. 

 

These are not being used for long term storage - they are in boxes to be transported to operating sessions. I am well aware of the issues with bubble wrap, thank you. I do not use it for long term storage. Note that some manufacturers (ETS among others) ship new products in bubble wrap. 

I use wine cartons with cut pieces of an old waffle mattress pad for storage. for transport I use my no longer used brief case padded as above. I also have an unused hard side suitcase that I can use

?? I was lucky, I never had an issue with the newspaper. But the newest sheet in the "box fill pile" here (were they were lubed, wrapped & returned to me) was 1979 (to 68). But I wouldn't push my luck as much today, inks have changed some too.

 I like towels, and cloth diapers.

  If your going to buy, whatever you do buy, get the acid free stuff.

   But I've never sweated it too much. Even with comic books, the wrong plastic is what does the damage 90% of the time. That's why I choose cloth now.

http://www.ebay.com/gds/Acid-F...0000001272392/g.html

This link talks about how unbuffered acid free paper is best. I read a few other places on this topic and they agree with what this ebay seller says.

One site recommended replacing acid free paper over time. Over time even acid free paper can become acidic. They don't say how long acid free paper lasts. 

When I do store an un-boxed car, I put it in a plastic bag, and then into a 30 gallon Rubbermaid tote.

I have come to the realization that stored trains are not enjoyable, and I have way too many freight cars that are in storage. Watch for my ads on the For Sale forum page.

Ahhh.  A different story.  For transport to operating sessions and shows, I too use boxes with internal dividers, and wrap the rolling stock in paper/bubble wrap.  For long term storage, it's another method.  Plastics and paints vary, and over time, they may interact.  For transport, the time is short.  BTW, for some of my less detailed items, old wine boxes are also used.  But the UPPA valley style boxes are indeed the best.

My grandfather wrapped all of his Std Gauge in NEW new un-printed newspaper stock. I continued his practice until I could afford to purchase acid-free tissue wrap at the big box hobby stores in the early 1960's. To this day I still visit my local newspaper to raid their dumpsters. In most cases it was allowed once I explain what I'm using it for. My wife has to drive me around now that my PD is so bad. Two days each week they save the good pieces for my wife to pick up. I learned that it doesn't hurt to ask.

What do they charge for those boxes?  I've also been looking for a better way to transport rolling stock to and from train shows, and these may fit the bill.

Andy