Keep ALL the boxes?

 I was going to post a picture, but figured it would give some collector a heart attack.

Doubtful. It's your stuff.

Boxes???? What boxes? By the time a train gets into my hands the box is history!  LOL

the majority of what I get, has no box, so when I do get a box, I keep it. I have very little Modern items, so I hang onto anything MPC back . I spent several hours taping together the many pieces of two Marx boxes, simply because they were my late Uncle's, and I've never seen boxes for either item.

I bought and sold trains for several years and boxes are important.  Now  i admit boxes arent for everyone.  But there is a reason why TCA has a grading system for boxes.  I sold an empty cardboard box once for $500.00.  On postwar, it was a cash bonus.  For mpc and newer stuff, it was expected in the price.  Everything I buy I consider the fact that I or my heirs will eventually sell the item.  For storage I flatten what I can and the others I try to store inside each other.  

Another advantage of keeping boxes is to know when you have too many trains.  If you can't store it then you need to sell some stuff. (I can't believe I just wrote this last paragraph, but I know my wife will be proud of me)

Since I am a starter set collector I do the following:

Lionel sets I keep the set box, since it has the cut out foam for storage of the set. 

My MTH Railking sets all have boxes within the set box. I usually discard the outer set box but keep the individual box for every car and loco.

By doing this I can stack and store all of my sets and set pieces. Since I'm a temporary banquet table layout builder ( I run on the floor inside in the winter and a new layout on tables in garage every summer) I need to be able to easily store unused trains. 

One last thing: the track and transformers do not get put away in boxes. I store those in bins and covered tubs.

My plan for all my boxes is.........

Oh, I have no idea! ��

I keep only modern era locomotive boxes and I'm having second thoughts about that. I filled a 20' recycling dumpster full of passenger car/rolling stock boxes and packing materials-twice. 

I like to have everything with boxes.  I do purchase some used rolling stock and occasionally a lower end used engine without boxes.  I like to keep everything safe it its original boxes when it is stored.  I also feel that if (or when) it comes time to sell stuff, the boxes will increase the value.  Heck, I even keep my grandson's Thomas stuff in the original boxes.

My local dealer recently purchased a collection where the owner discarded all the original boxes.  He purchased it for less than with boxes and is selling it for less than with original boxes. 

Tony

Engine and passenger boxes are kept in a store room next to layout in basement.

Switch,xfmr and building boxes are kept under platform at one end.

Rolling stock boxes are kept in larger boxes under platform (16) so far

I have all of my Train purchase`s in an E XCEL program by date purchased,name,mfgr,part number,

cost and storage box number (1 thru 16) each piece of rolling stock has its part number taped

to the underside of the car.So if I want to sell a car I can find the box quickly by consulting the

E XCEL list after reading part number from underside of car.This will also help those packing 

and selling my Trains in event that I die before I can sell this stuff.My layout is 30 X 14 feet,24

engines,235 pieces of rolling stock,69 buildings,28 switches,186 little people,76 cars/trucks,5 miller signs

and a lot of other stuff.Aforementioned EXCEL list is 14 pages long.

For some reason all of the above numbers keep increasing I think I am a very sick man I just started

box 16 last week.

if there are unwanted boxes, why not offer them here? just have someone cover the shipping, or for a small amount. then if there is no interest, toss away with a free conscience. 

Lionel Grandpa posted:

I'm also facing a current dilemma with boxes. Most of my postwar items have a box. After recently renovating our family room and deciding to forego a layout in favor of display only, I now need to find a new place to store them. 

I've passed the "keep the box mentality" on to my grandson. Maybe it's time to tell him he might want to rethink that.

Box storage problem solved.

Part of the base from the old layout was still intact. I was able to re-purpose it to a new work area in the garage with storage underneath. Still sorting a few things out, hopefully the clutter on the top will find a permanent place soon!