overlandflyer posted:... if the other side looks as good ...
good luck...gary
This is a good point. A friend who hunted out old trains told me how he sometimes encountered items that looked good on top, but had laid in a box so long in damp or coastal conditions that they were all rusted on the bottom side. Some sellers of old trains will post photos of all sides as complete disclosure.
Thanks for your input, everyone. Here are some additional photos of the cars. (Sorry, all I have is an iPhone 4.)
Macfugu, I'm still interested in these. Please keep me in mind
I still love the looks of those suckers. Doubt they'd look out of line in a enameled Lionel consist or lithoed AF set.
El Classico posted:..... Doubt they'd look out of line in a enameled Lionel consist or lithoed AF set.
i put a similar Dorfan boxcar next to a Lionel 655 boxcar. the Dorfan car is about 1/8" wider with almost identical length and height. the Dorfan trucks ride about 1/4" higher than the Lionel car, though, and you will also have to deal with different coupler types at the same offset.
i didn't have an 8-wheel Flyer freight car handy but next to a 4-wheel #1115 Automobile Boxcar, the Dorfan coupled fine with tab/slots at similar heights on both cars. the Flyer car was just a tiny bit smaller in all dimensions but looked just fine. i'll also give the nod to the Flyer mixed consist on aesthetics. both Flyer and Dorfan cars have some nice litho graphics vs the rather plain Lionel car(s).
getting my photo booth back in service in a few days and i will post a few pictures if i get to it.
cheers...gary
Thanks for the input, everyone. I've run out of time. I'm going to give the cars back to their owner.
Is it best to wrap them in bubble wrap or newspaper or something else?
Thanks!
John
Butcher paper or tissue paper, as the newspaper may get them dirtier. Don't wrap them in bubble wrap!
Not selling them then??
I don't put trains in direct contact with any sort of paper. I always put the train in a clean food grade plastic bag, then the train either gets wrapped in newspaper or put in a box.
That goes for pieces that are in Styrofoam trays too. I have seen pieces where the pattern of the Styrofoam got imprinted onto the paint.
I've written about this so many times and nobody seems to read it...
Plastic IS NOT stable nor archival.
Newspaper destroys paint.
Never EVER let bubblewrap touch anything.
i've used tissue paper for decades and it does not harm tinplate or painted cars one bit. the most recent pack i got was from Staples and even though it turned out to be acid-free, this isn't particularly necessary. the acid in paper will make the paper eventually decompose (i'm talking decades), but it will not harm anything touching it. if it is only for shipping, anything will do, but a problem there might be that the person receiving them will not unwrap and just store them as you shipped.
cheers...gary
MrNabisco posted:I've written about this so many times and nobody seems to read it...
Plastic IS NOT stable nor archival.
Newspaper destroys paint.
Never EVER let bubblewrap touch anything.
Here's an example where bubble wrap was used. (It wasn't me, I bought a pair because of the designs left by the bubble wrap.)
That's awful to happen to an Ives car! I love those cars.
ron m posted:Here's an example where bubble wrap was used. ...
wow, that's the worst case i've ever seen. i have a 6464 type boxcar that has smaller bubble dots, but you have to hold it up to the light at a certain angle to see the effect. probably something to think about when buying something online with indistinct photos.
cheers...gary
bubble wrap also holds moisture in humid climates. I have had a few stored pieces that had flaking paint from not being taken out of the bubble wrap just after shipment.
Thanks for the advice everyone.
I don't have time to go to the store. Would plain paper towels work?
Plastic IS NOT stable nor archival.
I have trains that have been stored as I described above, in food grade plastic bags, then in newspaper or individual boxes, since 1974. I take an item or two out from time to time. I have yet to find any that have suffered any ill effects. Still, other's results could differ, use it at your own risk.
As shown above, bubble wrap is a no-no.
Macfugu posted:Thanks for the advice everyone.
I don't have time to go to the store. Would plain paper towels work?
For short term use like shipping, I often use a paper towel, then put it in plastic bag. I don't recommend the plastic bag for long term storage. I just had a buyer thank me for putting them in bags being the USPS decided to use the box for a toy boat.
Steve
Paper towels are not archival and full of acidic chemicals.
Just because you got LUCKY with plastic and newspaper doesn't mean they are archival materials. The old "it worked for me" defense is not a valid argument.
I have friends who are professional museum storage experts and I have researched and posted about this topic often, and everybody ignores it.
I give up. Go ahead and trash your rare litho trains...
Toy train collectors are in complete denial about the proper way to store and transport rare delicate and valuable items.
Just because you got LUCKY with plastic and newspaper doesn't mean they are archival materials. The old "it worked for me" defense is not a valid argument.
"Lucky" would probably apply if I had just a few items that were stored that way. That isn't the case. If toy trains were as delicate as you claim, I think they would be ruined by the acids and oils left on them from being handled. I have a friend who only handled his camera collection with while cotton gloves. I guess some train collectors do the same. They are probably in a small minority.
Do you have any photos of items damaged by using food grade plastic bags?
And I missed the part where you explained how trains should be stored. IMHO, telling people they are storing their trains the wrong way, but not telling them how to properly store them is not very helpful.
By the way, don't close the bags. In fact, I often punch holes in them to let them breathe.
C W Burfle posted:Just because you got LUCKY with plastic and newspaper doesn't mean they are archival materials. The old "it worked for me" defense is not a valid argument.
"Lucky" would probably apply if I had just a few items that were stored that way. That isn't the case. If toy trains were as delicate as you claim, I think they would be ruined by the acids and oils left on them from being handled. I have a friend who only handled his camera collection with while cotton gloves. I guess some train collectors do the same. They are probably in a small minority.
Do you have any photos of items damaged by using food grade plastic bags?
And I missed the part where you explained how trains should be stored. IMHO, telling people they are storing their trains the wrong way, but not telling them how to properly store them is not very helpful.
By the way, don't close the bags. In fact, I often punch holes in them to let them breathe.
There IS an archival plastic for bags and wrapping - Polyethylene. It was developed by Dupont and their trademark material is called Mylar.
One source - <http://www.archivalmethods.com...ct/polyethylene-bags>
Ron M
I looked around on the web to see what "food grade" plastic bags are made from. The answer I see is "Polyethylene". So what is different about these "archival plastic" bags?
MrNabisco posted:Paper towels are not archival and full of acidic chemicals.
...
once again, the "acid" talked about in paper is natural occurring from the breakdown of the wood fibers. very few things in nature (including water) are pH = 7.00. acid free or archival paper is used when the paper itself needs to be preserved. it will not yellow or decompose and will last hundreds of years. actually, due to changes in modern paper manufacturing processes, most paper produced is acid free now.
as with anything there are trade-offs. on a scale of 1 to 10 where 10 would have your model suspended in a nitrogen purged, dark enclosure and 1 would be buried in the sand at the beach, i'd still put wrapped in plain tissue paper at an 8 or 9.
cheers...gary
C W Burfle posted:I looked around on the web to see what "food grade" plastic bags are made from. The answer I see is "Polyethylene". So what is different about these "archival plastic" bags?
None, as long the material is polyethylene.
Ron M
For those that are interested here is another source for Polyethylene bags. These might be better suited for trains since they have a gusset. While I have not purchased this specific product, I have purchased other product from both of these companies, and will do so again.
Access to this requires an OGR Forum Supporting Membership
