Best Way Store And/Or Transport Trains?

Without the O-Scale Hauler, you are screwed, in my opinion.  Maybe Laidoffsick will comment on this, or you could contact him direct (I'm sure his eMail address is in his profile).

puppy piddle pads and plastic containers easily hold 20 to 25 cars.

tool boxes for engines.

That's why I just bought 10 club packs

Gunrunner John has made a couple of posts in the past advocating baseball card storage boxes; that looked like a very nice method to me and they come in various sizes.

Jim

Nothing beats the O Scale Hauler for setup and take down effiency. You can be up and running a train in 5 minutes

Tuscan Jim posted:

Gunrunner John has made a couple of posts in the past advocating baseball card storage boxes; that looked like a very nice method to me and they come in various sizes.

Jim

Yes, I agree. Baseball card boxes with slats dividing the compartments are the way to go. I have many of them and they are strong, stackable and hold up great. Mine are over twenty years old and still working well. Try to buy in bulk to maybe save a few bucks. I actually got mine from a fellow I knew who was a card/comic book store owner, so I got mine at wholesale. 

Crap, sounds like I missed my opportunity to buy O scale haulers. I just didn't need them right now.

Old suitcase and bubble wrap. Every Tuesday night, I leave the house in the same fashion for the past 20 years to my club www.ocsmr.com. Wife always says to have fun, find another woman. Are you sure there are trains in there? Lol!

Suitcase and bubble wrap been working great for many years now.

I have yet to see a scale sized Big Boy in a baseball card box, let a lone two for that matter 

On a serious note though, yes my inventory is almost gone and there will not be another run. I hope to bring them back in a couple years if I can, and I am going to try. They have done really well, even better than I could have expected. I don't want this to be the end but at this point in time, I have other priorities to tend to. 

I use Harbor Freight 20" aluminum tool boxes for transporting delicate steam and pack air conditioner foam around them. Their around $15.00 with a 25 % off coupon. Very protective and easy to carry. Wish the made some longer ones, though.

This is a great and safe idea when we take our Quality Neatly Detailed Locomotives and Semi-Delicate cars to Operate on our friends Layout. It's much easier than carrying the factory shipper with all the wrapping and foam, ETC. THANKS FOR POSTING.

 Yes, this is in reference to Daves posting above me....

Big Boy & Cab Forward

Everyone has their favorite. For me, I prefer the plastic containers that are available from Costco, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. Many of my freight cars, mostly 40 footers, are highly detailed Atlas, Weaver, Red Caboose, Sunset 3rd rail brass, Lionel scale cars, etc. These have separately applied hand grabs, stirrups, etc and I am really careful to protect these. 

The first group of photos show the Costco box. I built a wood divider for the bottom with padding on the side and ends. I also screwed pieces of wood to the side that are slightly higher than my tallest engine. The bottom holds 3 engines, the largest is my Lionel scale SP 4-8-4. I then made a plywood cover to fit over the bottom row with a hole in the middle, used to lift off the cover. I can add 6, 40 ft freight cars to the top layer. Everything is protected with bubble wrap and foam padding.

The second type of container with the flaps, came from Home Depot. Same idea as the one above it. 

I needed a container for my 18 inch passenger cars and for my larger E7's, E8's, Dash 9, etc. Because I did not want to mix passenger and freight in the same container, I decided to go with a low profile container. So I have several of the same type for easy stacking and transporting.

I do have some standard 40 ft freight cars that do not have separately applied hardware. For these, I use a cardboard box made by Uppa Valley Lines. Since these are not highly detailed, there is little chance of any damage. Uppa Valley boxes are offered by my club member and good friend.

If there are any questions on how I made my containers, please let me know.

Ray

Ornament Boxes:

Scott Smith

Liadoffsick, Do you have a good source for the grey packing foam you can provide to us?

Unfortunately I don't. My supplier is somewhat local so I picked it up once my order was ready. They also have a minimum $500 order requirement. The foam was the biggest obstacle and will be again when I try to bring them back once we have moved to NM.

Ok, lots of good ideas, but, Thinking that I am getting Older, 72 Plusss--I think the Carrying Case with good handle on top shown by DAVEZUCAL makes good sense to me.  With my back issues, it's easier for me to carry a case.  Some of these engines weigh a lot, some do not, but I like the case.....��

Thanks Larry. I've seen longer light weight aluminum tool boxes, but not at the great Harbor Freight prices. But as Laidoffsick mentioned, a good source for the foam is always an issue. I was using weather stripping foam which is 2" square from any hardware store and thick black felt. Cutting to lenght is not a problem, but splitting down the length and getting a nice cut is. Though much more expensive then cardboard or plastic totes, the protection is unbeatable and renders more of a use for highly detailed locomotives. The lids on these can also be locked with a small pad lock or even a nut and bolt. I'm sure an engine would survive without any damage packed properly in soft foam if accidentally dropped down a stair case.

Thanks Dave, as many of the Train Enthusiast in my group have layouts, it's fun to take Engines to run on their Layouts.  In Tennessee, Indiana, Kentucky, Georgia, Ohio, it's simply fun to watch our motive power running on different layouts, having fun with Others....So, this is why this thread is interesting to me. For Years, we have used the cartons the engines are shipped in, taking them out and then Re-Packing them, It gets OLD.  So, now I will head to Harbor Freight....Finding Foam and bubble Wrap is easy....Thank You.

Whatever you do, do not the green craft foam sold at Michaels and other craft stores for long term storage. The green foam breaks down, turns brown, and sticks to the paint and any handrails its pressed up against. Pay a little more for a better quality foam.