Hauler Review... the Samsonite of O scale transport

I purchased the O Scale Hauler from Doug about 2 weeks ago and I have to say that it’s a fantastic product.  I ended getting the Club Set which includes two cars Haulers and one locomotive Hauler along with some extra foam blocks and the wooden bases with grooved flange ways.  When the boxes arrived, they were already assembled and securely wrapped with stretchy shipping plastic for the long transit from CA to NJ.  With the extra things I ordered, they were heavier than I expected, but once the shipping plastic was cut away, each box was manageable in size and weight.  

The items that I decided to store in the Haulers were trains that were manufactured in the 90’s, such as some semi-scale freight cars, passenger cars, a conventional 700E Hudson and NYC Mohawk.  While the items are in there, I didn’t notice any danger of the foam side snagging any small details of anything that was placed in the Hauler. 

Everything fits nicely and securely in the Hauler and the foam blocks keep each item stable while carrying and for transport in a car/truck.  

Although I haven’t stood on my Haulers like CENTRALFAN1976, there’s no doubt that you can stack many on top of each other without fear of them collapsing. 

I wouldn’t hesitate making this purchase again and speaking with Doug before and after the purchase and delivery, he’s a heck of a good guy.

I have had 3 loaded Haulers under my train table for 6 months awaiting my new layout build.  They stand up quite well.  I am very pleased.

I highly recommend this product not only for transport but for general storage.

This product looks great for transport, but I would not use it for long-term storage, because of the polyurethane foam.

I tried to do some research on storage materials a little while back, and I found polyurethane foam on the "bad" list in several places. I also found gun enthusiasts complaining online that the finish on some firearms had been ruined by prolonged contact with the "egg crate" foam inside of their cases, which I am pretty sure is the same stuff.

FWIW, here is a link to a bulletin from the National Park Service which discusses safe storage materials: https://www.nps.gov/museum/pub...serveogram/18-02.pdf It does point out that non-archival materials can still be good choices for transport, where the artifact will not be in long-term contact with them.

Good points Nickaix!

As soon as my daughter gets married in September, I plan to start moving trains down to the room she will vacate.  Then I will get the stored ones out of the box and onto some of the shelves she will leave behind.  I hate having trains stored.  I would rather have them all running and no shelf queens, but on the shelf is better than in the box.

Here's the link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QR3c4NzjvBc

Going to place an order for a few more

nickaix posted:

I highly recommend this product not only for transport but for general storage.

This product looks great for transport, but I would not use it for long-term storage, because of the polyurethane foam.

 

Hi Nickaix - 

In your opinion, what if your definition of long term storage?  How much time could pass before the polyurethane would do damage?

Phoebe Snow Route posted:

Hi Nickaix - 

In your opinion, what if your definition of long term storage?  How much time could pass before the polyurethane would do damage?

Boy I sure wish I knew for sure! I'm no expert on archival materials, just someone who has done some internet research. For what it is worth, this is what I have gathered (especially from the firearms forums):

There are two possible problem with the polyurethane foam. The first is that it is an open cell foam, which means that it will absorb moisture from the air and trap it against the item you are storing. Some gun collectors who live in places with high humidity reported rust developing within a matter of months. Of course, gun barrels are made of blued steel, and pressed pretty tightly against the foam in those crates. With our trains, I think this less of a worry, and of course you could throw in a desiccant to help keep the humidity down. The second problem is the foam outgassing chemicals which in turn affect the stored item, or even breaking down and sticking to it. This seems to take several years at least, but I could not get a good handle on how many years "several" is.

One thing you might do is to put each engine or car into a polyethylene bag before placing it in the box (Polyethylene is listed as one of the 'safer' plastics in the NPS document; Uline sells bags made from it by the thousand.) That way the foam will not be in contact with your trains, and you still get the cushioning from the foam. Probably a good idea to put a desiccant inside the bag, too, since the bag will not allow water vapor to escape. Again, I'm no expert, and am just musing about what would be the safest way to use the (very nice) boxes you already have.

unfortunately this thread will probably get deleted even through it has great info on a great product.  I am not Doug and have no connection to him other then I too purchased the hauler and Doug is a club member.

this was posted on another site and is worth posting here to set any fears aside.

"You have nothing to worry about using the O Scale Hauler for storage. Long term.. still don't. The foam used inside will not turn color, degrade, or harm your trains in anyway. No they will not protect them from a flood... yes someone ask me that lol

The polyurethane foam is high end, not craft quality, nor egg crate material. I buy direct from a company who does nothing but custom award winning Recaro automotive seats, Boeing aircraft contracts, and high end custom military hardware and equipment.

I've had Post War and MPC era trains sitting in similar boxes with a lesser quality foam since 2006, and no sign of damage to the trains or degrading of the foam inside. Besides, the only real contact is to the wheels and bottom of the trucks. The side pieces are not a tight fit, and the top piece of foam rests on the 2 side pieces.

I market them for transportation, and storage. I use them for my own stuff, including Sunset and Pecos River brass. I wouldn't use them or sell them to others if they caused damaged to our models. I did my homework, they are perfectly safe for storing your trains. I'm quite sure the foam will out last all of us."

I hope the thread does not get deleted until people have a chance to read it.

Nice video

I've been using these for a couple of shows now, and I am very happy with them.  In the past, when I would take Atlas cars to shows, I would only do so in the original boxes for fear of damaging the fragile detail parts.  This made packing up at the end of the shows a bit of a pain in trying to re-pack everything.  At our last Greenberg show I took a bunch of Atlas reefers and these haulers made a big difference in how fast I could pack up.  Another club member and I ordered a bunch more which will be arriving later this week.

Now I can only blame my own clumsiness for damaging fragile Atlas detail parts...

Andy

This weekend my modular club, The National Capital Trackers, had a train show in Kensington, Maryland. I participated and used the O Scale Hauler "Club Set" for the first time. The added feeling of protection for my trains led me to take two of my best locos to the event, PRR T1 and PRR M1B, 2 Head End cars, 5 21" passenger cars, 11 boxcars, and a caboose. In the past I wouldn't take my best locos for fear of damage in transit.

I had a blast running my trains all weekend, and got a lot of compliments from club members and the public. The O Scale Hauler was great, quick to pack, and unpack, and when I got home last night, there was no damage to any of my equipment.

At the show, I showed The O Scale Hauler around to the other guys, they seemed impressed, I told them how to get one.

I am very pleased with the product. It cost me $100, I figure if prevents damage to just one car or  loco, it has paid for itself, not to mention allowing me to bring and show off my best trains with no worries.

Two in the back, and the other one further up

Way to go Craig!  Thanks for the video.  The O Gauge Hauler is the best!

Looks like a great product! 

I've had my O Scale Hauler for some time now & have been meaning to order another w/some additional supplies. Mandi & Doug are two of the nicest people I've ever met in the industry. They have been really easy to do business with & their product is one of those "it's so obvious why didn't I think of it" ideas.

I need another loco hauler. I also use mine primarily to transport engines & cars safely but also to store some fine brass engines that are a pain to put in & take out of their original packaging. The O Hauler protects your valuable collection & is easier to use. Boxes that are used primarily for storage don't require gluing w/a hot glue gun. The only improvement I can see would be the addition of a wax coating to prevent mold & allow for easy cleaning. A friend in the food services industry made that suggestion based on the produce flats he uses which are wax coated. I've been meaning to send an email to Doug & maybe now I'll get around to it. Doug, if you're reading this say Hi to Mandi. Tell her to contact me when she's ready to leave you.

By the way if your engines & tenders are all die cast the box can get really heavy. But they don't break.

Buy one of these & you wont regret it. You may even go back to order more.