I just joined my local RR club, and want to know how to take trains. I've seen cases for ho and n scale, but an o gauge one would probably be mounted on a wagon. So how do you guys take your trains to the club?
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Paul Moore posted:I just joined my local RR club, and want to know how to take trains. I've seen cases for ho and n scale, but an o gauge one would probably be mounted on a wagon. So how do you guys take your trains to the club?
For freight cars, I have used various sizes of Rubber Maid tubs, with each car wrapped in tissue paper and bubblewrap between each row.
For locomotives, I still use 19" long plastic tool boxes from either Home Depot or Menards. For long articulated steam models, I use the 26" long plastic tool makes made by Plano, sold at Menards. Ever locomotive I have is stored under the layout in those appropriate tool boxes, i.e. I NEVER put a locomotive model back into its original box.
For scale length passenger cars, I use the Hauler Boxes, sold by Laidoffsick, here on the OGR Forum.
Do a search for laidoffsick and take a look at his o-gauge hauler. It is by far the best means that I have seen of protecting and moving engines and rolling stock.
Not cheap... But neither are the trains.
Doug answers e-mails quickly.
Paul,
Like HW and Bill mentioned in their above posts, I have purchased the "club set" from laidoffsick. They are well made and can be rearranged inside to carry different sizes of cars/locos. I ordered with another of my fellow club members to help cut down the shipping cost. Do an internet search on "The O Scale Hauler" and you will find his products.
Nick
I've got several of Dougs O Scale Hauler club sets and the are awesome. Setting up a train takes minutes and it's just as short to take them down n put em away
Like Jack, I use a deep Rubber Maid tub. I normally place two layers of rolling stock in the tub with each piece separated by a piece of cardboard and the layers by a heavy bath towel. The engine (or engines, as the case may be) go in the bottom center of the tub with rolling stock to either side or above in the second layer.
Normally I'll take only one train at a time to the club so one container easily holds an engine or two plus about 9 or 10 cars.
Curt
Another vote for the O Scale Haulers. I used to use plastic totes and bubble wrap but these are much better. I would suggest ordering extra of the foam blocks as well. They really come in handy when packing different sizes of cars.
Hot Water posted:For freight cars, I have used various sizes of Rubber Maid tubs, with each car wrapped in tissue paper and bubblewrap between each row.
For locomotives, I still use 19" long plastic tool boxes from either Home Depot or Menards. For long articulated steam models, I use the 26" long plastic tool makes made by Plano, sold at Menards. Ever locomotive I have is stored under the layout in those appropriate tool boxes, i.e. I NEVER put a locomotive model back into its original box.
For scale length passenger cars, I use the Hauler Boxes, sold by Laidoffsick, here on the OGR Forum.
so true, so true!!!
this is how 90 percent of our club members do it in san diego.
some of use doggie piddle pads and not the tissue paper.
Thanks for the fast responses! I think I might go with the rubber maid containers, just to save money.
Bill Webb posted:Do a search for laidoffsick and take a look at his o-gauge hauler. It is by far the best means that I have seen of protecting and moving engines and rolling stock.
Not cheap... But neither are the trains.
Doug answers e-mails quickly.
I second the O gauge Hauler. I don't have a very large train budget, but the Hauler is well worth protecting my few trains!
A lot of folks in our club use suitcases with bubble wrap on the O gauge side. Wife sees the suitcase packed on a Tuesday night, she knows where I am going for the evening but I reassure her that I am returning that night!
As for the HO side, they carry their trains in the boxes.
I just drop them in a box lined with bubble wrap or plastic bags when I have the good fortune to necessitate taking them anywhere.
I built six of these cases for taking engines and rolling stock to train shows about fifteen years ago. They work great and protect the trains during transportation to and from train shows.
The cases came from Wal Mart. My wife uses this kind of container to store shoes and clothes when not in season.
Each case has five slots. The slots have styrofoam bottoms and are padded with quilt batting. The batting is covered with cloth.
Here are pictures of the cases. They are starting to show a little ware and tare but still do a great job protecting my trains too and from shows.
Thanks,
Richard
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O-Gauge Hauler.
for those on a tight budget, like myself, i use raspberry boxes picked up for free at your local costco or sams. the are stackable, balance well, and are a good size for traditional sized trains. use either paper towels or cardboard scraps between pieces of rolling stock. works well in a pinch and on a budget.
In their original boxes and shipping cartons. In the case of some rolling stock, I keep old computer shipping boxes and put a few of them in that for easier transport. When I get to the club, I use a folding light-duty cart to haul it all in and out of the building. I also have one of Doug's O Gauge Haulers for the 86-foot Hy Cubes.
I carry my engines in their original boxes and the rolling stock in a suitcase. I use towels to cushion the cars and engines that don't have a box. I have a large suitcase and a matching smaller one (I got for free) depending on how many cars I going to take. Plus I use the pockets in the suitcases to carry tools in. I have the big orange Lionel bag I carry the engines w/boxes in and another cloth bag I carry my Cab1-L/Base1-L (unless someone brings their Cab2-L with) and a cradle in case of maintenance. Of course some engine boxes are too long or to big so I just carry them in separately.
O Scale Haulers, Tool Boxes and Big container tubs with Puppy Piddle Pads and Foam only one item is in its original box, The UP BSA 2010 cabooae
Original boxes take too much time, that means you spend too much time packing and unpacking your trains.
Wrapping every piece of rolling stock means broken parts.
Stacking cars on top of other cars? .... try that with some Atlas Master series cars with high hand brakes.
My boxes cost less than an Atlas Master series car, and they hold a lot. Put 2 Vision Line Big Boys back in their original box, or stack them in a plastic tub? 
Our trains are not cheap. You take them back and forth to the club enough times in the original box, or end up with a tub full of broken parts in the bottom...it will happen.
I use shallow Rubbermaid tubs like some of those pictured above, and wrap the trains in old towels. Works for me.
Another vote for the O Scale Haulers. I've used Rubbermaid tubs, original boxes, and tool boxes, and they all take lots of extra time packing and unpacking, especially when you have to individually wrap rolling stock. The O Scale Haulers also save time as well as being a very secure way to transport trains. A couple of shows ago, I took a bunch of Atlas reefers and they all made it there and back again with no broken detail parts (I wish I had these Haulers sooner!).
Andy
One more vote for the O Scale Hauler. Although, I do not belong to a club when I travel to my friends house to run trains that's what I use. Yes, it isn't cheap due to shipping to the east coast but it is SO EASY to pack up the trains and unpack them THAT IT IS WORTH EVERY PENNY. At least to me. The other big advantage is it gets the trains there undamaged.
I must add for those who carry engines in their original boxes an incident that happened to me that convinced me never to do it again. Last summer I took an older Premier PS2 Atlantic to a club event in its original box. It came in the long box with the engine and tender in line. Everyone knows how the flaps are hard to open when new, but after many openings, they come out very easily. I carried the box carefully to the table I was to unpack at. I hadn't noticed There wasn't quite room enough to set the box down, so I took the end of my box to push something over a bit to make room. I didn't notice I had inadvertently tipped my box slightly until I felt the styrofoam insides slipping out of the cardboard box. I was able to avert a disaster at the last moment!!!
This incident was fresh in my mind when I saw the O Gauge Hauler offered. I immediately became a customer.
Another item to consider is a dolly or something with wheels if you are moving multiple boxes at once. My club does temp set-ups on weekends so it is always a huge deal to bring in boxes of scenery components and then get them hauled out again. Being able to run 3 and 4 boxes or more a time to the car makes a big difference.
John Z
Mine stay at the club (Central Operating Lines) in two storage bins. Anything from home, I just bring them in their boxes.
23 cars, 2 cabooses, 10 engines, the Cab 2 Legacy remote, smoke fluid and lube oil... packed for the club, safe and secure. Took less than 30 minutes to pack all that up. 2 days of running, 200 miles round trip and not a single thing broken. It doesn't get any easier or quicker.
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Simple in Large Scale............. I just bought this. Go BIG or go home is my MOTTO......
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Nick,
Now that's just not fair!!!!
That is the only way to go.
Richard
Bought these at Target during the Christmas season.
Scott Smith
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Train6666 posted:Simple in Large Scale............. I just bought this. Go BIG or go home is my MOTTO......
I went home. Traded a 20 ft. cargo trailer for an expanded basement. The two best days in a trailer owner's life; the day he buys it, and the day he sells it.
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gnnpnut posted:Train6666 posted:Simple in Large Scale............. I just bought this. Go BIG or go home is my MOTTO......
I went home. Traded a 20 ft. cargo trailer for an expanded basement. The two best days in a trailer owner's life; the day he buys it, and the day he sells it.
I thought that only applied to boats? ....... Actually I miss my boat everyday. Except when gas was $5 a gallon lol
Hudson J1e posted:One more vote for the O Scale Hauler. Although, I do not belong to a club when I travel to my friends house to run trains that's what I use
Who's your friend ?
Can you take me there ?
Laidoffsick posted:gnnpnut posted:Train6666 posted:Simple in Large Scale............. I just bought this. Go BIG or go home is my MOTTO......
I went home. Traded a 20 ft. cargo trailer for an expanded basement. The two best days in a trailer owner's life; the day he buys it, and the day he sells it.
I thought that only applied to boats? ....... Actually I miss my boat everyday. Except when gas was $5 a gallon lol
That was what I thought too. I was wrong. 
I don't miss my Dad's bass boat, I don't miss my snowmobiles, and I don't miss modular railroading. All of them have one thing in common, a ****ed trailer. 
Regards,
Jerry
Laidoffsick posted:23 cars, 2 cabooses, 10 engines, the Cab 2 Legacy remote, smoke fluid and lube oil... packed for the club, safe and secure. Took less than 30 minutes to pack all that up. 2 days of running, 200 miles round trip and not a single thing broken. It doesn't get any easier or quicker.
Another vote for the O Scale Hauler. Sturdy, highly protective, easy to pack and unpack. It saves a huge amount of time when our modular group displays.
Bob
I have a few of these, they were made to transport music rolls for player pianos I believe. A club member came up with a ton of them and I took out the inside stuff and lined them with foam. I just roll the cars/engines in old towels and stack them in.
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taycotrains posted:Hudson J1e posted:One more vote for the O Scale Hauler. Although, I do not belong to a club when I travel to my friends house to run trains that's what I use
Who's your friend ?
Can you take me there ?
Sure. His name is Steve. He's a forum member here. He has a great layout. I'm sure you'd like it.
