Carrying cases

What do you use for a carrying case? I'm rapidly building my collection of cars, and unpacking dozens of jewel boxes at shows gets old fast. Packing them back up gets old even faster. So I want some sort of carrying case, with a bit of padding. And since Christmas is coming, I need some ideas for Santa. What to ask for?

I've seen some homemade ones with cardboard dividers and bubble wrap, and some commercial cardboard ones with foam padding, and some really deluxe ones made out of wood; they look more like expensive jewelry boxes than anything else!

So... any recommendations? Any good experience? Anything to avoid?

 

I'm looking into some commercial cardboard and foam boxes like spring mills depo for my rolling stock. I'm currently looking for a foam briefcase for my locos. I really like pelican cases but they are rather expensive.

 

This is what I use.. Sort of on the costly side, but it will last for ever and is very easy to use.

 

That looks like a Dean Daughenbaugh travel case. Is he still building them?

 

Where can I get a few of those? That is exactly what I am looking for.......

 

for short passenger train consists, I use hard pool cue cases with the center divider modivyed to be paralel with the rest.

then I have a hard side 200 CD case with the sleves removed and foam added for individual rolling stock like my scratchbuilt stuff....

 

I use a few cantilevered tool boxes that I've picked up at Hardware Store sales. I've lined the bottom of the trays with cardboard, which I've covered with cloth. They store a lot of rollingstock, are readily available, and easy enough to carry.

 

You can get some of these:
INTERNET MODEL TRAINS - A-Line N Scale High Side Hobby-Tote Set of 2 Boxes

Maybe you can look around other internet sources for them.

 

That is exactly who made this. I bought it from him directly about 6 months ago or less. I had a hard time finding him, and did the entire transaction through email.

 

Do a quick google search for Dean Daughenbaugh and shoot him an email. That is how I found him. The spacific case you are looking at here is caled a "runner" case.

 

i use the Axion technologies boxes and bags that are shown in model rr classified. each case will hold 25 cars and with the bag it hold 5 cases.

 

Yours is one of those "really deluxe ones made out of wood; they look more like expensive jewelry boxes than anything else!" to which I alluded earlier. In fact, it may very well have been yours I saw. Were you running in the Ntrak layout at Anaheim?

 

Nope. I really don't take my case anyplace at the moment. It is just for storing while at home.... but I will use it for actually transporting some day.
I have seen the same case in a black finish which I also like very much. I am sure Dean can give you the lowdown on them.

 

How many cars will the super hold?

 

I ordered in the large A-line box with bag for myself at our shop. Thank goodness somebody else purchased it because I didn't want to. The A-line box can probably be made to work pretty good but I was looking at a lot of modifying before I would feel safe putting cars in it. The dividers are just folded cardstock with no foam or lining of any sort. I figured if I got the box, I would have to attach some velour or other cloth to the liner before installing it in the boxes. Even with that, there is nothing to cradle the cars to keep them from moving in the box.

There are better options than the A-line stuff for sure.

BTW - Here is the link to Axian boxes .. http://www.axiantech.com/ModelRR.html

 

This has come up before.. I use Plastic Plano fishing tackle cases, with a canvas tote.. if configured right, they will perfectly hold 16, 85" passenger cars per case.

 

I am currently experimenting with using a hard-sided pistol case for some of my kit-built stuff, particularly my class A Climax, the ore cars, and probably some MTL logging disconnects and my KMP models steam donkey.

One thing is that the foam insert is more of an egg-crate type piece of foam than the easier to handle "flat foam." I am trying to figure out whether I want to swap the foam rubber out for something else or modify it as is.

A former member of our club used to keep loads and loads of freight cars in a hard-sided rifle case. This was an efficient way to move a lot of stuff around, but kind of unwieldy when you think about all the space an opened rifle case requires.

 

I use Train Boxes Plus as well.They have helped me at train shows so I could do away with the Jewel Cases.
Boxes :: Train Boxes Plus - Train Boxes and Trains