# Rolling stock carrying case



## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

I have been taking my cars in the large tubs from Rubbermaid but being that they dont have any that fit well and are easy to move and store, I decided to make something that would be well packed and easy to store. I made a frame with 1/2" birch ply glued and air nailed together. I also have metal corner braces in the bottom inside to make sure it wont seperate from the weight.  They are designed to fit 6 cars and with a height to accept all of my freight cars in any box. My orignal plans were to dado out a groove for the dividers which are 1/4" luan but I decided against it as the width of the cars vary too much. The Stock cars are the widest and I just had to remove one of the dividers. The foam is from Lowes and is in the insulation asle, comes in a roll of different widths and I used the 5" size. 50' rolls.  The overall size is 22x35 and fits perfectly in the closet for storage.


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## David Rose (Jan 2, 2008)

Jason, 

Very nice. Where is one for me??? LOL


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

Now Dave, we know you'd need more than 1!! And dont you already have 2 other boxes that you want me to make? I guess these will e added to the list. Need a nice weekend to make them.


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## John McGuyer (Jan 2, 2008)

Those are so nice. I have to transport my extremely detailed cars to shows wrapped in plastic wrap and stuck in the smallest cardboard boxes I can get away with. There isn't much room for them and my wheelchair in a Saleen Mustang. After every show, I have to take each car out and repair it. 

John


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Very nice set-up!


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## David Rose (Jan 2, 2008)

Jason, 

Idea: how about wheels on the bottom and a handle on top like rolling luggage?


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

I wanted to do that Dave - Handle and wheels make it too tall and wont fit in the closet under the stairs anymore though. Unless I can keep them in your big empty garage??? Hehe Thats why I tried the rope handle its thin and moveable. Also it lifts from the sides not the top.


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## John B (Jan 2, 2008)

Nice work Jason, 

How much does it weigh empty? What is the third deminsion - 22x35x?


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

Oops it 7.5" inside height, as far as weight its just about 10lbs empty maybe less. No scale handy. I used the ply cause 3/4" pine is way too heavy. With 6 cars I think its about 50 lbs


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## ConrailRay (Jan 2, 2008)

Jay,


Looks much easier to use and safer then your big @ss rubber maid tub you were using !!
For a second, I thought you were peeling up your flooring to build the new box!!   Such nice work for storage and transportation cases!  /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/tongue2.gif


-Ray


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## jmkling (Jan 2, 2008)

Jay, Must still have way too much time on your hands....Call me sometime, want to discuss the water car status...Looks nice.  I think I would need two or more, then I also have some odd ball things like the ditcher, what about cabooses...../DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/blush.gif


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

I will be making a seperate box for the caboose, too tall and need special foam notches in the sides for the lights. I picked up a brass long caboose off ebay and replaced the lights to the trackside details and weathered it already. Can do the same with the ditcher


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## Pete Thornton (Jan 2, 2008)

Jason,


A very nice job!  Maybe a little teak veneer, perhaps with 13 coats of varnish?  


My solution, which you may have seen at Jims, is somewhat similar.  I used 1x6 pine for the ends, as it lets me stack the boxes and also cut hand holes in them. (_The top box was made later - when I got more hoppers - using scraps that were lying around._ _1x6 is actually too small - you can see I had to add small seperators to clear the top of the brakewheels on the cars.  Now that everything is Fn3 height, I'll have to use 1x8 or custom cut some 3/4 ply.)_   I used 1/4 ply for the bottom, sides and partitions  with lots of glue holding them together and that has proved quite durable.


This stack holds 12 old-style B'mann hoppers, and I hope it will hold 9 of the newer Fn3 Accu hoppers when they turn up.  It fits in a standard 24" kitchen cupboard (actually mine came from a bathroom remodelling,) and sits in the back of the suv quite comfortably.












There are two other features noticeable on the bigger pic (link below.)  I have metal angles screwed on top to keep them all aligned in transit.  (With your boxes, you might want to add dowels or metal clips - when you get round to the next two or three boxes, of course.)/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/laugh.gif  I didn't use clips - there are brass screws protruding from the ends and I wrap small bungee cords round them to keep them together.


http://mywebpages.comcast.net/peter.thornton/kate/assets/images/db_images/db_IMG_1451-cases11.jpg


John (McGuyer)'s problem of damage to be repaired after each trip has a couple of obvious solutions: swapping the mustang he's so proud of for something with a decent trunk  or packing the cars differently.  The optimum is to hold the car steady so it doesn't bang and flop around; bubble wrap can damage details [I hope that's what John meant by 'plastic wrap'. /DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/blush.gif]  Bachmann used to strap their freight cars into the box with a tie-wrap around the axle, which works well.  Now they use custom-sized foam which holds the car securely so it can't move.
My boxes have foam pads at each end to 'lock' the couplers in place, which helps stop the cars moving backwards and forwards.  Jason's foam pads (visible in the first photo) will do the same - but a separate pad over each truck pivot would reduce strain on the ceenter of the car.  Probably not a problem with those Accu stock cars, and anyway, we want them to be a little 'sway-backed'.


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

Pete - Ill let you take them home from CF and put those 13 coats of varnish for me, by the way I already have 3 of these cases..Yep 18 cars easily packed in the same sopt that 6 cars used to take up in the blue tub. 

I may make one to fit my skeleton cars but havent figured out yet how I want to store them or where they fit yet either. Maybe the attic???


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## John McGuyer (Jan 2, 2008)

Pete, 

Trade my hot rod Mustang for some kind of sled? You've got to be kidding! 

Go fast, take chances! 

John


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## Kovacjr (Jan 2, 2008)

John - There are better cars than those Fords...hehe and more room to boot 










It should have a little get up a go power with this 









Look at all that train room


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## John McGuyer (Jan 2, 2008)

I did a little drag racing many years back (my little 289 automatic Mustang was running 12:40's @ 115mph 40 years ago) and I have always liked Nomads, but they don't lap the big track at Willow Springs in the 1:40's and my little Mustang does. Actually, I'd like to have a 1965 Falcon Sedan Delivery. They use the same Fox platform the early Mustangs did and all the Shelby GT350 stuff will fit on it. Plus room in the back. The thing is with the Mustang, my brother-in-law was general manager of Saleen when my car was built. They built the car specifically for me. 

John


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## Gary Armitstead (Jan 2, 2008)

Here's my little "fun ride". '72 Maverick Grabber. 331 stroker, 500+HP, nitrous. Just shy of 100 MPH in the eighth mile at Irwindale Raceway here in So. Cal.


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## John McGuyer (Jan 2, 2008)

Gary, 
Great ride! Love it! Those small block Fords have come a long way since my drag racing days. Back then, we had to pretty much make everything ourselves as there were Chevy speed parts, but no Ford parts. I spent many hours with a die grinder in hand just doing the heads. Now I guess they put small block Mustangs in the low eights or high sevens. At that time, we had no nitrous, high stall converters, or line locks so I suffered from Weber hesitation really bad. The car should've run mid 11's easily. 
John


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