Storage boxes (13)

Page created on 5/05/2024; updated on 27/07/2024.

New storage solution

A rant from Prof!

On the Loco-Revue forum, in a thread about storage boxes, Michel Viers, aka Prof, had a bit of a rant… After showing photos of his own storage system, based on individual foam-lined sheaths, which he has described many times, he tells us:

“[…] So I quote myself (thread: Boîtes Emballage & protection de locos… on 28/03/2006.

1. It’s easy to make;
2. it costs peanuts: cheap cardboard per m², foam bought in rolls;
3. a machine enclosed in the “sheath” is very well protected, because it doesn’t move or bounce around, and the foam absorbs shocks from the outside;
4. (very important) To take the machine out, all you have to do is open the sheath. There’s no need to grab the model by one of its fragile parts, or to pull it out of its box, no risk of a railing or buffer getting caught somewhere;
5. […]

Of course, you don’t have to believe me, and I don’t give a flying fuck, since in your boxes it’s YOUR models you’re torturing, not mine.”

This salutary rant got me thinking about combining this Prof’s system with my storage boxes. The idea is to do away with the current extruded polystyrene partitioning (or not to install it for future boxes), and replace it with individual “Prof’s system” sheaths.

In addition to the advantages mentioned by Michel, there will be others:

• simplification of box manufacture: no more cutting extruded polystyrene, no more gluing;
• no more shimming to prevent vehicles from shifting or coupling heads from warping;
• no more plastic film for extraction and protection.

It remains to check that these cases will fit into my boxes, which there is no question of changing, given that they are designed to be stored in Curver Unibox Classic boxes, as we have already seen.

A few tests

Among other things, I need to determine:

• the ideal width of the cases, which should be neither too wide nor too narrow;
• the thickness of the cardboard to be used, in terms of strength versus ease of folding;
• the thickness of the foam padding, etc.

Here’s the initial idea.

Compared to the “Prof” model, the following details stand out:

• perforated top flaps (⌀ 20 mm) for gripping the cases;
• short foam pads (50 mm) to save material (the calculation gave me a requirement of 3 m² with this dimension!), assuming sufficient efficiency, which will have to be checked.

The foam pads, stuck on with thin double-sided adhesive, can be placed as desired, taking care not to press on fragile parts such as handrails or steps. Easy for coaches, more tricky for wagons or the railings of single-cab diesel engines…

I started by using 0.8 mm cardboard, which is difficult to fold, over a width of 42 mm, and 10 mm thick foam pads. The result was that it was impossible to store all seven cases. The whole thing was far too wide.

So I switched to 0.4 mm cardboard, which is obviously a little more fragile, and to 5 mm foam I found at Art Tapisserie.

This foam, as well as being one of the cheapest I could find (beware of exorbitant delivery charges from some suppliers), has the particularity of having a smooth “non-woven” side, which gives a better gluing surface. This layer is easily torn off, but this is not a problem for our application. Correction: yes, it’s annoying, because it makes it very difficult to peel off the protective paper from the double-sided adhesive. Instead, the non-woven layer tends to be peeled off together with the double-sided tape. So stick on the side without non-woven backing.

Cutting plan according to type

Remember that the cardboard sheets I have are advertised at 500 × 700 mm (498 × 698 in reality). See previous page (price 2024: €21.50, down!). This cardboard also exists in 700 × 1000, ref 14750.

• In-width case 294 × 174, 6 per sheet.

Note: you can also cut two lengths of 333 mm from the horizontal strip, or one of 294 and one of 378 mm. This minimises cardboard waste.

• Mixed length case, 333 × 174, 4 per sheet.

• In-length case 378 × 174, 4 per sheet.

• Dimensions of a case with two pairs of holes. For one pair, the holes are of course centred.

Notes:

• Dimensions B and C depend on the type of case: successively, in-width, mixed length and in-length.
• To cut the holes, I started by using an X-Acto knife: very tedious! So I ordered a ⌀ 20 cutter.

Making a series of nine in-width cases

The box in question is the UIC sleeper box. I had to start by removing all the partitions, which by the way were well glued in place! Here’s what I came up with.

The result is quite satisfactory: the cases can be stowed away without forcing them. Moderate shaking doesn’t cause them to move. You can see that in the end I only provided one pair of gripping holes, which is enough for the coaches and wagons. Thicker cardboard will be used for the locomotives, and two pairs of holes will then be made.

Making a series of seven in-length cases plus one in-width case

The aim is to check that the case, which is stored perpendicular to the others, is held securely enough. Well, it is. Box containing my set of TEE PBA Trix coaches plus a Mistral 69 LS Models.

Making a series of seven full-length 378 mm cases

Box containing UFR, Kangaroo and car carrier wagons. There are two or even three wagons per box.

Two slots remain empty, those in the foreground. Let’s see if this poses any specific difficulties, and how many pairs of foam pads are needed. This time, I drill two pairs of gripping holes, for two reasons: the long length, and the possible imbalance in the case of the very different weight of two wagons in the same case.

I notice that, to ensure a proper holding, the two empty cases need to be fitted with shims the width of a railway carriage. Apart from that, everything’s fine: just one pair of pads per wagon is enough.

Here is the case containing a TA378 Roco out of the box…

… and the one containing the UFR wagons.

Making a series of six, then eight in-width cases for locomotives

For the moment, I leave the 20 mm dividers in place, which only allow me to store six locos. This limits the total weight to a reasonable value.

Choice of cardboard: because of the weight of the locos, thicker cardboard is needed (I’ve got 0.8 mm), as well as two pairs of gripping holes, especially for steam locos whose weight is not evenly distributed (motorized tender, for example).

Foam pads: I’ll probably also need longer foam strips to effectively block longitudinal movements.

Well, the first test shows that it’s impossible to keep the 20mm dividers: you have to force the cases into them, even when they’re 39 mm wide instead of 40 mm, so hard that the dividers come unstuck!

Solution: by keeping only the end spacers, I get eight theoretical 43 mm slots, which is perfectly adequate. Of course, this will add about 1 kg to the weight.

The 50 mm long, 5 mm thick pads are sufficient to hold the machines in place.

The model on the right, Piko’s CC 25009, is removed — and replaced — without difficulty.

Another case: diesels with a single cab

The problem here is to prevent the railings from warping. It is therefore necessary to shim them with extruded polystyrene, either in standard thickness (6 mm on the machine in the background), or cut to size as required, as on the one in the foreground. Some models are supplied with this type of shim, but they are often too short, so do not protect the entire length of the railings.

Protection of steps on covered and other wagons

To avoid deforming the steps, particularly on two-axle covered wagons, the foam pads are reduced in height and stuck at least 10 mm from the bottom. They therefore pass over the steps. The fact that these pads are smaller is not a problem, as these wagons are fairly light.

Particularly narrow wagons

Some wagons are particularly narrow: OCEM tanks, for example. In this case, simply double the thickness of the foam pads by sticking two on top of each other.

It should be noted that the ladders have not suffered the slightest deformation for the time being (the wagons have been stored in these cases for almost two months).

“Dummy cases” for parts storage

From numerous cardboard offcuts of 170 mm wide or less, I make dummy cases without gripping flaps, which are used to store spare parts.

Some boxes are full and therefore don’t allow you to put this kind of dummy case in them. The bags or small boxes of parts are then placed in the case concerned. But there’s a risk of the parts falling out and getting lost. So, I stick them to one side of the case with a little Patafix (or Blu Tack).

Yet another advantage

Here’s yet another advantage I’ve come to appreciate: to make up train compositions (on my terrace), I used to have to take all the relevant boxes outside. Now, safe inside, I take out the cases I need, file them into one or two empty boxes, and carry only those boxes to the site. I can even open the case on a re-railer. With a bit of luck, the vehicle will slide right onto the track!

Conclusion

For a modest investment (more in time than money), I’ll be able over time to adapt my boxes to the Prof system, and I’d like to thank him again.