Spectrum Black Boxes

[Pacific Northern]

I am in the process of updating my layout from the 1920's to the 1960's. So my older, small steamer roster will be put in storage and I will be bringing out my EMD diesel roster engines. Same for the older small wood box cars, refers etc, will pack them up and bring out the newer steel freight cars which would be correct for my diesel roster. I will also replace a few buildings as well.

I will run the updated layout for 6 months or so and then change it back to the 1920's time frame.

I had modified the foam in the old black boxes so that I no longer had to disconnect/undo the electrical connections beween the steam engines and tenders. This worked great for my 4-4-0's, 4-6-0's. 2-8-0's and the 2-10-0's as well as the Spectrum 2-8-2's. 

I just noticed that the newer Blue or Red Spectrum boxes with the formed plastic display pieces will not allow me to modify those cases as easily as the old Black box cases. I can cut out some of the plastic holding the tenders in place to accomplish being able to store the steam engines without disconnecting the tenders but the modified case is no where as neat as those which used the foam inserts.

I miss the old black boxes.......

[jonathan]

I miss 'em, too.  Now I am forced to make my own boxes, once the steamers are put together.  These locos will never go back into their plastic holders, until I get too old to model and am forced to sell them.  Oh well... progress.

Regards,

Jonathan

[hawaiiho]

The newer Red and Blue boxes are FAR inferior to the Black Boxes.
I saved the Black Bachmann boxes, now I just throw away the newer  ones.

Will

[Pacific Northern]

As I mentioned I have been adapting the plastic case to hold the tender closer to the engine so they can be stored together connected and it is not necessary to mess with those delicate connections.

I have been getting some practise and it is not that hard once you can figure out where to cut and then where to reglue.

It seems that Bachmann would realize the problem with their electrical connections and make the formed plastic cases hold the engine and the tender the right distance apart so that it would be so easy just to cut the plastic former at that position where the draw bar from the engine meets the connection from the tender.

Mr Bach Man are you listening.

I do this at home, lets me keep my Spectrum engines connected together and I can store them in their factory boxes. I use my Dremel with a cutting blade.
Cut out the tender portion, trim the engine portion where it meets with the tender portion and re-atach the tender portion .

[ryeguyisme]

I actually have to agree, the newer boxes, are useless to me, because of kitbashing and I don't like seperating engine from tender at all

[Bucksco]

The product ships better in the new "clamshell" packaging.

[Pacific Northern]

The product ships better in the new "clamshell" packaging.

Strange, I have had more parts laying loose in the box with the Clamshell packaging than with the old foam cushioned boxes.

The hardness of the plastic combined with the engine having some movement when jarred has on occassion seperated the bell from the mounting, cab windows lying loose in the package and even the boiler cover on one occassion.

The parts could of course be glued back so there was no permanent damage.

[railtwister]

My Alco 2-6-0 came in the newer "clamshell" clear plastic packaging, and the tender was connected to the loco from the factory. It fits in the packaging perfectly, yet is easy to remove and replace. I wouldn't trade it for either the soft black foam or the much harder gray foam found in older Bachmann and Spectrum packaging for anything. I also like the newer single unit plug between the tender and loco much better than the older and smaller multiple plugs used on previous models. As far as I am concerned, the newer packaging ROCKS!

Bill in FL

[Doneldon]

Unlike the rest of you, I DON'T miss the black boxes. I actually don't care what color the boxes are. What I DO miss is the foam packaging. Wrap a model in some slippery plastic to prevent paint mars, put it in foam and you can drop it off a bridge without damage. I have to say that I really don't believe that the newer hard plastic clamshells are better for the models. If they were, brass manufacturers would be using them. My guess is that they're less expensive than die cutting long-living resilient foam.
                                   -- D

[Jim Banner]

I pack and unpack my trains a lot, between giving model railroad demonstrations and participating at train shows.  I find the foam padded boxes take up a lot of room so I simply wrap each piece of equipment in 1/8" foam normally used as underlay for laminate flooring.  The stuff is dirt cheap, non-stick, oil and solvent resistant, non-scratching and easy to cut.  Once wrapped, I pack them in an attache case or an old, hard sided suitcase depending on how many pieces I am taking with me.

Jim

[hawaiiho]

Unlike the rest of you, I DON'T miss the black boxes. I actually don't care what color the boxes are. What I DO miss is the foam packaging. Wrap a model in some slippery plastic to prevent paint mars, put it in foam and you can drop it off a bridge without damage. I have to say that I really don't believe that the newer hard plastic clamshells are better for the models. If they were, brass manufacturers would be using them. My guess is that they're less expensive than die cutting long-living resilient foam.
                                   -- D

I hardly think that ANY of us were referring to the color of the boxes.
The rest of your post is dead on correct including the relative cost of the new packing vs the old.

[Doneldon]

HI-

I'm aware the posts weren't about the colors.

                                                           -- D

[Pacific Northern]

Unlike the rest of you, I DON'T miss the black boxes. I actually don't care what color the boxes are. What I DO miss is the foam packaging. Wrap a model in some slippery plastic to prevent paint mars, put it in foam and you can drop it off a bridge without damage. I have to say that I really don't believe that the newer hard plastic clamshells are better for the models. If they were, brass manufacturers would be using them. My guess is that they're less expensive than die cutting long-living resilient foam.
                                   -- D

I hardly think that ANY of us were referring to the color of the boxes.
The rest of your post is dead on correct including the relative cost of the new packing vs the old.

Gee, does it all boil down to cost?

[Pacific Northern]

My Alco 2-6-0 came in the newer "clamshell" clear plastic packaging, and the tender was connected to the loco from the factory. It fits in the packaging perfectly, yet is easy to remove and replace. I wouldn't trade it for either the soft black foam or the much harder gray foam found in older Bachmann and Spectrum packaging for anything. I also like the newer single unit plug between the tender and loco much better than the older and smaller multiple plugs used on previous models. As far as I am concerned, the newer packaging ROCKS!

Bill in FL

Seeing the "Clamshell" is the current packaging material it would be nice if Bachmann would do the same with their Spectrum line.

It would be very easy for Bachmann to modify the clamshell packaging , by simply moving the "tender" portion closer to the engine portion, so that the tender was connected to the engine the same as the newly released ALco 2-6-0.

Then we could continue to use the package for storage without disconnecting the fragile electrical connections.

[MPSOUTHERN]

I believe my 4-8-4J came with the tender already attached,and in the foam package.As for the others,I use a small screwdriver and carefully pop the plugs out to store them without modifing the package.This method works good for me.As for the 2-8-0s that came with train sets I purchased,I wrap them in bubble wrap I recieved with UPS boxes sent to me,similar to what Jim does.Again this works for me.