N gauge packaging - a rant

[railsquid]

Just spent a bit of quality time reorganising some stock (and a bit of non-quality time looking for a clutch of kettles which, it turned out, I'd previously re-organised then forgotten where I'd reorganised them to).

Anyway, observe these three storage boxes, acquired from my local 100 yen shop (pound/dollar shop) for 108 yen each (the 8 yen is consumption tax), despite it being 2017 they're marketed as being for storing VHS cassettes but are just the right size for storing trains in.


packaging by Rail Squid, on Flickr

The one on the top contains Kato locomotives and coaches. Will hold 28 standard Kato boxes.

The one on the left contains various German locomotives from various manufacturers with varying box sizes, but there are 19 in there with space for a couple more.

The one on the right contains 9 (nine) standard Farish locomotive boxes, and a smaller one sideways.

Dapol is slightly better, I can get 12 locomotives/coaches in the same-sized box.

But why oh why must the Farish/Dapol boxes be so bulky? The non-British stock survives fine in more compact boxes. And why must they have the cardboard on the *outside*, where it quickly gets damaged/lost, especially as it seems to rely on the presence of the instruction sheets/Dapol/Bachmann club forms to be held tightly in place, until said sheets/forms also get lost? I have 20 year old Kato locomotives with the box in almost pristine condition, instruction sheet folded neatly inside, cardboard lining as good-as-new. And any number of tattered/cardboard-less British ones. Grrr.

Now, coaches I can deal with by storing them in Kato bookcases (acquirable very cheaply here; I was inspired to do that when I notice the date stamp on the inside of one Grafar box was rubbing ink onto the side of the coach when removing/replacing it) and folding/stacking the packaging for future use if required, but those aren't suitable for locomotives and while I can and have made customized inserts for Kato boxes to store unboxed stock, it's too much hassle for everything, and I'd still have to keep the original boxes somewhere...

#firstworldproblems rant over, I should just be thankful I'm not stuck with OO

[Bealman]

Mate I've had a gripe about this before. I broke bits off my new Blue Pullman just getting it out of the box!!!

[railsquid]

Yeah, I haven't even got to the bit about taking stuff out. Wait, yes I did, for coaches at least.

Something I must do (and here I'm not spreading blame, and it's an issue with Kato loco boxes too) is take out all the little baggies of parts, put them into carefully labelled slightly bigger ziplock baggies and store them separately, as they inevitably fall out and I've got a couple of mystery baggies already...

[NeMo]

Some of the perceived 'overpacking' can be put down to needing to use a small, standardised set of cardboard boxes and plastic inserts.

Farish seem to only have 3 or 4 different cardboard boxes, and the plastic inserts seem to a small number of basic designs presumably made of a single sized sheet of thermosetting plastic that is cheaply pressed into the specific shape needed for a particular type of wagon, coach, or whatever. Likewise the foam insets are surely just a limited set of initial sizes, cut into the precise shape needed for a particular model.

Hence you can end up with things like the Seacow wagon packed in the same sized container as a Mk3 coach, and similarly the 03 shunter and Class 20 loco have the same packaging save for the shape of the plastic insert.

By only having to have a small range of cardboard sheets, plastic sheets, and foam blocks, Farish can reduce the cost of packaging. Presumably this saves them more money than trying to have cardboard, plastic and foam tailored to the sizes of individual models, which might use more material but costs more in terms of purchasing, storage, etc.

Cheers, NeMo

[railsquid]

Yeah, I understand the need for a small range of standard boxes, but why do they all need to be so voluminous? Grrr...

[Bealman]

I don't really care about the size of the box, it's the difficulty of getting the product out.

[austinbob]

I don't really care about the size of the box, it's the difficulty of getting the product out.

This is a real issue. On other threads on the Forum there are often mentions of damage to kettles because of poor handling. So often, when you get a new kettle, you're thinking to yourself 'how am I gonna get this outta here without breaking something - like the packaging is encouraging poor handling.

Once I get a loco out of a box, the box goes into storage and the loco goes into more loco friendly storage. The only reason I keep the boxes, like I guess many others do, is in case I want to sell the loco in future.

[robert shrives]

Hi All,
Yes packaging is an issue especially when the container is on the high seas and contents goes awry. Having seen damaged containers it does happen and thus the foam does need to be tight - latest O gauge locos from Heljan now screwed to a piece of wood to stop the mass of the model causing self distruction.

I find that if you lift the whole packaging from within the jewel box the foam does relax and allow safe removal. Certainly the end details are at risk and I trim then ends to allow a little slack around added details like lamps, pipes and couplings.

The cardboard sleeve is a pain when compared to the clip on lids of other manufacturers, but these I flatten for storage or recycle them .

Instructions / fleet notes - here is a problem we like oiling info and where to put pipes etc and some like some historical info as well - how to produce a really useful peice of work only on 2 sides of A5 and provide a warranty card.

It is an option to have much on line of course but it needs a catch all as well.

So we are stuck with getting the model halfway around the globe without damage, providing relevant information to end user and providing compatibility with uncontrolled storage methods and then play/ operate with it, oh and at minimum cost. As they say go figure. As Tri-ang TT was exported in a yellow cardboard box with a  piece of cardboard tube over the couplings and the data booklet wrapped around the loco in its stout cardboard box was exported worldwide in wooden crates in the holds of steam ships!!
I do wonder - not much mind you.
happy modelling or is that sticking bits back on !
Robert             

[daffy]

I have rolling stock models only from European and Japanese manufacturers, and most, though not all, of the European items that I own are in good strong clear plastic boxes. The inner packaging is simple and holds the model securely but is pretty easy to remove without damage.

These boxes will stack on each other as they have little mouldings on the top and bottom to facilitate this. They come in a range of sizes suited to the contents, and storage in larger boxes or the cupboards I use is simple.

Items from Liliput and Mabar have cardboard sleeves around plastic holders, and though the Liliput packaging seems excessively large for the contents, it is still effective and secure, and remains easy to access the item.

Written details in the boxes are often printed directly on to the inner packaging or tucked neatly beneath it, though in one instance a rather thick folded sheet of multi-language text was crammed into a Fleischmann box containing a DCC equipped driving trailer. Happily the item was unaffected by this, though I store it without the folded sheet.

I also have similar hard plastic boxes for items from Hobbytrain, Kato, Tomix and Sowa-N.

I am of the opinion that these hard plastic boxes are well worth the extra cost that must make up part of the purchase price, as all purchases have happily survived transit from Spain, Germany and Switzerland, as well as from UK suppliers using Royal Mail.

The Kato rolling stock sets are all packaged extremely well, mostly in their superb foam filled 'bookcases'.

UK manufacturers should perhaps consider these approaches, and some may already do so as far as I know, and though some cost must be passed on to the end user, surely it is a price worth paying.

[Bealman]

This is a regular beef.

The size of the box does not matter. It's the protection of model, and, as far as I am concerned, getting it out!!!

[daffy]

With the hard plastic boxes removal of the loco is easy as each is placed into the inner box 'cradle' by the manufacturer upon a thin sheet of clear plastic that wraps around the loco as it seats into position. Removing the loco is thus facilitated by merely pinching the sheet between the fingers and pulling the sheet, with loco, out of the 'cradle'.

It is a practise that is mostly, though not always used for carriages and wagons in these hard cases too, and if not I have added similar clear plastic sheet (not Cling Film) when returning said carriages and wagons to their boxes for ease of removal next time.

I am a rather clumsy individual at times - my wife knows that if she hears me say "Whoops!" I have usually succeeded in breaking something - but I have yet to damage any N Gauge rolling stock while removing it from its box in this manner, nor while replacing it.

[austinbob]

With the hard plastic boxes removal of the loco is easy as each is placed into the inner box 'cradle' by the manufacturer upon a thin sheet of clear plastic that wraps around the loco as it seats into position. Removing the loco is thus facilitated by merely pinching the sheet between the fingers and pulling the sheet, with loco, out of the 'cradle'.

It is a practise that is mostly, though not always used for carriages and wagons in these hard cases too, and if not I have added similar clear plastic sheet (not Cling Film) when returning said carriages and wagons to their boxes for ease of removal next time.

I am a rather clumsy individual at times - my wife knows that if she hears me say "Whoops!" I have usually succeeded in breaking something - but I have yet to damage any N Gauge rolling stock while removing it from its box in this manner, nor while replacing it.

I think what you describe is how Farish box their locos and rolling stock. Dapol use a foam block with a cut out to receive the loco/wagon etc.
you can take the foam block out of the plastic case but you still have to exert some pressure to push the item out of the foam block. So you have to make sure you push on a solid part of the item (not valve gear etc.) and you also have to be careful not to damage things like buffers, hooks, vacuum pipes at each end.

[robert shrives]

Hi
I recall a tale of the floor test where items for export were launched from a first floor fire escape landing on to carpark hard surface below - as long as model and packaging survived the landing it was regarded as a success.

This clearly is the requirement but then to make it easily removeable are opposite ends of spectrum. I guess by trimming foam inserts can be made easier. The plastic cam shell seems to have enough give for transport.

I would welcome the staking lid lugs as seen on Revolution TEA cases.
The card slips are guess until locking lids are used are here to stay - Minitrix managed it back in the day with no problem.

Hopefully no howls of angst when packing changes...

Inserts for info does need looking at as there is now a forest of safety and disposal information to include but it does need some basic info and picture/diagram for detail parts.

Perhaps a cut section to infill for transport safety that end user - you and me can remove to make extraction easier is a way forward.
Robert   

[Newportnobby]

With the hard plastic boxes removal of the loco is easy as each is placed into the inner box 'cradle' by the manufacturer upon a thin sheet of clear plastic that wraps around the loco as it seats into position. Removing the loco is thus facilitated by merely pinching the sheet between the fingers and pulling the sheet, with loco, out of the 'cradle'.

It is a practise that is mostly, though not always used for carriages and wagons in these hard cases too, and if not I have added similar clear plastic sheet (not Cling Film) when returning said carriages and wagons to their boxes for ease of removal next time.

I find that is always a good idea, Mike, especially as the tiny bits of polythene supplied are generally not big enough to be able to grasp with forefinger/thumb of each hand and just lift the loco out.

Instructions/guarantees I usually remove, re-fold and put them into the base of the outer plastic tray.

I don't have issues with the size of packaging necessarily but do dislike the fitted hard sponge surrounds where you need to lift everything out and then push through to remove the item or break pieces off your prized item. Both Farish and Dapol are guilty there. I prefer the item either resting in a tray and held there with an 'over tray' which then gets placed into the plastic outer, or (and to my mind the best) the loco held in a 4 way folded fitted plastic which has a 'clip' at one end and is slid into a suitable width open shell before going into the outer plastic protection. Both Farish and Dapol have used this method and I much prefer it, mainly because before removing the final folded plastic you can turn the loco round to suit you and thus remove it safely.

[ntpntpntp]

I'm with @daffy on this one:  I find the standard Fleischmann & Minitrix boxes that have been used for decades are perfectly fine, as are Arnold, Kato/Hobbytrain and later Roco though they're different sizes.   My locos always travel safely to shows packed in basic silver tool-cases, and I have different cases with alternative sets of locos to ring the changes.

My recent Liliput purchases OTOH are packaged similar to recent Farish (no surprise, they're part of the same group now) and are a PITA to be honest.

Rolling stock has travelled unboxed but in fitted stock trays for the past 20-odd years and not suffered.