Welcome to the forum   
Welcome Guest! To enable all features please Login or Register.

Notification

Icon
Error

Share
Options
View
Go to last post in this topic Go to first unread post in this topic
Offline Dave Banks  
#1 Posted : 15 July 2019 10:28:53(UTC)
Dave Banks

Australia   
Joined: 08/03/2006(UTC)
Posts: 1,025
Location: Gold Coast, Australia.
Hi Guys, it's with dismay today I started to take my stored loco's out of their boxes for a test run only to find the plastic inlay "Blister" has turned a ruddy brown & is extremely brittle. I am sure you have all come across this some time or or another. My question is how does one get replacements or what other method do you use? The polystyrene in days gone by seem to hold up for a lot longer if not abused. Maybe the Australian climate has contributed to this situation.I look forward to your suggestions.
D.A.Banks
Offline MalinAC  
#2 Posted : 15 July 2019 12:50:58(UTC)
MalinAC

Ireland   
Joined: 29/05/2014(UTC)
Posts: 839
Location: DONEGAL, CARNDONAGH
i once got a set on ebay which showed a good plastic insert in the pictures but when it came to me the plastic insert was in a million pieces except the heavy base part.when i run it now after a year it still leaves small bits on the track.
thanks 1 user liked this useful post by MalinAC
Offline RayF  
#3 Posted : 15 July 2019 13:04:50(UTC)
RayF

Gibraltar   
Joined: 14/03/2005(UTC)
Posts: 15,838
Location: Gibraltar, Europe
This yellowing of the plastic insert seems to be quite random. I have many of these boxes, and some are still in pristine condition after many years whereas others have gone varying shades of yellow or even brown.

The great enemy of plastic is sunlight, and I believe the worst affected of my boxes are those that have, at some point, been in shop windows. I believe that once exposed in this way the deterioration continues even after they are kept in a dark place.

Ray
Mostly Marklin.Selection of different eras and European railways
Small C track layout, control by MS2, 100+ trains but run 4-5 at a time.
thanks 2 users liked this useful post by RayF
Offline Dave Banks  
#4 Posted : 16 July 2019 00:29:17(UTC)
Dave Banks

Australia   
Joined: 08/03/2006(UTC)
Posts: 1,025
Location: Gold Coast, Australia.
Hello MalinAC & Ray, many thanks for your input. I guess there is no replacing it. I will just have to improvise with other types of material.
D.A.Banks
Offline RayF  
#5 Posted : 16 July 2019 00:48:20(UTC)
RayF

Gibraltar   
Joined: 14/03/2005(UTC)
Posts: 15,838
Location: Gibraltar, Europe
Originally Posted by: Dave Banks Go to Quoted Post
Hello MalinAC & Ray, many thanks for your input. I guess there is no replacing it. I will just have to improvise with other types of material.


Dave,

I once made a fair "cradle" for a locomotive from a few pieces of foam. You just need to make the dimensions such that the loco won't move in it's box.
Ray
Mostly Marklin.Selection of different eras and European railways
Small C track layout, control by MS2, 100+ trains but run 4-5 at a time.
Offline dickinsonj  
#6 Posted : 16 July 2019 01:56:57(UTC)
dickinsonj

United States   
Joined: 05/12/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1,676
Location: Crozet, Virginia
Originally Posted by: RayF Go to Quoted Post
The great enemy of plastic is sunlight, and I believe the worst affected of my boxes are those that have, at some point, been in shop windows. I believe that once exposed in this way the deterioration continues even after they are kept in a dark place.

Interesting theory Ray and that might explain why only a few of mine have done that. I have always wondered why just a few of them would have behaved that way, even though once in my possession they are never in direct sunlight. ThumpUp
Regards,
Jim

I have almost all Märklin and mostly HO, although I do have a small number of Z gauge trains!
So many trains and so little time.
thanks 1 user liked this useful post by dickinsonj
Offline Drongo  
#7 Posted : 16 July 2019 15:24:43(UTC)
Drongo

Australia   
Joined: 03/06/2008(UTC)
Posts: 1,221
Location: Sydney, NSW
Having spent 40 years in the plastics industry, IMHO as Ray mentioned, sunlight is a killer on plastics. It's the ultraviolet light that breaks down the plastics - some plastics as affected more than others. To try and improve the life of the plastics, UV resistants are put into the plastic as it is being produced. I guess the ones that last longer have had the UV resistants and the ones that yellow definitely don't have the UV protection, and there's no way of knowing, until its too late.
Take it easy . . . . or any other way you can get it !!!!
thanks 1 user liked this useful post by Drongo
Offline Elsleuth1  
#8 Posted : 16 July 2019 16:06:29(UTC)
Elsleuth1

United States   
Joined: 23/04/2014(UTC)
Posts: 104
Last week I was given a gift of a Marklin 37621 set with 2 engines and a car. The box is great but the insert is almost gone however the set is beautiful and runs well.

The top piece of plastic is still in great shape. The edges of the insert are 3/8 inches thick so I ordered this to create a nice home for this set:

High Density Foam Tape, Foam Seal Strip Adhesive Weather Strip Foam Tape (19.68 feet Length(1 Inch Wide X 3/8Inch Thick), Black)

Screen Shot 2019-07-16 at 7.58.33 AM.png
thanks 3 users liked this useful post by Elsleuth1
Offline Harryv40  
#9 Posted : 16 July 2019 17:38:15(UTC)
Harryv40

United Kingdom   
Joined: 07/08/2015(UTC)
Posts: 242
Location: Wilshire
Hi could I suggest Auhagen storage boxes, I had the same problem, I could not afford to buy a Marklin replacement box in the region of 25 plus euros. I looked around the internet and found the Auhagen boxes, they cost around £25 for 10 boxes.

Harry
thanks 4 users liked this useful post by Harryv40
Offline Dave Banks  
#10 Posted : 17 July 2019 12:33:37(UTC)
Dave Banks

Australia   
Joined: 08/03/2006(UTC)
Posts: 1,025
Location: Gold Coast, Australia.
D.A.Banks
Offline Elsleuth1  
#11 Posted : 18 July 2019 02:24:28(UTC)
Elsleuth1

United States   
Joined: 23/04/2014(UTC)
Posts: 104
20190717_161441.jpg20190717_161455.jpg
thanks 3 users liked this useful post by Elsleuth1
Offline kiwiAlan  
#12 Posted : 18 July 2019 14:58:32(UTC)
kiwiAlan

United Kingdom   
Joined: 23/07/2014(UTC)
Posts: 8,082
Location: ENGLAND, Didcot
Originally Posted by: Elsleuth1 Go to Quoted Post
20190717_161441.jpg20190717_161455.jpg


Those vacuum formed inserts are well known for going brittle and breaking in that manner.

I haven't yet worked out a way to make new ones, but it should be easily done using a wood former, a vacuum cleaner, and warming some suitable plastic in an oven after it has been turned off.

thanks 1 user liked this useful post by kiwiAlan
Offline mike c  
#13 Posted : 18 July 2019 20:34:44(UTC)
mike c

Canada   
Joined: 28/11/2007(UTC)
Posts: 7,880
Location: Montreal, QC
Some model years had the plastic cradles that became brittle. Others had the plastic liner which could also become brittle over time. In my collection, I have the 3638 Ae 6/6 which had a brittle cradle. I was able to obtain the liner from a newer version of the Ae 6/6 and I used that to store the model. Since that time, Maerklin stopped the sale of individual liners and outer boxes.

You can still order generic outer boxes without model number, but you cannot get the liner from the factory. the only way to get one is to find a suitable model on eBay and to buy the whole box just to get the liner tray. Remember, if your original tray went brittle, chances are very high that others from the same model (model year) will have the same issue.

If you are going to resort to storing your models in a styrofoam cradle, I would recommend you find some plastic foil or a bag that can be used to hold the model, so that humidity and age does not cause the styrofoam to adhere to the model. With the recent changes in plastic recycling policies, those bags may be harder and harder to obtain. I used to use Glad brand bags, but they have moved production to Thailand and now stopped distributing them in Canada. I don't know if they are still reliable for storage.

The best way may be to pick up some high quality bubble wrap, roll up the lok and keep it some kind of case.
Eyro.ch listed some briefcase type cases for train models.

Regards

Mike C
thanks 1 user liked this useful post by mike c
Users browsing this topic
Forum Jump  
You cannot post new topics in this forum.
You cannot reply to topics in this forum.
You cannot delete your posts in this forum.
You cannot edit your posts in this forum.
You cannot create polls in this forum.
You cannot vote in polls in this forum.

| Powered by YAF.NET | YAF.NET © 2003-2024, Yet Another Forum.NET
This page was generated in 0.521 seconds.