Make your own car - building tote.

July, 21, 2004

Now as we looked at tool boxes we got the notion that a 19" long tool box might not hold enough rolling stock for our needs. So after some brain storming and thought, Matt came up with a better idea. We would use a tub, the 58 qt. size you can get at Walmart. Not only did we get 3 larger trays but we also got extra space to either add 2 more trays or what we did, use the space to transport buildings, tools, etc. Note you can make 1 or up to 5 depending on your needs. If you make more, you can always leave trays home if not needed and gain more building space.

While the basic tub construction was the same, Matt opted to use 1/4" plywood for his tray base & I used 1/4" Masonite. Both cost about the same, the Masonite a bit cheaper. I thought the Masonite would keep sanding down and less chance of splinters as the trays got old. But you have to drill some pilot holes to make it easier to nail the frame to the tray base. The pictures below will show both tray bottoms and 2 different ways to install the outside frame. We also chose Poplar wood for the frame and shelves. Poplar is not too expensive, not too hard or soft and readily available at places like Home Depot in the size that has you doing the least trimming.

The Bill of Material (BOM)
Our BOM is for 3 trays and a top cover.
We built our tote for HO scale.

1 - 1/4" x 2' x 4' plywood or Masonite, finished one side at least. Note, you will need a second piece for the top cover.
1 - 1/4" x 4" x 3' poplar (actually is 3 1/2" wide, cut lengthwise gives perfect height for tray dividers). This is for tray ends.
9 - 1/4" x 4" x 2' poplar for the dividers. Each tray needs 6 dividers to make the 5 rows.
5 - 4' pieces can replace these 2' pieces (but 3' pieces won't work for the dividers, since the length will be 18 3/4").
1 - 58 qt. container we got ours at Walmart. see picture below.
1 - roll of shelve lining. To prevent cars from moving in transit.
Carpenters glue & 5/8 or 3/4 finishing nails for plywood & wire nails for Masonite.

Tools you will need.

Corner, C. and/or small bar clamps.
A small table saw, the one in Micro Mark works good.
A circular or large table saw.
A jig or scroll saw.
A power miter or radial arm saw comes in very handy cutting down the side pieces.
A hammer and needle nose pliers, to hold the nails & save your fingers.
Some kind of power sander to help fit shelves.

Total cost is about $40.
Time to build, about 8 - 10 hours.

Building the tote.

The parts.

The 58 qt. tub

The wood & nails.

The shelf liner.

We started out by first cutting the plywood / Masonite into 3)19 1/4" x 12 1/2" sheets.
Next we cut the 3' pieces of Poplar into 3 12 1/2" pieces and cut the 2' or 4' Poplar into 9 18 3/4" pieces. Note, while this can be done with a circular or as we did a table saw, for best results, I would suggest a power miter or radial arm saw. Even with triple measuring, you can still have strips of slightly different lengths, as we did, that will cause extra work sanding the ends.

The 3 end slats now 6.

The 9 side slats now 18.

The 6 guide pieces.

Now for the assembly.

Matt used 1/4" plywood for his base. He build the frame attaching piece at a time to the base with a thin bead of wood glue and bar clamps holding it in place until the glue set. Once he got a corner done, with the bar clamps in place, nailed the pieces together. Note, when you are nailing the slats to the base be careful. It is very easy to nail at a slight angle and, as I did, have the nails stick out on the sides of the slats.

Starting with the end.

2 of the side pieces done

I opted for Masonite and chose a different way to do my frame. First since Masonite can be difficult to nail through, I drilled some pilot holes. My smallest bit was 1/16" which was a bit big for my wire nails but the head held the base in place while the glue set up. I built my frame by itself then attached it to the base. I used a corner clamp and right angle guild the keep it straight. Then nailed the pieces together.

Drill pilot holes in all 3 bases.

Corner clamp & right angle guide.

The finished frame. .

Now that I had the frame done, I chose to install the 'shelf' pieces next before attaching the base. We determined that we would have 3 different sizes of shelves. 2 that would be 2 3/8" high for hi-cube cars & cabooses, 2) 2 1/4" for most other cars & the last would be about 1 1/2", big enough for flat cars and gondolas. Here however we found the a problem we did not foresee. Some of the shelf slats were a bit longer than others. When I measured the sides the slats either bowed a bit or slipped and I had a slight angle some of the shelves on 1 of my trays. That is when we came up with the spacer idea. We made spacers for the 2 3/8" & 2 1/4" shelves. We started by doing the 2 3/8" shelves first, then the 2 1/4" next. No need for spacers on the 1 1/2" shelf .

Using the spacers to keep shelf straight.

A test of the shelves to check correct height.

A test of the shelves to check correct height.

The results.

A finished tray with some cars in it. .

As you can see, there is plenty of space to lift out the trays.

A view of all 3 trays installed.

A different view of the 3 trays installed.

The final touches.

Now that the shelves are done, we need to make a cover and add some protection for the rolling stock. Here is were the shelf liner comes in.

Cut liner to size and glue or place in shelf.

Set the tub on the other sheet of wood.

Take a pen or marker & trace out the tub.

I found that other than a small notch in 1 corner to aid in removal, the outline of the tub will make the cover fit with no problem.

The top cover.

Lifting out the cover.

A close picture.

Trim shelf liner for top. .

Note I put small pads on bottom of the cover.

I chose to add 3 liner strips to keep shelves from sliding around.

The finished product.

A tote ready to transport you rolling stock and buildings.

One word of caution, I was told that some shelf liners could melt the plastic on rolling stock if left on them too long. If you use this for long term storage add paper or something to cover the liner.

[ Home ] [ Ponderosa North Model Railroad Club ] [ Model Rail News]
[ Arizona Rail Calendar ] [Tips & Tricks]
[ E-mail the webmaster ]