Apologies for possibly repeating an earlier subject ... but ... where should I go for 53' 48' 45' 40' 20' containers in Z scale? does anyone actually make these beasts? and are they decorated? and if so, do 48' and 45' containers fit in MTL's Gunderson Husky stack cars? (well other than above a 40' or 2x20' contaners) Thanks G [ August 01, 2005, 10:48 PM: Message edited by: Gordon Werner ]
Marklin makes a truck and container set, but is not compatible with MTL's, but they are great for the spine cars. TNT makes a 53' container, and it is the best container in the market. TNT is currently moving, so it is not taking order.
You could have a look on http://www.igshansa.de/. They have got a nice bunch of different papermodel containers that can easely be converted to Z scale. Arno
Welcome to Trainboard Arno, and thanks for the link. I'm going to see if I can scale some of those containers down to Z. The photo of the Hamburg-Süd container looks very realistic. -Robert
Didn't take too long. I downloaded the Evergreen HO container, and imported it into Corel Draw, then shrunk it down to 39.545% of original, and arranged 5 copies on a sheet . I printed the sheet of #110 bond cardstock on my LED printer, and cut 1 out, then glued it together. It looks great! I think I will try #65 bond paper next time, as the thick cardstock is a little too stiff to fold, and some ink lifted from the bends, but it looks great! Thanks again Arno! -Robert
so I scaled the image to 39.545% ... however the image that prints is not the same size as the Micro-Trains containers. Is this correct? are they oversized? or am I doing something wrong? Thanks Gordon
I don't have time (on my way to work) to compare them, but to my eye they come out a bit shorter, and that may be what makes them look a little longer than the MTL containers. When I get home tonight I will measure them and compare with the MTL. I think they look great though, so for populating a container loading facility, they fit the bill... and you cannot beat the price! -Robert
OK, I measured an MTL to be 40.57' and the printed one to be 39.78' long. The printed one is .043" shorter. Both are .46" wide or 8.25' wide. The MTL measures 9.57' tall and the printed one measures 8.525' tall. The printed one is .057" shorter. I got this info from a container shipping company: This shows both to be close to scale, and the MTL ones are the taller version. The printed containers are actually, all said and done, closer to scale! Haha! math is good! -Robert
Oh, one more observation... They do look good together! Since they are the exact same width, the printed containers fit perfectly in the MTL cars. I made up a couple more containers, and did some mix and match, and you can put the printed ones below, and the MTL's above, then the overhang from the pins on bottom of the MTL containers keeps them centered, with 20 thousandths overhang at each end. Almost a perfect fit! Free is a good price!
I have also tested. I used the 1:200 (which have more containers on one page). Theoretically they should be resized to 90,91%, but on my printer I have to resize to 92,5% to get the correct lenght. It might have something to do with margins on printer setup maybe... Heine
probably has a lot to do with DPI settings on your printer ... or something like that. I concur on the scaling of the 1:200 scale containers though ... thatnks for the investigation re: container sizes Robert ... much appreciated G.
I think I am going to embark on a mass container production over the next couple of days (yeah, probably like weeks I can hear my partner snickering!). Can anyone point me to a great website for photos of all the sides of a typical (does it exist?) 40'-0" shipping container? Thanks, Chris -als ik kan
I would recommend google images ... or just google ... doing an image search returns over 2000 images so ...
Don't forget Herald Freundenrich at FR-Models (Z Scale - TrainBoard.com). Unfortunately, he always sells out which I don't understand as the containers are made in China which means there has to be more volume for the price. Maybe Malcom can comment. .
Jeff's right. The FR containers are very nice. The 40's are very popular. I picked up a number of Hapag Lloyd containers, but these sold out in just a few days. I am carrying the line of Malcolm/FR 53' containers. These are true models with excellent details and pad printing. More containers are coming from this combo. Ztrack Center: Ztrack Intermodal AZL is also planning containers when they release their Thralls. I am not sure if the containers will be available separately. Rob
Let's Start It Here!!! Might as well start some Wants-Needs-Desires right now!!! I being an avid Intermodal Modeler would really like to see AZL release their future containers in various size Bulk Packs. From 2, 3, 4, 5 and possibly 10 packs. Z needs variety!!! What say You fellow Intermodal Modelers????? Let AZL know what you would like to see. Post your comments here!!!!! Hobo Tim
