Pack up your troubles.
If you are going to travel you are going to need something to put your clothes in for the trip out and your souvenirs in for the trip back. These containers in their crudest forms were cloth sacks and wood boxes but as commercial travel matured to carry the masses so did the style and construction of baggage.
For centuries wooden chests had served to carry personnel possessions, household goods and valuables on long trips. The design was fairly simple; a wooden box with a hinged lid reinforced by leather or metal banding. Most had a hasp for securing the lid closed with an external lock; more elaborate versions had latches and locks built in. The construction was sturdy as most of the journeys were one way. Intended for travel as freight the items were too heavy to be convenient for leisure travel. Trunks crossing the ocean in a ships hold or the prairie in the back of a wagon would finish their days as a hope chest or strong box.
One of the most common versions of the chest is the army footlocker. These began as plain wooden crates made of pine or some other cheap wood. By WWI they were made of oak, hickory or other hardwoods. The edges were reinforced with brass strips and most had a single or double removable tray in the top. Constructed primarily by furniture companies a lacquered wood stain protected it from the elements. In preparation for WWII the brass was upgraded to steel and the wood to birch plywood. The lift out tray remained. Made in mass by a wide variety of companies the finish was a healthy coat of olive drab green paint. Vietnam veterans found their familiar green footlockers now had a plastic tray inside but otherwise looked unchanged from the forties. These old standbys were phased out in the 1990s in favor of commercially available containers like those made by Pelican and Hardigg.
Crude wooden chests were not going to suit the wealthy world travelers of the nineteenth century. They wanted style and versatility. Most importantly they needed something that could be used in the stateroom of a steam ship or hotel suite in an exotic location that might not have the comforts of home…. like a wardrobe or chest of drawers. Enter the steamer trunk.
Intended as upscale storage for clothing and personal items these portable closets boasted elaborate interiors. Features included sets of drawers, pigeon holes for shoes and a rack for clothes on hangers. Travelers would stand the trunk on end next to a wall and open it like a book on edge. Some designs included matching separate pieces that attached to the top as extra drawers or a jewelry box. Other companion pieces included hat and jewelry boxes even a wet bar or wine cabinet. Such baggage was a major investment with an elaborate set of trunks costing more than a small house.
Early manufacturers included the Shwayder Trunk Company of Denver, Colorado (which became Samsonite in 1910) and Rhino Trunk and Case which is still in business today. They were later joined by iconic makers such as H.J. Crave, Noble and Graff, and Louis Vuitton. Regardless of the maker or model most steamer trunks have a few things in common. The basic trunk was still a wooden box. These could be made of hardwoods if the exterior was stained and finished but most had a leather or cloth cover with brass rails and decorations. The interior was often covered in embossed paper or some kind of cloth. Built in locks and hasps were common. Heavy leather handles provided a place for the porters to handle it. None of this would matter in the era of mass transit though.
By the mid 1920’s the automobile (and soon the airplane) had made travel for travels sake popular and affordable. The demand for smaller lighter bags, holding only a few days of clothes brought about a new design that could be easily carried by their owners. Baggage became luggage and the suitcase was born.
While trunks and chests needed to be stout and weather resistant to survive the hold of a ship or railroad baggage car; suitcases were usually found strapped to the back of a car remaining under the control of their owners during the trip. The need for heavy wood construction gave way to cardboard and cloth. The first suitcases were literally designed to hold a suit. One side had a flap which held shirts and undergarments in place while the other had straps or bands to hold suit coats and pants flat during travel. Exterior closure was by either straps or clasps; both would later be replaced by zippers.
Even your best buddy could travel as baggage. Pet carriers made of wood, wicker or metal mesh were common sites.
Suitcase function did not change much from the 1910’s to the 2000’s but materials did, leather exterior coverings replaced the cloth covers of the 1930’s which were replaced themselves by man-made materials in the 1950’s. Cardboard construction became plastic and eventually metal frame. By the 21st century air travel has driven yet another change in design. Restrictions on both weight and dimension have returned baggage to the short stout designs of the early wooden chests. What’s next? I would say spray on clothing but we all know you are not allowed to take aerosols in your carry on.
Modeling Baggage
To model baggage for my train I wanted items that reflected all kinds of travelers, immigrants, vacationers, business men, what have you. This meant everything from old wooden chests to cloth and leather suitcases and even steamer trunks were needed. Once again working in 1/20.3 meant there was little to nothing available so I would have to make masters and cast baggage. Unlike my steel drum project I would need more than one master item. I set down and looked at what would make up a good mix of bags and chests. I came up with 10 which later expanded to 16 unique items. These included three different hat boxes, a pet carrier and a steamer trunk. Ugh! The construction of each is basically the same; a wooden or plastic shape that supports the details made of paper and styrene. Molds were made and items cast.
After casting the items were sprayed with flat gray, white or black primer. Once the color coat is on a variety of shading washes and dry brushing completes the job.
After painting I found a very easy detail to add, the tourist label. These were very common from the 1880‘s to the 1960s. The subjects were famous hotels, steamer lines, railroads and national parks. These sorts of things are still around but people tend to put them on the bumper of the car. I found about thirty such vintage stickers on line and copied them onto a power point slide. A little tweaking to get the size right and they were ready to print. I even made my own baggage tags. Since they did not have to withstand the weather I printed them on plain paper and glued them to the trunks and bags using TB3. As always a clear coat of Treehouse Matte sealed the deal.
I now have a large selection of baggage to place around the layout on platforms, vehicles and baggage carts.
Now I just have to figure out how to loose the luggage, reroute it to Denver and tell my tiny travelers that they should have bought tiny insurance against tiny loss and tiny theft.
