Packing Locos for Shipping

It doesn't matter which way you orient the engine in the box, because the box will never stay upright during the shipping voyage.

That said, I've adopted  the practice used by Sunset. Place the engine on a board, preferrably with grooves for the flanges, wrap the engine in tissue paper, then thin foam sheet or small bubble wrap and tape closed securely. Use foam blocks on all sides to hold the engine securely in the box. Peanuts will not hold a heavy object in place. Try and use a good quality corrugated box.

I tape them to a track board, then foam, then a box, then peanuts, then another box.  Sunset is an expert at this - check out their shipping system.

I am shipping a Williams Challenger mechanism this week.  Built a plywood box, and the mech will be immobilized with zip- ties, then foam, etc.

Ed,

All good suggestions so far. Let me add a couple.

Recent models have form fitting foam inserts, these help to keep a model from shifting around, keep the model in them.

On older models without the form fitting foam inserts, I've done like the others suggested, a board under the model, a tissue layer, a layer of small bubble wrap with bubbles facing out, and then a layer of big bubble wrap. The two layers of bubble wrap get taped up good so the wrap does not move at all.

If you can remove boiler weights that is a good idea also.

I've still found the best why to ship a locomotive is to hand it to the guy you are shipping it to at the next show.

Ed

I agree with the above posts, and would add that if you can remove the lead weight in the boiler and pack it separately you'll reduce the risk of damage.

Ed Rappe

I used the grooved board with pretty good results. One guy forgot to secure the loco snugly to the board so the weight of the loco allowed the engine to slam against the end of the box and bent the pilot. OMI Standard and Veranda Turbines are notorious for this kind of damage if they are not secured to a board. 

Recently I was educated to another way of wrapping/shipping that is definitely more of a PITA, but just about guarantees no damage. It cost more because you will be shipping two boxes, instead of one, but it's worth it to me.

Wrap the loco in multiple layers until there is 3-4 inches of protection around it on all sides. You can use tissue paper for the first layer to protect the paint, surround that by several layers of foam wrap and then multiply layers of small bubble wrap for the outer layer. Place this cocoon in a larger box surrounded by peanuts. Do the same with the tender if that applies. 

You then ship the loco in one box and the factory inner box in another. The inner box just needs to be protected from dirt and handling chafing so it doesn't need a lot of fancy wrapping. 

Some of the importers are building some pretty incredible inner model boxes these days (Key, Kohs, Etc.) for their latest production models that might not require going to this extent. Generally a factory packed model is good to go, but once unpacked they never seem to get packed that way again.  

But, it all boils down to the skill and care the shipper uses to box the locomotive up. If they only use the worn out factory packing and figure that's good enough it is up to the train gods if it will arrive undamaged. Nothing like waiting years to purchase a model only to find it damaged due to a careless packing. 

Butch

YUP, thats what I'd do too. You see them reports of freight handlers throwing boxes about adn that is why one wants to secure the engine to a longer board than the loco so the board takes the hit and not the ends of the loco. Best yet, insure the heck out of it and with a BIG marker write FRAGILE all over it. My baby inside! like the commercial of a big baby when talking about ones car.

Phil

I don't know about the "Fragile" part.  I used to help the bag folks during walk-arounds at intermediate stops (Our airline liked to hire good looking women for all jobs) and it made no difference what was marked on the bag - we were too busy to read it.  Once in a while one end of the belt loader would choke, and stuff would simply fall off.  Do you know how far something can fall from a belt loader servicing a 757?

I bought a steam locomotive from Jack McGarry, Allegheny Scale Models, and it took me forty-five minutes to get it completely unwrapped.  Chris is correct in how to pack a locomotive, just like Jack did.

Larry

Wrap the model in tissue paper.

Always use two boxes (inner and outer)! Immobilize the model so it cannot move inside the inner box and then center that inner box in a larger outer box that is at least 4 inches larger in length, width, and height, so you have 2 inches of buffer space on any of the six sides of the interior box.

Put packing material around all 6 sides of the inner box. I prefer foam blocks over peanuts, but peanuts will work if you don't skimp and pack them tightly!

I have shipped quite a few items this way and never had a problem.

Simon

Number one rule; Do not ship by UPS, they are the worst and will not pay the insured value when damage occurs. Ed

I bought a Saniflo Compact toilet (up flush type) on line.  When it arrived I thought yikes, that is a huge box.  As I opened it I found a tan foam type material.  As I pulled more of the cardboard off I found they had placed the toilet on a 4" foam pad, completely encased in a heavy Saran Wrap type material and filled the box with some type of foam that filled up the box and encased the toilet in at least 4" of foam all around.  As the cardboard was not some super heavy duty thick stuff, I surmised the foam did not expand with much pressure.  I swear they could have pushed it out of the Fedex Plane over my house and it would have survived.  Food for shipping thought!

Peter

Check the shipper websites for general packaging guidelines. 

Here is the way to ship a loco. I just received a SP Mogul From Mile Booth @ Dakota Brass and he used a great way to shio it. No bent or broken parts. Thanks Mike.

If that board isn't cushioned, it could still get seriously damaged.  I've had a number of things come with the trucks busted from impact, having the wheels sitting on wood would surely transmit all the shock directly through.

I second Gunrunner's comment. I received a brass loco packaged on a wooden board and the tender truck bolsters had been distorted in shipping, likely by the box having been dropped.

Packaging the loco on a wooden board should be just the first step.

There were small foam pads that sat between the loco frame, and also the tender trucks. The boards sat on the foam in the Sunset box. The board are the same length as the box and the engine can't slide around. This method was used by a couple of brass manufactures back in the "60 when I worked in the hobby shop after school. Never had a damaged locomotive.

Also people need to take care when shipping plastic box cars etc. as not securing them with a good deal of protection parts like the stirups do break off. I have recieved a few with broken stirups. One was rolled in newspaper like a cigar wrapper with little thought to the strups that got pushed into the center of the car possibly from dropping it. Ugh.

Phil