What is the proper method for shipping a modern engine with it's original box and foam insert? With post war and prewar items I usually wrap the item and box seperately before placing them into the shipping box.
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If I were shipping an engine, I would use all the original manufacturer's packing materials and boxes and then find a bigger box to fill with foam peanuts/newspaper/etc. to act as further "damage protection" on all sides of the original shipping container. Tape securely; too many times I see people wanting to ship expensive items, but are just too cheap to pack them correctly. Remember, the shipping clerk/truck driver could really care less about your package-it's just another box to get out of their hair at the end of the day.
Many train shops use that foam box/cradle as the only protection against physical damage during shipping.
I've done that a couple of times without a problem. But, usually I've put the engine box into a larger box with more cushioning ..... though, I really don't know why.
Good luck.
Jim
IMHO, D&H 65 has it: Anything valuable should be double-boxed, at least 2" larger all around than the original box. The sturdy contemporary train packaging makes this quite simple. And if the original packaging has a cello "window", that window should be protected from popcorn incursion by a piece of corrugated cut to size. I protect the inner box from moisture with a plastic bag or something. It's not a bad idea to tape a redundant address label to the inside package too, "just in case".
If you pack the Lionel carton inside another box just make sure it's tight.
I had one arrive that was a bit loose end to end, and it must have been jolted pretty good as the foam in the original Lionel box was broken.
In keeping with the "tight" recommendation, I frequently put some little strips of Styrofoam or some padded wrap inside with the locomotive if is can move at all in the foam inserts. The key to packing is making sure nothing is capable of moving around.
