How to ship your locomotive

How to ship your train to us

If you contacted us for commission work or we have a deal on some junk locomotives, it is very important you properly pack your item to prevent damage and lost parts.

Step 1. Wrap your locomotive in a few layers of paper. Butcher paper, cut-up paper grocery bags or newspaper is fine as long as the paper is wider than the unit is long. Roll the locomotive into the paper so that there are at least three layers. Tape the middle. Fold over and tape each end.

Step 2. Now wrap the cocooned piece in a layer of bubble wrap using the same procedure as the paper. Tape it well!

Step 3. Using an appropriately sized box (we use a 14 x 6 x 6 box for most locomotives), fill the bottom about a third of the way with packing peanuts, crumpled paper or newspaper. Do not use bubble wrap! It can get popped in transit and cause damage.

Step 4. Place the wrapped unit in the box and pack around it on all sides with more crumpled paper or peanuts, ensuring the unit cannot bang around in the box. Fill right to the top so that the unit stays in the center of the box.

Step 5. Using packing tape, seal the box. Give it a wrap end to end, and around the middle.

Step 6. Using your preferred shipper, label and send to the address we provided in the email. PLEASE DO NOT REQUIRE A SIGNATURE! We have day jobs and cannot be present to sign for packages. We can only deal with shipping on Saturdays, so a Signature Required package will delay your commission work by a week or more. All the major carriers are used to lugging boxes up to our shop and they know where the drop-box is at!

We are all about recycling, so re-using an Amazon box is fine. We do it too. We highly recommend wrapping Amazon boxes in kraft paper as this prevents confusion at our shop.

Again, please do not require a signature!