Vintage Train packaging question

I have an engine that was 1939-1942 vintage. It was wrapped in a brown kraft paper backed with a loose material that I believe was called excelsior. The engine after being wrapped went in the box. I also have some prewar pieces that had a box with a cardboard insert in them to hold the item in place. 

Interesting....out of all the years I've followed the old tinplate I've never seen anything other than the boxes and sometimes a little brown paper. I'm not really surprised though, quite the opposite, it's pretty amazing as many boxes survived that did...

This is an American Flyer Narrow Gauge (O gauge) sand car from 1927.  It came in a brown cardboard box and was wrapped in brown paper that almost feels like it is waxed paper.

I also have a Flyer Late Warrior Wide Gauge set that is in its original set box with all of the original individual boxes.  The engine, tender and all of the passenger cars are also wrapped in the same brown paper. The engine is also cushioned by several rolled up pieces of corragated card board.  I'll have to try to get some photos of the engine in the box. 

Northwoods Flyer

Keep in mind also that back in the day, these cars weren't being shipped across oceans from China.  For the most part, they were shipped "locally" a few hundred miles or less.  Most of the Lionel and Ives production made in New Jersey and Connecticut were sold within 100 miles in the New York area.  Also, nobody noticed or cared if the paint was a little scuffed from rubbing on the brown paper in transit.

And we are probably a little more "OCD" about our modern tinplate repros! 

MTH recently switched over to the particle board, steel "cage" packaging for their LCT 408E's. My MTH "Tinplate Traditions" dark green and apple green 408E's came in the regular styrofoam "sarcophagi", which were then inserted into heavy-walled corrugated shipping cartons.

My BRUTE took about two-hours to completely unpack and unbolt from its steel "cage"!  

NOTE: I subsequently had a custom built cabinet-grade Maple box built to transport my LCT BRUTE. I had SG grooves milled out on the bottom of the carry case, and had the interior sides and ends lined with foam material. Finished it off with a nice fitted top and brass carry handles!  

Thanks for the replies guys..I think you're right on hojack, back then it wasn't such a "hurry up" world and packages would have been handled alot more gently I'm sure. Kind of funny though, as I think back I don't think I ever in my life remember anything more hitting the mailbox besides envelopes...if you could buy it local cool, otherwise you just did without....Making up for that though, trying my hardest these days though to get as many tinplate trains moved to the midwest as possible 

Thanks for the photo's Greg, looks like a really nice original car with all the  original packing...

mtj54,

   My brother & I have my fathers original Lionel 263E, I got to see & play with the original excelsior paper & the individual boxes the train came in, inside the Lionel hand made Wooded Train Box.  The boxes were fairly thick card board, with the Red Lionel insignia and coloring on the box lid.

This particular train was shipped to Guadalcanal for the Seabees and Marines to see at Christmas time, during the WWII, so the card board boxes finally degraded and fell apart when I was a child, in the late 40's-early 50's.  I wish I still had them, to show you a picture, but they are long gone now.  

PCRR/Dave   

Tinplate Art,

Any chance you could show us some photos of your custom-made wooden carrying box.  I could use one for my Goliath.

Bob Nelson

RE: My Brute case

My builder is an old friend who is also a train guy and a custom layout builder for some well-heeled Nashville residents. His shop is only a couple of blocks from my house, but my Brute carry case is presently at my North Carolina depot/home. I believe he has the dimensions, and can replicate it. He also does store train layouts and even did one for the Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt.

The wood he chose for mine has a nice grain pattern, and is finished with some type of clear coat.