Flying with trains

I haven't flown since 2004 or so. As we all know it has become more complicated.

I would definitely pack the item in a checked piece of luggage. Scanning is more likely to yield a "...what the...?" from the TSA. Nobody needs that.

But I'm definitely out of date on this. And that's OK with me.

I would carry it on and encourage the search.  A few year back my son me a jaguar hood piece, TSA in St. Louis had a real problem with it until I explained it was the only part on the car that didn't break.  They searched the bag and we all laughed.  The train won't look like a weapon but I would feel safer if it is only one piece.  I will be flying to Ft Leonard Wood this Christmas with a US Army #44 loco as a Xmas gift, it will fly with me in the the cabin.  

I have picked up a few items on vacation. Packed them in my checked bag. One item was broken in transit, the rest was ok.

Want to play games with the TSA screeners? No thanks, I want to get through tsa as quick and trouble free as possible. 

(And if they decide your train could be used as a weapon, I believe they will take it.)

 My advice: ship it.

I generally put them in checked baggage, surrounded/packed by clothes and with a sign saying "Toy Train" on it.

A few times coming home from York with a loco as a carry on, TSA freaked out when they X-rayed my bag. Once I explained what it was, they still had to open it and see it. Then the TSA lady started forcing the loco back into the Styrofoam holder. I had to stop her and ask her to let me do it myself. That locomotive was not a threat to national security. She didn't like me saying that, but tough cookie. It's my toy and there was no reason for her to break it.

The smart TSA agents look for threats. The dumb TSA agents look for anything out of the ordinary. There is a BIG difference between a threat and something that is out of the ordinary.

I fly to/from York from TX (to BWI). Always with carry on bags.  I pack very sparingly to allow lots of room for the return trip.  I take stuff out of the boxes and flatten them. I bring lots of bubble wrap with me.  I wrap each item to protect against banging around (skidmarks out!) and have never had an issue from TSA. No questions, no looks, no inspections.

Now, I will mention that one time I was flying home from Wisconsin after attending an airplane building workshop. I had corded drills, files, crimping & flanging pliers etc. in my checked luggage.  They never questioned the contents, but I *did* see an agent carrying an X-Ray of my bag into a TSA office (it was a VERY small airport - 3 gates, and we were the only flight, so it was easy to see things).  I figured they were going to use it for training purposes.  No "we searched your bag" tag inside the bag when we got home.

On one of my two trips back from York, my checked bag was searched. It had a vintage 726 engine, but I think the smoke fluid was the item that probably caught their attention.   I think the biggest issue would be packing it and then expect the TSA to repack it just as well.  All things considered,  I would ship  it.   

I have taken postwar rolling stock and locomotives successfully in my carry on with no issues, questions or looks from the TSA many many times.

I would ship via your prefered service rather than check it in. They may check your bag and just put the trains back without properly wrapping them up again. 

...one time I was flying home from Wisconsin after attending an airplane building workshop."

 

Oshkosh?  I helped build one there years ago--the goal was to complete a plane in two weeks during the fly-in. I don't remember who volunteered to fly it for the first (and perhaps only? ) time...

Thanks, everyone for the comments. Many good points. I am going to offer to pay the shipping to send it back rather than put in bags. 

If you pack it in in your bag they may open it to inspect what exactly it was/is and as stated prior they may not put it back correctly as you had it. If you decide to take it through security and they don't understand what it is through the scanner, they will pull you aside, ask to see what it is, and pending on what they consider they will either allow you go through with it or tell you you cannot take it on the aircraft. They will not confiscate it unless it is illegal. It is all subject to their interpretation of what they think might be dangerous in the cabin. In your case you should have no problem taking that through security, I've seen much weirder items in the cabin of aircraft and much weirder items pass through security. The only other problem you may experience is depending how big it is, it must fit either under you seat or in an overhead bin. The stews are not going to allow you to take up 1/2 of an overhead bin if the flight is full, they will tell you to put it under your seat or they may try to find a place for it.