What's the Best Way to Ship A Train W/O its box?

The best way is to wrap it in bubble wrap a cupel of layers. put it in a oversized box with lots of packing peanuts good rule is 4 1/2 inches all around and above and below the model if it is a seam loco space the engine and tender apart. INSURE YOUR PACKAGE!!! A different idea if you are shipping the same model over and over again is to get a custom case build for it but that costs $$$$.

i have shipped 100's of brass locomotives and never had 1 damaged using this method if you don't have the original box. wrap the loco in bubble wrap, then find a 1/2" board longer than the loco and the same length as the box. tape the bubble wrapped loco to the board. then place it in the box and fill that box with popcorn,shake the box and make sure there is no movement at all, then place the first box in a second that is at least 4 inches longer and taller than the first box. fill the second box with popcorn with a minimum of 2" of popcorn in all directions. seal the box and then shake the box if there is any movement there is not enough packing. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE USE ANY PAPER AS PACKING THIS WILL CAUSE ANY CLAIMS TO BE DENIED AS PAPER OFFERS NO CUSHIONING. MAKE SURE TO INSURE PACKAGE.

I agree, but I would recommend wrapping the train with paper first to protect the paint from the bubble wrap. I have heard the plastic can discolor the paint on cars and locos. 

If you can fin some of that thin, styrofoam wrap similar to what MTH uses, that's a good option as well.   

With diesels .... I've sometimes put pieces of Styrofoam (that I've saved from past electronics purchases, etc ) between the handrails and the hood.

Maybe not necessary with a good wrap of bubble wrap?

Get a foam mattress pad, cut to fit and roll engine and tender separately several times in the foam, then insert into heavy duty corrugated carton. Use excess foam as separators and at ends of carton.

It is also a good idea to put shipping tape around the padded engine and tender.

You can also use the original engine wrap before you use the mattress foam.

By rail!

Get a suitable box from Overstocked Boxes and use common sense with packing materials. 

It would depend on the train. How heavy, how much delicate detail that might be broken off.

One smaller box inside of another slightly larger box. Wrap the engine in acid free paper. Then wrapped in layers of bubble wrap. Fill any voids in smaller box with foam peanuts. Place smaller box in larger box surrounded by plenty of foam peanuts. After accepted by carrier........PRAY A LOT!

God Bless,

"Pappy"

After the nasty experience I had with UPS, you may want to think twice about using a UPS store to ship trains even if you're using a prepaid return sticker from Lionel.

Trust me.. if you're using UPS, only give your package to a UPS driver and WATCH him scan the package into the UPS system.

Or, take it to the UPS facility itself. 

Joe

I always wrap everything - cars or engines - 1st with a few layers of an industrial weight paper towel before the layer of fine bubble wrap.

Double boxing with plenty of packing materials, both bubble wrap and peanuts immobilizing the item in its own box and then that box within the next works.

Better to have complaints about over-engineering and too much tape (get some good tape with the reinforced strands in it!), than complaints about damage.

If I don't have the original shipping carton, I typically wrap the train box in several layers of bubble wrap and secure in a slightly larger shipping carton.  Any extra spacing is filled with those peanut-type styrofoam things (sorry don't know how else to eloquently describe them).  Have never had a problem using this methodology and  I buy/sell trains quite frequently.