Damage Free Large Scale Steam Locomotive Shipping - Securing the Boiler and Cab

[Jim Kottkamp]

The boiler and cab now need to be secured.  The strongest, least prone-to-damage point on the boiler is the sand dome (on Berlyn Locos it's soldered in place).  I drilled a slightly oversized hole in the bottom of a 1 X 4 pine board and lined it with plastic foam sheet.  I used a chop saw to cut 1X 4 pine boards the right length to provide slight downward pressure on the sand dome and padding in the hole prevented boiler movement in any direction.  Cut a piece out around the smoke stack so the stack does not touch anything.  The vertical boards should press up against the running boards on both sides of the boiler (photo 9).  Also notice the second short 1 X 4 pine boards on the outside of the vertical supports.  This made putting screws in easier and significantly stiffened the uprights.

A brace was also made to protect the cab from any movement.  This 1 X 4 frame has a combination of plastic foam sheet and small bubble wrap to protect the cab.  I also had to cut a small notch on the inside of the board to protect the cab arm rests (photo 10).

The pilot truck was screwed to the top of the sand dome brace (being careful not to drive a screw into the sand dome).  The flanges fit into grooves cut with a hobby knife (photo 11).

Photo 12 provides and overall view of the locomotive.  NOTHING touches the maker lights, headlight, cab hand rails, steam dome, whistle and bell to keep them damage free.  A 3/16 inch thick plywood crate was made to slip over the top of this entire assembly and screwed in place around the base.  The crate was packed inside a padded cardboard box for a final layer of protection.

This does take extra effort, but will prevent damage to any area of the steam locomotive.