Re: Revised General Information on Packaging Damage to HO Locomotives
HO Locomotive Packaging Techniques to avoid pilot (cow catcher), drawbar and coupler damage.
1) Splint packaging - Bubble pack / tape with HO track or 1-1/4-inch wide paint stick splint (1% failure rate)
2) Splint packaging - Bubble pack / tape / u-shaped cardboard channel / 3-layer cardboard splint (1% failure rate) (Note: Cardboard corrugations parallel to major locomotive axis.)
3) Athearn original packaging - Box / cardboard insert / wire ties (1% damage rate)
4) Original Mantua Styrofoam packaging (33 to 50% damage rate) (Suggestion: Slip piece of pastboard in Mantua box which is the same size as the box, that is, 5 inches x 16 inches. Punch holes in pasteboard. Use wire ties to hold Mantua loco in position. This is similar to what Athearn did with their diesel packaging.)
5) Rivarossi original packaging - original plastic insert / long box (50% damage rate)
6) Rivarossi original packaging - plastic insert / paper towel stuffing on back of insert / long box (5% damage rate)
7) Padded envelope (50% damage rate)
😎 Box with diagonally-packaged item (33% damage rate)
9) Box with no fill and loose parts / kits (80% damage rate)
10) Box with cardboard insert (33% damage rate)
11) Bubble Pack / Styrofoam peanuts / 3+ inch standoff distance / bulging box fill (10% damage rate)
12) Bubble Pack / Styrofoam peanuts / ❤️ inch standoff distance / loose fill (33% damage rate)
13) Brass box with splint packaging - Plastic wrap / tape / splint as long as box interior (1% damage rate)
14) Brass box / flexible gray or yellow polyurethane foam train box fill / good foam / no gaps or breaks in foam (15% damage rate)
15) Brass box / flexible gray or yellow polyurethane foam train box fill / deteriorated or missing foam- gaps in foam (33% damage rate)
16) Brass box / bubble pack (33% damage rate)
17) Newspaper packaging - shredded (5% damage rate), crumpled (20 to 33%), tissue paper (33 to 50% damage rate) (Note: Rattling cuts through tissue paper.)
18) Air Pillows or Channel-Type bubble pack (20 to 50% damage rate - packaging bursts when stressed by loco)
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