This was purchased at the Wm H. Block company, a large department store in Indianapolis, so I imagine that it was boxed and ready to go. I believe they were relatively "famous" for their Christmas layout of Lionel trains. I have a very faint memory of the crush of the crowd in my mind, and how long it took my Dad and Uncle to set up the set on Christmas morning. And of course, I could not go near the front room while they were doing so. (It would also have been nice if I could have played with it some that day...)