Today, I put the final clear coat on my restored Lionel 254 electric!
These photos were taken with the camera's flash on. Here are a few more without the flash:
I think it all turned out great! All that's left is to get the brass cab plate for the other side, and replace the rear light bulb with a new one that matches the front (I dropped the new one I was going to use. The old bulb in there right now is a little bigger and brighter, and doesn't quite match). It's a very good runner, and keeps getting better as I run it more. I don't think it'll have any problem pulling three big red passenger cars.
EDIT: Here's a little "before":
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Very nice!
did you polish the brass parts? if so, how did you manage to keep the black details from rubbing off, or did you recreate those?
Tim
Gorgeous!
Can't wait to see what you do with the cars!
Becky
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
What beautiful models and gorgeous work, but please take your models out side for the photos so we can see your fantastic work.
Bud
Thanks everyone!
I did polish all the brass that was in need (end doors are reproductions, pre-polished and coated), and I repainted any black that wore off. To do that, I watered down some Testors acrylic gloss black and applied a droplet at a time, letting it flow where it needed to. Anything that went beyond its lines was carefully rubbed off.
I'm nearly done with the first 710 coach, and it's looking great! I will post pictures of everything, and I'm going to be showing my progress with the next car as I do it.
I've got a pretty good place outside where I can take pictures. When it's all done and the weather's nice, I'll be sure to do that too.
That's an interresting tip about the Testors, I'll have to give it a try!
It looks fantastic so far, and I have been searching around for your missing brass plate. I replied once before about a 254 on ebay, but I found another one on Ebay that may be worth looking at. The 254 is just the shell with both brassplate doors, and is listed at start of $24.99 bid, with $3.50 shipping. It will give you the parts you are looking for, to complete your 254. It is listed as item #220851956734, and ends in 3 days , 8 hrs.. Hope this helps.
Jerry
An outstanding restoration. Looks better than new. The attention to detail shows in spades.
Nothing is more fairly distributed than common sense: no one thinks he needs more of it than he already has.
Very Nice! How about an update on the cars?
- James
teledoc, thanks for helping me look for the part. I noticed that shell on eBay, but it looks like I missed it. Guess I'll have to keep looking. I know there's one out there somewhere!
JamesP, I just finished the first passenger car on Saturday!
Here's a before shot:
And here's the after!
The light is flickering a little, so I'll need to work on the floor to truck contact more. But it turned out nice!
Wow! Great transformation! Keep up the good work, and thanks for the pictures.
FANTASTIC!!!!!! Now THAT'S my kind of BLING!!!!
Yes, beautiful work!
Just wanted to let you know that there are two 254's on Ebay, which will give you the parts you need. One is an almost complete 254 with 1 bid so far, started at $40, located in Florida. The other one listed is listed at 99 cents start bid, with one bidder placing 2 bids on different times. The 99 cent unit has been stripped to bare metal, and has both brassplates, and other parts, but not all there. Thought I would give you heads up on 2 more available for your brassplate you need. Good Luck.
Jerry (Teledoc)
Thanks teledoc. The complete-ish 254 will probably get up to between $70 and $100, but I'll keep an eye on the other one!
Darth,
Wondering if you got the shell & parts from Ebay. If not, you missed a great price of under $8 before shipping.
I was going to watch it more closely, but I was called to work an extra shift that day and couldn't check on things. Oh well, maybe I'll get the next one.
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