Train Restoration

[Anonymous]

The trucks on several of my Lionel freight cars have a white residue on them. They were exposed to a wet environment. Any tips on how to remove these deposits? Thanks

[cnw1995]

Welcome jcjpb! I'd have more questions than answers unfortunately. Are the trucks metal or plastic or rather, where is the white residue?
I can only guess that it might be mildew, mold or even rust. An easy solution would be to just replace the trucks completely. If the former, they might be cleanable.

[iguanaman3]

The white residue is caused by oxidation of the zinc die-cast truck sides. I spray them down with WD-40 then brush with an old toothbrush. They usually come out like new.

Neil

[Anonymous]

If they are plastic (actually not plastic plastic, but a type of vinyl or something I think), then this is a very common problem and very easy to fix. Just blow warm air from a hair dryer on them and the white stuff will start to flake and will rub off quite easily. The type of trucks this happens to are the Scout-type ones.