Ammonia does a super job killing mildew as well, but I'd test it in an inconspicuous area first to make sure it doesn't hurt the paint.
The white spots on your 637 may just be mildew, from storage. If it is mildew, the best cure is the use a hair dryer, and heat up the area of the spots, as the heat is the only thing to kill the mildew. I doubt seriously if it is the quoted "zinc pest" problem. The 637 dates to 1959 and later. The typical Zinc Pest problem is more prevalent in a lot of Prewar, with swelling wheels, and such. Lionel's casting was much improved with the Postwar locos, and very rarely would you get a Postwar loco that had that problem.
Alan, you don't say where in the Northeast you live, but if it's North Jersey (where I'm originally from, by the way) let me recommend three train shops I try to visit when I'm back in the area.
The Train Station, Mountain Lakes, NJ. www.train-station.com
Ridgefield Hobbies, Ridgefield NJ, www.ridgefieldhobby.com
The Old and Weary Car Shop, Tappan, NY. www.oldandwearycarshop.com
All are fun places with lots of good stuff inside! There's You tube videos of them too.
Wayne
Alank-I can identify with what you are saying about the trains waiting for your return. I got into the hobby built a layout, then needed to reclaim the space the layout was in and put the trains away. A few years later started picking up select pieces and restoring them , which is where I'm at now, just getting back into the hobby through the restoration part. Another layout is a desire, but won't happen just yet. Maybe in a few more years. The twins are 13 and the youngest is 12 and they need my time right now.
Jim
rtraincollector...I think we all have to be thankful for what we have. When I was growing up my mother supported my brother's and I in the hobby and in fact our parents were big on Christmas and toys. It was the holidays that I would see my dad. My mother believed in supporting us in the trains, she said when we were in the basement working on the trains, she knew we weren't someplace else getting into trouble. The railroad in our blood comes from my mother's side, and not just our house, but all my cousins(the men) had trains and some pretty nice layouts. I can't tell you what the girls did, but most are good in music in multiple ways.
In the late 60s collecting trains had already started in our community with one of my dad's friends having a pretty elaborate collection. My dad wasn't into trains, but he to supported us in our efforts. When I was leaving for college my father asked me what I wanted to do with the trains, and I told him I would like to keep them. They went into storage at that time. After graduating 5 years of college, I for a short time tinkered with them some, but by 1975 my days of work were starting to get busy, and the trains were back in storage. It wasn't till 1992 when my son was born that they came out. We had the trains running till about 2000 when we moved again. I haven't had a layout since, but as time and money allowed I added to our collection. I just recently retired, and haven't run out and done anything with the trains, but now it is the holidays and I am seeing these videos I aquired at sometime. My thoughts are I want to do something in our living room for holiday seasons. I just have to figure what, but my gut tells me it will be multi generational in trains. After all that is what I have.
Train shows are regular events in the Northeast. I haven't been to York, although I have friends who have. Over in Mass., the capital region of NY, NJ and Long Island these are within a couple of hours drive time. I don't know how often I will go, but the time is here. My son is out, my daughter graduates in May and my wife likes the trains, so I don't have to fight.
So hopefully my health will hold, and I can figure out what I want to do. I do know I don't want to open a toy train store.
Anyway its the season, so that is why I am thinking trains....BTY AlanK
I don't think you did anything wrong, if that red paint washed off it probably wasn't applied correctly to begin with. Enamels shouldn't just wash off like that.
It wasn't a matter of one piece with defective paint. "Shouldn't" is the operative word. Anytime you try to clean a train, you are taking a chance on damaging the piece.
Jim I have a 637 die cast engine getting white spots how do you clean them off
Life's hard, even harder if your stupid John Wayne
http://rtssite.shutterfly.com/
My only new train is a Lionel Polar Express, the rest of my collection is from the 30's to the 60's bought used, mostly on ebay. Most I have cleaned up to look really nice. For the tin plate like said easy wash with mild detergent, dry completly then lightly was with a non-cleaner wax, buff completly. Any wax residue comes off with a soft toothbrush, or a tooth pick. I just did this to the Marx set I got after Thanksgiving and it looks new!
For plastic test the piece to ensure compatibility. Again mild detergent, like dawn, warm water and a soft paint brush, for stubborn dirt, a tooth brush. I use Pledge on the plastic trains. It gives them a nice finish and seems like it repels dust. American Flyer plastic parts develope a white stuff. I believe it is from the release agent applied to the molds that after 50+ years gets funky. I use a hair dryer set on warm and a toothbrush to remove the residue.
On conducting wheels I use a soft brass wire wheel in a dremel to clean them up, for plastice wheels I use a nylon wire wheel.
In all cleaning avoid harsh chemicals, abrasives, and being in a hurry, take your time.
cwburfle For cleaning and preserving original tinplate trains usually what's recommended is a washing of the exterior with a mild detergent, then when dry putting a paste wax on it, not a polish. Paste wax isn't abrasive like a polish is and it'll put a good barrier between air and metal. Don't put oil on painted surfaces however, the oil will eventually penetrate any flaws in the paint and lift it off the metal. Some Lionel finishes, will rinse off with water. One example: the red paint on a 219 crane boom. I've done it.
For cleaning and preserving original tinplate trains usually what's recommended is a washing of the exterior with a mild detergent, then when dry putting a paste wax on it, not a polish. Paste wax isn't abrasive like a polish is and it'll put a good barrier between air and metal. Don't put oil on painted surfaces however, the oil will eventually penetrate any flaws in the paint and lift it off the metal.
Some Lionel finishes, will rinse off with water. One example: the red paint on a 219 crane boom. I've done it.
Alank I have following this and will tell you for a while I was doing the new stuff with all the gadgets and still like it but I also I'am now starting to rebuild my postwar and I'm also building my prewar I like it also but I also look at it realistically unless you have unlimited funds just about your not going to have all those fancy shinny trains you see in these video ( I haven't seen the one you all are talking about but have seen others) and as CW said some/lot are MTH remakes. I'm lucky in what I have because I do sometimes what I shouldn't and that is sit on ebay and hunt for items as not close to train shows I'm going to make york yet just when is the question. Anyway I have about 4 prewar sets 2 in original boxes 1 even has set box. I have enven more in postwar but I really want to get my prewar looking nice and may take CW suggestion on paste type wax so I can display them propertly. Here in S.C. not many shows to goto and the ones i have been to didn't really impress me at all
CWBurfle, Firelock...thanks for the replys... I don't know enough about prewar to want to run out and try anything right now. In fact last March I was working on a prewar piece that I purchased fairly reasonable, and in the midst of what I consider a easy repair damaged the piece in another way while making the repair. I still have to deal with that, but luckly I have located a replacement part...so no hurry here... I just was amazed how those prewar trains shined in the video..... Maybe I should just use windex like in the Big Greek Wedding(only kidding) but the tin trains are interesting.
I grew up in the Postwar era, and always pursued them till I got active again when my son was born, and then went for new Lionel. Now that I am older, I seem to like a lot of things that I never had or pursued before. I am amazed at some of the Marx Trains I see....My brother seems to be getting into American Flyer....his wife grew up in Fairfield County Conn. and when they were cleaning out her parents house ran across the American Flyer trains that she remembered from years past, but no one knew what had happened to them until the clean out...so that got him started... Anyway I like my trains, and just wanted to ask before I attempt anything.
I don't know what year the Video I mentioned came out, I know Lionel celebrated the 100th anniversary about 15 years ago, but I don't know what year I got it, and any span between celebrating the 100th and it's release.
Best of the New Year all, and may all your train finds be good...AlanK
Another video I watched was "It happened to Jane". I would have like to got ahold of olde #97...Visiting the Essex Railroad last year, they have a nice set up there.... Our Polar Express here in NY was succesful again this year...Happy Training..
I've got that "100 Years of Lionel" video myself, and yes, it's VERY enjoyable, but one thing you should know is many of the tinplate pre-war trains in the video are reproductions, that's one of the reasons they look so good.
If your trains have a "sheen but are not shiny" and aren't dirty I'd just go the paste wax route.
Sounds like you should consider leaving them alone.1 - most polishes contain some abrasive
2 - it is just about impossible to polish every little nook and crannie. You either wind up with unpolished areas, or with telltale bits of polish in those places3 - polish can lighten or completely remove lettering.So I say leave the polish to pieces that are in lesser condition.Of course the trains are yours to do with as you see fit.
Happy New Year 2016 to all.
Yesterday I had some time to view some Lionel Videos, that I have. One of the videos was "The First 100 Years of Lionel Trains", with Tom Snyder, Thomas McCommas, Richard Kughn and others. It is a very enjoyable video, and with the tree still up and some trains about, it was a good time for this video.
One of the things I noticed in watching the prewar segment, was how bright and shiny many of the prewar cars and accessories were. After all they are metal and paint.
Now before I go out in the garage and look for some auto cleaners and wax, I thought I would ask here what is the best way to clean and care for prewars trains. The two sets I have are 1939 train sets in their original boxes from the original owner that I was able to purchase in 2006. I have both passenger, frieght and accessories, they have a sheen but are not shiny.
Your input is appreciated..
AlanK
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