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Lionel 736 Berk: Restore or Not

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Posted by LL675 on Saturday, October 8, 2016 3:31 PM

nice!

Dave

It's a TOY, A child's PLAYTHING!!! (Woody  from Toy Story)

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Posted by Penny Trains on Wednesday, October 5, 2016 6:07 PM

Looks right!  Thumbs Up

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Posted by Firelock76 on Wednesday, October 5, 2016 5:22 PM

Looks great!  Hope you have as much fun with it as I do with mine!

Well done!

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Posted by RedfireS197 on Tuesday, October 4, 2016 10:44 PM

Here's the result:

 

It runs very well.

Jim

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Posted by G BEAR on Friday, August 19, 2016 3:52 PM

Hello Jim,

I saw this product on TV, it's from Rust-oleum.  It's called - Wipe New Rust-oleum R6PCRTLKIT Recolor Paint Restorer with Wipe-On Applicator.  AMAZON has it for $17.99.  It is meant to restore the original color, works on plastic, metal, vinyl, fiberglass, stone, etc., etc..  Check out the reviews on AMAZON regarding this product.  If you do buy it to use on you locomotive touch-up, try it first on a piece of metal.  You can always use it around the house for other touch-up items.  I love rust-oleum paints.  Just my 2 cents.

G BEAR

God Bless

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Posted by LL675 on Wednesday, August 17, 2016 9:24 PM
looking good

Dave

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Posted by Firelock76 on Tuesday, August 16, 2016 4:59 PM

Coming along nicely, well done!

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Posted by fifedog on Tuesday, August 16, 2016 6:58 AM

Cleaned up nicely, Jim.  Go ahead and put new wire grab-irons.  Those bends in them keep drawing my eyes to them.

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Posted by sir james I on Sunday, August 14, 2016 8:40 PM

It looks good Jim. I'm glad you were able to save it from a repaint.

"IT's GOOD TO BE THE KING",by Mel Brooks 

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Posted by RedfireS197 on Sunday, August 14, 2016 8:12 PM

Jim

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Posted by cwburfle on Sunday, August 14, 2016 4:56 AM

Are the repros made by Bob Geller still available?  I just checked one of my 2671W's, and it has one of his repros.  It has R.W.G. molded inside, and the quality seems great.

Some were marked "Foreign Tire Sales" inside (Maybe the 1666W style)
I don't know whether he is still making them. Even if he is not, they are around. If you are buying mail order, just ask the seller to check the markings.

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Posted by Firelock76 on Saturday, August 13, 2016 4:37 PM

Keep us posted, we'll all want to know how it turns out!

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Posted by RedfireS197 on Saturday, August 13, 2016 3:15 PM

Thanks everyone.  I think it will clean up pretty decent.

 

cwburfle,

Are the repros made by Bob Geller still available?  I just checked one of my 2671W's, and it has one of his repros.  It has R.W.G. molded inside, and the quality seems great.

Jim

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Posted by cwburfle on Saturday, August 13, 2016 11:08 AM

The tender looks a bit nasty, but you can always run it with another tender if you want something more presentable.  That's what I do, I've left my original 736 tender alone.

Or put the original shell away, and put on a repro. Hunt around, and you can even find one of the replacement shells Lionel (MPC) made in the 1970's.
The Lionel ones were available in New York Central, Pennsylvania, and Lionel Lines.

Not all repros are the same. I prefer the ones made by Foreign Tire Sales (Bob Geller)
 

For paint, I like to use Train Enamel by Charles Woods. Black Satin. The spray head gives a nice even spray.

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Posted by Firelock76 on Saturday, August 13, 2016 9:43 AM

It's hard to say just where the "tipping point" is as far as a repaint is concerned, so much of it is really a judgement call.  Scarcity enters into the equation, for example there's so many Lionel 2-6-4 types out there it's no big deal (in my mind anyway) if you repaint one.  However, there's not as many Lionel Berkshires around and that's where you have to think twice.  Your's certainly doesn't look like it was dug out of a compost pile.

Your 736 doesn't look a whole lot different from the one I've got as far as the original paint is concerned.  I'd leave it alone except for touching up some of the chips with some Testor's flat black.

The tender looks a bit nasty, but you can always run it with another tender if you want something more presentable.  That's what I do, I've left my original 736 tender alone, although it's actually in excellent shape with the "Lionel Lines" markings intact.  I like to "adopt" orphan whistle tenders and repaint and decal them for various 'roads, but not in the case of this particular original.

For a substitute for Krylon black paint, try Rust-Oleum black barbecue paint.  I used it to refinish an old PRR railroad lantern and it came out great.

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Posted by rtraincollector on Friday, August 12, 2016 8:10 PM

I would look into maybe fixing what had to be but keeping it as a survivor 

Life's hard, even harder if your stupid  John Wayne

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Posted by LL675 on Friday, August 12, 2016 5:06 PM

I wouldn't touch it as far as paint. looks way to good, not chipped up at all. the missing marker light, I've taken ones off a junk boiler front, and attatched it to the engine with a small amount of JB Weld.

Dave

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Posted by cwburfle on Friday, August 12, 2016 2:22 PM

The marker light is part of the boiler front ring. If the engine was in my hands, I'd look for a replacement boiler front ring, and a replacement steamchest / pilot.
The paint on the boiler itself does not look bad enough to me to require repainting.
To each their own!

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Lionel 736 Berk: Restore or Not
Posted by RedfireS197 on Friday, August 12, 2016 12:55 PM

I'm trying to decide if this 736 should be restored or cleaned up and left original. It looks to have suffered a fall or drop since one marker light is gone and the cowcatcher is pushed inward.   I'll have to straighten or replace it because it interferes with the movement of the pilot truck. The cab roof is fine. Running condition is unknown at this point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My thought on straightening the cowcatcher is to heat the bent area with my MAP torch and gently try to bend it back.  I have another original cowcatcher on hand if needed, but I'd like to save this one.

 

Is there an off the shelf spray paint that matches Lionel's original paint?  I used to use Krylon 1613 Semi Flat Black, which was almost perfect, but it's been discontinued.

 

Jim

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