Lionel Prewar Paint

[elvisp]

Does anyone know of a spray paint at the local hardware store that matches prewar pea green and creme colors? I know Olsen's has them but I only need a small amount and don't want to pay a whole lot as the item will be used as a Christmas only item.

[1688torpedo]

Hello Elvisp! Some folks like to use Krylon Paint. Just take what you have to the Hardware store to see if they can match up the colors for you.

[tjsprague]

CTT, March 2001 issue had an article, "8 steps to restore old trains" which included a table containing some commercial brands of paint and the vintage equivilents.

According to the article;

Rustoleum Enamel, Warm yellow "Painter's Touch Line" matches Lionel Cream (as found on the 655 boxcar)

Krylon enamel, Antique white matches Lionel Ivory (as found on 814R body)

There's no listing for Pea Green, and I've found greens very hard to match, but it lists a match for the 145 gateman and 156 station platform as;
Tru-Balue Hardware, Tru-Test Enamel, Clover Green being a close match.

I've always found that if you're just looking to tough up, or if you're painting something small which you aren't afraid of showing a brush stroke or two, you can use something which is close, but mix in a small amount of black to take away some of the vibrant nature of the new paint color. Gives it a sort of patina.

Of course, test on something of little or no value, and have fun.

Tim

[trigtrax]

There's no listing for Pea Green,

I use a Benjamin Moore custom color called Basil Green on my Steel EL.. It's nearly Identical to Lionel Pea Green.. the problem is it doesn't come in a spray can. You'll need a compressor and spray gun to shoot it.
Sherwin Williams makes a color called Paradise Green which is another close match, but that's an acrylic and doesn't have the deep gloss of the alkyd.