hellgate bridge restoration

[Anonymous]

i am about to restore a lionel 300 hellgate bridge.     i am going to dissemble it and sand blast it.    i need to know color scheme as close to possible.       i have seen pictures of some of these but if there is someone out there who knows exactly how they were please advise.        the only thing ,actually theres two , are the hand rails brass? and are the bricks on bottom of entrance same as the base  in color? or is this just rust from age that i see  in most pictures.               ps would like to know if theres a close up of side of bridge anywhere on internet   thanks hank

[prewardude]

Hi Hank,

Lionel made the Hellgates in two different color schemes. The first version, made from 1928 to 1934, was a combo of green, creme, and terra-cotta with brass railings and nameplates. The second version, made from 1935 to 1942 was a combo of white, silver, and red with nickel railings and nameplates. The "bricks" around the bottom are the same color as the towers. Here are a couple photos of the reproduction Hellgates currently being made by MTH:




Going to Google and searching for "Lionel Hellgate bridge" will turn up tons of photos of both originals and reproductions. Hope this helps a bit.

Regards,
Clint

[Anonymous]

Hammer,

Try contacting  Charles C. Wood and Co, PO Box 179, Hartford, Ohio, 44424-0179, phone [phone]. He manufactures and sells a line of paints formulated to closely match original Lionel colors. (And other makes as well.)

I have used his spray-can version, both primer and top-coat, using multiple thin coats rather than a single thick one. I "baked" the finished product simply by placing it out in the direct summer sun for a couple of hours. The enamel finish turned out smooth and very hard. Your mileage may vary, so you might ask him a few detailed questions about what you propose.

As I have no spraying equipment, I have no experience with his paint in non-spray cans.

[palallin]

May I suggest that you be very careful with your sandblasting?  The metal is not flimsy, but an aggressive medium and too much pressure may cause warping or material loss.

[chuck]

There was an aticle on the TCS sight on restoration of an old loco and the person doing the work used glass beads instead of sand. 

http://72.14.203.104/search?q=cache:evHUzuWhBjEJ:www.tcamembers.org/articles/restore/kram/index.html+TCA+bead+blasting&hl=en&gl=us&ct=clnk&cd=4