Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
Kevin, Yep, you definitely need to prepare the surface for painting on brass engines. Vinegar will do the trick very nicely. I use to paint my brass locos using the oven on a very low setting, but with the new paints out the heating process is not really necessary. I do use a primer on a first coat, followed by the engine black. The boiler of most locos comes off in one piece, so the painting will be done on the boiler, steam chest, and underframe. I really enjoy painting and with your experience I think you'll find it maybe easier than your die-cast models. The drivers are almost always pre-blackened so you would only have to touch up the tires on the drivers if you wanted a completely black driver. Valve gear is polished, and again if you felt the need to darken that image you would need to thoroughly clean the gear, plus use a primer. Some of the primers allow you to paint over them in less than 24 hours so the process goes quickly. Good luck. I think you will be very pleasantly surprised with your purchase. Ebay will certainly help you get a feel for prices. I often end up waiting 2-3 months to get an engine I want. If you don't see exactly what you want today, just wait a week, something else will pop up. And along the lines of the post above regarding installing new motors. Sometimes just a new can motor such as those available from Northwest Shortline can turn a lemon into lemonade.
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag

Update Reply

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Model Railroader Newsletter See all

Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!

Subscriber & Member Login

Edit post

Post Body

Tags (Optional)

Subscriber & Member Login

Users Online

Search the Community