I won an auction for 2421, 2422, and 2423. They were pretty dirty and one side of each car had what looked like water spots. With some tips from jumijo I used a polishing compound to clean them and I think they turned out pretty nice. I used a soft shoe polishing brush to remove any remaining residue from the smaller areas like window rails, etc.
Here are some before photos:
And some after:
One thing I noticed was that even though I was careful to not get any compound on the lettering, it's not as dark any more. I don't mind really because the cars still look much better. Any tips for touching up the lettering or getting them to appear darker?
Also, on one car the coupler height is kind of low. Is there a way to adjust these? Do I just bend the bracket up? See the 2421 below.
thx, Don
p.s. please let me know if the images are too big - I have a large monitor so I can't tell.
Yours were in even worse shape than mine! And you did a great job cleaning them up. Look at the difference!
Glad I could pass along some useful information to help you bring those cars back.
As for the lettering, go to a craft store and buy a 02 tip black permenant drawing marker. Use it to re-blacken the letters. The tip will be thin enough to do them easily. They cost less than $3.00.
Jim
Modeling the Baltimore waterfront in HO scale
The pen I used to re-letter my cars was a Micron 02 (not 0.005 as stated yesterday). It has #1 Archival Ink in it. If you can't find the Micron brand, get one that has a tip size of 02.
Great find on the 2421!
Try cleaning these with warm water and a small glop of dish soap as a cleaning agent, and a soft brush. Rinse in warm (not hot) water. The warm water will help dissolve the polishing compound that may have dried and dulled inside the lettering.
Yes...try to gently bent the coupler...check which one needs to be bent one may be high or the other may be low.
Kurt
How do I take the shells off? It looks like the drop from the bottom of the frame but the trucks are in the way. Do I need to remove the trucks? Not sure how to remove the retaining clip.
Yes, you need to take the trucks off.
Remove the (2) metal screws from the roof, (they look like vents) and the roof will pop off.
Remove the mylar window silhuoettes from between the metal frame and the shell.
Inside there is a horseshoe clip holding the trucks in place. Use needlenosed pliers on the open end of the clip and on the post it's attached to and gently squeeze the clip off. Next, remove the (4) screws from the underside of the body, (2) at each end. The trucks should fit thru the openings in the shell.
PLEASE!!!! BE VERRRRY CAREFUL doing this! I've seen guys who've washed Lionel's Post War silver paint right off the shells by washing them in the sink with dish detergent.
If you're doing it, do if briefly and gently!
Jon
Dave
It's a TOY, A child's PLAYTHING!!! (Woody from Toy Story)
Kooljock1 wrote: PLEASE!!!! BE VERRRRY CAREFUL doing this! I've seen guys who've washed Lionel's Post War silver paint right off the shells by washing them in the sink with dish detergent. If you're doing it, do if briefly and gently! Jon
Thanks. I'll either try doing it gently a few letters at a time with a soft toothbrush and drying as a go (kind of like a sponge bath), or take Jim's advice and try the markers. The finish on these cars looks good now and I don't want to mess with them too much more. Plus I avoid needing to remove the trucks and risking any damage in the process.
LL675 - I know, those green cars carry a hefty price tag. I keep watching Ebay for them. What do you think is a reasonable price for a 2402? I try to hit the Great Midwest Train Show every month and may be able to find one.
don
Hey dmestan,
Your r&r turned out great. I've been looking for Jim's post on what polish to use and can't find it. What polish did you use? I've got 6 of this series car. How did the polish work on imperfections?
In one thread Jim did a repair on a crack (before and after pics included) for another forum member's streamliner car and repainted just the repaired area.....you couldn't tell, it turned out that good.
Jack
IF IT WON'T COME LOOSE BY TAPPING ON IT, DON'T TRY TO FORCE IT. USE A BIGGER HAMMER.
Jack,
I use Turtle Wax polishing compund. The one that is safe for clear coats.
Thanks, Jim. Was that the same stuff you used on your SF F3s? After seeing what you did on that crack repair, I was just going to send all my shells to you for a repaint. Somewhere I think you said you bought an airbrush, hadn't used it much, and needed the practice.
I just used whatever I had in the garage, which as Kit Scratch Out liquid. I gave the whole car a once over (one side at a time), and then went back and did more on the tough spots.
RockIsland52 wrote:Thanks, Jim. Was that the same stuff you used on your SF F3s? After seeing what you did on that crack repair, I was just going to send all my shells to you for a repaint. Somewhere I think you said you bought an airbrush, hadn't used it much, and needed the practice. Jack
Jack, I used the same exact polish on my 2343 SF F3s as well. No ill effects on the red or silver. But I did test both paint's reaction to water and the polishing compound on the under side of the shell first. Only after both passed the test did I try it on the outside. Kooljock isn't making stuff up about some post war silver and reds being hyper-fragile. Alway, always, always test first in an inconspicuous place, no matter what the color when dealing with old toy train paint.
I'm all practiced up, Jack. The hardest part about using an airbrush is cleaning up when I'm done painting. I wish I had bought one decades ago!
I dunno Don. I picked up a Mapelwood at the Wheeling show last year for $19. has a crack from being rear ended. can't see it going down the track, and it takes the worry out when my little girl and I run the trins. I built a 2401 from a bare shell. I've seen the 2402s go for over $100.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.
Get the Classic Toy Trains newsletter delivered to your inbox twice a month