I just recently purchased this 624, and it needs a lot of work.
The first thing I want to tackle is the yellow, red, and green paint that has been slopped on the body and frame. It looks to have been done with a brush. I'd like to leave the underlying original paint intact if possible, although I'll do a restoration if needed. Anyone have any ideas?
jim,
I don't have any solution(s) for you, but here's a photo for comparison:
http://www.postwarlionel.com/cgi-bin/postwar?ITEM=624
By the way, the person who put those front classification lights on don't know 'Port' - Left/Red,' from 'Starboard' - Right/Green.'Then, again, both lamps should be of the same color, not different of each other.
Good luck and take care,
Ralph
Ralph,
Thanks. I was able to remove the marker lights, and I have them soaking in rubbing alcohol to hopefully remove the paint.
As for the paint on the shell, I got some of the yellow off the roof. I tried soap and water first, which did nothing. After reading Ray L. Plummer's article about a 6220 with bronze paint on the shell in the Dec. 1997 CTT, I gave WD40 and a toothbrush a try. Didn't work in this case. So, I tried wetsanding with 400 grit and soapy water. It worked, although a bit too well in some spots. I am leaning towards stripping everything and restoring this as a 623 Santa Fe.
Here is a list of what else is needed at the moment:
1. Internals are filthy and need cleaned.
2. Except for the three wires connecting the motor and eunit, all wiring needs replaced.
3. Eunit drum has a pin sheared off and needs replaced.
4. One of the screws for the motor truck bracket is missing.
5. The collector assembly on the front truck needs replaced/rebuilt due to the missing slider shoe and rusty collector arms along with worn rollers.
Good morning all,
Jim, you certainly have a task ahead of you. It will be interesting to get status reports from you as you accomplish each stage. I wish you good luck.
Keep on training,
Mike C. from Indiana
Was the body molded in blue or painted? if its painted there are not many options for getting rid of the ugly painted places.
Roger
Roger,
The body is molded from gray plastic. I found that out during wetsanding.
Jim,
Unless, you already have a parts dealer in mind, I use "The Train Tender" of Jeff Kane, here in N.Y.
http://www.ttender.com/
Santa Fe: http://www.postwarlionel.com/cgi-bin/postwar?ITEM=622Good luck,
green97probe Roger, The body is molded from gray plastic. I found that out during wetsanding.
Well Jim it looks like you found the only option to getting rid of the ugly paint and that is to lightly wet sand and do a complete repaint job but with what I've seen of your talent i'm sure its going to be an excellant job when you finish.
Life's hard, even harder if your stupid John Wayne
http://rtssite.shutterfly.com/
I've done more digging, and more problems have been found. The worst is the the wire from the field to the lug on the motor base is cut midway between the field and lug. I've never seen this before. The armature bearing also has a lot of slop. I am not sure if I want to continue with this. I've gone down this road with an AF 326 Hudson where I put way too much money in and get nothing from it.
I'll probably just wait until my tax refund shows and find a decent 623 from a decent seller.
There is a guy, the motor doctor, who does rewinds and motor over hauls, but he isn't cheap. You could ask him and see. You may be right, it might not be worth fixing it. I ran into that with a 2344 A-A set. I have at least twice what the units are worth, and probably more in them. I would not do it again.
Brake fluid should remove the paint.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
After I typed that last post, this whole thing started to bother me more. I couldn't stand the thought of throwing in the towel just yet. I was able to solder the broken field wire together and get the motor cleaned and lubed. Someone had the thrust washers mixed up as well. I was impressed with how smoothly this motor ran when I got it back together. That was all I needed to get motivated to see this through.
I've got the painted parts soaking in Super Clean right now.
Here is the result of the Super Clean soaking:
Here is what the inside looked like when I first took the body off the frame:
I am thinking of maybe removing the staked studs holding the lamp bracket and tapping the chasis for machine screws. That would make servicing the motor easier.
The body has been painted with Satin Black Krylon Fusion, and the frame and stacks will be sprayed while it is curing.
I still have to get in touch with Jeff to get the parts needed.
Looking good Jim that soaking got it looking real good.
That came out beautiful.it looks factory fresh.
I hope you have luck with the parts, prices and repairs.
I don't think you can get it any cleaner then that! Looks great! I believe you will end up with a fine switcher when you're done.
I also have a similar switcher that, although postwar, is different then your's. I'll be looking at how you fix the motor & electrical as mine does not work.
Hey check out this listing from the same seller you see anything wrong? Its an normal thing from him. This is why he blocked me as I told him he needed to find someone that knew the differences in train scales to list instead of just letting anyone list what ever as what ever.
http://cgi.ebay.com/LIONEL-O-27-STRAIGHT-TRACK-CLEAN-10-PCS-/190510705948?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item2c5b52ad1c
balidas,
What is the number on your switcher? All the motor in this one needed was a light cleaning and oil on both bearings and it took off. The eunit needs rebuilt, but I am not that far yet. Those are always fun...
Here is a quick picture of the body as it is right now:
Mine is a ATSF Santa F, black body white lettering # 616. It doesn't have the classification lights up front, not even the bosses, just a headlight. It doesn't have the big wheel in front either and has non-operating couplers.
When power is applied to the track, the loco just buzzes, no matter what position the lever. When I first got it in '04, it would jerk & stutter then just quit. That was when I was just starting to get back into the hobby. Lately I've been reading the posts on maintenance & what not, so soon I'll open it up & see what's going on.
I have a 2nd switcher. It's a red MKT 8460. Looks to be of a later manufacture, maybe from the MPC era.
Love the final picture after the stripping, and wonder how long you let it soak in Super Clean. I have a 2034 shell that I need to strip and repaint, and have the Super Clean for stripping. Just want to know how long I have to keep it soaking. Your 624 should look good after your done.
JT - You going for a Stealth look? Looking good!
The switchers you have are a later series with a different two position reversing unit and a double wound field. I am not familar with those.
teledoc,
These soaked for about 20 hours, but the paint might have come off before that point. I wasn't home to check on them.
Brent,
Thanks. As for the stealth bit, you know how I roll.
The frame is done, and I am waiting for it to dry. The stacks still need sprayed. I found an original eunit drum and shield in one of my parts bins to replace the damaged drum and rusty shield, so that will keep the cost down.
Thanks for the answer, but I went ahead and soaked my 2034 shell with great results. I got all the paint off in roughly 3 1/2 hours of soaking full strength "Castrol Super Clean". If anyone needs to strip paint from Lionel rolling stock, the Super Clean is definitely the way to go. Next step is complete washdown in hot soapy water, followed by thorough drying, and then I can get to repaint. Would like to see the final product of you 624 when you finish it. Thanks again for the reply.
Jerry
Jerry,
No problem.
All parts are now painted, although I saw some dry spots on the body that will be fixed after the paint cures for 7 days as per the directions on the can. I'd try to fix it sooner, but I don't want all this work ruined by crazing.
Next step is to get the parts from Jeff. I saw that he has all the lettering available in decals, but only for the 622, so that is what I'll go with. I am thinking of throwing a bell truck in to make a true 622, but that'll add another $80 to the project.
I presume from your reply, that you intend on making your switcher a 622. I checked and found the decals for the 624 at four parts dealers, including (Jeff) TTender.com. The others are MytrainpartsUSA.com, Smittystoytrainparts.com, and Hollashtrains.com. The decals are listed in the parts sections under 624-8, 624-9, or 6248/9 combo. This is if you want to stick with the 624 identity. Overall, for parts etc., the cheapest prices seem to be TTender, compared to the others. It all depends on what part you need, as to who has the item. The other parts dealers are Olsens toy train parts, and Dr. Tinker. Some obscure items may only be found at one particular dealer, and not the others. There are others I have dealt with on Ebay with great success also.
If you're going with a 622/6220 and are replacing the yellow stacks with black ones from Jeff, I'm interested in buying the yellow ones if they are original.
Let me know, my e-mail is patriot090atcomcastdotnet.
Mike
Mike,
I already painted and installed the stacks.
After taking some time off from this project, I began reinstalling some of the trim. All four lenses, the radio whell, bell, and handrails at the rear of the cab are back in place. I still need to get the remaining parts and decals.
I just got everything back together a few minutes ago. First some shots of the chasis.
Notice that the rusty collector arms and eunit shield have been replaced with clean originals. The slider shoe has also been replaced.
Here is the body after being decaled.
Here is the end result.
The marker lights are the same ones that were covered in paint. The Super Clean took it right off.
I'd like to thank Jeff K. and everyone else who has provided support and encouragement throughout this project. I'll be back with a video of the first run asap.
Looks great Jim
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