best method for cleaning postwar trains?

[Anonymous]

a friend of mine came over today with a handful of realy nice postwar rollingstock. the only problem with them is they have been in a damp basement for many years and they have built up a bit of grime and rust. what is the best way to clean the cars and remove the rust without doing damage?
i really want to help him do this right because once they are cleaned up he wants to build a layout and start getting into the hobby.
any and all tips and tricks are apreciated!

[phillyreading]

Depends how rusted the units are, try a little three-in-one oil on the rust let it sit a few minutes and wipe dry. Important is to lubricate the axles at the wheels and make sure the wheels spin freely. May want to look at the motors and clean-up the brushes & armature contact area. The old track will need to be looked at piece by piece for rust and tightness at the connections.
Lee.

[Dave Farquhar]

Unpainted plastic-bodied cars can be washed with soap and water. You can scrub with a soft toothbru***o remove stubborn grime but be careful around any lettering. You have to be more careful with painted plastic bodies. Lionel's red and maroon paints are extremely fragile and will come off with cold water, let alone anything stronger. I thought I'd heard that yellow is similarly fragile, but I may be thinking of postwar Flyer. I have firsthand experience with the red and maroon paint though. Your best bet with painted cars is to dust them with a soft paintbru***o remove as much grime as possible.

There are lots of ways to deal with rust but oil is probably the safest. I've seen some beautiful work done with gun oil on rusty parts. I've also used white vinegar but some paint doesn't seem to respond well to vinegar.

[jpelosi2002]

Yes, you have to watch out on the red, maroon and orange paints. Also be very careful with the silver paints with anything but mild soap. On the rust. I've had good luck with lemon juice. I usually use Tide laundry detergent and a soft toothbush for general cleaning. The Tide removes any sort of grime and is gentle on the paint. As stated above, go easy around the lettering. I also usually blow of the trucks with compressed air at around 50PSI to get all the moisture from the washing out of them, then give a good lube with some 3 IN 1 oil. This of course is for very dirty rolling stock that is beyond a quick dusting with a soft paint brush. Locomotives are tackled in a very different manner.
Jim