bigindoortrains.com

Paul, that looks great. Hope you have a hand vac to get it up.

I finally decided to replace the yellowed decals on that Lionel 2654 I picked up at York last Spring. Given that it's in less than pristine condition I figure I'm not destroying much in the way of collector value. I got some tips on removing old decals using MicroSol and a bit of Palmolive dish-washing soap, along with some gentle scraping using an old plastic card. No retouching of the paint, just new decals.

Before:


Decals removed:


New reproduction decals applied:


I gave it a light over-spray of Testor's Clear Gloss. The decals aren't quite as nice as the originals, but look okay...for now...

Paul II

nice!

Looks great, Paul. Certainly it's an improvement.

Lionel 1689E repainted in crackle-black: The Lionel Commodore Vanderbilt style locomotive had a number of versions. This one is the O-27. I found it in tough shape missing its side-plates, marker lights, running gear, and nose-logo plate. Originally painted a gun-metal gray, I tried a can of crackle-black a friend had sent me...turned out okay. It screams toy-train to me...

Paul II

As it should.

Very nice, really.

Another last-of-the-breed Lionel tankers turned up recently, this time a 654 with decals far less yellowed than the 2654 I posted earlier. Snapped this one up:Made in 1942, this is the last version of the 654 before Lionel cut over to war production and stopped making toys.

Paul II

At least it's not cardboard.

A friend of mine recently asked for a pic of a late 259E...thought I'd post it here as well: This is not the last version as it has thick-rimmed blackened wheels. The last version had nickel thin-rimmed wheels. Both were in gunmetal paint I believe. One of the least expensive of the prewar O-gauge steamers, you can still find nice examples for a reasonable price. The kids always liked looking down the stack at the red glow...

Paul II

A cousin had this one when I was little. Thanks for posting - brings back memories.

- Paul