Lionel Prewar-O Photo Gallery

Post by **paulrace** » Sat Dec 26, 2015 2:08 pm

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

winced36 · Post by **winced36** » Fri Jan 01, 2016 11:21 pm

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

javinda · Post by **javinda** » Mon Jan 04, 2016 4:38 pm

nice!

Post by **paulrace** » Tue Jan 05, 2016 10:28 pm

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

winced36 · Post by **winced36** » Mon Feb 01, 2016 12:11 pm

Lionel 1689E repainted in crackle-black:

: Lionel 1689E at twilight; Lionel 1689E.jpg (84.56 KiB) Viewed 24655 times

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

Post by **paulrace** » Mon Feb 08, 2016 11:14 am

As it should.

Very nice, really.

winced36 · Post by **winced36** » Sun Mar 13, 2016 2:24 pm

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:

: Lionel 654; Lionel 654.jpg (160.6 KiB) Viewed 22671 times

Made in 1942, this is the last version of the 654 before Lionel cut over to war production and stopped making toys.

Paul II

Post by **paulrace** » Mon May 02, 2016 7:15 pm

At least it's not cardboard.

winced36 · Post by **winced36** » Tue Jun 14, 2016 3:32 pm

A friend of mine recently asked for a pic of a late 259E...thought I'd post it here as well:

: Lionel 259E in gunmetal; Lionel 259E GM.jpg (181.46 KiB) Viewed 24655 times

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