I got a good deal on these two postwar Lionel passenger cars recently at a local train show. I figured part of the reason they were so cheap was the rust on them. Since they were not anywhere near decent looking, I figured I could fix them up to suit me without having to worry about "messing up" nice originals. I think these cars had lights in them from the factory as the trucks had roller pickups, but there were no bulbs, sockets or even wire inside them (possibly another reason for the low $25 for the pair price). The trucks are a little on the rough side, but I decided to swap them out rather than repair them.
I decided to use Marx deluxe trucks since I run mostly Marx and the Deluxe trucks look more like passenger car trucks than the factory originals. Also, the cars' size works well with Marx 3/16" sized trains. I will save the original trucks so if I part with these cars the new owner can have the rights ones. No physical alterations are planned for the car bodies, just repaint.
While cleaning up the tin I discovered some of the rust was more than skin deep.
Looks like the cars will be making a trip to the body shop prior to painting. Planning to use Krylon Hunter Green gloss for the bodies and Ivory gloss for the window frames.
More to come...
