Good Afternoon Bob
I recently resurrected my childhood Lionel set from 1950 with the intention of building a layout for my grandson, which is in progress. The set was in storage from 1966 when I left home to join the Navy and I've kept it packed away until last year. On the advice of a couple of local railroaders I took the set to a Lionel repair center in St Paul. They went over the engine and told me to take the rest home and break out the Dawn, Toothbrush, and Hairdryer. Carefully scrub the various parts down being very gentle with the lettering. Looks pretty good an antique and runs great.
They did tell me to chuck the track though and move to the newer FasTrack.
You have landed on a goldmine of knowledge on this site, so sit back an do a little surfing and have fun.
Watching my grandson's face makes the whole adventure worthwhile.
