NNJ Railfan,
Just sharing and trying to encourage others to save the derelict trains in the under table "junk" boxes at shows.
Yes, I completely disassembled, and then stripped off all paint via a soak in hot water and powdered Tide laundry detergent. Rust was mostly on the interior parts (seat and window inserts). It appears that Lionel used bare metal for these parts, not tinplated as well as the body parts, if at all.
Trim parts, couplers and wheels were polished with a soft wire wheel in my Dremel.
Rattle can spray, when dry to the touch baked at 200 degrees for about 15 minutes. I found that this settles the paint down to a nice shiny, hard, finish. Primer was used first.
I printed the decals on the passenger cars. The decals on old # 33 were purchased on ebay.
