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My wife is at her parents for the week and just sent me a picture of a Lionel 402 that was her grandfather's... sitting in the trunk of her car! Her dad decided to give the train to us, for our son to enjoy when he is old enough... It needs work, looks like it's missing one motor unit? There is also one car, but she didn't say what type, only that her dad used to put stuff in the car, so I'm guessing maybe a gondola? This train will join my grandfather's O gauge 259E powered passenger set in the "family roundhouse" to be passed on to future generations... I will post more pics when she gets back home, and will share the restoration progress in this thread... stay tuned...

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Well, it needs all 8 wheels. They are crumbling. The insulation on the wires is all cracked. The motors aren't seized, so it should run with new wiring. It's missing some of the details, but the pilot that appeared to be missing was just loose on one side and pivoted up under the body. I guessed right on the car- it's a gondola, 218 dump car. It appears to be missing the gear and crank for the dump mechanism, but looks ok otherwise. Will post pics soon...



quote:
Well, it needs all 8 wheels. They are crumbling. The insulation on the wires is all cracked. The motors aren't seized, so it should run with new wiring.




 

I would have been surprised if the remaining wheels were good, or if the insulation wasn't crumbling. You can get similar replacement wire to keep the look the same.
Please keep us posted on fixing it up.

I have begun the task of re-wiring! I also will be cleaning parts, but not repainting them, in order to keep the original finish. I was thinking of putting a coat of wax on the body to give it a little shine...

I also need to find new (or good used) wheels, anyone have any suggestions on where to look?

One last question for tonight, the locomotive appears to have suffered a minor drop that has caused the shell to come apart at the corner of the "hood". This was originally a soldered joint. Is it possible to re-solder the joint without ruining the paint? Or do I need to come up with a different method to fix this? Gonna go take a quick pic to show what I'm talking about...

I don't see how you can solder without burning the paint. My brother has a 402 with similar seams open. His is in otherwise excellent condition. He choose to leave it as it.

I have experimented with Zymol polish on some inexpensive metal trains. I don't think I'd use it on your loco because I don't think all the dirt / discoloration will come off, so to me, it wouldn't look right being shiny.

 

Last edited by C W Burfle

CW is right of course, soldering will bubble the paint.  But since all you have to do is tack it in place, sometimes a tiny burnt spot or two is acceptable, especially if there are already imperfections in the old finish. The two sides of the seam are already tinned with the old solder, so it is possible to do it applying the soldering iron from the inside so the repair is not a big blemish.

 

On the other hand, I got a Richart Olympian that had a similar split in the soldered seam, but the paint was like new and I didn't want to risk it.  A thin line of JB Weld applied along the seam with a toothpick and then clamped overnight seems to have solved the issue nicely without damaging the paint.

 

david

Originally Posted by Steaming Jon:
Tried some fine solder and a low wattage iron- corners successfully repaired with no visible paint damage...

Nice!  It seems counter-intuitive, but when you have existing solder in the joint, you just need to melt it for an instant, and you don't really heat the tin up all that much.

 

Drive wheels are slightly problematic right now with the demise of MEW, who made the reproduction wheels.  But they do show up on eBay frequently.  Also try Hennings, they usually have some.

 

i also would avoid the wax, it doesn't improve things.  With tinplate, you either decide to completely refinish and get the shiny brand-new tinplate look, or clean up the original finish as best you can and run it as authentic collector's vintage. I would encourage the latter, this is a venerable old work horse. I've refinished tinplate, but not my family's heirlooms, they stay original.

 

david

I’m... um... finally gonna get back to the job of working on this train...

step one is going to be a good cleaning... There’s a layer of oily greasy dirt on everything and I’m thinking of trying some simple green and a bit of scrubbing followed by a good rinse with water. Anyone see any issues with this method other than making sure it’s thoroughly dried afterwards?

@Steamer posted:

unfortunately I will be getting my Uncle Jim's trains shortly. He passed away unexpectedly last month. Dad gave me his trains a while ago. I feel we hold these trains in trust, for the future generations. I'm unsure what will happen to mine (well I guess I am) as my two daughters have no interest in them. 

give them to the first-born grandson... the love of trains has been known to skip a generation.

My wife is at her parents for the week and just sent me a picture of a Lionel 402 that was her grandfather's... sitting in the trunk of her car! Her dad decided to give the train to us, for our son to enjoy when he is old enough... It needs work, looks like it's missing one motor unit? There is also one car, but she didn't say what type, only that her dad used to put stuff in the car, so I'm guessing maybe a gondola? This train will join my grandfather's O gauge 259E powered passenger set in the "family roundhouse" to be passed on to future generations... I will post more pics when she gets back home, and will share the restoration progress in this thread... stay tuned...

Looks like the motor is there and the wheels have gone away.

Jim

New wheels (about $40.00 for 4) would be nice I do not see any gears on the blown out wheels and looks like the wheels are on the wrong side (motor Armature side). Are the wheels that have gears on them missing? Do you have the wheel gears? I also like the idea that you can split the motor by just removing the screws. Should be a great project, have fun.

Don't go by website listings.  Make an actual phone call.  Many times not everything is listed and even if they do not have them, they might know who does.  I use them along with Jeff and the Train Tender and Olsen's toy train parts when I need stuff for Lionel.  I found a couple parts for my prewar OO from Jeff that were not listed on his website.   Skip the email and website and call them.  Good Luck!!    AD

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OGR Publishing, Inc., 1310 Eastside Centre Ct, Suite 6, Mountain Home, AR 72653
800-980-OGRR (6477)
www.ogaugerr.com

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