Skip to main content

I just got these three cars for my American Flyer 3300 set I am building. 

IMG_2012

I bought them on eBay and the seller's pictures were pretty good. I could tell they were dirty, and I guessed that I could make them look much better through cleaning and polishing. You can see that I started on the right side of the box car and milk car. Here is the milk car after my first pass of polishing on one side. 

IMG_2013

See how what looked to be scratches and rust on the left side and above the decal are now gone and the paint is much whiter.

IMG_2009

See how the yellow paint is much brighter after removing the grime. This dirt was into the paint. Soap and water would not remove this. A little automotive polisher took the grime out with very little rubbing. The polisher that I use is also supposed to protect the paint after cleaning.

The roof might be a little harder to see. The lower part has been cleaned. After I took this, I needed to work the cleaner into the corners of the ribbing to get more dirt out. That is probably the hardest part of this cleaning.

IMG_2010

I have been able to remove the black mark on the lower left in the picture below as well.

IMG_2007

The dump car is extra dirty. I find this all the time with the frames of cars. Most of this dirt would wipe off with a damp paper towel. Over time, this dirt will begin to adhere to the paint.

IMG_2011

I will have pictures of the cleaned up cars in the weekend photos post. These cars don't need restoration. They just need a little attention.

George

Attachments

Images (6)
  • IMG_2012
  • IMG_2013
  • IMG_2009
  • IMG_2010
  • IMG_2011
  • IMG_2007
Original Post

Replies sorted oldest to newest

George George,

   You do not want to waste your valuable time messing around getting your hands dirty, please just purchase some new stuff, and box that dirty old Tin stuff up and send it all to me, I will take good care of it, I promise!

PCRR/Dave

Not to worry they will all look similar to this old original Lionel 817 Tin Plate Caboose, and you will be able to see pictures of them, as I post them here on the OGR.  Young men like you do not have the time, you need to be working making money that the Government will take, to pay for my SS retirement.

It's 3:19 in the morning, I had to liven the place up a might!

DSCN2489

Attachments

Images (1)
  • DSCN2489
Last edited by Pine Creek Railroad
Pine Creek Railroad posted:

George George,

   You do not want to waste your valuable time messing around getting your hands dirty, please just purchase some new stuff, and box that dirty old Tin stuff up and send it all to me, I will take good care of it, I promise!

PCRR/Dave

Not to worry they will all look similar to this old original Lionel 817 Tin Plate Caboose, and you will be able to see pictures of them, as I post them here on the OGR.  Young men like you do not have the time, you need to be working making money that the Government will take, to pay for my SS retirement.

It's 3:19 in the morning, I had to liven the place up a might!

DSCN2489

Dave,

Go back to sleep, and keep dreaming. Old men like you need a full night's sleep. 😂 

Don't worry, the government is definitely taking enough SS for both of us, and as I am still working well into my retirement years, I will keep supporting them / us.

Glad to see you got that 817 beauty back on the tracks! I have an MTH repro, but the more of these dirty, old trains I acquire, the more I prefer the little nicks and stratches of an old cleaned up car to the new repro cars. That doesn't mean I will stop buying MTH though...

George

 

NJCJOE posted:

Looks good George. I have had good results with this polish.

This looks like a good option too. Seems to have a similar purpose and says it will remove oxidation. Mine doesn't necessarily shine afterward. I sometimes have to use something afterward (like Ultimate Detailer) to "polish the wax". It may be because I am doing this by hand and the surface is so small. With a car, you can use an orbital buffer to really get the wax to shine.

George

Last edited by George S
BARailroad posted:

Looks great George!  I think I’ll give the polish a try on a Marx tank car that I have two of.  

So, the polish works best on a prewar enamel paint that is oxidized or has dirt and grease embedded into it from humid environments. Marx is frequently lithographed. I would start with something more suitable for that finish. On Lionel litho, I used automotive Plastic scratch remover with good success. The product I have is Meguiars Plastx. The TR-3 might work but I haven't tried it with litho or decals. Either way, go slow and start in a small area. Gentle rubbing to start.

George

I use Turtlewax as well... If I can, I'll wash gently with Dawn, just get the Dawn on my fingertip and rub gently and rinse.  Then go for the wax.  Sometimes it is easier to wash and wax than to make the wax do all the work.  That said, I'm always interested in trying a new method.

IMG_3389

I used paste wax on this tank car because the paint was cracking and the Turtlewax was making a mess.  I Scrubbed the crap out of it and then waxed what was left.  This car was completely rusted from the inside out it was foil thin in some spots. I've never seen one so rusted on the inside yet decent on the outside.

IMG_3372IMG_3374

This Lionel 2655 looked like rusty crap but cleaned up well enough to not repaint which was a problem, cause I wanted to repaint it!

IMG_2590

Attachments

Images (4)
  • IMG_3389
  • IMG_3372
  • IMG_3374
  • IMG_2590

Add Reply

Post

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

×
×
×
×
Link copied to your clipboard.
×
×