While I'm reminiscing on old projects, here's another summer project from my younger days in the hobby. I bought this Lionel 262e with a hideous paintjob drizzled all over the top of it. On close inspection it seemed to have all of the boiler trim and a complete motor assembly, so it looked like a good candidate for a rebuild.
I disassembled it, polished up all of the trim, cleaned out the motor and put it all back together. Other than a crack in the locomotive's frame, all of the original parts were there so there wasn't much to add. The motor started up and ran smoothly--E-unit and all-- after a cleaning and lubrication.
I needed to come up with a tender for the new locomotive. I didn't have any spare tender parts but I did have a hulked-out 652 hopper car and a Marx tanker. After a bit of tin-knocking and a quick paintjob I had a unique Vanderbilt tender to accompany my 262e.
Still runs smoothly after eight years!
