Very very tricky to attempt removing letters on painted cars like that,….the silver is going to be unforgiving in your attempts,….resulting in the possibility of wrecking the car and then you’ll be faced with a total repaint,……my suggestion to avoid a disaster would be to apply letters to very thin strips of styrene or even very thin brass, painted to match the silver, then affix them to the car as seamless as can be,…maybe not 100% accurate to the NCDOT cars, I’ve never looked at them up close, but I’d think putting the new names on a “ placard” would reveal a better result, and better smile then making a mess out of them,…..you will be able to keep cocktailing the silver to get the best possible match over and over again till your satisfied with out ever harming a car …

Pat

I would not try to mask and spray it. The lettering is above the paint, so you'll see it, and you'll never match silver paint.

Solvaset or ELO soaked papertowels is worth a shot.

If solvaset alone wont do the job,  you can try rubbing at the letters with wooden toothpicks. You need a lot of them, as once the tip softens from the liquid they're useless.  Work over only the lettering, with the toothpick at an angle.  Give the solvaset a good, long time to go to work and keep the paper towels wet. If you manage to get under the lettering, you may need a re-soak to let the solvaset do its thing from underneath. A pencil eraser would also work, but its not as precise as the toothpick tips.

If aluminum, you can try something stronger like Goof Off (this is what Scott Mann recommends for GGD cars and it does work). Put it on a Q-tip and rub lightly til it comes off, then stop.  It can get into the paint of the car if you go too hard.

You will be left with a slight finish difference, no matter what you do, but since you're lettering directly back over the top of the spot, once you clear coat it, decal it and clear coat it again, you probably wont see much of it.

I will defer to Harmonyards, he has a lot more experience with paint than I do but he points out the issue is the silver paint. Silver or any metallic paint is almost impossible to match. I have had some luck with Testors ELO and also Klean Strip Prep All on lettering but have not tried it on Silver. If you try any chemical, try it on an inconspicuous location for a few minutes to see if it attacks the silver. I usually use a wet Q Tip to rub the area.

Pete

You could apply a thin strip of styrene or tin painted and decals to your needs.  Pictured are two name plates made for a project car I am "working" on.

Thanks to all posters for sharing your experiences on this thread

I've had success with the Testor's Easy Lift Off (ELO) but I haven't tried it on silver yet.  Follow the directions on the can for best results.

I'm going to try this weekend on lifting the letters, but my guess is I will end up leaving as is or using a name board.

I've never had much luck with removing pad printing.  We shall see.

Thanks to all for the suggestions.

How many of us have Lionel 2400 series passenger trains with multiple Maplewood, Hillside and Chatman cars in long passenger trains?

I do and happily live with it and most visitors never notice it.  I can run them as fast express trains and no one can read them!

Charlie

Thanks for sharing the tip about TESTOR'S EASY LIFT OFF.  I have a similar project pending -- removing unwanted lettering from a flat car, which is black plastic (not painted). I thought about using 91% Isopropyl Alcohol, but the Testor's product may be better.

Mike M.   LCCA 12394

I agree with Harmony… you will not be able to remove that lettering on silver paint at all. It has a small metal flake to it and you’ll ruin it. Use a name board over the top. This is the best, tried and true method.  Good luck, and hope you take the advice given in this thread.

@NHVRYGray posted:

I'm going to try this weekend on lifting the letters, but my guess is I will end up leaving as is or using a name board.

I've never had much luck with removing pad printing.  We shall see.

Thanks to all for the suggestions.

I’m telling you from experience, not from guessing,….ANY chemical you apply to that satin silver top coating is going to make a mess ….quick …….you will be on a slippery slope you don’t want to be on,…..as I’ve mentioned, and Scott mentioned, make placards, apply your desired lettering, and affix them right over the existing lettering,…..never harming the existing finish,….I only say this because of the silver ,……it’s so dang sensitive to 99.9% of the products out there, you’ll wish like H-E-double toothpicks you hadn’t a done it …..if you’re not handy making placards, get some of the self adhesive ones from the postwar restoration companies, and scrub off the lettering on them, then add your letters, and voila!…instant placards, ready to self adhere to your cars,…😁….the ones pictured are metal, self adhesive, and just pad printed on the stainless strip,….wipe off the lettering with lacquer thinner, apply your lettering and trim to size,….done…

Pat

Plans changed,  I'm sticking to the pro painter.  Placards it will be.  At least I hopefully won't mess the car up that way.  Attach with testers clear canopy glue?

Silver must be really touchy stuff.

Thanks for the second reminder.  I can be a little stubborn at times, maybe??

@NHVRYGray posted:

Plans changed,  I'm sticking to the pro painter.  Placards it will be.  At least I hopefully won't mess the car up that way.  Attach with testers clear canopy glue?

Silver must be really touchy stuff.

Thanks for the second reminder.  I can be a little stubborn at times, maybe??

Either that or 5 minute epoxy,….

yes, that silver is going to be extremely touchy to chemicals,…..some household cleaners will even attack it and mess up the finish,….

Pat

Harmony Yards:

Great idea using available restoration placards !!!

Are these really stainless steel ?  

I wonder if these are made of aluminum, which is far softer and easier to cut, machine, & fabricate.  Aluminum placards would also be less corrosive on an aluminum car body.

Stainless steel placards on an aluminum car body may cause electrolytic corrosion because the metals are dissimilar.

Thank you to all contributors on this thread.  I have several aluminum Zephyr cars to reletter with additional Silver names

@CBQ_Bill posted:

Harmony Yards:

Great idea using available restoration placards !!!

Are these really stainless steel ?  

I wonder if these are made of aluminum, which is far softer and easier to cut, machine, & fabricate.  Aluminum placards would also be less corrosive on an aluminum car body.

Stainless steel placards on an aluminum car body may cause electrolytic corrosion because the metals are dissimilar.

Thank you to all contributors on this thread.  I have several aluminum Zephyr cars to reletter with additional Silver names

I dunno, good question ….they’re still sitting on my workbench,…I’ll go check,..I’ll let y’all know what they’re made of,….and I’ll just edit this reply,…keep an eye on it,..

* they are aluminum, with self adhesive 3M backings the lettering is simple pad print, so one light wipe with lacquer thinner, and you’ll have a clean placard ready for lettering, or paint to your favorite color, and then letter,….looks like they’ll cut nicely with either a good pair of shop shears, or score with a heavy duty razor knife….or gnaw on it,…😉 *

Pat

@CBQ_Bill, the name.plates are available NOW during the parts sale.

Use search term "Plaque" and search by "Replacement Part Number or Name."

"LIONEL LINES" $2.50 list; $1.25 on sale.  Many others to choose from.

I would use wathers goo in SMALL AMOUNTS to attach the boards over the names. [so the goo doesn't come out of the sides] In the future, it will not be difficult to remove those boards with goo gone.

Update.  Went to the store today where the cars came from, and the rest of the original set was there.  So since I have a complete extra set, I'll have to find a donor and try my hand at painting an extra.