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While I am a 3-rail Scale modeler, I still have an appreciation for tinplate, and restoring a tinplate train was on my bucket list.  But my interest in the Milwaukee Road pulled on me a bit, and I decided to do a repaint in Hiawatha colors.  A lot of my inspiration was Steve Vasche's custom tinplate Hiawatha work train that was pictured on the back cover of the July 2015 Train Collectors Quarterly.  Steve did a Maroon, Orange, and Grey scheme, but I chose a brighter Maroon and Orange.

This was my first adventure in tinplate restoration, so I read a number of print and web articles and viewed some YouTube videos.  The donor for the project was a 1932 Lionel 259 with a 259T tender that I picked up at Allentown.  I really like this little engine because it has brass, copper and chrome.  It was rusted and beat up, so I did not feel bad about repainting it.  The only missing part was the smokestack.  I was able to get a repro part at the Allentown show.

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After mostly careful disassembly (I broke the coupler removing it), I stripped the paint by spraying with Easy Off oven cleaner and placing the parts in a zip lock bag for 10 hours. While I was waiting,  I replaced all of the wiring and cleaned and lubed the motor.

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After a second application of Easy Off and a little work with steel wool, it was clean.  I tool a little time to straighten bent pieces and fix dents.

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Brass, copper, and chrome pieces were polished with a Dremel, felt wheel, and polishing compound.

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I was able to polish the Lionel Lines plates without removing the paint with a lighter touch with the Dremel.  The steam and sand domes were pretty badly dented.  I rounded the end of a 3/8" dowel and pounded them out on an anvil.  While polishing the handrails, one of the little clips went flying into the oblivion, never to be found.   I checked with several parts dealers, and no one had these.  I ended up making a replacement out of a piece of sheet brass. 

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I primed the parts with Rustoleum Grey Auto Primer and baked them in my home-made oven for 30 minutes. Yes, that is a cardboard box, aluminum foil and two 60 watt light bulbs.  Not being sure that this is fire-safe, I set a timer and did not walk away from my oven!

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This was followed by 2 coats of paint.   I used Charles Wood Train Enamel Maroon, and Rustoleum American Accents Gloss Real Orange, baking in the oven after each coat. Wheel spokes were brush painted with the maroon.  I let the paint harden for a week then did the final assembly.

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I still need a replacement coupler and plan to apply a Rustoleum enamel clear coat. It was a long, but fun project.  

Bob Glorioso

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Last edited by RRDOC
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Bob you did a great job on this! This certainly is an inspiration for others to try their hand on bringing new life to a great little piece of history. The 259s are great pullers and deserve a new lease on life. Any plans for matching passenger cars? You should be proud of what you accomplished on a first attempt. Well done!

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