How not to customize your PostWar trains...

Hey I thought about doing that too....  uh..... thanks for doing it first?  I guess the problem I thought about, having to heat ALL the plastic in the area before deforming, is valid huh.   Sorry you were the guinnia pig but it saved some others by you posting it!  

Trust me, if your thinking about doing it, others are too!

OMG, I forgot about the infamous wood burning set, for kids!  That was a tough product to create; what was it, a soldering iron and some wood tiles!  Then remember how we rode in the front of seat-beltless, slippery, vinyl bench seat of cars with steel dashboards!

I think I did see some pics a long time ago of someone putting dings in gondolas with a wood burner iron.  He must of used a different technique!

Thanks for the memories!

Rich

AHHHH, the wood burning kit!  I loved the smell, and to be able to "decorate" all the rubber-band guns, wooden forts, train trestles, and all other things, made and given to Mom, who gracefully took them and said how nice they were.  

Those were the days, my friend.   Good memories.  Thanks for reminding me.

Bob

Just think what you could have done with a Chemistry set? 

I was into ho at the time, probably 8-10 years old, and did that to some Athearn cars.  They were a Scout boxcar, Peabody hopper, and an AHM Union Chemical tank car...  ahh the folly of youth.....

Josef, do mean like dumping a little of the chemicals from every bottle from the set that had like 4 swing out compartments into a beaker, then add perhaps a little Hydrogen Peroxide!  They don't make fun toys like that anymore

Rich 

Vapor city, we used to say.  Things got even better in 11th grade chemistry.  Our teacher would cringe when my lab partner and I showed up.  

Bob,

Wow.....memories......hydrogen peroxide (among others) in Chemistry class. The guys at my lab table were into practical jokes and one guy in particular used to pour peroxide on paper towels and when his lab partner (who had jet black hair) wasn't looking, he'd rub it all over the back of his head. Hilarious (at the time). He had to stick his whole head under the faucet. Crazy stuff

Roger

It wasn't the drastic result shown on the Gondola above, but when I was a kid into HO Athearn Blue-Box kits, I had a stubborn handrail support/grabiron on one engine that wouldn't fit correctly in the hole that was supposed to be deep enough for it to fit well. 

I used a small soldering Iron on the metal support in an attempt to correct the hole issue, and needless to say, the result was not what I had hoped for.  Engine wasn't a total loss, but it was an unintentional "weathering" of that area.

Of course I did not have in my possession (probably didn't even know such things existed) a small set of jewelers drill bits at the time, which would have been a much safer route to go.

-Dave

My woodburning set, oh,yes.  I'd almost forgotten about it.  That was about 1958, and I found it such a deadly bore that I barely used it.

Years later, my sister told me she'd found it in the attic, and enjoyed it immensely.  So at least it didn't go to waste.

"Just think what you could have done with a Chemistry set?"

And to think Lionel sold chemistry sets as well back in the early 60's!

Then some of you grew up and still experimented with chemicals in the late 60's!

Come to think about it, we can blame Lionel for the hippie movement!

I still have the dog head plaques I did with a wood burner in  8th grade wood shop class. [1961]

Those are keepers, AZGARY

Rich

I still have my wood burner & it gets occasional use finishing wood carving/folk art . 

Dave

You could use it as a small tool caddy when your working on something on the layout. I have done it before so all I need is in the gondola instead of putting a tool down on the layout then spending the next 15min. looking for where I put it!