Lionel 115 Stop Station Restoration Questions

Hi, you can use spray can, i did mine with paint from Lowes and it came out really nice, now if i can just figure out the wiring, lol, good luck, Phil

That station isn't too bad.  You could probably just clean and polish/wax the walls, might even be able to get the B&O off the facade.  I think your color interpretations are correct though if you want to purchase matching paint to re-do the whole thing.  Or you could just get the red and redo the base and clean up the building...  It's really up to you.  IMO, a repainted base but original building would be more valuable than a completely repainted station..... but that is only one nut's opinion lol.

All that dribble said though, if it were mine, I would try and clean up the building and then consider repainting the base and go from there.

Thanks, Phil!

I found the wiring schematic online. Here it is (attached) for you.

Kind regards,

Pete

Thanx, Dennis! That's the way I am leaning too.

Pete

Great, thanks for posting it, Phil

Hi Phil! I took the 115 completely apart, cleaned everywhere, submerged rusty sections in Evap-o-Rust, replaced the pear lights and interior light, used penetrating oil and elbow grease to get rid of “B&O RR” overpaint, tested the original wiring, and put it all back together (not easy). I am waiting for the ivory and red paints, and aftermarket skylight, to arrive. I decided not to repaint, but to touch up formerly rusty bare metal to preserve the patina of age. I will post photos when done.

As far as wiring is concerned, it is fairly simple. On the underside of the base the stop switch wire is soldered to the 3 post. The power wire is soldered to the 1 post. The 2 post is a ground. If you want to illuminate the station without the stop function simply run the transformer U post wire to the 2 binding post and A or B post wires to the 1 binding post.

kind regards,

Pete

Is that a touch-up paint job or complete repaint?  Looks amazing!

Stu

                                                                      WOW !

I can’t believe that’s the same station

@HCSader73 posted:

Well done!

Peter

i agree with Stu's comment.  Pete you have done a great job.  Years ago I bought my father a new in box reissue of that station that Lionel (probably through Mike Wolf) did in the 1980s.  From the picture your restoration looks every bit as good as his did coming out of the box.

Maybe I'm unique.  Unless its a rare item highly valued in whatever condition, then I am inclined to ignore the effect on potential resale value.  There will be specific train items that will continue  to increase in value.  There will be many more that will go for pennies on the dollar, even if we managed to get them used.  I am not willing to forgo my potential enjoyment because it might affect the potential resale value years from now.

Thanks, Stu!   It is a touch up after a radical cleaning and de-rusting. Up close it has the patina of age to show it is not a reproduction. In picture #3 you can see the factory inspection slips from 1948. The only things new are the pear shaped light bulbs and the after-market skylight painted in Lionel 252-Red.

Thanks, Keith! Very kind of you.

It took a lot of persistence to clean it. The worst was using the penetrating oil to scrub away the "B&O RR" overpaint. Small victories over time added up.

Thanks, Peter! It was very satisfying to restore it. I had intended to sell it at a show, but I put so much sweat equity in it that I think I will give it to a grandkid when I am done with it.

BTW, I hope you are sponsoring the breakfast again at the diner in York in October. That is such a great tradition! I will bring a few jugs of upstate NY pure maple syrup, as is my wont.

Hi Bill!  Thanks for the kind words. The greatest risk faced in the restoration was metal fatigue to the insert tabs connecting the metal sections. I took the station completely apart. Bend the tabs once too often and they break off, like bending a paperclip.

I love restoring old things Lionel. You get an instant reward, and then get to play with it. All it takes are the 3"P"s: patience, persistence, and perspiration.

As for the value of things, you are so right. Perhaps half a century from now one of my grandchildren will post in this forum images of their own restoration of this same station.

@Bill N posted:

...Maybe I'm unique.  Unless its a rare item highly valued in whatever condition, then I am inclined to ignore the effect on potential resale value.  There will be specific train items that will continue  to increase in value.  There will be many more that will go for pennies on the dollar, even if we managed to get them used.  I am not willing to forgo my potential enjoyment because it might affect the potential resale value years from now.

You're not unique - the enjoyment one gets from a restoration like this far outweighs the few extra dollars that the unrestored version might someday bring (probably when being sold by one's heirs).

And for this particular item, I think it's worth more now than prior to the repaint anyway.