Lionel 254E restoration project

Have fun!!

I thought about bidding on that one,  but didn't... I've got too many projects as it is!  That's not that bad, I've bought worse!  You can do it!  Just go slow, take everything apart carefully, keep track of the parts, ask questions here if your not sure of something.  It'll look great when you are done!

looks like a great project Blake, keep us updated.

 Dennis how is that rusty steamer coming along?

Very nice project, can't wait to see the progress of the restoration! 

these will be great when you're done Blake.

Wow Dennis where did you aquire that Rusty loco?

I want to repaint this the original color it was. I assuming it was green? Anyone here know the color? Looks like pea green or was it brown. Anyone here know?

A google search definitely shows it green.

The 254E came in Mohave, Dark Green and Olive.

Steve

And Orange, and Pea Green, and Dark Olive.  Some of them had bottom bead stripes and/or hatches painted a trim color (red, orange, cream)

There is a small number of red 254s that made it into either Macys sets or Sears sets. This has been documented in the past, but I cannot confirm it.

Blake posted:

It could be "Light Olive".

Ron M

I agree Ron.  Lt Olive with Wine inserts.

Rob English posted:

And Orange, and Pea Green, and Dark Olive.  Some of them had bottom bead stripes and/or hatches painted a trim color (red, orange, cream)

 

There is a small number of red 254s that made it into either Macys sets or Sears sets. This has been documented in the past, but I cannot confirm it.

Bruce Greenberg, in his recent studies of Lionel's Prewar "0" gauge production, has seen and photographed these body colors of the 254/254E locos: Dark Green, Mojave, Light Olive, Orange (Lionel - Yellow), Light Green and Pea Green.

Ron M

and Dark Olive. I have been talking to Bruce on some O gauge.

Removed all the paint and primed it! 

So what would be a good match for Light olive green at least in Lionel colors? 

You could paint the cars to match, I've seen maroon cars with an olive engine,

Blake posted:

So what would be a good match for Light olive green at least in Lionel colors? 

Henning's sells Collector Color. Their Olive and maroon will be an exact match and is easy to use. Its what I used on my 610 cars 35 years ago before Henning's took over the line. They are also a forum sponsor.

Pete

Got the paint and applied the first coat! 

lookin good

That looks great!  Just curious, how much did you have to thin it?

Dennis Holler posted:

That looks great!  Just curious, how much did you have to thin it?

I did a 50/50 mix, 50% paint 50% neptha, seems to come out pretty good.

Sounds good,  I think I thinned too much the last time I painted, had to put on a lot of coats!

Blake, Nice topic. What steps did you use to remove the paint? 

Tom 

MNCW posted:

Blake, Nice topic. What steps did you use to remove the paint? 

Tom 

  

I used Klean-Strip paint stripper to get most of the paint off, then used wire wheel attachment on my Dremel. 

Been a while since I updated on this, here is where I am at with the 254! 

Dennis and Blake, what kind of spray guns are you using? I haven't had super-good results with rattle cans, and am thinking about diving in with a sprayer, since I have a compressor already....what kind of paint are you using, enamel, lacquer, latex???

very nice. get those brass inserts nice and bright and it will look awesome. I painted one black a few years ago, i know it was never a 254 color, but wanted a Coal Train.

Tim

GeoPeg posted:

Dennis and Blake, what kind of spray guns are you using? I haven't had super-good results with rattle cans, and am thinking about diving in with a sprayer, since I have a compressor already....what kind of paint are you using, enamel, lacquer, latex???

I'm using a badger 155 airbrush that I got a few years ago, the paint is Olsen's Lionel collector color paint which enamel paint! 

I was using an older pasche airbrush.  I forget the model,  I managed to get a decent paint job, but I have a lot to learn I think.  I'm still not comfortable determining how much to thin and brush settings etc.  To top it off, I intended to spray a coat of gloss clear but mistakenly grabbed a can of satin and sprayed all of them with that.  They looked great before  the satin, but I don't like the after satin.  Also I need to buy the decals and there are a bunch of them on these cars.  That paint I used is an enamel and I just used regular paint thinner that I bought from Menards.

Timothy Sprague posted:

very nice. get those brass inserts nice and bright and it will look awesome. I painted one black a few years ago, i know it was never a 254 color, but wanted a Coal Train.

Tim

Tim, I like your coal train each and every time you post it!!

A good sprayer is the Paasche #62 3oz. sprayer.  $49.95 w/ a 10' air hose that fits any 1/4" pipe thread compressor outlet. Only 35# pressure needed, 25# min. when actually spraying. The great thing is that the #62 has NO adjustments to play with. Cut the paint w/ thinner and go. Clean up is fast and easy.  If you use an air brush, it will require more thinning and more coats.  With the sprayer, I will normally only use 1 coat for like a roof.  Spray the inside first, the out side last.  I use an old electric oven to bake the paint. Set at 225 degrees, and place / hang your item on the rack.  Leave the oven door open and let the heat flow over the item. It is normally dry in 15 minutes, and then I can spray the other side. Our paint is an alkylld enamel, and is also plastic compatible. We use Naphtha as a solvent due to it's quicker flash point.  Harry 

Harry Henning posted:

A good sprayer is the Paasche #62 3oz. sprayer.  $49.95 w/ a 10' air hose that fits any 1/4" pipe thread compressor outlet. Only 35# pressure needed, 25# min. when actually spraying. The great thing is that the #62 has NO adjustments to play with. Cut the paint w/ thinner and go. Clean up is fast and easy.  If you use an air brush, it will require more thinning and more coats.  With the sprayer, I will normally only use 1 coat for like a roof.  Spray the inside first, the out side last.  I use an old electric oven to bake the paint. Set at 225 degrees, and place / hang your item on the rack.  Leave the oven door open and let the heat flow over the item. It is normally dry in 15 minutes, and then I can spray the other side. Our paint is an alkylld enamel, and is also plastic compatible. We use Naphtha as a solvent due to it's quicker flash point.  Harry 

Sounds like excellent advice ... except for the oven drying part - I can only imagine my wife's reaction to such a sight! Not to mention the stinky oven! Maybe when she's out of town visiting relatives........

No stinky oven, do when she is asleep or not home.  I've got some headers i need to bake too...... lol

My oven is in the barn where we paint the MEW wheels,  then bake before mounting the nickel rims. This is shared w/ the Lionel late model race car during the summer. ( Mr.  Hitchcock,  we finished 5th in points this year).   The barn is not insulated at all.  I have to get all of my painting done before cold weather. Brrrrrrr!  Harry 

Dennis Holler posted:

No stinky oven, do when she is asleep or not home.  I've got some headers i need to bake too...... lol

good luck fitting headers in an oven Dennis! I need new headers for the road runner..but I think I'll pull the plug and get some cermaic's

I let my 254 bodyshell sit in the 90 degree heat during the summer, I think that did the trick! 

Steamer posted:

Dennis Holler posted:

No stinky oven, do when she is asleep or not home.  I've got some headers i need to bake too...... lol

good luck fitting headers in an oven Dennis! I need new headers for the road runner..but I think I'll pull the plug and get some cermaic's

Thinking seriously about exactly that, plus they need to fit around clutch linkage as well��