Paint Strip a RR C-Liner

This was one of my first projects when I got back into the hobby. I initially tried tank soaking these in fresh Pine-Sol but the paint and silk screen stripes (was the Tuscan prr version) wouldn't budge. It's really stout , maybe some kind of factory baked enamel/silk screen or maybe even some electrically augmented dip & print application. Anyway, I switched to brake fluid and it eventually (like 10 days later) dissolved off though I had to wet sand the stripes which were gone but left fairly pronounced ghost outlines, using 000 grit and water which was a good idea. I think they make pretty nice models albeit with thick detail, better runners if you can get the CLW drive kits but I kept the stock truck mounted HO motors and I have to admit they're run pretty good if you power both trucks, albeit I can't overload them without paying for it.

Please share how you did them... what decals did you use? Microscale FA/PA set?

I used brake fluid and a tooth brush.   I didn't soak them.   It was hard work.

I have found that if the area is smooth, ie all ridges from the lettering removed but there is still ghosting, I paint the unit with a neutral grey undercoat.   Then the new color seems to work fine for m.

I once soaked an N-scale plastic loco shell in brake fluid and it was ruined. Probably soaked it too long, but a shorter soak didn't lift the paint. The plastic got all deformed and out of shape.

Mario, was the photo of the A-B-A set of C-Liners taken at the Kingston New York club?

Thank You

Bill

Bill $ posted:

Mario, was the photo of the A-B-A set of C-Liners taken at the Kingston New York club?

 Thank You

 Bill

Sorry, I don't know. It was a Google search and the username on the website is Tracksidegorrila1. 

http://tracksidegorilla1.deviantart.com/

atlpete posted:

This was one of my first projects when I got back into the hobby. I initially tried tank soaking these in fresh Pine-Sol but the paint and silk screen stripes (was the Tuscan prr version) wouldn't budge. It's really stout , maybe some kind of factory baked enamel/silk screen or maybe even some electrically augmented dip & print application. Anyway, I switched to brake fluid and it eventually (like 10 days later) dissolved off though I had to wet sand the stripes which were gone but left fairly pronounced ghost outlines, using 000 grit and water which was a good idea. I think they make pretty nice models albeit with thick detail, better runners if you can get the CLW drive kits but I kept the stock truck mounted HO motors and I have to admit they're run pretty good if you power both trucks, albeit I can't overload them without paying for it.

 

ATLPETE,

I'd love to see more of your models, maybe some closer shots?

Also, talk about decals?

as you had mentioned about the chunky details, the cab ladders seem like they're going to be the most difficult part to get around. Did you paint around them first?

thanks,

Mario

I've had good results with Castrol Super Clean. I have a tupperware-type plastic tank with the stuff that has been in use for at least 5 years. Still works well. Some models take days and days to work, others like Scalecoat paint, comes off after an overnight soak.

You'll find that some paints are not... paint, but actually closer to ink in composition.

Ghosting has never been a problem. I always use a light coat of primer after stripping.

Thanks, all!

when I cut the pilot off, I'll test a few different chemicals. I like the idea of the Castro Super Clean. 

Btw... in case anyone was wondering, its exact scale. 

Sorry Mario, I don't have any more photos left other than this not too sharp greenish one I took for comparison sake about five years ago with an Atlas Erie Built. The headlights are off while the passenger scoots past, the 0-8-0 on the right is an AHM IHB as well.

These were both $5 junkers from shows; the second unit was the AT&SF version which did not leave stripe ghosts and cleaned up much more easily. Decals were a mixture of Champ and Walther sets, and required an extra set of white Champ stripes  cut to fit the mask and whisker pattern on the nose. The heralds are the smallest from an old Walthers set that had four different oval sizes as the Champ ovals were too big to fit that narrow vertical space. I razored off all the cast handrails and replaced with brass rod grabs. A lot of the ladders were broken off so I replaced them with styrene ladder stock of the approximate size. I should have razored off the sg stack bumps. I used bondo backed with aluminum tape to fill in the pilot hole. Once that was all done I removed the grabs, primed the bodies with Krylon grey, wet sanded the areas to be decaled, then applied gloss black (again Krylon) all sun dried between applications, then masked and blew scalecoat NYC Light Grey for the lightening stripes, then applied the decals.  As I recall I decaled these as the CFA-2000's because that was the version closest to the shell molding detail with regard to the battery hatches under the cabs, using photos in Carleton and Sweetland's NYC  books as lettering guides. I have to set-up my light tent for a project I'm finishing up, I'll dig these out and try and get you a better view then.  

Thanks!

That's  a lot of great detail that I'll need to keep track of. 

If you measure the lightning stripes, ahead of the ladder is the same thickness as the rest of the body.  But, microscale has the nose segment wider than the side of the body on the "ALCo" sheet.

... and has the nose segment skinnier than the body on the "FA" set... so I'm going to have to use a combination of the two sets.

I used brake fluid on one and it melted the shell.  It turned to a soft mess of plastic.  I had used brake fluid for years on other shells with no problem.  I've been told scalecoat easy lift off will work on the lettering but I haven't tried that yet.

I have stripped 3 C-Liners in the last 2 weeks with Purple Power (from Wal-Mart).  It didn't damage the shells at all.  It took about 3 days to get all the paint off, but purple power doesn't smell bad or burn your skin.  The Pennys paint comes off easy, the Santa Fe red and sliver doesn't come off, but the stripes and lettering does.

Tom D. posted:

I have stripped 3 C-Liners in the last 2 weeks with Purple Power (from Wal-Mart).  It didn't damage the shells at all.  It took about 3 days to get all the paint off, but purple power doesn't smell bad or burn your skin.  The Pennys paint comes off easy, the Santa Fe red and sliver doesn't come off, but the stripes and lettering does.

That’s awesome to know!  Thanks!