pot metal decay on the 1988 Lionel Hiawatha set

My locomotive is in a display case.  Just checked it and see no signs of any deterioration.  It is in near mint condition-not sure I ever ran it.  The cars are in the box buried under some other stuff so I have not looked at them but in the loco is fine I expect the cars probably are also.

I only have the engine,and the paint has always looked like someone put a plastic bag on when the paint was damp,other wise it look ok,humm will have to double check it now ,thanks  

I do know that set had paint issues, but I have not heard of any casting problems.

Maybe I'm confusing paint issues with decay or abnormal aging problems of the metal beneath the paint. It's hard to tell the difference. The tinplate parts are painted flawlessly in contrast to the engine casting and the undersides of he cars which are also die cast.

last time I looked at my locomotive, about six months ago, I noticed the top of the boiler had started to get tiny bumps in it.

I don't know if it is paint or metal decay.

I will check the cars in a couple days.

I am disappointer with the locos appearance.

The boiler of the locomotive in our set began showing signs of deterioration several years ago. The casting exhibits a spider web-like effect along the sides. I've read accounts in which the casting has warped to the point at which it interferes with the running gear and the locomotive is no longer operable.

Bob 

I've handled  at least 30-40 of these sets over the past seven years. The paint bubbles on the locomotive have become the rule not the exception. It is from the metal outgassing over time which leaves the paint intact, but creates the orange peel effect that people are noticing. While I have not seen a set that extensively warped such as Bob, it's going to be unusual to find a set without paint issues at some point. While it is a beautiful set and the price is getting reasonable, I would personally not purchase this set because of what I have seen. 

Notch 6,

if the paint is stripped to bare metal and then primed and repainted, will the problem eventually return?

Jeff2035 posted:

Notch 6,

if the paint is stripped to bare metal and then primed and repainted, will the problem eventually return?

 

Jeff, 

That's a good question, and one I'm not sure I know the answer to. I'd be curious to know if anyone has stripped this in an attempt to repair. It primarily show up on the top of the boiler and cab roof, but I have seen the sides get it as well. I think matching the paint to the cars could be a challenge as well. 

If the problem is due to pot metal decay, or zinc pest, then it is internal to the metal alloy and cannot be helped. Repainting may cover it up for a short time, but it will return and probably get worse until the castings warp, crack, and crumble apart. If the problem is due to poor preparation when originally painted, then a repaint might make it better, but if professionally done, it's cost would probably exceed the value of the item.

Bill in FtL

yes, I would have it done professionally as my skills are not that good.

I too wonder if anyone has done a repaint and what the mid-term results have been.

Jeff

I think most people have accepted it for what it is and just left it alone.

Yes, I just opened a set I bought unused, new in box. It does have some paint deterioration on the top of the black..paint.

I began to notice the paint problem on the engine in my set a few years ago.  I believe it to be an outgassing problem as the metal appears to be fine.  I was able to get a new painted cab from MTH but have not bothered to install it.

The thing that really bothers me is that people selling this set on ebay attempt to take the pictures so that the engine problem is not clearly visible.  That seems pretty dishonest to me.

I bought this set about 4 years ago and noticed two small paint blemishes on top of the locomotive.  I have it displayed year-round in my train room and inspect it when it gets dusted and haven’t noticed any further deterioration in the paint or swelling/cracking in the rest of the set.  (Wish I could say the same for a Williams GG1… but that’s another issue for another time.)