Question about Changing a Road-name

Just sent you an email with a recommendation for a painter. You can see some of her work on the Box Car Sunday thread. She also did this VO1000 for me; custom paint and decals.

Modeling the Seaboard Air Line I feel your pain.

I have redone a number of engines and rolling stock to represent the SAL.

I've tried, but never was successful in removing only the lettering without removing some/all of the paint, or making the paint finish lighter or not as shiny.

So in short, no, there is not a simple way of doing this with results you would be pleased with.  Some folks on here say they can, but I've never been able to with satisfactory results.

If you can find decals and someone who is willing to do the job, stripping/repainting/lettering is the way to go.  You'd be surprised at all the fine detail a heavy factory paint job hides.

MTH and Lionel black steam engines are very easy. Lacquer thinner will remove the lettering in under a minute and not harm the underlying paint one bit. I have done some 6-8 ranging in age from 1998 to around 2016. For cab numbers mask off the window area to protect the clear plastic windows. 

I use transfers for the numbers right on the existing paint, for decals spray some clear gloss over the area where you plan to put the decals.

A few weeks ago this was lettered for Lackawanna.

Pete

Thank you all very much! In life you can be a handy man or a check book man. I know my place!

Norton,

Am I correct in assuming that your using the lacquer thinner a metal surface?  I would think the lacquer thinner may damage a plastic surface.

Its not an issue of a metal surface although in this case we are talking about MTH and Lionel steam engines. Its safe because of the particular paint they use on these engines. The paint used on plastic is different and won’t stand up to lacquer thinner. Neither will the paint used on most brass engines. Don’t use it Williams or 3rd Rail. 
You have to be careful on non black die cast too. 
This is only OK in the specific instance of black die cast Lionel and MTH. Use it elsewhere at your risk.

BTW no need to hire a painter to do this because nothing has to be repainted unless you want to add some color like whitewall tires. If you can wash your own car you can wipe the lettering off yourself and start with a clean slate ready for lettering. Also if you are not happy with lettering job, just wipe it off and start over, I did that on above engine. It will only cost you some decals. There are numerous youtube videos on how to apply decals. You won’t have a better palette to practice on.

Pete

@Norton posted:

MTH and Lionel black steam engines are very easy. Lacquer thinner will remove the lettering in under a minute and not harm the underlying paint one bit. I have done some 6-8 ranging in age from 1998 to around 2016. For cab numbers mask off the window area to protect the clear plastic windows. 

I use transfers for the numbers right on the existing paint, for decals spray some clear gloss over the area where you plan to put the decals.

A few weeks ago this was lettered for Lackawanna.

 

Pete

Yup. I've used the same method before. Works great. Clear gloss where you want the decals, apply decals, then clear gloss/semi gloss/flat (whatever you want) over the decals. Then you get one off stuff like this:

Why not wait til a B&O model becomes available?

Learn to do it yourself. Practice on a cheap model. When you think you know how to do exactly what you want, buy a better model and take a chance. Ask questions here and research online videos. It’s a fun part of the hobby. I couldn’t wait for someone to make it for me. Nobody else has an Atlanta & West Point MOW consist. 

I'd like to learn of the person who can strip and re-paint, hopefully for a not break the bank rates. I could potentially do the stripping of the lettering as Norton described, but not decaling or re-painting.

Also, and am thinking for a temporary job, are there black background decals with white or yellow lettering such that existing roadnames could be covered? It may not look as good, but may suffice.

What have you got to lose if you willing to pay a re-painter anyway?  I tried my first one- a LionChief Plus Berkshire that I wanted to be PRR instead of Lionel Lines.  (Yeah, I know, PRR never used the Berkshire wheel arrangement, but there never was a real Lionel Lines railroad either). 

Lacquer thinner removed the lettering, didn't bother the underlying paint, and most sets of decals come with extras that you can screw up.  I re-decaled, coated over with DullCote and weathered.  Looks good to me.

Any particular brand of laquer thinner?

Klean Strip from the big box stores? 

-Jim

@Jim Harrington posted:

Any particular brand of laquer thinner?

Klean Strip from the big box stores? 

-Jim

Thats all I use is Klean Strip for this. I have a Lionel engine on the table I plan to do. I may be able to take some pics to show how fast it is with the results this week.

Pete

@Paul Kallus posted:

I'd like to learn of the person who can strip and re-paint, hopefully for a not break the bank rates. I could potentially do the stripping of the lettering as Norton described, but not decaling or re-painting.

Also, and am thinking for a temporary job, are there black background decals with white or yellow lettering such that existing roadnames could be covered? It may not look as good, but may suffice.

 

Paul,

Microscale Decals http://www.microscale.com/Merc...mp;Product_Code=TF-2 

Add your own lettering on top.

Here is a before, during, and after of another engine I have done. In addition to the paint strip the headlight was moved.

Pete

This Lionel 0-8-0 was a New York Central #7755 has now become Western Maryland #1067 no problem removing the letters and number.

You can take the route I did.  I purchased a Lionel K4 painted for the Polar Railroad on clearance and I sent it to Harry Heike.  He stripped it, painted, applied decals, added additional details, and weathered.  Thanks to the great clearance price, my total cost was still less than buying a K4 painted for Pennsy brand new without the additions that mine now has.  Harry does great work and Lionel uses him for custom weathered engines now available through their catalog.  Lionel also recently used him to correct the stripe issues on the N&W J steam locomotives.

@CoolHand posted:

Learn to do it yourself. Practice on a cheap model. When you think you know how to do exactly what you want, buy a better model and take a chance. Ask questions here and research online videos. It’s a fun part of the hobby. I couldn’t wait for someone to make it for me. Nobody else has an Atlanta & West Point MOW consist. 

Nice. I did a Lionel USRA Light 4-8-2 in W of A ("Western of Alabama" for those who don't know; corporately related to the A&WP). Nobody else was going to. I don't have a photo.

(Oh - and per some of the original subject/questions of this post, I removed the original lettering (WP? NH?) on the zinc Mountain with acetone.) 

@Mike Wyatt posted:

What have you got to lose if you willing to pay a re-painter anyway?  I tried my first one- a LionChief Plus Berkshire that I wanted to be PRR instead of Lionel Lines.  (Yeah, I know, PRR never used the Berkshire wheel arrangement, but there never was a real Lionel Lines railroad either). 

Lacquer thinner removed the lettering, didn't bother the underlying paint, and most sets of decals come with extras that you can screw up.  I re-decaled, coated over with DullCote and weathered.  Looks good to me.

 

Mike, I'll put it this way. Its one thing to mess up some old/ broken rolling stock, or even a brand new box car. I have had a great time playing with weathering  and kit bashing.

Very simple it would not be fun for me. This is a hobby and I do this for fun.  To me its not fun to risk messing up a $1000 model. I know my limits and while I want to improve my skills, at the end of the day I don't need my hobby to stress me out!  

@Lehigh Valley Railroad posted:

Why not wait til a B&O model becomes available?

I don't feel like waiting for something that may never be. MTH and Lionel both released B&O 4-3-2 Pacific's recently, but I dont want a green passanger service one I want a black one.  How long would I have to wait for them to 1. Re-run a B&O Pacific, and 2. Run it in the color I want? 

@CoolHand posted:

Learn to do it yourself. Practice on a cheap model. When you think you know how to do exactly what you want, buy a better model and take a chance. Ask questions here and research online videos. It’s a fun part of the hobby. I couldn’t wait for someone to make it for me. Nobody else has an Atlanta & West Point MOW consist. 

Whats fun for one person is an ulcer for another. Some people love to sky dive and hey I'm not here to yuck anyone's yum,  but I sure as **** don't want to jump out of an airplane.  I have tired to use water slide decals before and it was just a mess. I do this for fun, and if it stops being fun why do it. Maybe some day if I have the time I can give it a shot but for now, I would rather do the things I can and enjoy and pay some one for the things I cant.  I like wood working but I'm not going to remodel my kitchen on my own.

@peter allen 072518 posted:

I don't feel like waiting for something that may never be. MTH and Lionel both released B&O 4-3-2 Pacific's recently, but I dont want a green passanger service one I want a black one.  How long would I have to wait for them to 1. Re-run a B&O Pacific, and 2. Run it in the color I want? 

Are you talking a Pacific or a Mikado? The B&O mikados are relatively available on ebay....

@Lehigh Valley Railroad posted:

 

 

 

Are you talking a Pacific or a Mikado? The B&O mikados are relatively available on ebay....

Also, Sunset/3rd Rail has already delivered VERY CORRECT models of the B&O 2-8-2s and various versions of the B&O 4-6-2s. They also show up on eBay occasionally. 

@Lehigh Valley Railroad posted:

 

 

 

Are you talking a Pacific or a Mikado? The B&O mikados are relatively available on ebay....

You are 100% correct that things show up on ebay from time to time, for the 2-8-2 and 4-6-2. You must forgive me I am simply speaking in generality's.

@BobbyD posted:

Paul,

Microscale Decals http://www.microscale.com/Merc...mp;Product_Code=TF-2 

Add your own lettering on top.

 

Thanks. I contacted microscale and their minimum order is 250 sheets. At most I could use maybe a half dozen, so that leaves me going the more permanent route I suppose.

I liked the idea of temporary decals covering the model's roadnames. Decals that could be later removed with warm water. This would allow one to change one's mind and/or if he has to sell the model later for funds to revert it back.

I would also like the idea of the importers making just black steam locomotives and tenders, and offering for sale decals in our favorite road names. This would allow those of us without artistic skills, and/or time, to have fantasy roadnames and/or roadnames on types of engines that we wouldn't ordinarily see...like a PRR on a Cab Forward

If anyone has other suggestions for us challenged folks (me) to temporarily change a roadname, please let me know.

Paul, this engine is cab number 672. I covered the 7 with black transfer material, then had some numbers that were slightly larger than the existing numbers placed over the existing 6 and 2.

After the photo op the transfer material was removed with masking tape.

Pete

Pete, that looks very good. Where do you get the black covering decal material, and labels? Since I would be covering diecast steamers (black), that's ideally the color I would need to buy...I guess steam engine black? Decals for the labels could be any light color I suppose, probably white or yellow.

@Paul Kallus posted:

Thanks. I contacted microscale and their minimum order is 250 sheets. At most I could use maybe a half dozen, so that leaves me going the more permanent route I suppose.

I liked the idea of temporary decals covering the model's roadnames. Decals that could be later removed with warm water. This would allow one to change one's mind and/or if he has to sell the model later for funds to revert it back.

I would also like the idea of the importers making just black steam locomotives and tenders, and offering for sale decals in our favorite road names. This would allow those of us without artistic skills, and/or time, to have fantasy roadnames and/or roadnames on types of engines that we wouldn't ordinarily see...like a PRR on a Cab Forward

If anyone has other suggestions for us challenged folks (me) to temporarily change a roadname, please let me know.

250??????

Just order 1 sheet from the local hobby shop.

For dry transfers -- Clover House.

I have a bunch of K-line Milwaukee Road FM diesels. An eraser will take off one number and exact size decal from Microscale will change the road number. Don

Letters and numbers of different railroad fonts and sizes in black, white or silver are available as water transfer decals on eBay.

@Norton posted:

MTH and Lionel black steam engines are very easy. Lacquer thinner will remove the lettering in under a minute and not harm the underlying paint one bit. 

Pete, do you recommend any specific lacquer thinner?

@scale rail posted:

An eraser will take off one number and exact size decal from Microscale will change the road number.

Don, similar to what I asked Pete above, do you recommend any specific type of eraser?

Bryce

I think any hardware store brand will work as long as it says lacquer thinner and not paint thinner. Paint thinner aka mineral spirits won't work here.

I have been using Klean Strip brand sold at Lowes, Home Depot, and Ace Hardware where I live.

Pete

It was just a pencil eraser. I only did K-line diesels so not sure if it will work on other types of paints or brands of trains. Just do it slowly so you don't mark up the underlying paint. Don

@Jeremy posted:

You can take the route I did.  I purchased a Lionel K4 painted for the Polar Railroad on clearance and I sent it to Harry Heike.  He stripped it, painted, applied decals, added additional details, and weathered.  Thanks to the great clearance price, my total cost was still less than buying a K4 painted for Pennsy brand new without the additions that mine now has.  Harry does great work and Lionel uses him for custom weathered engines now available through their catalog.  Lionel also recently used him to correct the stripe issues on the N&W J steam locomotives.

 

Totally off topic but is bridge scratch built? If not, who makes/made it?

Dave

@luvindemtrains posted:

Totally off topic but is bridge scratch built? If not, who makes/made it?

Dave

The bridge is Harry's.  He is a master modeler, check out his work at York if you ever have the chance.

Pete & Don,

Thank you both for the info! 

Bryce