Question regarding restoration

Many toy train paint colors are available here.

Larry

Papertrained, I have done just that - taken a train in to a local auto store that does automotive color matching and mixing, and walked out with 2 spray cans that matched perfectly.  With some good surface preparation and priming, you should be able to avoid the flaking problem.  If you go to an auto paint store rather than HD, don't be shy telling the guy what you're doing and ask his advice.  If they specialize in auto paint, it's also likely someone there will be able to give some professional advice.  HD, not so much.

I've never used an auto store to match Lionel colors, but when I needed painted parts shot to match my Electra Glide's custom color, the painter scanned the bike's color and did some spray outs to get the mix right.  You might ask the auto store if they will do that for you before you buy the paint without confirming it's a good match.

As noted earlier, there are numerous vendors of tinplate paints.

Good luck with your project.

Carl

It's not easy to get paint to stick to chrome. You will probably have to etch it first. Automotive paint stores will have the self-etching solution and the antidote.

Here's your answer for easy, fast projects. I've found this to be the easiest way to match prewar paint applied almost a century ago.

TrainLarry posted a link to, C.C. Wood. These paints are spot on matches for Lionel and Flyer. A word of caution, these are old school enamels that require proper handling.

God Bless,

"Pappy"