Removing letters and numbers Lionel/MTH engines

Try a little bit of automotive brake cleaner on a q-tip. Roll the q-tip gently over the numbers. Once the surface of the paint is broken they will remove quickly. If you do it gently enough no harm will come to the underlying paint. I do it this way all the time. The key here is gentle light pressure. 

I use hardware store lacquer thinner. Here is a before and after. Note no black paint on the Q tip. OK for Lionel. Not tested on MTH though I know its pretty tough. Too strong for 3rd rail as it will take the black paint off along with the lettering.

Pete

dbhone posted:

What is the best way to remove road names and numbers from mid 2000s Lionel/MTH engines without having to do a total repaint of the engine and tender?  Are these heat stamped, decals.......?

Thanks, Dan

They are pad-printed applications, by the way. Sometimes called tampo printing.