Restore or leave original - GG-1

If they're rusty or beat up to the point they don't look good they get restored. Some purists will say original, yada, yada, and that's well and good, but they didn't leave the factory that way. IMHO

I've seen many a Postwar G with excellent paint, decent lettering/numbering and decals, but no stripes. Stripe(s)make the G, again IMO. Your call. I'd rather have a shiney, new Welz repaint than a G without stripes. The value is about the same regardless.

Baring any unforseen action, I plan on keeping all my post war trains until I kick the bucket so any repaints or touch ups don't matter as far as original goes. I have one full repaint and a few touch up cars and engines.
Rob

How bad is the paint? Would new stripes and lettering make it look good? And who if anyone still carries these decals?
As for a repaint it's your engine, your call.

There are restorers that can just put the striping and the numbering back on without disturbing the paint.

I guess the real question is what does the restoration do to the value?

It shouldnt effect the value much at all. A 2332 without stripes and letering would be worth about the same as a restored one, IMHO.

Now an original with pristine stripes, well thats another kettle of fish.

I would send it to Jeff Sohn to have restored. Jeff would mike that baby look beautiful.

TEX
Steve

To me the question is, "What is it that gives it value (or enhances it) to me?" I have things that I consider "investments" but my trains aren't among them. I understand that others do look at them as investments and I'm not judging that. For me, it is about what makes it look good on my layout or on display. It is about whatever adds to the pleasure of owning it. IMHO, that is where an item's true value lies. Do whatever enhances your pleasure of owning the item.

What you described is pretty common for the appearance of a 2332.

If the paint on your "new" 2332 is not that bad, why not have it just restriped and relettered?

Ed Boyle

quote:

It is about whatever adds to the pleasure of owning it. IMHO, that is where an item's true value lies. Do whatever enhances your pleasure of owning the item.

Very well said!

Based on the original poster's description, if it was mine, I'd leave it as is.

quote:

Originally posted by mdainsd:
It shouldnt effect the value much at all. A 2332 without stripes and letering would be worth about the same as a restored one, IMHO.

Now an original with pristine stripes, well thats another kettle of fish.

In that case I would want it to look as nice as possible and restore it.

If the goal is to have a nice new looking GG1 there are plenty of options - including Post War Celebration series and Conventional Classics, and I guess Williams as well.

Once you take an original item and "restore" it, perhaps some of that post war magic is gone as well. To me, and I am probably in the minority, these old trains have a mystique all their own. Every old train has stories and memories buried in those worn stripes, dented cab roofs and chipped finish.

There's nothing quite like taking an old engine that ran around who knows how many Christmas trees and putting it back in service. Forty, fifty and sixty year old pellet residue melts in the chamber to once again puff out the rings of smoke that mesmerized us all as kids at Christmas.

Everyone sees these things differently, but I would enjoy that grand old engine just the way she is.

Like Eric aka Gandalf97 said:

Whatever would give you the most enjoyment is exactly what you need to do.

Plus, have you looked at Postwar prices lately for anything less that MIB? You'll never get anything back on it... so why worry about that aspect?

With the PW prices (almost all resale prices, actually) as they are, I'm having a ball surfin' and dreamin' about buyin'. Only one "slight" issue: I need more money.

Andre

quote:

Originally posted by Ed Boyle:
What you described is pretty common for the appearance of a 2332.

If the paint on your "new" 2332 is not that bad, why not have it just restriped and relettered?

Ed Boyle

That's what I did with my 2332
Tom

Restore it. That's what I'll do when I get one. It will be a genuine post war Lionel with new paint and stripes. There are thousands and thousands of them out there. Restoring yours isn't going to matter to anyone but you.

Santa brought me a New York Central 2333 AA freight set for Christmas way back when.

Needless to say, I enjoyed that train to the max! Over the years, paint started peeling, lettering rubbed off, and the usual 'played with' look became all too apparent.

I had them restored to the original beauties that I remembered.

I still run them today, some 60 years later and they take me back to that Christmas morning when I first saw them.

That's my call.......but this is your call.


CC

quote:

This one is getting a new paint job.

If you're going to repaint it anyway, you might as well do the striping, numbering, decaling too.

If you want to leave it as original, then don't paint it.

there's been few GG1s on the bay needing stripes for adecent money. also some decal sets too. might be the time to grab one.
l've repainted a couple of my steamers just because they were pretty bad. lf it's just edge wear and small chips l let lt be

Thanks for the great replies , Today my GG-1 is on its way to Elliot Welz.

Thanks,Tom

Collectors have driven the price of good original tin toy trains into the stratosphere, so the trains I buy will get restored and run. I also have a policy of running the premium originals I find as I have zero interest in shelf queens.