Share Your Repainted Locos!

I have a Lionel C&O 624 switcher just got running and cleaning up. The decals chipped off  when washing the shell (I got replacements when I got the engine just incase that happened.). I noticed the paint was really faded,( lot darker under the decals), and there is a lot of paint rubbed off where it is white plastic. Should I just leave it be and replace the decals, or try to strip and repaint it? What color of blue rattle can is the closest match?

Can't help with a rattle can color but Floquil "Dark Blue" is a near exact match. There are dealers that still have some in stock.

Repaint with original cab numbers and logo masked off and new hood decals.

Pete

Last project. MTH FEF before and after.

Pete

I'm going to try the liquid mask trick on the cab numbers. Those are still fairly crisp. Until I get a better compressor, rattle cans are it for now. Looking at yours, I may have a Krylon dark blue that may be a match. I'll have to check later when I get home.

Also thinking of maybe painting the hand rails blue or yellow to match.

I was curious if I should repaint, or leave it in it's worn state. It's going to be run, not a shelf queen. Just up in the air should I worry about collector value or not. I get my PW to play with because I like it.

I did use testors flat black to touch up paint on a couple of mpc lionel 8204's. Matched up great. 

Please note the second K4 started life as a Polar RR K4 # 25, I had it repainted to become PRR K4 3880:

 Soon after repainting the Polar RR engine to PRR colors I purchase K4 #1330 off of the forum Buy/Sell Board. I also have a Kline K4 # 1361. Just love K4s what can I say.

JohnB

I used liquid masker, Walthers Magic Masker NLA, but Micro Mark has a product that works nearly as well if you apply a few coats. Microscale's masker is useless. Very hard to remove after painting. Unless an engine is mint in a box I don't know how you can reduce the value on old Post War. They aren't worth that much to begin with.

Pete

 Here are a few of my repaints

Al

I wanted a dummy for my new LC+ Santa Fe GP 38, so took out the guts of an old (orange!) MPC GP 20 with stripped gears, and did a repaint and chalk weathering to match. Not professional, but adequate.

Norton posted:

I used liquid masker, Walthers Magic Masker NLA, but Micro Mark has a product that works nearly as well if you apply a few coats. Microscale's masker is useless. Very hard to remove after painting. Unless an engine is mint in a box I don't know how you can reduce the value on old Post War. They aren't worth that much to begin with.

Pete

Good to know. Now I won't mind repainting and restoring. I guess it's the old argument, keep the box or not. Restore or leave as is.

I'm really enjoying the bring back to life and fix up. I have a 681 with the 6 axle tender that was my first PW engine that was dnr. Got it and the tender working. Paint job on the engine is pretty scratched up. Was going to leave it as it was, now I may just give it a new finsh🙂

Be mindful, some store bought rattle cans will attack the old Lionel postwar plastics and make them very ugly looking....I’d use Pete’s advise on how to paint that 624 NW2....Pete’s got repaints down to a science.....someday, I’ll be at his level....this is a former Blue Comet, refinished for the central.......Pat

Well I found a paint that's a match for the 624. I did 2 test shots on the inside of the shell. Homeshades 259869 Royal Blue. Got it at Walmart. Going to let it sit a couple days to see how it sets up.

Norton posted:

I used liquid masker, Walthers Magic Masker NLA, but Micro Mark has a product that works nearly as well if you apply a few coats. Microscale's masker is useless. Very hard to remove after painting. Unless an engine is mint in a box I don't know how you can reduce the value on old Post War. They aren't worth that much to begin with.

Pete

Pete, I checked the web and apparently Walthers Magic Masker has been discontinued (and I realize the "NLA" in your post is short for "No Longer Available").

Carl, I painted that 624 about 15 years ago. Magic Masker was readily available. One downside was shelf life was only about three years. No idea why they quit selling it but it was very easy to use and remove. A few years I thought I scored a bottle but it turned out to be new old stock and was already dried out and useless.

Pete

Here's a few in Standard Gauge. As you can guess I'm a fan of New England railroads.

Two more New Haven 520s.

Re-painted by a fellow Forum member.

Chris S.

Chris, those boxcabs look fantastic!  Who did your repaint? 

I have a reason for asking - just picked up this Williams PC GG1 for a fantasy New Haven McGinnis-era repaint.  

David

Here are just a few of the engines and cars I painted over the past couple of years. 

RAY

Pete, thanks for the tip on short product shelf life.  I checked on eBay for "Walthers Magic Masker" and got a huge shock/surprise (NSFW).

David98 posted:

Chris, those boxcabs look fantastic!  Who did your repaint? 

I have a reason for asking - just picked up this Williams PC GG1 for a fantasy New Haven McGinnis-era repaint.  

David

I might need to do the same for the Great Northern Empire Builder paint project I'm working on.  Thought about using the EP-5 instead of my usual PW F-3's; but a GG-1 would be better.

546 began life as an MTH RailKing C&NW.   564 was a Legacy Pennsy.

Fred Pierce and L.L. Tidmore's grimy gloves have been all over the handrails.  The locomotives (and almost the entire operation) were gone by the time I came along.  Fun while it lasted.

David and Carl, I will sort thru my emails to try to find the Forum member that painted them.

In the meantime, how about this?

I saved the image for a future project.  I liked the design, maybe you will too.

Chris S.

David and Carl, I emailed you the gentleman's email address.

Chris S.

Ray of sunshine posted:

Here are just a few of the engines and cars I painted over the past couple of years. 

RAY

Nice work, they look great.

Thanks, Chris.

I repainted an MTH tank into a Great Western "dinky" as they used to switch sugar plants, and bashed a Lionel 0-8-0 into a GW 2-8-0.

Photos omitted:

Lionel MPC era Amtrak RDC repainted for NYC.

Pete

EP5 was origanally a Williams in shiny brown PRR paint. PRR did not have any they went from new haven to PC in the merger. added TMCC no sound as yet

Velajo paint and K4 decals with matt overspray.

Norton, really like your RDC repaint. I'm getting started on repainting a motorized RDC and dummy myself. Question: To do the end striping, did you use decals, black pinstriping,  or did you mask off areas and paint? Love to know how you did that!

Thanks.

Ron

lashup50 posted:

Norton, really like your RDC repaint. I'm getting started on repainting a motorized RDC and dummy myself. Question: To do the end striping, did you use decals, black pinstriping,  or did you mask off areas and paint? Love to know how you did that!

Thanks.

Ron

Thanks Ron. The ends were done with black pin striping. The letterboards were made with Evans Hobbycal, now unfortunately no longer available. The only areas masked were the three placards on the lower sides. The passenger Budd is a Williams. On the NYC these Budd cars were called Beeliners. LEDS added for headlights and markers.

Pete

This was one of my first repaints, a few years ago. It started as a Postwar Lionel GP7 with good mechanicals but it had a beat up body. I also added the brake blister from my junk box.

WOW! Amazing a post created 3 years ago has exploded back to life. Just awesome work here.

Here is a Lionel Burlington E5 that I had painted into Southern E6 #2800.

Atlas un-painted models.    Click on underlined to access a slideshow.  

Here's a standard gauge 390 engine I bought .  The boiler was black and I replaced it with a green one I had on hand which left me with not having a  matching green tender . Since I like longer, long haul tenders I bought a MTH 392 tender and had the local auto body  shop match the boiler color .  

Not technically a Loco, but it supports one.  Here is my 3rd version of the Chessie Steam Special Auxiliary Tender.

Before:

After:

Norton posted:

lashup50 posted:

Norton, really like your RDC repaint. I'm getting started on repainting a motorized RDC and dummy myself. Question: To do the end striping, did you use decals, black pinstriping,  or did you mask off areas and paint? Love to know how you did that!

Thanks.

Ron

Thanks Ron. The ends were done with black pin striping. The letterboards were made with Evans Hobbycal, now unfortunately no longer available. The only areas masked were the three placards on the lower sides. The passenger Budd is a Williams. On the NYC these Budd cars were called Beeliners. LEDS added for headlights and markers.

Pete

Pete, very good/helpful to know, thank you for clarifying that. I'll probably use a combo of decals, pinstriping, and paint. Probably will drill out the lights and do what you did.........convert to LEDs. 

Thanks for the explanation. Masking the placards makes perfect sense. 

Ron