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How to Refinish a Lionel Locomotive

Millions of people have enjoyed Lionel trains since they entered into production in 1901. Many models throughout the production run have been saved and treasured, but to keep them looking good, a regular maintenance schedule must be followed. For those locomotives that weren't well maintained, refinishing is often the only way to return the models to a condition that's worthy of display. Once completed, most refinished Lionel locomotives appear as if they've just come off the assembly line.

Things You'll Need

Phillips head screwdriver
Sandblaster booth
Sandblaster
Glass bead abrasive
Liquid soap
Water
Lint-free cloth
Wooden box with cover
2 lighting fixtures
2 60-watt bulbs
Wood screws
Aluminum foil
Oven thermometer
Metal primer paint
Enamel paint
Paint brush
Clear-coat spray paint

Instructions

- 1
  Remove the body of the locomotive from the engine by removing the screw located beneath the smoke stack using a Phillips head screwdriver. Turn the locomotive upside down and then spread the body of the engine at the side until the pins connecting it to the base are released. Carefully pull the body of the locomotive from the base. Remove any extraneous parts on the train body such as lamps or brass railings.
- 2
  Remove the existing paint from the body of the locomotive. Place the body into a sand blasting booth. Load the sandblaster with a glass bead abrasive. Set the sandblaster to its lowest setting and then blast the surface of the locomotive. Run the air stream over the surface of the body until all paint has been removed. Increase the setting of the sandblaster if the lowest setting fails to remove the paint until you reach a setting that does.
- 3
  Wash the locomotive body with soap and water to remove any residual paint or abrasive. Dry the body immediately with a lint-free towel to avoid rusting.
- 4
  Create a baking chamber for the enamel coating of the train body. Take a wooden box with a cover and wire two light fixtures on opposing sides of the box, securing the fixtures in place with wood screws. Place 60-watt light bulbs in each of the fixtures. Place a layer of aluminum foil so that it lines the entire interior surface of the box and then place an oven thermometer into the box.
- 5
  Repaint the body of the locomotive. Prime the body with a layer of metal primer to protect the body from rusting using a paintbrush. Place the primed body into the box and turn on the fixtures. Bake the primer into the body at a temperature of 150 to 250 degrees. Lower the temperature if needed by raising the cover of the box slightly. Check regularly while the body is baking because too high a temperature will cause the paint to bubble. Bake the paint until dried, about 20 minutes, and then turn off the light bulbs and allow the body to cool before removal.
- 6
  Paint a finished coat of enamel paint onto the body of the car using a paintbrush. Apply the coat of paint using two to three light layers. Dry in the baking chamber after each layer. Drying time varies with the paint used and can take from 10 minutes to three hours. Wait 24 hours between applying each layer.
- 7
  Spray a layer of clear-coat spray paint to the body of the train to protect the new paint job from damage.
- 8
  Allow the clear-coat to dry overnight.
- 9
  Reassemble the locomotive, replacing any parts taken from the train body, and then place the body onto the engine of the locomotive.

Model Railroads