# The Cat Lady ~ Lionel 1055E Freight Set with 1681E Loco



## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Gents,

Simply put, I'm beginning to feel like the Cat Lady. Every town has one ... that crazy old lady who lives in the ratty house with the overgrown bushes, the lady who takes in all of the neighborhood stray cats ... the mangled ones, the one-eyed ones, the chewed-off tail ones. She's got about 100 of the creatures living all throughout her house. She leaves opened cans of tuna fish and cat food everywhere, and the entire house, yard, and neighborhood block stink with that strange smell. People don't really talk to the Cat Lady ... they're afraid to go into the house ... but they all know she's in there, feeding cats, stepping in their poop, and letting those feline creatures rule the roost.

Well ... it's happened ... I have become the Cat Lady.

Not actually with cats, mind you, but rather with old Lionel 1681 / 1681E locos. 1934/35 vintage. Somehow, more and more of these things keep showing up at my doorstep. Reluctantly, I keep taking them in (who else will?), and then they keep following me around my house, wherever I go. They're needy. And whiny. And they leave little bits of rust, chipped-off paint, and globs of grease all over the place. I try to ignore them, but they're persistent little pests. "Clean me!" "Fix me!" "Paint me!" Whine, whine, whine.

Well, I tried to be extra-special nice to the first two or three that showed up. I spent quite a bit of time nursing them back to health, and getting them looking quite presentable. Pretty, actually. The back-alley tomcat looks were all gone. But don't let their looks deceive you ... in their hearts, they were still alley cats. And at night, they meowed and moaned to all of their alley cat friends. "Hey ... head over here! This place is great! TJ will take you in, give you a warm place to rest, and clean you up!"

And like having a cat in heat, all of the other alley cats came charging my way. And now, I'm embarrased to go out. Embarrased to socialize. It's just me and my dirty, stinky, oily 1681's. I am the crazy Cat Lady.

My latest "adopted" 1681E is part of a 1055E freight set that was recently seen lurking on eBay. I tried to ignore it. I tried to resist the dreaded temptation. I took my medication and prayed that the demons would go away.

But, nooo ....

Stupid me sent the seller a note, telling him that I had taken in a few other 1681's. The seller turned out to be Larry / Georgieboytraveler2, who's now a new member here on the forum. We chatted a bit, I told him my sad story. He really didn't want to take care of the 1681E and its 1055E-set friends himself, and asked if I might want to take them in. Clean them. Fix them. Give them a warm home, and all that. And ...

I'm the Cat Lady ... how could I refuse?

And so, please allow me to introduce you to my latest adopted orphans ... 1681E loco (#4 for me) and his 1055E freight set friends.

Please send help ... and tuna fish ...

TJ


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

You sound LOCO to me!:laugh:


LOCO MAN.......


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

Well, if you enjoy it.:lol_hitting:
I find myself always looking at pieces on ebay I already have.
I guess we all have a bit of the cat lady too.
This year there have been many opportunities, but I gotta get to the orphans at hand.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

T-Man said:


> Well, if you enjoy it.:lol_hitting:
> I find myself always looking at pieces on ebay I already have.
> I guess we all have a bit of the cat lady too.
> This year there have been many opportunities, but I gotta get to the orphans at hand.


I find myself sometimes buying something I all ready have because I forgot I had it.:laugh:

We are all LOCO men T.........emphasize men.

My trains don't stink either. 
Well... maybe they stink a little, like oil and smoke.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Part of TJ's repaired trains.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

You guys are too funny! Ed, that display wall is MUCH too neat for me, at least at this point. With my projects on hand, my shop/basement looks a bit like a war zone ... a very ACTIVE war zone!

As far as this latest adopted set is concerned ... I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with it just yet ...

I took the loco shell off, and the motor parts are all there. It doesn't run, but I suspect a thorough cleaning (and maybe rewiring) will get it going again. The metal parts of the motor (e-unit, loco wheels, gears, etc.) all seem to be in OK shape. There's no brittle cracks on this wheel set, like there was on my last 1681 ... so I'm quite pleased about that. The loco shell itself has a dented/bent cab roof, and the cowcatcher is squished over a bit. All fixable, I'm sure, but ...

I still have my 1681 #2, which was a "shell only", sitting on my bench. I might do a little mixing and matching here, and put the "new" motor into that other loco shell, which is in much better shape.

Will I strip and repaint the loco? Not sure yet. Maybe. We'll see if "inspiration" comes my way. I've been doing all of my spray painting outside ... in warm weather. But, the weather / season is quickly changing here in RI, and in another couple of weeks, I'll only have 50-deg or lower weather outside ... not ideal spraying conditions. (Though I do remember the "heat the paint can first" trick that you guys taught me!)

The lithographed work on the freight cars is not in too bad shape, given their age. I'll definitely save/use those on the tanker, box, and caboose cars. That said, I might re-spray the roof (only) on the box car and the caboose, just to spruce them up a bit.

The trucks are missing some copper journal boxes. I'm hoping I can order some replacements from Jeff Kane. I'll polish up the ones I already have, too.

Jim (if you happen to check in here) ... I "discovered" this 1055E set the day before your transformer station base/guts gift arrived. And, as fate would have it, this set includes that same station (complete, with base, roof, guts). I very briefly pulled back the roof to look inside ... WHOAAA ... looks like a black-powder bomb went off in there! Everything is covered in black grime. All of the pieces are there, though, so ... looks like this will be another rainy-day project at some point.

Well, that's my story ... and the start of this new thread. I'm guessing that things here will proceed rather SLOWLY, but that's OK. A little bit here, and a little bit there, and eventually, I hope to get things cleaned up just enough to make the set presentable (and running) once again. After all, that's what makes this hobby fun, right???

Gotta run ... I hear some cats howling, and I gotta let them in and feed them.

TJ


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## imatt88 (Jan 31, 2010)

TJ,

Look at it this way, another set saved

If you rebuild this one the way you've restored the other ones, it will truly be a gem:thumbsup:

I will be watching for the rebuild thread:laugh:

Cheers, Ian


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

*The Project Begins ... motor work*

Hi guys,

Well, I've taken some initial steps into this project. I mentioned above that the 1681E motor looked to be in decent shape as far as compenent integrity was concerned, but it wouldn't run. Arc-sparks between the wheels and the track, some evidence of life in the e-unit solenoid, but not much else.

Things were caked pretty badly with dried grease and grime. So, a thorough cleaning was in order. Lots of Q-tips, pipe cleaners, and Goo Gone. Degunk the gears, bearings, brushes, armature face, e-unit drum and fingers, etc.

With that, there was signs of life. I got the motor to run fwd/reverse, as I had hoped.

Next step was to check the wiring. The power lead that runs from the contact place (and center rail) up to the headlamp (where it branches off to the e-unit) was old and brittle, with chunks of rubber insulation flaking off. Of the wires in this loco, this is the hardest to replace (in my opinion), as one has to remove the contact plate from the bottom of the motor to solder on a new wire. No easy task. See my descriptions of doing that in Post #12 of the thread here:

Removing a prewar Lionel contact plate ...
http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=4788

Patience and persistence paid off, and a new power lead wire was soldered on. I ran that to the headlamp, and also replaced the wire that runs from there to the e-unit, and the one that runs from the e-unit to the top armature brush can. The rest of the wires running from the e-unit to/from the field appear to be OK, so I left those intact.

One note on this 1681E for reference ...

The e-unit flips the direction of current running through the FIELD. From that point, the current runs downstream to the top armature brush, through the armature, then back out through the lower armature brush to the motor frame / ground / and drive wheels. The direction of current through the armature stays constant. (Many other Lionel locos have e-units that are wired to flip the direction of current through the armature, with the direction of current through the field staying constant.)

So, this 1681E motor has a new lease on life. Runs like a charm. (Larry / Georgieboytraveler2 ... take note ... good news, so far!)

Oh ... one simple question for the gang ... the headlamp bulb is fried. Are there suitable off-the-shelf Radio Shack type replacements? (I know I can order true replacements from Lionel parts guys, but just wondering if there's a simpler/cheaper route.)

Here are some pics of the revamped motor.

Cheers,

TJ


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

The motor looks great!

Number 52 screw bulb 14.4 volt at Radio Shack. 272-1127. Ebay has screw in LED bulbsfor replacement arond 2 to 3 bucks a piece.


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## Reckers (Oct 11, 2009)

Wow! That motor looks like it just came out of the factory!


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## Stillakid (Jan 12, 2010)

Very Nice TJ, Very Nice!!!!!

I beginning to think that you, and The T-Man, are twins, separated at birth


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

T-Man ... THANKS!!! for the bulb tip ... much appreciated !!!

Reck/Jim ... I'm still kludging my way through things ... learning as I go, though trying to do so with patience, as any of these restoration things has to be broken down into smaller/managable steps, as you guys well know. While I appreciate the T-Man twin flattery, I think he's a quantum leap into the beyond ahead of me. While I'm tinkering with my little Lionel Jr motor, he's reconstructing a fully-functional robot from Lost in Space  !

Cheers,

TJ


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

CJ,
Just a thought about the wire to the contact plate: I have fixed the wiring in some old locos by removing all the old insulation and unsoldering one end of the wire. I then slide piece of shrink tubing or sleeving or spaghetti over the old wire and solder then end back. This avoids the problem of removing the contact plate. 

Bruce Baker


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Bruce,

Good idea. I had thought about that, actually. But in this case, the rubberized coating on that central pickup wire was so far gone I figured I'd just bite the bullet and do it right. PITA, though, removing/reinstalled the contact plate ... So I might follow through on your tip if the need arises down the road.

Thanks !!!

TJ


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

T-Man,

Thanks, again, for the bulb tip ... I picked up a pair ($1.99) at Radio Shack today, and they fit/work like a charm!

TJ


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

For reference / documentation ... Lionel 1681E wiring diagram

In my other 1681 thread, I had created a wiring diagram for my 1681 loco that has a manual fwd/reverse switch.

Here, I've modified that to reflect a Lionel 1681E with a standard E-unit. The E-unit flips the direction of current flowing through the field.

Cheers,

TJ


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

*Who says you can't skin a cat ???*

Hi guys,

Quick project update. The 1681 loco shell has now been disassembled, Easy Off stripped, and Dremel wire brush buffed. I banged out some dents to the cab roof and a windowed side. (Reckers ... your peen and leather belt tips helped out here considerably!) Major components (placed but not tabbed together in photos below) are: frame, steamchest, boiler front, boiler and cab (two pieces, but left tabbed together for the restoration).

Of my growing brood of 1681's, I'll confess that this is shell #2 that will be mated witht the motor of #4. #2 was a shell-only purchase. And while #4 (of the 1055E freight set in this thread) was a matched shell-motor pair, the shell for that was considerably more more dented and dinged. Kitbashing 101 ... 1930's style.

So ... enjoy the strip show ... and slip a dollar bill or two under the G-string!

Cheers,

TJ


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

*Primed ...*

Getting chilly here in RI, but I managed to get some primer on today. Krylon Rudy Brown ...


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

TJ,
How about setting a couple of heat lamps to warm up the metal before you spray it. It might extend your painting season.
Bruce Baker


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Bruce,

Some other guys here on the forum taught me about "pre-heating" a while back. I do two things, if I need to spray outside in colder weather ...

1. I'll actually stick my metal parts in the oven for a short while at a low heat setting ... 150-deg or so. I watch carefully to make sure all is OK.

2. Next, I heat up a few bean-bag-type sacks in a microwave, and then pack them around my paint spray can in a little igloo type bucket. Warms the paint nicely, without the risk of trying to heat the paint can directly (oven, open flame, etc.). Not too long ... just trying to get the paint can moderately warm to the touch.

I think these steps can help, though it may be more psychological than anything else. The problem I'm facing is that these tinplate metal parts are poor heat sinks ... once warm, they cool off rather quickly in outside colder air. There's just not much mass there.

Yesterday, I was spraying Krylon yellow on my gondola, outside in about 52-deg weather. First time I've used their light yellow. I don't know if it was the color, or the cold temp, but that paint sure was runny ... it seems like it was thinned way down to me. I was also spraying black, and that seemed fine ... it was the light yellow that I had problems with.

Would the viscosity and drippiness of spray paint from one manufacturer be dependent upon a specific color from that mfr???

Cheers,

TJ


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

TJ,
I suggested the heat lamps because they would keep the parts warm while you sprayed them. It would not surprise me if the viscosity of the paint differed from one color to another, but I don't have any experience with this.
Bruce Baker


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Ohh ... heat lamps DURING spraying ... I hadn't thought of that. (I do my spraying outside, but I could certainly run some power cords.)

I like it!

Thanks,

TJ


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

*What color is this cat ???*

Oohhh ... a RED one!

Nice weather here in RI today ... about 55 and sunny ... good painting weather!

TJ


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

*Cats Have Nine Lives*

Gents,

Everyone knows that cats have nine lives. Good thing, too, 'cause this Lionel 1681E loco sure needed one. Started life black ... and now reincarnated red.

Motor tune up, per thread details above. Mated to TJ's 1681 "Shell #2", stripped, primed, painted, per details above.

Metal trim all stripped, polished. Chromed domes and smokestack taken down to underlying copper, polished, and dope clearcoated. Copper colored paint on the headlamp. Krylon Rudy Brown primer and Krlyon Banner Red gloss topcoat on shell parts. TJ "signature" gold pinstripe around the steamchest.

I should note that 1934 1681's were black with a red frame, as per my earlier two 1681 restoration projects. However, in 1935, Lionel changed to an all-red color scheme on the 1681 locos. So here, I've gone with the 1935 look.

I've said it before, and will say it again ... For anyone restoring one of these 1681's, be extra special carefull when removing and reinstalling the "sandpipes" that come down from the front dome. The bottom bend is very brittle and fragile. Worked out/in OK for me here, but I was holding my breath there for a while.

So, my Cat Lady project is beginning to show some promise. This little guy isn't looking nearly as mangy as he was. Kind of refined and sophisticated, actually. Perhaps the neighbors will see what I've done, and smile for a moment ... before they pull their kids in the house, and tell them not to bother that crazy train guy who lives down the street.

And now, I present our feline friend. Enjoy ... and send tuna fish ...

TJ


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Gents,

I'm likely gonna move on to the Lionel # 1679 box car, next. (Shown in Post #1.) I'll remove and strip/prime/paint the frame and trucks, along with the roof (only) of the shell. I'll leave the original litho graphics on the side of the shell.

My question to you prewar guys has to do with the color of the roof on this 1679 box car. Mine appears to be a dark green. Also, my 1679 is an early one (1934-35), BEFORE Lionel started putting the Baby Ruth logos on the side. As I peek at other photo example of the 1679 car (ebay and the like), their roofs appear to be dark blue or sometime turquoise. I'm NOT seeing dark green, like mine.

Is it possible that my "green" is actually a faded / discolored blue? Do any of you guys have comparable examples to reference? I'd like to get an "authentic" color match, if possible.

Thanks!

TJ


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## SkyArcher (Oct 20, 2010)

!!WoW!! I just saw your loco again. It's AWESOME! What an inspiration. :worshippy: I hope my stuff looks as good as yours when I'm done. I can't help you with the green. I think that Big Ed likes green. You might ask him what color green to paint your roof...


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

OMG ... I hadn't thought about Ed's recommendation ... "Beam me up, Scotty" ... Alien Green here we come ... NOT!

Thanks for the nice comments re: the loco. I feel a bit guilty for changing the shell from '34 black to '35 red, but I already have two other '34 black 1681's, so I thought I'd spread the family out here a bit. Sacrilege? Maybe. I'd be curious as to what other restoration type guys think.

Cheers,

TJ


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## Felginator (Oct 20, 2010)

TJ,

I think I have this same loco packed away. I have to check. I think mine said Ives on it though. It's definitely not as pretty as yours!


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Fel,

As you may know, Lionel bought out Ives (with American Flyer) in 1928, and outright in 1930. Lionel continued to produce some of Ives' product line under the Ives name.

Along those lines, the Ives 1661 loco (and its tender and freight cars) produced in 1931-32 are essentially the same 1681 loco (and tender and cars) that Lionel produced under the Lionel name in 1934-35. The Ives motor has a slightly different contact-shoe plate than its Lionel counterpart, and the tenders are tagged with "Ives R.R. Lines" or "Lionel Lines", respectively.

This Ives Society link has some nice pics of a 1661 ... scroll down about half way...
http://www.ivestrains.org/CD/O_Gauge/lionel31_32/locomotive/htmlfiles/ElectricSteam.htm

Do let me know if you indeed have a 1661.

Cheers,

TJ


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Gents,

A nice, warm fall day here in RI today. Good painting/priming weather. Made some progress on the freight cars for this Lionel 1055E set. Shown below are the frames and trucks of the box car, tanker car, and caboose newly primed and one side painted black, after being stripped to bare metal. I've also stripped and primed the roofs (only) of the box car and caboose. (The bodies of those cars are taped off, under primer, below.)

Might try to get some more paint on tomorrow, if the weather cooperates.

Regards,

TJ


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Alien green would look just great if TJ did it.
I like the red. You ought to make the rest the color of Christmas too. Put Christmas decorations on them.
Make it a Christmas train.

Check it out TJ,



http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Lionel-Engine-Cars-Red-264-E-600-603-Lot-8-/290499467488?pt=Model_RR_Trains&hash=item43a31e18e0



A nice winter project for you?:thumbsup:

The only thing that confuses me is the track he offering with it.


Sometimes I can't copy and post a e bay link here?
IF YOU CAN'T SEE IT TJ SEARCH FOR THIS ITEM #290499467488


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## Smokestack Lightning (Oct 31, 2010)

tjcruiser said:


> Gents,
> 
> Everyone knows that cats have nine lives. Good thing, too, 'cause this Lionel 1681E loco sure needed one. Started life black ... and now reincarnated red.
> 
> ...


Man! Beautiful job. Really minty:thumbsup: Those old tin trains are cool. More of a toy that you can play with than today's museum pieces.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Smokestack -- Thanks for the nice comments. These little Lionel Jr's are definitely toy-like in their size and simple detailing. But I really like their old-school look.

Ed -- The ebay link is a nice set. Needs some t.l.c., though ... could be quite nice all buffed up. The two-rail track is wrong, as you say. However, Lionel did sell some wind-up locos in that 1930's era (of that same Vanderbilt loco style) that "ran" on two-rail track.

Cheers!

TJ


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

If you go with a Christmas train you can detail the engine wheel spokes like a peppermint stick.:thumbsup:


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Hi guys,

Some more progress on painting the freight cars over the past weekend. Newly painted roofs for the box car and the caboose. I opted to go blue on the box car ... all of the early-generation 1679's (prior to Baby Ruth loco) that I found on the 'net had blue roofs, rather than green. I used a dark reddish-brown paint on the 1682 caboose roof, echoing this vintage version. (As a side note, earlier 1682's had a red roof.)

Other than a light cleaning, I haven't touched the original litho graphics on the sides of the cars. One side of the caboose has a deteriorated section of litho, but I didn't want to strip the whole car (or that side) to try to reproduce it, as I did with my 1054 set. So, "preservation" rather than "restoration" is the path for these side lithos.

Shiny new black paint on the car frames and trucks. (That "empty" frame is for the tanker.)

Cleaning up of the wheels, and polishing of the copper journal boxes to come.

Regards,

TJ


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## SkyArcher (Oct 20, 2010)

Boy, I get deja' vu looking at your train parts. IS there a restoration process for litho?

Looks great tho!!


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

SkyArcher said:


> IS there a restoration process for litho?


Sky,

Good question. I'm amazed at how durable and detailed the old lithographed painted graphics are. That said, they do oxidize/chip with abuse and neglect.

I don't know if "anyone out there" is reproducing true litho work. I wish I knew. I did learn (via a post from Stillakid Jim) that the original litho printing was done with the sheet metal FLAT, then it was bent into shape after the litho had cured/dried. How they did that without damaging the surface is beyond me ... one of life's mysteries!

I tried the "poor man's approach" to "reproduce" a litho-look on the restoration of my 1054 freight set cars. Basically, paint, Sharpie black lines, photo-printed insignias, etc. Results look nice from a distance, but won't convince anyone under the 'scope, so to speak. You've seen my 1054 set thread below, I think ...

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=3847

Cheers,

TJ


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## SkyArcher (Oct 20, 2010)

Hmm, I have three prewar litho cars and while I'm likely to preserve rather than restore the litho, it has occurred to me that I have NO idea what I would do if I wanted to try to restore the litho.:dunno:


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## Stillakid (Jan 12, 2010)

TJ, Sky, I don't recall where I read this, but it was an article that dealt with design/restoration of old tin buildings. The writer used Corel Painter v.11.0 to work with a photo of the original image. He would oversize the photo and use the tools to enhance colors, restore damaged areas, and even add to the original artwork. A transparency would then be created and laid over the base color. ?? 
Sounds like a lot of work, and the program is pricey($300+!)

Regards,
JIm


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## SkyArcher (Oct 20, 2010)

They replaced the litho with decals? I can see how that would work. You could use any graphic program and print on decal paper but reproducing white and gold would be difficult.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

I did sort of that with my Lionel Jr. Transformer Station (the one with your "guts", Jim). I scanned good-quality station graphics, printed the images as "wallpaper" on standard matte photo paper, and glued that on to prepained (base color) sides. (It's really just the corners and edges where the base paint is exposed.)

I hadn't thought about using transparency (or decal) film, though. Clever idea.

I know that Walthers (and other mfrs) sell decal film sheets that you can feed into a standard printer (inkjet ???). Never tried one on my end. I'd be quite curious, though. The color white is a no-go, though, as Sky says.

Cheers,

TJ


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## SkyArcher (Oct 20, 2010)

I just got some Papilio laser decal paper to redo the numbers on my AF Royal Blue set and it works great! I just might try to redo a litho car....maybe.

You can do white but the trick to it is to use white decal paper and print the background color over it. The tricky part of it is matching the background color.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Sky,

Awesome!

Can you please, PLEASE start a thread showing a bit of a "how to" on the custom decal paper? Type of printer required (will inkjet work, too?), ideas for trying to generate white, how to apply the decals (wet transfer, I assume?), etc.???

I'm really intrigued about this, and I suspect others would be, too!

Thanks,

TJ


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## SkyArcher (Oct 20, 2010)

Sure, I'll do another mini tutorial. In the meantime, if you don't want to wait, look here:

http://www.papilio.com/


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## Felginator (Oct 20, 2010)

Could white be a possibility if you used vinyl? Not sure if it would even work, just a thought. Maybe use it as a "white" base then put the printed graphics on top?


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## gc53dfgc (Apr 13, 2010)

tjcruiser said:


> Gents,
> 
> Everyone knows that cats have nine lives. Good thing, too, 'cause this Lionel 1681E loco sure needed one. Started life black ... and now reincarnated red.
> 
> ...


Now thats what i call a Christmas train :thumbsup:


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Sky -- Ohh ... I saw you said "Papilio" earlier, but I didn't know what that was. Got it, now ... mfr of special film paper products. Neat web info ... I'll check it out. Thanks!

GC -- I've set up a little HO loop 'round the tree for the kids in years past, but I am, in fact, thinking about jumping up to O this year. Santa will be pleased, I think!

Cheers,

TJ


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## gc53dfgc (Apr 13, 2010)

O is the true train of Christmas in my op


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## gc53dfgc (Apr 13, 2010)

why does the manufactures plate on your loco say Jr. instead of just Lionel?


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

gc53dfgc said:


> why does the manufactures plate on your loco say Jr. instead of just Lionel?


The "Lionel Jr." family (written that way, rather than Lionel Junior, by the way) was offered by Lionel in the mid 1930's. It was their smaller, entry-level, lower cost train sets, with many of them (like the 1681 here) a carry-over from Lionel's buy-out of Ives a few years earlier.

TJ


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Hi guys,

I wrapped up the quasi-restoration (or "preservation", perhaps) of the three freight cars from my 1055E prewar Lionel set. Newly painted roofs on the 1679 box car and the 1682 caboose. Newly painted frames and trucks on those cars, along with the 1680 tanker. I polished and clearcoated the tanker's copper/brass domes and handrails, along with all of the copper journal boxes. (I had to replace four missing journal boxes with repros.) A quick hydrochloric acid dip (2 minutes) of the latch couplers to remove surface rust on those.

As mentioned earlier, I've left the litho paint on the sides of the cars (and tanker) essentially untouched. The caboose has a not-so-bad side, but also a chewed-up side ... it'll live like that going forward, at least under my watch. The box car litho isn't too bad ... a few dings and nicks, but generally mostly there. One nasty rust spot (the size of a dime) on the tanker ... I call that one "character".

So, these three cats are grabbing another one of their nine lives. They're not perfect (or purr-fect) ... not fully primped ... not fully preened. But maybe, just maybe, they'll be presentable enough that you might give them a little affection next time you see them ... presentable enough that they'll no longer be the mangy, flea-infested, smelly creatures living in the depths of some back alley. Presentable enough that I think I'll let them roam around the house freely for a while.

Next on the list: Terrible Tomcat or Timid Tender? Time will tell ...

Cheers,

TJ


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

TJ,
Here is something that might work to improve the appearance of your caboose. I have used some magic markers to touch up things like Santa Fe diesels and tenders. I have a rather beat up tender with a whistle and 6 wheel trucks. It is painted pink plastic, and it looked like it had acne. I used a black marker to touch up the dings, and it looks a lot better. It is not really worth restoring as it has a few things broken off, and if I did restore it, what I have done would not be a problem for a restoration. I have found an orange magic marker that matches the red of the Santa Fe warbonnets pretty well. Once again, it isn't perfect, but the dings are at least nearly the same color as the original paint. You will have to play around to find a color that matches closely to the original paint. 
Bruce Baker


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Bruce,

That's a really good (and simple) tip. Thanks.

A fine-point black Sharpie marker was my "weapon of choice" to add all of the "plate and rivet" details on my repainted 1054 freight set cars (gondola, caboose). Worked out reasonably well. But I hadn't thought out of the "black box", so to speak, until reading your comment, above.

So, I scrounged around and found a thick red Sharpie, and have sinced used it to color in some of the badly scraped sections on the side of the cabooose shown here in this thread. Easy to do ... the whole process took about 2 minutes. The results are certainly not perfect, but do add some sense of the right color without having to resort to paint buildup and blend in. The nice thinkg about the marker is that it adds essentially zero thickness, and -- if needed -- can be removed down the road.

So, I'm now in the hunt for a nice multi-colored set of Sharpie markers ... I'll stop by the local Michael's craft store.

Great tip ... thanks!

TJ


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

TJ,
I looked at Michael's and didn't find anything. I bought a set of magic markers at Office Depot. The color selection is not really very broad, but it was an improvement over the uncolored dings. You might check the Internet to see if anyone has more colors available. 
Bruce Baker


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

servoguy said:


> Office Depot


Thanks ... I'll try there, Staples, and the like.

TJ


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

*Tender Moments ...*

Gents,

I disassembled the 1661T tender from my 1055E freight set. It's pretty simple ... three basic tinplate pieces, and two frame-mounted axles. Luckily, no major dents or bends on this tender.

I hand-stripped the main shell piece to bare metal with a Dremel brush, as I will save the inset red "Lionel Lines" painted section ... it's not too bad on this tender. The other pieces were EasyOff stripped and Dremel brush buffed.

Primer tomorrow, if the weather cooperates.

Cheers,

TJ


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## servoguy (Jul 10, 2010)

TJ,
I would be interested to see pictures if you use a sharpie to touch up the red.
BB


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Bruce,

Will do, however ...

Unlike the red caboose that we saw earlier, the underlying (and exposed) sheet metal on this tender in way of the red paint chips is much darker in tone and color. I wouldn't want to brush it lighter at all, for fear/risk of damaging the surrounding red paint. So, that said, I don't think red marker here will do the trick very well on this red. It's relatively small chips, and I may try to dab in some thinned red paint at some point.

Regards,

TJ


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

*Touch Me Tender ...*

A cat lady update ...

I've finished the strip / prime / repaint of the 1661T tender. Krylon Rudy Brown primer and Krylon Gloss Black topcoat. Gold "rivets" with a Pilot extra-fine point gold marker, per the method described in my 1054 freight set thread.

The inset red field on this tender wasn't in too bad shape, and I left it original, having to add only two small dabs of red touch up paint to some chips.

The weather got cold (under 50 degrees) during the spray work, and I had a couple of wrinkles in the black paint on the frame top. I ended up wet-sanding them down, and re-topcoated. Came out OK.

Dremel wire brush on the wheels and axles. A quick (!) hydrochloric acid dip of the coupler. Reassembly. Badda boom, badda bing, and here we are.

Not too shabby ... this cat will live to see another life, I hope.

Cheers,

TJ


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Hi guys,

Well, to everyone's surprise, the Cat Lady and her feline friends have indulged in a bit of sophistication. They are professing to do away with their back-alley, dumpster-diving mangy ways, and instead raise their noses high in the air and prance ever so gracefully and gently around the neighborhood. Or so they say ... if you ask me, I think a few midnight howls and back-alley romps are still in the cards.

And so, without further ado, I present my newly preened Lionel 1055E freight set ... whiskers and all.

TJ


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Very nice. It boggles my mind that you guys are rescuing so many of these old trains, it's obviously very time consuming!


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Looks nice.
Did you do the locos wheels?


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## georgieboytraveler2 (Sep 27, 2010)

*WOW = I can hardly believe its the same one!!*

TJ
I am so totally envious of what you have done with that set = especially the loco!! Absolutely amazing that it was restored to that condition! Now ===== I have this Ives loco that needs some TLC===================
I am now going to see if I can't send this information to my partner that helps me with the train items, as he was the one that picked that one up at a sale in a small town near here. I will be anxious to hear his comments also
A great job and thanks for keeping another Lionel from the being gone forever!!

The Ives is also his (via his grandfather) and needs some motor work and I know nothing about the older items. Any suggestions for help ? He does not want to get rid of it = just get it up and going again - he has the whole set up.


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## Felginator (Oct 20, 2010)

Excellent job!:thumbsup: I am jealous of your nice shiny track. :laugh:


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Thanks for the nice comments, guys ... much appreciated.

Ed ... not much done on the wheels. Just cleaned them up. I opted NOT to paint the spokes red here (as I did on my black 1681's), because I thought that would be too much red color, aesthetically. I like the soft black wheel look with the full red shell.

Georgie/Larry ... I'm genuinely happy to have tracked down your set, and given it a little t.l.c. for future generations. Not just me and my kids, but perhaps beyond!

I'm sure lots of guys here on the forum (myself included) would be happy to coach you and your buddy through an Ives rehab. Start a thread, post some pics, etc.

Fel ... nothing fancy for the track ... cheap O27. (New, though ... not old.)

Cheers!

TJ


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## SkyArcher (Oct 20, 2010)

Beautiful Job!! I'm just envious....


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## chuck lin (Apr 12, 2021)

tjcruiser said:


> Gents,
> 
> Simply put, I'm beginning to feel like the Cat Lady. Every town has one ... that crazy old lady who lives in the ratty house with the overgrown bushes, the lady who takes in all of the neighborhood stray cats ... the mangled ones, the one-eyed ones, the chewed-off tail ones. She's got about 100 of the creatures living all throughout her house. She leaves opened cans of tuna fish and cat food everywhere, and the entire house, yard, and neighborhood block stink with that strange smell. People don't really talk to the Cat Lady ... they're afraid to go into the house ... but they all know she's in there, feeding cats, stepping in their poop, and letting those feline creatures rule the roost.
> 
> ...


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## chuck lin (Apr 12, 2021)

I have collected trains for years, recently move and most on my trains went to my kids, about 5 refrigerator boxes full. Down to 1 standard gauge and my dads 1681. Need help, I want to clean this up at least for display. missing parts, diagrams ect. Where can I locate information on drawings and parts. May want to get running but will most likely ever run. As I remember went off the track all the time. That's why has a few bends, chips and missing parts. My guess is that lots of mods have been done to these over the years.


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## Millstonemike (Aug 9, 2018)

Welcome. The attached pdf is the Lionel service manual for the 1681E. Essentially, the first page pictorial (below) and three pages of parts lists.

Many parts for prewar locos are available at *ttender.com*. If you're unsure about a part, email [email protected]. He's very knowledgeable and will know if certain parts are listed under different numbers.


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## chuck lin (Apr 12, 2021)

Thanks for the help Did they make without drive rods. Mine does not have and wheels do not have drilled hubs to mount. Have hubs non drilled on front wheels. may have been replaced in 85 years


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Hi Chuck,

Just seeing your post re: interest in cleaning up your 1681. My condolences ... it is an addiction, and there is no cure!

Ping me with any questions. These all came with drive rods ... single piece on each side, attached to the rear wheel with a little peened-over stud. I've used screws (rather then the peen) on most of my restorations. Jeff Kane at ttdender.com will have most of the parts you may need. Sounds like your wheels are backwards. Hubs go in rear. 4 unique wheels: with and without hub, but no gears; and with and without hubs with gears.

Happy to help with advice. Have fun!
TJ


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## chuck lin (Apr 12, 2021)

really mess up , I think the wheels have even been changed front to back. I want to display next to my std gauge unit. As most people I remember the JR. set under my tree, my father always did a Christmas garden. with 4 or 5 other trains. I followed with my kids as many as 12 sets at a time running but never got the Jr up and running, just display. My son now has most of the trains but only runs 4 or 5 sets, rest remain in about 3 refrigerator size boxes. May be a lot of work and cost in bring this back to any reasonable display condition. I would like a nice not perfect engine are their any available from your orphanage ? I do not like perfection just nice maybe even usable at least for display. To give you an idea I drive old Corvairs and Cadillac Allante as daily drivers.


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## briangcc (Oct 11, 2012)

Based off the condition I bought mine in back in the 90’s its a safe bet the wheels were replaced...mine delaminated.

Do you have the missing pilot truck? Goes under the pilot (cow catcher)?

All things being equal, provided there’s nothing wrong with the 3rd rail pickup or the motor, that will run that way as the siderods are visual only.


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## chuck lin (Apr 12, 2021)

briangcc said:


> Based off the condition I bought mine in back in the 90’s its a safe bet the wheels were replaced...mine delaminated.
> 
> Do you have the missing pilot truck? Goes under the pilot (cow catcher)?
> 
> All things being equal, provided there’s nothing wrong with the 3rd rail pickup or the motor, that will run that way as the siderods are visual only.


lots of parts missing, no I will need to order front trucks , bell, headlight. The pickup is 90% missing. May just look for better unit for display.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

You can switch those wheels ... swap back to front, and front to back. Grab them and gently twist back and forth while pulling outboard. Repeat. My guess is that they will show some signs of movement, and either slide off the axle, or pull the axel off of the wheel on the other side. Either way, you can do the swap.


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## chuck lin (Apr 12, 2021)

Thank , then I drill out to mount side rods .


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## Firewood (Nov 5, 2015)

All I have is a boiler and cylinders that came with a Marx lot I got ages ago. The size is pretty interesting - I plunked it on an American Flyer S Gauge chassis and thought, "Durn, that looks pretty good..." S gauge tinplate? Hmm...


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## Millstonemike (Aug 9, 2018)

Firewood said:


> All I have is a boiler and cylinders that came with a Marx lot I got ages ago. The size is pretty interesting - I plunked it on an American Flyer S Gauge chassis and thought, "Durn, that looks pretty good..." S gauge tinplate? Hmm...


Yes, Marx was like 1/64 scale.


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