# Back in the Saddle -- Lionel 258 Revamp



## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Hey guys ...

While you've likely seen me poking around the forum regularly, I'll confess that I haven't really touched my trains for the last 6 months or so ... been busy with life's other commitments.

Well, it's time to get back in the saddle, as they say.

I picked up a junker prewar Lionel 258 loco about a year ago ... late 1930's, matte black throughout ... the poor-man's stepdown from Lionel's more trimmed-out 259.

Last winter, I pulled the motor and gave it a full cleaning and rewire. Runs nicely now. However, the tired old loco shell has been staring at me, begging for some t.l.c., which was long in coming. Until yesterday, that is. I disassembled the shell, gave the pieces an oven-cleaner bath, and buffed them out nice and shiny with my Dremel stainless steel brush.

As for my refinish gameplan ... definitely not matte black. I'm thinking gloss red with shiny copper domes ... a Christmas look, perhaps.

The biggest hurdle I'm facing is now weather ... it's late in the season for outdoor spray paint work, though I'm hoping to squeeze some in in the next couple of days.

Cheers,

TJ

AS FOUND:









REWIRED MOTOR:


















STRIPDOWN:









TO THE BONE ... ALL NICE AND SHINY:


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## Norm (Sep 1, 2010)

TJ, really nice job in cleanup, I'm impressed. 

I'd go with the red, should look GREAT!!:thumbsup:

Norm


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Red with gold, and get a little green in there somewhere.


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## Norm (Sep 1, 2010)

You guys got class, I gotta admit that!:thumbsup: :thumbsup:

Norm
ps TJ, how DID you get the works that clean??


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## lionellines (May 18, 2011)

Turn it into a purple unicorn.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

"Purple unicorn" ???

Uhh ... no ...



Thanks for the (otherwise!) nice comments. Good weather here today ... I'm priming in my prime!

TJ


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## seabilliau (Dec 12, 2011)

Apple Red body, Brass fittings, and make the pilot house roof a dark emerald/holly green. 

Or


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## Zeke (Feb 22, 2011)

Nice job, TJ! Red and gold sounds good to me. Can't wait to see it all finished.


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## imatt88 (Jan 31, 2010)

tj,

If its anything like your other restos, it should be amazing:thumbsup:

Cheers, Ian


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Thanks, guys.

I sprayed yesterday ... all red. Pics of the disassembled components to come.

TJ


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

My painting weather-window was a good one ... two nice days of 60+, clear, low humidity. I'm pleased with how the loco shell components turned out ... Krylon primer then a few thin coats of Krylon Gloss Banner Red ...

Cheers,

TJ


Individual Shell Parts --









Shell Parts Loose Test-Fit --


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Looks great, nice even coat of paint. :thumbsup:


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## imatt88 (Jan 31, 2010)

Sweet!


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Nice job, Tin man.:thumbsup:

Do you have the tender for it?


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## seabilliau (Dec 12, 2011)

That's going to be one funny looking Purple Unicorn if its red.hwell:


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

Well Done TJ. You haven't lost your touch.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Thanks, guys. No tender in the works as of yet. Actually, I might have a 1689T tender shell in the junk box ... gonna have to wait till springtime, though.

Cheers,

TJ


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

You can't paint in a hurricane?


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Uhh .. no! 

But I can make handrails and shiny bits ...

The original handrails on this 258 were black painted steel ... rusted steel, at that. With my revamp of the loco, I'm going for more polished copper and brass, so am making new handrails out of brass rod. In bending new handrails to shape, it's important to get the dimensions and angles right for a proper fit.

So, here's how I make and use a simple jig to template the original handrails, and then use the jig to bend new handrails.

First, lay the original handrail down on a piece of scrap wood. Then, bang some nails into the wood, very closely abutting each corner where the original handrail bends ... small nails for the normal tight radii, and one larger nail for a more gradual radius.

Trace around the handrail on the scrap wood. Remove the original, and then lay down the new handrail rod material ... in this case, brass. Position the rod with some excess length targetted on both ends. While holding the rod tightly to the first nail, bend the handrail to the next nail, and "weave" it in place. Continue to the next nail, etc.

The process is simple, but it yields a near-perfect match to the original shape, and ensures that the new left and right handrails will be exactly the same to each other.

Cheers,

TJ


*The old handrail, used as a template to position jig nails:*










*A new handrail bent around the jig's nails ... a perfect match! ...*


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Nice technique, I'll have to remember that.


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## Norm (Sep 1, 2010)

Nice TJ, very nice! :thumbsup:

I gotta remember that too.

Norm


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

So ... the power was glitchin' on and off all day, with hurricane Sandy breathing down my neck. I put my "work-work" aside, and meandered down to the basement, with a couple of extra flashlights in hand ...

Just enough light to put the shiny bits together ... so far, so good, I think!

TJ


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Well, our power "glitched" off, and it's still off. Judging from the wires laying in the street in front of my driveway, and all the trees in the street at the edge of my property, I think it'll be staying that way for some time!


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## seabilliau (Dec 12, 2011)

Wow! I'm truly impressed. She looks great. Please keep us up to date with progress and pcits. This is actually the first thing I check every morning once igetonkine.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

John -- I figured you'd get hit with some nasty storm-stuff in PA ... the western-front winds were horrendous, according to all of the weather/radar reports. Hope you're back on your feet sooon.

SeaB -- Thanks! The ol' 258 is turning out OK, I think. Well ... it turns out I'm not thinking things through all that much ... as I am putting her back together, I realize I need a rear (trailing) truck and one drive rods. Looks like I'll be calling Jeff Kane for parts, once we all can clear our heads away from Sandy.

Cheers,

TJ


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Lots of people have come up and looked at the mess on the road in front of our property, and then got back in their trucks and left.  It's about time one of the turkeys actually worked on it!


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## ftauss (Sep 18, 2012)

tjcruiser said:


> So ... the power was glitchin' on and off all day, with hurricane Sandy breathing down my neck. I put my "work-work" aside, and meandered down to the basement, with a couple of extra flashlights in hand ...
> 
> Just enough light to put the shiny bits together ... so far, so good, I think!
> 
> TJ


OK, HOLY CRAP! Did you see it like that in your head before you started? I work like that I kinda sort things out and then when I'm done it's what I thought it was gonna be.

That is very nicely done and you have given ME an idea to nurse for a future project. Thanks for sharing.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

I've earned an official "Holy Crap" moment! I'm honored and flattered!  :thumbsup:

I do kind of see these things in my head before I start. The tricky part is getting my hands to achieve something close to the vision. I got pretty close here ... mostly, I try to break each project down into simple steps, and then focus on those individually ... it all adds up.

Many thanks,

TJ


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

Bravo!:appl::appl::appl:

Looks Great! A well deserved Holy Crap.

I just got back power. Out for 36 hours. Only 1/3rd of the town lost power. That was about the average I could see for this state.


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## seabilliau (Dec 12, 2011)

tjcruiser said:


> Thanks, guys. No tender in the works as of yet. Actually, I might have a 1689T tender shell in the junk box ... gonna have to wait till springtime, though.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> TJ


Just saw two prewar scout tenders on the bay that were pretty cheap.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

It looks great, it screams for a matching tender.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

*Revamp Wrap Up!*

A few parts arrived from Jeff Kane -- rear truck, new drive rods. I put the loco all back together last night ... looks nice, I think!

TJ

*BEFORE*









*AFTER*


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## seabilliau (Dec 12, 2011)

Outstanding work, TJ. Simply beautiful. I hope you soon find a tender for her.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Looks great TJ. I'm curious, the front drivers have a screw hole, but no rod. Is there a missing rod? I don't see it in a couple of other pictures on the web either, was that just a shortcut when they made these? I'm fairly confident that the prototype would have had rods to all the driving wheels. 

Looks like it would be easy to add a headlight, and even classification lights. :thumbsup:


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## lionellines (May 18, 2011)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Looks great TJ. I'm curious, the front drivers have a screw hole, but no rod.


Very common on 4 wheeled motors.


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## Handyandy (Feb 14, 2012)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Looks great TJ. I'm curious, the front drivers have a screw hole, but no rod. Is there a missing rod? I don't see it in a couple of other pictures on the web either, was that just a shortcut when they made these? I'm fairly confident that the prototype would have had rods to all the driving wheels.
> 
> Looks like it would be easy to add a headlight, and even classification lights. :thumbsup:


Prototype? My dear sir, have you not heard or seen of the prototype rod/greared hybrid steam locomotives? Several makers built them. A long connecting rod to the rear drivers with a set of gears to power the front drivers. Drastically cuts down on reciprocating weight that tears up the tracks. All of Marx's four wheel locomotives model this system! LOL

_*TJ, excellent work!*_


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Nice TJ, :thumbsup::thumbsup:

Make up 50 of those hand rails, I bet you could get $20 bucks or more for a pair.:thumbsup:

Nice and shiny little Loco now.:thumbsup:


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## rogruth (Mar 6, 2012)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> Looks great TJ. I'm curious, the front drivers have a screw hole, but no rod. Is there a missing rod? I don't see it in a couple of other pictures on the web either, was that just a shortcut when they made these? I'm fairly confident that the prototype would have had rods to all the driving wheels.
> 
> Looks like it would be easy to add a headlight, and even classification lights. :thumbsup:


Doyle and the TCA books both show this loco with side rods.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

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

John -- you're right ... the foward drive wheels do have stud-mounts for potential "connecting rod" drive rods. However, this 258 prewar loco was a very inexpensive, "poor man's" offering by Lionel. The loco never had side rods. Rather, it was offered/sold only with the very simpllified "drive rods" as shown on my restoration ... no side rods, no crosshead on the steam chest, no valve gear rods. As to the question of why the forward drive wheels have the stud mounts? ... My best guess is that Lionel was simply using up a large inventory of existing wheels ... It was 1941, war was on the horizon, and Lionel likely opted to use existing shelf stock where it could. My theory, anyway.

Rogruth -- per the above, I believe you're mistaken. Rather ...

Remember that Lionel offered two COMPLETELY DIFFERENT prewar locos tagged as "258". The early one was 2-4-0 with fancy trim (domes, sandrods, etc.) ... this loco DID have side rods, crosshead, valve gear, etc.

However, that's not the 258 in question. Rather, the 258 shown here was first offered in 1941. It was a very "downgraded" version of the popular 259 loco ... they shared essentially the same tinplate loco shell, though this 258 had much more inexpensive trim -- black-pained steel domes and handrails; the very-simplified "drive rods" shown above, no crosshead, etc.

(The 258 photo shown in Doyle's 1900-1942 book is of the prior, earlier version 258 ... NOT the 258 version discussed here.)

For a detailed comparison between the 259 and the 258, check out my other "Elvis" 258 restoration thread, here:

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=5570

Regards,

TJ


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

TJ, thanks for the history lesson, now we know.  I did wonder about the missing rods...


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## rogruth (Mar 6, 2012)

OK.I'll say maybe on the side rod question.Most of the ones I see pictured that do not have side rods also do not have counter weights.Now I don't mean this to be nasty but if you are concerned with authenticity why did you paint it red with brass ?All the photos I have seen are black except for the name on the tender and the number on the cab.I have no problem with painting a loco a different color but why make an issue out of the side rods? Just say you don't care.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Who said I'm concerned about authenticity??? I've painted the loco bright red, for God's sake! I've followed Model RR Rule #1 -- Whatever Makes Me Happy!

The only reason I responded to "make and issue out of the side rods" was to answer and document the questions / inquiries raised here by you and others in this thread, and to clarify some info on the loco for other people attempting their own restoration work down the road. Isn't that what this forum is all about? (My use of CAPS was purely to emphasize some Lionel history for anyone else trying to do research in this thread at some future point.)

So, in response to your comment above: I DON'T CARE. 

TJ


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

tjcruiser said:


> Who said I'm concerned about authenticity??? I've painted the loco bright red, for God's sake! I've followed Model RR Rule #1 -- Whatever Makes Me Happy!
> 
> The only reason I responded to "make and issue out of the side rods" was to answer and document the questions / inquiries raised here by you and others in this thread, and to clarify some info on the loco for other people attempting their own restoration work down the road. Isn't that what this forum is all about? (My use of CAPS was purely to emphasize some Lionel history for anyone else trying to do research in this thread at some future point.)
> 
> ...



Bad day at the office tj?

I think the red paint looks......Beeeeeeutifull. 
The gold too.:thumbsup:


Edit, next time I think a Blue & Orange would look nice on that locomotive.:thumbsup:


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## rogruth (Mar 6, 2012)

I don't really care either but the way you had stated some stuff I thought you wanted authenticity.If you are clarifying info for others don't you think that others should know that red [I never said I didn't like it] was not the original?

I have a grey Lionel 221 that I am considering painting blue and silver to match the cars that came with it.I also agree it's about fun.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I think we have general agreement, have fun with your trains!


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Rogruth -- I don't think you and I are reading this thread with the same level of clarity. You say:



rogruth said:


> If you are clarifying info for others don't you think that others should know that red [I never said I didn't like it] was not the original?


In my very first post, I said:



tjcruiser said:


> I picked up a junker prewar Lionel 258 loco about a year ago ... late 1930's, *matte black throughout* ... the poor-man's stepdown from Lionel's more trimmed-out 259.
> ...
> As for my refinish gameplan ... definitely not matte black. I'm thinking gloss red with shiny copper domes ...


... and then I showed a photo of the loco, as-found, in its original matte black color, followed later by my chosen red repaint.




gunrunnerjohn said:


> ... have fun with your trains!


Thanks, John ... I think I'll get back to doing that! :thumbsup: 

TJ


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

big ed said:


> I think the red paint looks......Beeeeeeutifull.
> The gold too.:thumbsup:


Thanks, Ed!

My only "on second thought" reflection (now, after the loco has already been painted) is that maybe it would have looked better if I had painted the frame a somewhat darker/deeper red color than the boiler shell, cab, and steamchest? Just a little color contrast to highlight the frame, cowcatcher ... maybe the heat-exchanger thingy on the sides, too?

Hmmm ...

Next time, maybe!

Cheers,

TJ


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## rogruth (Mar 6, 2012)

TJ,
I do apologize.I must have lost track somewhere between pages 1 and 5 of what was happening.I thought you restoring to the original.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

If you do a deeper color like you described, I think the top of the cab in the deeper color to match would look good also.

But that is me.....IT IS YOUR TRAIN.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Thanks, Rogruth ... all good.

Maybe next time, Ed ... no changing this one, now that everything has been tabbed back together.

Cheers,

TJ


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## Norm (Sep 1, 2010)

Great job TJ, but I'm still wondering how you were able to clean up the mechanical section as great as you did.

Any hints?

Norm


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Thanks, Norm!

"Mechanical section" ... Do you mean the motor? A specific component of the motor ???

Chime back with some clarification, and I'll be happy to answer with some more specifics.

Cheers,

TJ


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

No....I was talking about the next one. If you darken the bottom I think the top would look great darkened to match the bottom. Just my thoughts.

I still think a Blue/Orange would look good on one of those.:thumbsup:


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## Norm (Sep 1, 2010)

tjcruiser said:


> Thanks, Norm!
> 
> "Mechanical section" ... Do you mean the motor? A specific component of the motor ???
> 
> ...


Sorry TJ, I previously asked about the "WORKS" but maybe you missed it. 

What I admired was the clean motor & gears assembly, complete with wheels, etc. I think it was your second & third pics.

I was curious about just how you got it looking NEW! :thumbsup:

Norm


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Norm said:


> Sorry TJ, I previously asked about the "WORKS" but maybe you missed it.
> 
> What I admired was the clean motor & gears assembly, complete with wheels, etc. I think it was your second & third pics.
> 
> ...


I know that goo gone was probably used, along with a dremal for buffing.
A fine stainless steel wire brush on the dremal cleans them up nice too.


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## ftauss (Sep 18, 2012)

big ed said:


> I know that goo gone was probably used, along with a dremal for buffing.
> A fine stainless steel wire brush on the dremal cleans them up nice too.


Stainless? I went with brass brushes because I was convinced that the stainless would be to harsh. The brass ones disintergrated. Stainless next, I guess.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

ftauss said:


> Stainless? I went with brass brushes because I was convinced that the stainless would be to harsh. The brass ones disintergrated. Stainless next, I guess.


Stainless brushes will disintegrate also.
What you can buy at sears for 3 something a wheel/brush, I picked up a box of them on e bay (I forget the count at the moment) I think it was around $12 bucks. It included some brass wheels too.

Search on e bay, I got a box last year. I just waited for a new auction if the bidding gets too high, as the seller I got them from has more then one auction going on for them.

Next time I am in the dungeon I will check them.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Norm said:


> What I admired was the clean motor & gears assembly, complete with wheels, etc. I think it was your second & third pics.
> 
> I was curious about just how you got it looking NEW! :thumbsup:


Norm,

Ed's on the right track ...



big ed said:


> I know that goo gone was probably used, along with a dremal for buffing.
> A fine stainless steel wire brush on the dremal cleans them up nice too.


However ..



ftauss said:


> Stainless? I went with brass brushes because I was convinced that the stainless would be to harsh. The brass ones disintergrated. Stainless next, I guess.


Here's the secret ...

The Dremel stainless brush will remove surface rust/oxidation/crud from the motor sideplates, wheels, etc. However, it will also remove (if you work it too hard) the original blackened finish. However, if the rust/crud is bad to begin with, I'll use the stainless brush to go down to bare metal (remove the original black), and then RE-BLACKEN using a coat or two of "Gun Blue" liquid, followed by a light ScotchBrite pad buff.

The motor and drive wheels here in question were taken to bare metal, then re-blackened with the Gun Blue.

We have a thread about the Blue, here ...

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=6121

Hope that helps,

Regards,

TJ


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Widget Supply has tons of Dremel stuff for good prices.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

big ed said:


> Do you have the tender for it?





gunrunnerjohn said:


> It looks great, it screams for a matching tender.



Alright ... I've succumb to all of you guys whispering sweet nothings in my ear ... I can't resist the tempations any longer ... a tender bubble bath moment awaits ...












(I had a beat-up 1689T tender in my junk box ... gonna do a quick strip / repaint over the next day, if the nice weather holds.)

TJ


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Nice looking bubbles.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Here's an instance where pictures aren't all that useful.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Your just jealous of my bubble bath! 

Actually, I've never shown an Oven Cleaner bath pic before. I wanted to include one here, to show others (who may not be familiar with the strip process) that the Oven Cleaner (Walmart Heavy Duty) bubbles up after spraying, and sort of congeals that way for some time, while the chemical go to work.

I will say that this Lionel original flat black paint is some of the hardest I've had to strip ... it required several Oven Cleaner baths ... much more than the gloss black (or red) from my 1681 locos.

Here's the tender shell parts (just two) all cleaned up after the bath ... a buff-down with a Dremel stainless brush ...

Cheers,

TJ


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

*Keeping a Detailed Journal ...*

... eight of them, actually ...

I polished up the original black-coated tender journal boxes with my Dremel stainless brush ... right down to the shiny brass. It's important to clear-coat these, though, as the brass would otherwise quickly tarnish. I use Airplane Dope to clearcoat small parts.

Here's my trick for holding the journal boxes ... Dunkin Donuts large straws are the perfect fit to hold the journal boxed from the inside. I clearcoat, then slip the straw/journal over a nail pushed into a piece of scrap foam.

Cheers,

TJ


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

*Buckshot ???*

Great weather for tender parts painting here today ... more Krylon Banner Red ...











But, what have we here? It looks like some buckshot turned the tender end panel into Swiss Cheese! More details to come ...











Cheers,

TJ


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Your getting sloppy or else you did it on purpose.

The straws are just haphazardly placed in place, instead of your normal, precision, surgically, exactly spaced/lined up method.

The buckshot?
A ladder goring there?


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

tjcruiser said:


> But, what have we here? It looks like some buckshot turned the tender end panel into Swiss Cheese! More details to come ...


Now, you just have to show us what was attached there, I'm presuming you're putting it back...


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

New holes.

Gonna try to fab a ladder on one end, and some handrails on the other end ... using some simple, bent copper wire.

TJ


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Sounds like a plan. I knew you wouldn't leave the holes if you didn't have an idea for them.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

A simple plan at that, though ... basically, just some bent (and clear-coated) 14-gauge wire. Front and back views ... front panel with 2 vertical handrails, back panel with a simple ladder.

My reason for adding the rails/ladder is not so much for trim realism, as it was to add some shiny copper embellishments to echo those on the loco. Eye candy!

TJ


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

They look great, nice addition! :thumbsup:


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## Handyandy (Feb 14, 2012)

That old lokie is going to look soooo cool when it's all together!


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Added some dry-tranfer lettering to the tender shell ... Woodland Scenics MG703 Roman RR Gold, 1/4".

TJ


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Love the gold, nice match!


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## seabilliau (Dec 12, 2011)

TJ, You should get a photobucket account and put these up there. T-Man has one that I scope out all the time as its just a lot of fun looking at his collection. It would be great to see a lot more picts of your stuff on a layout.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Thanks, SeaB ...

Unfortunately, I really don't have a layout ... nothing of significance, really. I do have a small O-27 loop with a few turnouts, but it's currently cluttered with stuff, and most of my prewar locos really don't navigate throught the O-27 switches well.

So, most of my restored locos are now delegated to "eye candy" on a desk in my living room. Here's a peek ...

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?p=136992&postcount=170

Cheers,

TJ


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## T-Man (May 16, 2008)

OOOOOH! Nice! :thumbsup:


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

What a great lineup of beautiful trains! Nice work! :thumbsup:


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Thanks, guys!

Well, I'm ready to add this one to the fleet ... a very unfaithful restoration of a prewar 258, but I think an improvement, perhaps?

(The tender from my scrap bin happened to have a box coupler ... my first of this kind. I left it on, and painted it red with the "knuckle" top left black. I'm not a big fan of the looks of the box couplers, but I figured I'd give one a shot.)

Cheers,

TJ


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I think the ladders and grab-bars look great on the tender, nice job.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

gunrunnerjohn said:


> I think the ladders and grab-bars look great on the tender, nice job.


Me too, nice job.:thumbsup:

tj, why don't you sell the O/27 stuff (track/switches) and get some O gauge. You wouldn't need but a few switches they you can run them around a little.
Wouldn't cost that much.
All trains should get a little run time.

You could even get some manual switches to save $$.


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## eljefe (Jun 11, 2011)

Another fine job by master TJ. I think the box couplers look better than the other kind, though!


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## Handyandy (Feb 14, 2012)

BEE-U-TIFFLE!

Something magical about the bright colors and copper/brass trim on the old tinplate stuff. 

Now I have this compelling urge to paint something red!


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Thanks for the nice comments, guys ... much appreciated. I've helped breathe some new life into these old trains ... they'll make me happy for a while, and then (hopefully), they'll be passed on to some future generations.

Ed, no room (as of yet) for an O setup ... my little layout board is 30" deep, as dictated by an entry door to the room. I might move the HO into another part of the basement at some point, freeing up more room for O. We'll see ...

And, just for fun, I plopped my Lionel prewar 259/258/258 fleet next to each other last night ... Spike the Junkyard Dog, Elvis, and Big Red ...

Cheers,

TJ


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## t44florida (Oct 24, 2012)

*I like....*

:thumbsup: Very sharp restoration. Love the colors and chrome!


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

You certainly do bring these things back to life!  I'd like one of those just to put on a shelf.


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## rogruth (Mar 6, 2012)

Nice looking trio.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

Red, Blue & black?

You should paint one white. Red/white/blue.:thumbsup:

Nice tj, now make room for a 4x8 and toss the o/27 (sell) so we can see them running around. They were made to use.

An oval under the tree would look nice for the holidays. 2 ovals better.:thumbsup:


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## rogruth (Mar 6, 2012)

Why not three loops for three trains.
Maybe on three levels.


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## imatt88 (Jan 31, 2010)

TJ,

Awesome job, as usual.:thumbsup: I hope my Royal Blue turns out as good as yours

Cheers, Ian


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## Srook (Jan 3, 2013)

What type of drawbar is that on the tender? I am trying to turn a Scout Tender into a Tender for the 258, so I need prewar trucks with a drawbar and probably a box coupler or lactch coupler. It will pull some prewar passenger cars with latch couplers. Can the box couplers connect to the latch couplers?

Thanks
Scott


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## rogruth (Mar 6, 2012)

I think the latch couplers will work with the box type.


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Tj , you suck, I could not have dreamed of something that nice. I am jealous. Great job.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

You can see the tender drawbar in this thread here ... pretty much the same drawbar on the different variations of the 1689 tender ...

http://www.modeltrainforum.com/showthread.php?t=7595

Not the prewar trucks there, too.

And yes ... prewar latch will connect to prewar box, as Rogruth noted.

Cheers,

TJ


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

sjm9911 said:


> Tj , you suck, I could not have dreamed of something that nice. I am jealous. Great job.


I think that's the nicest compliment I've ever received! I've reached "you suck" status!

:thumbsup: 

TJ


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## sjm9911 (Dec 20, 2012)

Its ment in the nicest possible way.


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

I know! I like it!!! It made me laugh, and that's a good thing!


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