Nice cleaning technique! I think your cars turned out great. It would be nice to see how they look after polishing with Mother’s aluminum polish. I had similar results using WD 40 but I have not tried aluminum polish. Thanks for producing this great demo video.
Hi David. When we clean all of our cars at Henning's Trains we try to not use a toothbrush they are to harsh on painted surfaces. We use a 2 inch paint brush that can be brought at dollar store. We put two or three drops of dish soap on brush and wash our painted parts. With the aluminum cars they are a pain because the aluminum fades and oxidizes bad. Those we clean with toothbrush and mothers aluminum polish. That will bring out all the black tarnish and actual clean the metal. Hopefully this helps.
Thanks for the tips Harry. I try not to use toothbrushes anymore, at least not after taking some paint off of a 2400 series car. I do really need to try mothers polish.
@@dagryffynhobby with the mothers polish they will turn very black that's the dirt coming out of the metal. Then wash the cars body's with soap and tooth brush. Ps pull the cars apart take them all the way apart. This way the painted ends and window inserts stay clean till you get body's clean properly with polish.
I used a shallow tub filled with hot water and a few tablespoons of Ivory Snow powder detergent. I let them soak for a few minutes then I got an old paintbrush and ran it through all the groves. Came out looking pretty darn good.
In the early 1980s I bought a set of not the nicest aluminum cars. I took a cloth polishing wheel and aluminum rouge with a drill. When I was done they shined brightly like the new Burlington cars of the era. It might not be considered correct but they were beautiful bright reflective shiny and looked especially nice on a night time layout.
Oh one other to checkout. It's the behr spray paint at home depot. They sell a bright aluminum color and some others. I've used the behr dark steel metallic before and it's a very nice color. Either should match in nicely.
Thanks for sharing this video. I was always advised to deactivate the vinegar by cleaning again with a paste of baking soda using a toothbrush of course. The baking soda is gentle and also helps to polish the aluminum. Chemically the vinegar is a weak acid and the baking soda a weak base so the baking soda neutralizes the acid vinegar. Also I was told to not use aluminum polish on these because it affects the anodizing of the aluminum. I don't know if that is true but that is what I was told.
I did my 1950 New York Central 2344, I used few drops of Dish Soap in a bowl of warm water and the soffits paint brush I can find or buy one, also sometimes you may have a worn out paint that may work in your tool box, so mix soap and the water create some bubbles then what the item you’re cleaning first wet it to help get dirt off and then with the paint brush full of soapy water in a gentle Circular motion rinse and again till satisfied then I use pledge to shine her up, note Lionel silver paint is a pain to work with, can rub off especially with warm water to hard of rubbing. You can also put the soapy water in a spray container like a gardening water bottle spray it with the soapy water gray bubbles and the bubbles will lift the dirt off and you won’t have harsh dirt scratching the surface.
The best way to clean the 2400 series Lionel passenger cars is to let them soak in mild dish soap and then rinse them off and damp dry with a clean dry soft cloth. A dishtowel may work best.
The way I found that worked for me is used 5050 solutions of distilled white vinegar and not water then rinse I'm s baking soda warm water solution to stop the acid in the vinegar then polish the aluminum in mothers aluminum polish
I have seen people clean with a sold paintbrush and Pledge but I did NOT stay in a Holiday Inn last night. I have watched videos of people cleaning antiques made of brass using vinegar.
What's your secret to getting these cars to roll? I have maybe 8 or 10 of them, and I can't get any of my F3's, single or double motor, to pull more than three at a time - they have an incredible amount of rolling resistance - using 54" curves on my setup. Thanks!
Don’t really have a secret. I took all the trucks off, cleaned them, lubed them, and put the best ones back on, the less than perfect ones went on a couple of cars leftover for projects. I run them on 54 or sometimes 42. A strong engine pulls 5 of them, few engines pull more than that. Other than that, the basics, clean track, serviced and lubed locomotive, and before I run them I usually put a drop of oil by each wheel on the axle. I use Labelle oils and I’m very happy with them. Hope this helps.
Yep I did the same last winter -- vinegar and toothbrush! Helps to be generous with the vinegar so that you can tilt the car to one side and let all the gunk drain out. Haven't tried aluminum polish though; please let us know what that looks like if you do try it! Not sure what to do about scratches -- I worry sandpaper would just make things worse, so I suppose I'll let them stay as "authentic battle damage".
after the car is cleaned with dish detergent and water a white ink eraser can remove some of the blemishes in the shine the eraser i used was soft white one and didn't seem to be too abrasive, I was afraid that if i used an abrasive one it would scratch the finish. Someone on you tube used Mothers Aluminum polish to shine the side rods on steam engines, I used it on my 736 side rods and it worked very well but I was afraid to try it on the passenger cars, I don't know if anyone else has tried that polish or any other polish with any success.
I believe people have used the Mothers aluminum polish. I’ve been meaning to try it. I’ve got the cars apart right now so it would be the perfect time to try. A white ink eraser. Hmm, I’ll have to look into that. 👍
Dave the tooth brush is too course a cheep 1 inch paint brush has softer bristles!!!! Love your show trains are fun!!! PS tooth brush will work for aluminum and other metal parts not paint!!!
Dave, if you were to start all over again, what track would you use? Would you stick with Menard's or something else? ALSO, it would be cool to see a pulling comparison between the Trainmaster and a vintage GG-1.
If I were to start over? Man, I don’t really know. I guess realistically if I started over now, I would stick with the tubular track just based on cost. Hopefully by the time I am actually ready for a new layout I’ll be able to step up to a nicer track.
Are they dirty or just discolored? If it’s white plastic and is has yellowed, I think some people have had luck sitting them in hydrogen peroxide, but I’ve never tried that, so I don’t know how true it is. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.
@@dagryffynhobby I was going to try white vinegar in hot water and let them soak for a couple hrs. I clean my Bunn coffee maker that way. But I don't have the Vinegar but I do have peroxide.....I'll let you know.....THANKS
@@dagryffynhobby TRIED SEVERAL THINGS NOTHING WORKS!!! Probably the ONLY thing that would work is AIR BRUSH. Regular spray would be too heavy. Don't know if model car spray would work either.....DARN!!!
Soap & water first...then vinegar & water...then rinse (neutralize) with water..then dry completely...then WD-40...then wipe dry. Just the way I would try...never did it though!
For my gray plastic passenger cars I used very diluted Dawn and cotton swabs. Diluted Simple Green sounds like a better idea, though. Quick question: In some of your other videos you have soaked parts in WD-40. Do you clean it off afterwards?
I’ve used diluted dawn quite a bit, haven’t tried simple green. Anything that gets sprayed or soaked with WD40 gets wiped down, blown off with compressed air, and wiped down again.
@@dagryffynhobby Thanks for the quick reply. I'm taking possession of a 2035 and tender this weekend and while not rusty they looked really dirty! I really appreciate all the how-to videos. Thanks again, RS
@@dagryffynhobby I've seen your tender restoration video (spotted your mistake right off, smiley face) WD-40 on a toothbrush worked well on my other set, but I believe my next pair must have been oiled and greased every time it was used and NEVER cleaned.
Dave, Great video! I don’t have much of a train budget but I was able to get a 2343 set ( unsure right now of set number) from 1952 with the 2500 series passenger & mail car. I love the set. It’s cool to watch you clean the cars. Thats exactly what I did late January. I’m not sure if I should have but I did end up trying Mothers aluminum polish. It worked well but I’m just not positive I did the right thing value wise. Then I thought thatI’m not selling them and one of my sons will end up with it anyway. Sorry for the ramble! Love watching the videos! Thanks for the great ideas & posting.
That sounds like a fantastic set, the 2343s are classic and such good engines, the 2500 cars too. I think you should be fine value wise, it’s just a polish. Who knows what will happen with the value in the coming years, they used to be worth so much more. As someone who loves the postwar era for nostalgia reasons, keeping the set for the kids sounds like a fantastic plan.
@@dagryffynhobby Postwar is my favorite. My older son was into trains when he was younger. I would take him to the attic of our old house and run the trains when he was a tot. A lot of good memories were made. Its cool when he comes home from college and runs the trains. He already has the ones picked out that he wants. You just can’t beat the old Lionels. By the way..... where do you order your parts from. Just watched your video of the shoe repair and watch how you removed the fiber board. I need to replace one on a prewar 1681 jr Lionel & it seems parts are hard to find for that let alone prewar parts diagrams.
@@stever.5092 the memories are great, it’s like my grandpa is sitting next to me in the garage when I run them. Glad your son still likes the trains. My kids are kind of indifferent to them. For parts I usually go to Henning’s Trains or search eBay. I’ve had the Train Tender recommended to me a bunch for hard to find parts.
GET DAWN DISH DETERGENT SPRY ON WATE FOR 5 MIN THEN WASH OFF WITH HOT WATER THEN POLISH WITH METHOD DAILY GRANTITE CLEANER POPLISH BUFF WITH SOFT CLOTH.....THATS IT????
Nice cleaning technique! I think your cars turned out great. It would be nice to see how they look after polishing with Mother’s aluminum polish. I had similar results using WD 40 but I have not tried aluminum polish. Thanks for producing this great demo video.
I still haven’t gotten around to using mothers, it’s on my list of things to do though!
Hi David.
When we clean all of our cars at Henning's Trains we try to not use a toothbrush they are to harsh on painted surfaces. We use a 2 inch paint brush that can be brought at dollar store.
We put two or three drops of dish soap on brush and wash our painted parts.
With the aluminum cars they are a pain because the aluminum fades and oxidizes bad.
Those we clean with toothbrush and mothers aluminum polish. That will bring out all the black tarnish and actual clean the metal.
Hopefully this helps.
Thanks for the tips Harry. I try not to use toothbrushes anymore, at least not after taking some paint off of a 2400 series car. I do really need to try mothers polish.
@@dagryffynhobby with the mothers polish they will turn very black that's the dirt coming out of the metal.
Then wash the cars body's with soap and tooth brush.
Ps pull the cars apart take them all the way apart. This way the painted ends and window inserts stay clean till you get body's clean properly with polish.
I used a shallow tub filled with hot water and a few tablespoons of Ivory Snow powder detergent. I let them soak for a few minutes then I got an old paintbrush and ran it through all the groves. Came out looking pretty darn good.
Nice, good idea. I should do a new video on this with the rest of my cars…
In the early 1980s I bought a set of not the nicest aluminum cars. I took a cloth polishing wheel and aluminum rouge with a drill. When I was done they shined brightly like the new Burlington cars of the era. It might not be considered correct but they were beautiful bright reflective shiny and looked especially nice on a night time layout.
Rustoleum aluminum paint.its a decent color match
I’ll have to check that out 👍
Oh one other to checkout. It's the behr spray paint at home depot. They sell a bright aluminum color and some others. I've used the behr dark steel metallic before and it's a very nice color. Either should match in nicely.
Thanks for sharing this video. I was always advised to deactivate the vinegar by cleaning again with a paste of baking soda using a toothbrush of course. The baking soda is gentle and also helps to polish the aluminum. Chemically the vinegar is a weak acid and the baking soda a weak base so the baking soda neutralizes the acid vinegar. Also I was told to not use aluminum polish on these because it affects the anodizing of the aluminum. I don't know if that is true but that is what I was told.
Thanks, all good info!
It’s so hard to know with all the information out there what is the best way.
There is anodized aluminum polish on the market for anodized applications. However if you removed the anodizing, use standard aluminum polish.
Overall, they came out nice!
Thanks. I do have to revisit cleaning the cars with a different method though.
I did my 1950 New York Central 2344, I used few drops of Dish Soap in a bowl of warm water and the soffits paint brush I can find or buy one, also sometimes you may have a worn out paint that may work in your tool box, so mix soap and the water create some bubbles then what the item you’re cleaning first wet it to help get dirt off and then with the paint brush full of soapy water in a gentle Circular motion rinse and again till satisfied then I use pledge to shine her up, note Lionel silver paint is a pain to work with, can rub off especially with warm water to hard of rubbing. You can also put the soapy water in a spray container like a gardening water bottle spray it with the soapy water gray bubbles and the bubbles will lift the dirt off and you won’t have harsh dirt scratching the surface.
Great video! I have the same engine and cars in my collection
Thanks! Classic stuff!
Hi great video. Next time I will try simple green seems to work great for me.
I don’t know how I didn’t think of that, I love simple green!
The best way to clean the 2400 series Lionel passenger cars is to let them soak in mild dish soap and then rinse them off and damp dry with a clean dry soft cloth. A dishtowel may work best.
I like that, gently, easy, no chemicals. How long would you recommend soaking the cars?
The way I found that worked for me is used 5050 solutions of distilled white vinegar and not water then rinse I'm s baking soda warm water solution to stop the acid in the vinegar then polish the aluminum in mothers aluminum polish
I have seen people clean with a sold paintbrush and Pledge but I did NOT stay in a Holiday Inn last night. I have watched videos of people cleaning antiques made of brass using vinegar.
What's your secret to getting these cars to roll? I have maybe 8 or 10 of them, and I can't get any of my F3's, single or double motor, to pull more than three at a time - they have an incredible amount of rolling resistance - using 54" curves on my setup. Thanks!
Don’t really have a secret. I took all the trucks off, cleaned them, lubed them, and put the best ones back on, the less than perfect ones went on a couple of cars leftover for projects. I run them on 54 or sometimes 42. A strong engine pulls 5 of them, few engines pull more than that. Other than that, the basics, clean track, serviced and lubed locomotive, and before I run them I usually put a drop of oil by each wheel on the axle. I use Labelle oils and I’m very happy with them. Hope this helps.
Yep I did the same last winter -- vinegar and toothbrush! Helps to be generous with the vinegar so that you can tilt the car to one side and let all the gunk drain out. Haven't tried aluminum polish though; please let us know what that looks like if you do try it! Not sure what to do about scratches -- I worry sandpaper would just make things worse, so I suppose I'll let them stay as "authentic battle damage".
Try OOOO STEEL WOOL
I would be concerned that it might do more damage than good. Have you done that?
after the car is cleaned with dish detergent and water a white ink eraser can remove some of the blemishes in the shine the eraser i used was soft white one and didn't seem to be too abrasive, I was afraid that if i used an abrasive one it would scratch the finish. Someone on you tube used Mothers Aluminum polish to shine the side rods on steam engines, I used it on my 736 side rods and it worked very well but I was afraid to try it on the passenger cars, I don't know if anyone else has tried that polish or any other polish with any success.
I believe people have used the Mothers aluminum polish. I’ve been meaning to try it. I’ve got the cars apart right now so it would be the perfect time to try.
A white ink eraser. Hmm, I’ll have to look into that. 👍
Dave the tooth brush is too course a cheep 1 inch paint brush has softer bristles!!!! Love your show trains are fun!!! PS tooth brush will work for aluminum and other metal parts not paint!!!
Dave, if you were to start all over again, what track would you use?
Would you stick with Menard's or something else?
ALSO, it would be cool to see a pulling comparison between the Trainmaster and a vintage GG-1.
If I were to start over? Man, I don’t really know. I guess realistically if I started over now, I would stick with the tubular track just based on cost.
Hopefully by the time I am actually ready for a new layout I’ll be able to step up to a nicer track.
Hey.... Any clues on how to clean discolored WHITE canisters... no lettering.... already tried cleanser and bleach???
Are they dirty or just discolored? If it’s white plastic and is has yellowed, I think some people have had luck sitting them in hydrogen peroxide, but I’ve never tried that, so I don’t know how true it is. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.
@@dagryffynhobby I was going to try white vinegar in hot water and let them soak for a couple hrs. I clean my Bunn coffee maker that way. But I don't have the Vinegar but I do have peroxide.....I'll let you know.....THANKS
@@joegennari395 cool- let me know how it turns out.
@@dagryffynhobby TRIED SEVERAL THINGS NOTHING WORKS!!! Probably the ONLY thing that would work is AIR BRUSH. Regular spray would be too heavy. Don't know if model car spray would work either.....DARN!!!
@@joegennari395 boo that’s a bummer. Peroxide must only work for a certain type of plastic
Soap & water first...then vinegar & water...then rinse (neutralize) with water..then dry completely...then WD-40...then wipe dry. Just the way I would try...never did it though!
Sounds like a good plan of attack 👍
Did you try cleaning those Santa Fe cars with a soft shaving brush?
I believe I did, it was more “baked on” than a dusting
For my gray plastic passenger cars I used very diluted Dawn and cotton swabs. Diluted Simple Green sounds like a better idea, though. Quick question: In some of your other videos you have soaked parts in WD-40. Do you clean it off afterwards?
I’ve used diluted dawn quite a bit, haven’t tried simple green.
Anything that gets sprayed or soaked with WD40 gets wiped down, blown off with compressed air, and wiped down again.
@@dagryffynhobby Thanks for the quick reply. I'm taking possession of a 2035 and tender this weekend and while not rusty they looked really dirty! I really appreciate all the how-to videos. Thanks again, RS
@@roccosabala6972 happy to be of assistance! Try a dry toothbrush before using any soap or oil.
@@dagryffynhobby I've seen your tender restoration video (spotted your mistake right off, smiley face) WD-40 on a toothbrush worked well on my other set, but I believe my next pair must have been oiled and greased every time it was used and NEVER cleaned.
I respect mine
Dave, Great video! I don’t have much of a train budget but I was able to get a 2343 set ( unsure right now of set number) from 1952 with the 2500 series passenger & mail car. I love the set. It’s cool to watch you clean the cars. Thats exactly what I did late January. I’m not sure if I should have but I did end up trying Mothers aluminum polish. It worked well but I’m just not positive I did the right thing value wise. Then I thought thatI’m not selling them and one of my sons will end up with it anyway. Sorry for the ramble! Love watching the videos! Thanks for the great ideas & posting.
That sounds like a fantastic set, the 2343s are classic and such good engines, the 2500 cars too. I think you should be fine value wise, it’s just a polish. Who knows what will happen with the value in the coming years, they used to be worth so much more. As someone who loves the postwar era for nostalgia reasons, keeping the set for the kids sounds like a fantastic plan.
@@dagryffynhobby Postwar is my favorite. My older son was into trains when he was younger. I would take him to the attic of our old house and run the trains when he was a tot. A lot of good memories were made. Its cool when he comes home from college and runs the trains. He already has the ones picked out that he wants. You just can’t beat the old Lionels. By the way..... where do you order your parts from. Just watched your video of the shoe repair and watch how you removed the fiber board. I need to replace one on a prewar 1681 jr Lionel & it seems parts are hard to find for that let alone prewar parts diagrams.
@@stever.5092 the memories are great, it’s like my grandpa is sitting next to me in the garage when I run them. Glad your son still likes the trains. My kids are kind of indifferent to them.
For parts I usually go to Henning’s Trains or search eBay. I’ve had the Train Tender recommended to me a bunch for hard to find parts.
@@dagryffynhobby The Train Tender is where I get most of my parts. Jeff is outstanding to deal with.
Yes,I highly recommend The Train Tender for parts.He has been able to get hard to find parts when no one else could,and his prices are great!!
GET DAWN DISH DETERGENT SPRY ON WATE FOR 5 MIN THEN WASH OFF WITH HOT WATER THEN POLISH WITH METHOD DAILY GRANTITE CLEANER POPLISH BUFF WITH SOFT CLOTH.....THATS IT????
I used dawn, but I didn’t let it sit for 5 minutes. I’ll try that on the next one. Thanks for the tips.