How to clean old Lionel 3 rail track

Classic Toy Trains Forum
1

Gentlemen I an mew to this site and this is my first posting. Can someone give me the details on how to clean up old Lionel 3 rail track. Fpr example dou use a scotch brite pad and wd 40? or some other cleaning solution. Some of the track is has alight rust on them. Thanks By the way is there a restoration on how to repaint lionel plastic shells with an air brush. Thanks

2

I just use a scotch bright when I did it lot of work but what ever you do don’t use steel wool as it can get into motor and short it out

3

Welcome Frank! I’ve used a dremel with a wire brush- just ran it across the top of the rails. Kept the rest rusty - it was prototypical :wink: - and that worked. Mind you, this track wasn’t really rusty, the joiners worked fine, etc. I’ve also created a weighted flat-car, with scotch-brite pads underneath that I drag around the track regularly. I don’t know about tutorials about repainting your plastic shells. I know guys who have done it successfully - they used something to give some tooth to the new paint on the shell .Post that query separately.

4

Use the maroon scotchbrite-type pads from auto parts, welding, or tool supply stores - they’re made specifically for metalworking. Produced now by a number of different manufacturers than just 3M.

5

I use a fine brass wire wheel mounted on a small 1/4 hp motor off a furnace. Go easy and goes quick.

Jim

6

I just use a wirebrush, fine sandpaper and WD40. I recently cleaned about 200 pieces of track this way, and only had maybe 2 pieces that I won’t use. After the inital cleaning, I then stuck them in the diswasher for a good cleaning, and after a good drying sprayed them with the WD40. Track looks pretty darn good, and I will replace pins as I use, and think they may need replacing. I was surprised how well this turned out, as I had seperated this track out from others some 15 to 20 years ago, because I was concerned with its condition, and didn’t want it to spread to other track that was in the same box. The dishwasher idea came off of this forum.

7

Oh yea, and a quick wipe with WD-40