My dad (91) gave me his Lionel train, 1920’ish 254E. It was painted over, I am trying to restore it to the original colors. The engine detail looks to be painted a blusih color with the rest a gray color. I used rubbing compond to reveal what I believe to be a brown primer, gray finish.
The cars were painted a light blue but I was able to use rubbing compond to reveal a dark blue color with a brown under that and then the metal.
I would greatly appreciate any help with obtaining the correct color and any links to provide some back ground on the set.
Welcome to the forum. You’ll find lots of help here.
Congratulations on the 254E.
I’m not an expert but there are a few here. I do know reproduction paint is available and several articles about restoration have been in CTT over the years
My Dad’s is green. He and his four brothers received it for Christmas 1929
Here’s a picture of it in action this New Years day 2009
You will want to bookmark this site: http://pictures.olsenstoy.com/library.htm According to the service notes the 254E was offered in 7 different colors including: #33 Olive Green (pictured above and probably the most common) #402 Mojave (which is probably the brown you are seeing) #217 Red #318 Pea Green #9 Orange #428 Dark Green #408 Apple Green You can get exact match colors from Charles Wood. Pete
The good thing about restoring old prewar metal trains is that if you don’t like the result you just start over. Two of the oldest methods are soaking in a pan of brake fluid or cooking on the stove with Tide mixed into the water. My most recent restoration was a pair of prewar Hornby pullmans and I used brake fluid
David Doyle’'s Catalog of Lionel Trains 1900-1942 shows a pre-war 254 (Type II and Type III variations) that were made in Mojave a tan/brown color. The book does not mention a 254E in that color. I suppose somewhere over the last 75 years someone could have switched shells or motors.
I have also had success soaking old pre-war trains in Simple Green cleaner which is a bit easier on the nose and hands than some other strippers.
Can you describe the passenger cars a bit more. Do the wheels have journal boxes on them? How many windows on a side? What is the length of the body? A picture of one would really be great. If your father purchased it as a set, then the likely colors were olive green, pea green, or orange. The other colors listed earlier are correct, but as a set my references do not list a mojave colored set. There were mojave colored sets headed with the 254, but not any with the 254e locomotive. Again, there are always exceptions but common reference does not include any sets in mojave with a 254e. Also check the engine to see if the pantographs are nickel or brass, if the headlights are strap or cast, and if the wheels are spoked or solid. This will help determine when it was made and what color the engine likely was.
The service notes for the 610-612 cars can be found here with possible color combos. http://pictures.olsenstoy.com/cd/b123/000910.pdf This doesn’t necessarily mean the cars came as set with the 254E but would make a nice looking set that you don’t see every day. BTW a source for dry transfer lettering is: J & A Hobbies 717-762-2242 or Warnick@pa.net Pete
The cars look to be a 610 and 612, no journal covers, 6 windows per side with each window broken down into 2 with a upper small rectangular, length is 8.5 inches. The engine did not have pantographs but it looks to be brass, the wheels are spoked (red)
Forgive me for asking, but are you sure your engine is a 254E or is it just a 254? The fact that your engine has spoked wheels and the passenger cars have no journals is not something you would typically find on a 254E. It would make sense for a set containing a 254. Also, do the passenger cars have nameplates along the sides (that is along the sides below the windows)? Just wanting to make sure.
Do you know or anyone else out there if Lionel put a colored bead of paint around the bottom of the cab of the 254E engine to designate it as a special train set? This was done at Lionels Factory supposingly.
For example, I see on your great looking set, that you have a orange colored bead of paint around the side/bottom of your 254E engine.
Also, does anyone out there know if the Lionel 254E Engine and set was sold or marketed by Sears under the number 5187 instead of the Lionel Number 254E even though it was a Lionel Box with the Sears 5187 number stamped on the box. Would this make the 254E more scarce and possibly more valuable?
If anyone else can chime in on this I would greatly appreciate it.
I’m sorry I can’t answer your question. I didn’t recall the orange stripe you pointed out. I had to look at the picture to confirm it was there. Hopefully some one here can answer your question.
I’m sorry I can’t answer your question. I didn’t recall the orange stripe you pointed out. I had to look at the picture to confirm it was there. Hopefully some one here can answer your question.
